For The Sake Of His Sorrowful Passion........

From Vatican Radio:
Letter on Priests Mission
(30 May 08 - RV)

Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, has issued a message to mark the occasion, in which he emphasized the priority of prayer over action, saying the effectiveness of action depends on prayer.

The letter also calls on priests to ask forgiveness for their sins and trust ever more fully in God’s mercy, and implores all priests to be faithful in the daily celebration of Mass.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow Cardinal McCarrick celebrates 50 years of the priesthood at the Shrine at a Mass at 5:15 pm.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Here is some of the amazing things he has done in his 50 years...

A founding member of the Papal Foundation, he has served as its president since 1997. Cardinal McCarrick also is a member of the Board of Catholic Relief Services. For the Vatican, he serves on the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See.

He has visited many nations as a human rights advocate and to survey humanitarian needs. These include China, Cuba, Iran, Vietnam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Rwanda and Burundi. He also has traveled extensively in Eastern Europe and Central America. In November 1996, then-Archbishop McCarrick was invited to serve on the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad and from 1999-2001, he was a member of the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom.

In January 2000, the President of Lebanon named him an Officer of the Order of the Cedars of Lebanon and in December 2000, the president of the United States presented him with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, just two of many honors he has received.
On January 2, 2001, he was installed as Archbishop of Washington, a position he held until May 16, 2006. Just seven weeks after his installation, on February 21, 2001, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II. He took possession of his titular church, Ss. Nereus and Achilleus, on June 28, 2001.

As Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal McCarrick served as chancellor of The Catholic University of America and president of the Board of Trustees of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and placed an emphasis on education, vocations and meeting the needs of new immigrants, particularly in the Latino community.
In Fall 2001, he opened a new seminary, Redemptoris Mater, to educate diocesan missionary priests. These men will serve both in the Archdiocese of Washington and in overseas missions after ordination. In May 2006, Cardinal McCarrick dedicated a permanent home for the seminary, located in Hyattsville, Maryland. Later that month, the Cardinal ordained 12 men to the priesthood, the largest ordination class in the Archdiocese since the 1970s.
Under his guidance, the Archdiocese of Washington undertook a major capital campaign, Forward in Faith, between 2003 and 2005. The campaign, whose funds are earmarked to support education, vocations, parish and social service needs into the future, resulted in $185 million in pledges, or $50 million over the $135 million goal. Forward in Faith was one of the most successful capital campaigns in U.S. diocesan history.
Education has always been a priority for Cardinal McCarrick and is a major component of Forward in Faith. In 2004, he supported the creation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, a Federal program that gives low-income families the ability to choose a public or non-public school for their children. As a result of his leadership, Catholic schools in the District have welcomed approximately 1,000 scholarship recipients. The Cardinal also initiated plans to open a new high school, the first Archdiocesan high school to open in decades, in Fall 2007. The Cristo Rey school, in Takoma Park, Maryland, will offer a unique work-study program for students from moderate- and low-income families.
During his five years as Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal McCarrick oversaw the start of a multi-cultural and social service center in Wheaton, Maryland; the establishment of a Lay Leadership Institute in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, which will have a special focus on the Hispanic community; and the reorganization of four of the Archdiocese’s social service agencies into one organization, Catholic Community Services, which serves over 120,000 people each year.
He traveled around the world, including trips to areas affected by major natural disasters, such as Central America, Sri Lanka and Louisiana and Mississippi post-Hurricane Katrina, to ensure people in need would receive assistance, and to bring prayer and financial support.
He also continued to travel on behalf of Catholic Relief Services, and to fulfill various responsibilities for the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Among many notable events, Cardinal McCarrick was one of 115 Cardinals in the world who participated in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI as the successor to Pope John Paul II in April 2005.
Cardinal McCarrick speaks five languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
(Thanks to the old Archdiocese website for that)

AMAZING!!

today's Yuk

What do you call an Order of Married Priests?

Answer: Lutherans

NWNA; No Women Need Apply

CDF Decree on Priestly Ordinations of Women

(29 May 08 - RV) The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith [not all of it, a few men priests, mostly old] has issued a general decree regarding the priestly ordination of women.
Signed by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, the decree was published in Wednesday evening’s edition of the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano.

It states that in virtue of the faculty conferred on the Vatican dicastery by the Churches Supreme Authority, the Holy Father, the Congregation has decreed that in accordance with canon 30 of the Code of Cannon Law, both he who has attempted to confer the sacrament of Holy Orders on a woman, and the woman who has attempted to receive said sacrament, incur excommunication latae sententiae, reserved to the Holy See. The Decree goes on to state that should he who attempts to confer Holy Orders on a women , or the women who attempts to receive said orders, be subject to the Code of Canon Law of the Oriental Churches, then in accordance with cannon 1443 of the aforementioned code, they will be subject to a greater excommunication, the revocation of which is reserved to the Apostolic See.

The text concludes that the Decree is of absolute, universal and of immediate effect. [they aint foolin around]


So that pretty much institutionalizes for all time clerical discrimination for the betterment of all our souls. Live with it.

Tony Tony Turn Around; www.saintanthonyofpadua.net

Ever Wonder Why Saint Anthony of Padua, friend of Saint Francis finds stuff?
http://www.basilicadelsanto.org/ing/home.asp

Did you know that there was a shrine to St. Anthony in Cincinnati? Here are some of the miracles happening around him:

http://www.stanthony.org/aboutanthony/history.asp

BORN JUNE 13th.
PATRON SAINT OF :

Patronage
animals; barrenness; Brazil; Beaumont, Texas; elderly people; faith in the Blessed Sacrament; Ferrazzano, Italy; fishermen; Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land; harvests; horses; Lisbon; lost articles; lower animals; mail; mariners; American Indians; Masbate, Philippines; Cavite, Philippines; Sibulan, Philippines; oppressed peoples; Padua, Italy; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; sailors; seekers of lost articles; shipwrecks; starvation; sterility; swineherds; Tigua Indians; travel hostesses; travellers; watermen.

Some MIRACLES AND WILD STUFF HAPPPENING AROUND HIM:

Preaching one night on Holy Thursday in the Church of St. Pierre du Queriox at Limoges, [France] he remembered he had to sing a Lesson of the Divine Office. Interrupting suddenly his discourse, he appeared at the same moment among the friars in choir to sing his Lesson, after which he continued his sermon. (rabbinic bilocation)

Another day preaching in the square des creux des Arenes at Limoges, he miraculously preserved his audience from the rain.

At St. Junien during the sermon, he predicted that by an artifice of the devil the pulpit would break down, but that all should remain safe and sound. And so it occurred; for while he was preaching, the pulpit was overthrown, but no one hurt; not even the saint himself. (gifts of prophecy)

In a monastery of Benedictines, where he had fallen ill, he delivered by means of his tunic one of the monks from great temptations.

Likewise, by breathing on the face of a novice (whom he had himself received into the order), he confirmed him in his vocation.

At Brive, where he had founded a convent, he preserved from the rain the maid-servant of a benefactress who was bringing some vegetables to the brethren for their meagre repast.

----------(from new advent)

www.saintanthonyofpadua.net

Stuck in Her Craw

DAWN EDEN'S BRAVE NEW WORLD

If you have not heard of the Virtue Vixen Dawn Eden yet, you don't live in North America, South America, England, Australia, China or Sweden. She has appeared all those places live or on TV and/or had her book "Thrill of the Chaste" translated for people there in their indiginous languages and selling like hot cakes. See, http://www.dawneden.blogspot.com/


She is undergoing surgery for removal of a thyroid which I am told will make her even more beautiful, without any prospect of future disease and model thin. As if she could be any more spiritually beautiful.

Please pray for her and that her surgery goes well. I am.

Corpus Christie and Corpus Priestlie

Happy Feast of Corpus Christie

How wide, how deep, is the love of Christ.

Today is a day that Presbyterians can't make heads nor tails of- it is a feast that celebrates the fact that the actual presence of Christ's body and blood is in his transubstantiated eucharist such that Jesus body and blood itself really exists under the mere appearance of bread and wine. Scripture states something that the Jewish listeners of the day found unfathomable: "Unless you eat this flesh and drink this blood you will have no life within you. "

I went to several masses to see what this holiday meant to different priests in effort to get the best explanation that I could offer to my protestant family.

Saint Patrick's church in downtown DC featured a cherubic priest who gave a brilliant explanation: we don't have a problem believing that frogs can turn into princes and children believe that superheros inhabit people's bodies. We know conversely demons can inhabit other people's bodies and even affect matter. God has appeared before as a burning bush, and when he sends a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to guide a path. We have other examples where we don't flinch at believing things take on different material forms or their original material forms are hijacked at God's command. The manna in the desert was provided as food for the journey. Where did that come from in the desert?

This priest noted that the fact that God tells us that we must take of his body and blood means that the physical is not immaterial to God. The act of our taking within our bodies his body in the form of ingestion is deemed central to our salvation. He didn't ask us to apply him on our skin or rub him in our hair or wash him in our hands. He didn't tell us to pour him over anything while chanting anything. He told us to eat his flesh and drink his blood. This has some
supernatural mystical connection with the destiny of our resurrected bodies.
We must ingest this in order to affect himself within our physical forms. The body, is thus, important. We are not disembodied souls. Our souls are attached to bodies and Christ nourishes the bodies. How we use the bodies, to what end and for whom will have some inextricable part toward determining our destinies.

Now, that's food for thought.


Another priest noted that several thousand priests were put by the Nazis in concentration camps in WWII- and so badly mistreated that they were worked by being forced to pull carts like horses or mules. When they went to town they would tell people that they were priests and so were given bread and wine that they took back to the concentration camps which they could then share and those that survived tell that this sustained their hopes. The imputation of Jesus himself in to the death camps brought life. That is one central way that the living Christ sustains and saves people-through his physically showing up and being ingested. Sort of spiritual cannibalism. Hard to swallow-which is why it is an act of faith and a grace to understand and believe it and not run away.

Another priest noted that a priest in the middle ages was skeptical about whether he was actually doing anything when consecrating the eucharist so he prayed to God to help his unbelief. He went on pilgrimmage from Prague to Rome hoping that God would answer his prayer. While celebrating Mass in Italy outside a town called Orvieto he noticed that the wafer physically turned into something that felt like flesh and actually bled onto the altar cloth. The Pope, it so happened, was at the time in Orvieto so he went to tell him and this started an inquiry and it was believed to be authenticated. I have been to Orvieto and the blood doted cloth has remained there preserved behind class for about 7 centuries.

When a Priest consecrates the eucharist at the Mass what he says is something like "This is my body which will be broken for you, for the forgiveness of sins" and is according to scripture to lead to eternal life (unless you eat and drink....you shall have no life within you.)

The biggest witness of the church against the authenticity of the transubstantiation is of course the fact that no Priest ever follows suit. The "do this in rememberance of me" is a shallow understanding which is taken to mean merely eat and drink in rememberance of me, when Jesus meant something much deeper.

What he meant was - do this transubstantiation like me-you do it- just like me- in rememberance of me. In other words, if his body was offered for the forgiveness of sins, for eternal life, then the priest ought to consider how his body should be offered to create life-and actually do it- create new life. The first principle of God's character is that he is the Creater-the author of all Life.
The greatest witness against the transubstantiation of the eucharist is the church, in that no priest can ever offer his body, or any DNA spec of it to create new life through it. God's blessing on Abraham was that Abraham would have progeny through his and Sara's own body.
It was significant and central to the Promise that progeny would issue THROUGH Abraham and Sarah- and the Hagar stunt was cheating. Jesus created and creates life through his given body and asks everyone to do likewise. The blessing comes through the physical offering.


No Catholic priest can follow this or inherit this blessing because it's against Cannon Law that has only existed since the 12th Century. Jewish priests inherited this blessing and had children. Which is why the Protestant reformation was destined to happen within a few hundred years of that 12th century perversion. I joke, but it's not really a joke that the Priest when he says "this is my body which will be broken for you" should follow up with "because I like to live vicariously" because no priest, if he likes to eat and stay out of Court, will ever offer his body to another to create new life. And in this they are less Christ-like than the Protestant Ministers who understand the fullness of what Life in Christ-through him, with him and in him is supposed to mean and propogate. Catholic priests generally view women who have this view as intrinsically impure. Protestants view the Catholic view as just sexist heresy and off the rails from the dignity Christ gave women and particularly the central devotion he encouraged of his Mother.

Both the Protestant world and the Catholic world are thus incomplete in the meaning of the Last Supper and see in a glass mirror dimly. The Protestant world (that part that believes the whole dog and pony show is merely symbolic) has thrown the Baby Jesus out with the bathwater, while the Catholic world has in imprisoning their priests in the false piety of mandatory forced celibacy to serve institutional interests defeated in part it's own purposes by attracting only men who are disinclined to create families, and thus are disinclined to offer their bodies as living sacrifices to create actual new life. Their words can sometimes ring shallow.

And this is a good starting point for an eucumenical conference on the depth of what exactly Jesus did at the Last Supper. Because neither camp fully understands the depth of Christ's love in offering his body on the Cross.

Only one parish bulletin I saw today oddly took the occasion to not too subtly chastize people who departed from church doctrine to being 'worthy' enough to partake of the eucharist. (When Jesus NEVER refused himself to anyone who came to him) - Samaritans, even Samaritan women and Centurions were all welcome if they had faith enough to venture toward him.

When Church doctrine departs from Jesus how worthy is the priest doling it out? With regard to forced mandatory celibacy as a condition of priesthood, Seventy percent of all Americans believe it is a crock that fosters an overly gay priesthood and leads to all kinds of sins of emotionally adulaterous manipulations for profit to mandate forced celibacy (meaning no marriage) for the entire group of men they deem worthy enough to dish out the eucharist and call themselves priests.

This gives old Dominicans justification to condemn all women who are inclined to childbearing as being somehow definitionally impure or unholy and lesser than the priesthood- which is of course the opposite of how Jesus viewed women and children. Jesus said for the little children to come to him- and priests cross themselves and lie prostrate on concrete vowing to never have them.

There is something plainly very sinister and twisted about that. Evil. The fact that this evil is called holier than thou is just not biblical. The fact that only men who prefer living with men are qualifiable as priests is something that is not in keeping with the model of people whom Jesus sought and chose as disciples. He didn't choose as the 12 disciples the Ethiopian eunich or any collection of eunichs, or single men like John the Baptist. Eunich-hood, while permitted for the kingdom was rare. He chose family men. In Jewish culture children are blessings and women were "saved" through childbearing. A collection of males swearing off children as a right of passage would have had about as much evangelical appeal as throwing a pig roast in a PETA conference.

The First Testament reading on Corpus Christie was the verse indicating that God would bless the children within you. God would bless the children within you.
And no priest is permitted by Cannon Law to offer his body or any DNA part of it to create life- as Jesus did in offering his flesh for the salvation of the world. This is more than ridiculous incongruity.
This is why the Pope is flatly in profound biblical error. Thank God Jesus manifests himself in spite of the sins of the Priest- dogmatic or otherwise, codified in cannon law or otherwise.

Love Is Not A Crime

It's A Commandment

By His Stripes

I am healed.

Blessings and Prayers go to Ted Kennedy and his family.


I second this thought from the President of People For The American Way:

Finally, we all want to wish Senator Edward Kennedy a speedy recovery. I can't think of anyone who has advanced the rights of all Americans for so long, or who has fought so hard for progressive policies. I met with Senator Kennedy just last week on the issues of voter ID and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. And on the very day he was hospitalized, we received a thank you letter from him for People For's work on the Ledbetter bill. We're all wishing him and his family strength and recovery, and looking forward to seeing this champion back in the Senate soon.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Kolbert, President

CONGRATULATIONS!

To Brother Hugh

You can call him Father now.

http://oldarchive.godspy.com/reviews/Marys-Silence-An-Annunciation-Meditation-by-Br-Hugh-Vincent-Dyer-OP.cfm.html


Dominican Brother Hugh Vincent ordained. All the Best

Prayer request

JOE CLARK: Another living Saint.

Joe recently made it to Lourdes as a Malade- he joked: "To qualify you had to be sick enough but not so sick you died on the way over!" Apparently he has recurrent forms of cancer, Prostate and metastacized. Please keep him in your prayers.

Let there be Life

HUMAN LIFE INTERNATIONAL

http://www.hli.org/president_hli.html

They have a DVD that compactly contains the following:
-The Catechism of the Catholic Church
- 293 Papal encyclicals
-16 Vatican II documents
-The entire Summa Theologica
-Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body
-Call to Action or Call to Apostasy?
-"Catholics" for a free choice exposed
-The Facts of Life
-9 Books and 165 articles on NFP


Order it on line from them:

Human Life International
4 Family Life Lane
Front Royal, VA 22630
800-549-LIFE
www.hli.org
hli@hli.org

GOT GUTS??

HILLARY TAKES WEST VIRGINIA
As Winston Churchill once said and a famous Pastor Filardi repeated: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up.

When Life is Off The Rails: Nora Jones-Meet Gallileo

Last October I found myself again in the church Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. It is actually a Museum. We had a Mass there but the whole back of the church was darkened and not for viewing of anyone who did not pay the tourist 10 Euro fee to observe the fine architecture, historic statuary and grave sites of famous Italian figures. The State owns the church now- it's that important- or that neglected by the faithful.

In this church is the inconspicuous grave tomb stone of Galileo, the medieval astronomer.
The astronomer was tried as a heretic by the Catholic hierarchy in 1633 and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun.
Imagine that- no, I didn't mean it- OK, OK, OK, you win- the earth really is flat. Just kidding.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II said the church's ruling against Galileo was an error.

It took how many centuries to officially unbrand him a heretic?? Galileo. My hero.
Some of us are faster than the red tape.

AHIMSA

What's That?

Apparently, AHIMSA means "Apostle of Truth and Non-Violence" in whatever language GHANDI understood. It is enscribed in STONE at the base of his statue on Massachusetts Avenue in Washingon, DC right in the heart of Embassy Row. Recently, I had the amazing privilege of meeting GHANDI's grandson who very humbly inconspiciuosly showed up at a gathering at GW law school to promote his new book on his Grandfather. Get it- it's the definitive biography by someone who sat at his feet until he was twelve years old.

Also inscribed in the statue is the quote by Einstein stating "Generations to come... will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

To which I say to Einstein---- yo, Einie, have ya heard about that
guy named JESUS OF NAZARETH?
He fasted also for 40 days and nights and after that he was, well, a bit hungry. Just like Ghandi.

Fasting has a way of driving out demons. And in the fullness of time---overturning even empires.

Have you heard about that guy named JESUS OF NAZARETH?

He didn't take on the Romans with vengeance and a sword- he told Peter to put the sword away when the Roman oppressors were coming to arrest him. He tried to win "hearts and minds" not just in Iraq, but every square foot of the earth, not with sword and fist and spit and shock and awe- but with kindness and everlasting love.

Have you heard about that guy named JESUS OF NAZARETH?

He was the original Apostle of truth and non-violence.
He was the original AHIMSA.

Choral Arts Society of Washington presents.....

Mendelssohn: Elijah
Sunday, May 18 at 4:00 pm
Free Pre-concert discussion at 2:30pm

The season concludes with this beloved dramatic oratorio recounting the life of the prophet revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.
A tribute to Mendelssohn's Baroque predecessors Bach and Handel, Elijah marks his emergence as one of the great Romantic composers.


Elijah-
Tickets: $20-$80To order tickets, please call (202) 537-5527
or visit www.cathedralchoralsociety.org

PLEASE NOTE
Door Sales and Will Call have changed locations!
DOOR SALE TICKETS will be available for sale and pick-up starting at 3:00 PM, (5/18/08) in the Gift Shop on the LOWER LEVEL (B-2) of the Washington National Cathedral
Main Car Garage.
WILL CALL-TICKETS will be available for pick-up starting at 3:00 PM, (5/18/08) in the Narthex just inside the main entrance of Washington National Cathedral.

ELIJAH SPECIAL TICKET OFFER
Cathedral Choral Society is pleased to announce a special 1/2 price off ticket offer in the following sections:
MID-NAVE-$25.00(normally $50.00)REAR-NAVE-$15.00 (normally $30.00)NORTH/SOUTH TRANSEPT (WEST SIDE)-$28.00(normally $55.00)NORTH/SOUTH TRANSEPT (EAST SIDE)-$10.00(normally $20.00)To receive this offer online, please click here.To receive this offer by phone, please dial 202.537.2228 and mention this email offer.OFFER AVAILABLE BEGINNING AT NOON ON TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008
OFFER APPLIES TO NEW TICKET SALES ONLY

And Also With You

Thanks to Msgr. Rossi; See more Pope Pictures at:

http://www.nationalshrine.com/

Intriguing Title: What Was He Thinking!

TECHNOLOGY CANNOT SUBSTITUTE THE ACT OF MARITAL LOVE

From the official Vatican Information Service:

VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI received participants in an international congress being promoted by the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome to mark the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Encyclical "Humanae vitae".

Recalling that the Encyclical was published by Pope Paul VI on 25 July 1968, the Pope highlighted how "the document soon became a sign of contradiction", and pointed out that "it constitutes a significant show of courage in reiterating the continuity of the Church's doctrine and tradition".

"The truth expressed in 'Humanae vitae 'does not change", he said, "quite the contrary, in the light of new scientific discoveries its teaching becomes more relevant and stimulates reflection on the intrinsic values it possesses".

The Holy Father affirmed that "in a culture suffering from the prevalence of having over being, human life risks losing its value. If the practice of sexuality becomes a drug that seeks to enslave the partner to one's own desires and interests without respecting the times of the beloved, then what must be defended is no longer just the concept of love but, primarily, the dignity of the person. As believers we could never allow the power of technology to invalidate the quality of love and the sacredness of life".

Natural law, he said, "deserves to be recognised as the source inspiring the relationship between a married couple in their responsibility to generate children. The transmission of life is inscribed in nature and its laws stand as an unwritten norm to which everyone must refer".

Nascent life, said the Pope, "is the fruit of a love capable of thinking and choosing in complete freedom, without allowing itself to be overly conditioned by the sacrifice this may require. From here emerges the miracle of life which parents experience in themselves as they sense the extraordinary nature of what is achieved in them and through them. No mechanical technique can substitute the act of love that husband and wife exchange as a sign of the greater mystery, in which they are protagonists and co-participants of creation".

After recalling the sad episodes that sometimes involve adolescents "whose reactions display their incorrect appreciation of the mystery of life and of the dangerous implications of their actions", the Holy Father expressed the hope that young people "may learn the true meaning of love and prepare for it with appropriate sexual education, not allowing themselves to be distracted by superficial messages that prevent them appreciating the essence of the truth at stake".

"Freedom must join with truth, and responsibility with strength of dedication to others, also through sacrifice. Without these principles the community of man does not develop and there is a risk of being trapped in oppressive selfishness".
AC/ANNIVERSARY HUMANAE VITAE/... VIS 080512 (470)

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

A Special Mother's Day Message:

"A Virtuous Woman"
Proverbs 31:10-31 (From The Message; a modern bible translation)

A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.

Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.

Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing.

She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.

She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.

She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.

First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.

She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.

She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking.

She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor.

She doesn't worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.

She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks.

Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers.

She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.

Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.

Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.

The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!

The Art of Appreciation

http://www.catholic-tube.com/oh-sweet-sacrament

Simon Bar Jonah

Do you love me more than these...
Yes, you know more than the leaves on all the trees
more than the winds, more than the seas
more than the hummingbirds in the breeze
more than every single thing that breathes

Do you love me more than these....
Yes, you know more than the eye that sees
more than the ears that hear music that pleases
more than the sweet summer ocean breezes
do I love you more than all of these

Do you love me more than these....
Yes so so much I will never leave
I will feed, tend and babysit your sheep
I will follow you wherever you need
I will hold your face in my hands and kiss you sweetly
I will uphold you when you falter weakly
I will give you whatever you seek
for as long as you believe me.

Remember When

LOVE NEVER FAILS

Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
- Psalm 5:1-3

From: American Constitution Society
Sent: Wed, 7 May 2008 4:16 pm
Subject: "A Teleconference on Religion, Children, and Public Schools:
Contemporary First Amendment Issues" on May 14


The Religion Clauses Issue Group of the American Constitution Society, The American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education present a 60-minute Teleconference and Live Audio Webcast:

A Teleconference on Religion, Children, and Public Schools: Contemporary First Amendment Issues

On Wednesday, May 14, The Religion Clauses Issue Group of ACS will co-host a teleconference and live video webcast that will explore issues surrounding the practice of faith in public schools. Panelists will discuss: the challenges school districts and communities face when there is pressure for and opposition to implementing a curriculum that focuses on "the Bible as history and literature"; the free speech issues that are implicated in the context of religion in the classroom; the constitutional limitations on prayer in public schools as they intersect with the constitutional rights of parents to raise their children in faith; as well as the independent rights of children to free exercise and speech, using examples from recent controversies.
Featuring:
Donna HowellYampa Valley Housing, Steamboat Springs, CO

Anthony R. Picarrello, Jr.General Counsel, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC

Catherine J. RoddProfessor of Law, George Washington University Law School Washington,

DCModerated by:

Richard T. Foltin
Counsel, Office of Government Affairs, American Jewish Committee, Washington, DC

Wednesday, May 14, 20081:00 - 2:00 PM EST

Tuition for ACS and ABA members $85, $125 for general public.Register here.

All participants must be registered for the program. CLE Credit is available. For more information, see here or e-mail mailto:events@acslaw.org.

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. Founded in 2001, ACS is a rapidly growing network of lawyers, law students, scholars, judges, policymakers and other concerned individuals. Our mission is to ensure that fundamental principles of human dignity, individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice enjoy their rightful, central place in American law. The views of speakers are their own and should not be attributed to ACS. For more information about the organization, which has established student chapters at over 160 law schools around the country and lawyer chapters in over 25 cities, please visit http://www.acslaw.org/.

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American Constitution Society
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the view from Rome

What the Pope Said to Women in US

Interview With President of Catholic Organizations Union

By Miriam Díez i Bosch
ROME, MAY 6, 2008 (Zenit.org).-

Benedict XVI's zealous promotion of human rights during his trip to the United States has direct consequences for women, says the president of a Catholic women's group.Karen Hurley is the president of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, which aims to promote the presence, participation and co-responsibility of Catholic women in society and Church.In this interview with ZENIT, Hurley gives a review of the Pope's trip to the United States last month, and explains why his trip brought such a positive reaction.Q: What is your personal impression of Benedict XVI's apostolic visit to the United States?Hurley: We are still basking in the glow of the apostolic visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the USA. For me it was such a joy to have our Holy Father visit my homeland. Through my service in the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, I have been blessed to be able to greet both Pope John Paul II as well as Pope Benedict XVI, both in Rome and at Castel Gandolfo. But most Americans only see our Holy Father from a distance through the media. People traveled from every state to Washington, D.C., and New York City to catch a glimpse of our Holy Father in person. There was such elation, as well as deep abiding peace, when one saw the Pope. People clutching cameras forgot to take photographs because they were smiling and waving at the Pope. Stadiums packed with worshippers were hushed with silence so all could hear each and every word spoken by our Holy Father.Beginning on the sunny afternoon our Holy Father stepped off Shepherd One and was welcomed by President Bush until six days and nights later as the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Sambi, Vice President and Mrs. Cheney stood on the airport runway waving good-bye, the spiritual and emotional connections deepened.There was a tremendous witness of faith, a greater conviction that Christ is our hope, and an outpouring of love on the part of all whose lives were touched by this visit.Q: The Pope himself has confessed he learned a lot about you, American Catholics. Is this encouraging for you?Hurley: Yes, this is very encouraging because I believe our Holy Father found Americans who are committed to professing and living our Catholic faith in the midst of secular cultural influences. Pope Benedict's words reflected his knowledge of the history of our nation, but also his awareness of the challenges and opportunities that face us in the present day. The Holy Father, in his quiet, caring manner, was able to "meet people where they are": clergy and vowed religious, laity, women and men, young people, children with disabilities, representatives of other religions, and, quite poignantly, survivors of clergy sexual abuse. In Pope Benedict's own words, he came as "a friend, a preacher of the Gospel." But he certainly spent his time listening, as well as preaching, learning as well as educating, and praying as well as being a sign of Christ's healing and peace to all whose lives he touched.Americans also learned a lot about Pope Benedict XVI whom they compare to his predecessor, beloved John Paul II. Clearly they are two different personalities with unique gifts which the Lord has called forth in his service. Any earlier misperceptions held by some Americans of Cardinal Ratzinger in his previous role as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith were shattered by this personal encounter with a compassionate Pope Benedict XVI who pastorally enunciated the truths of our faith.Q: Is there a special message for the mission of women that you could learn from this papal trip? Hurley: Our Holy Father spoke clearly of the dignity of every human person created in the image and likeness of God. His words resonate particularly during this 20th anniversary year of Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter, “Mulieris Dignitatem," On the Dignity and Vocation of Women.Referring to the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the role of the United States of America in the international community, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged efforts to build "a world where the God-given dignity and rights of every man, woman and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced." For the members of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, this encompasses our mission to work for human rights beginning with the fundamental right to life, the education of women and girls, caring for the poor, the sick and the stranger, and advocating for justice based on God's moral law.Before his election, then-Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in the “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World":“It is women, in the end, who even in very desperate situations, as attested by history past and present, possess a singular capacity to persevere in adversity, to keep life going even in extreme situations, to hold tenaciously to the future, and finally to remember with tears the value of every human life."Our Holy Father reminded all men and women of our God-given dignity. A reality of the dignity of women is a "capacity for the other," which elicits life and contributes to the growth and protection of all those entrusted to our care.Q: Everybody seems happy about this visit. Why has it been so important at this particular moment in history?Hurley: So many people are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. Others may have grown lukewarm in their faith. Still others were actively seeking a more intimate union with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Pope Benedict came to the United States of America to preach the Gospel message, "Christ our Hope." This was the message people of all ages and stages of life needed to hear and to respond to. Our Holy Father's visit presented a unique opportunity for all people of good will to experience a personal encounter with the Lord; an encounter which impels one to share the good news with others, like the Samaritan woman at the well. Indeed, people are now sharing their faith, hope and love with renewed fervor. With the grace of God, the fruits of this visit will continue to flourish for years to come as the seeds that were planted begin to grow.

Positive thoughts from the Hour of Power

• Strengthened in God's Presence
• By Robert A. Schuller
  
• Today, I will preach from the book of Isaiah, which is a fabulous book in the bible. The book of Isaiah is actually divided into two sections; the section of judgment and the section of comfort. There are 66 chapters in the book of Isaiah. Now, here's an interesting thought: the bible has 66 books in it. The bible has two sections; you have the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some people refer to it as the book of judgment and the book of comfort. Isaiah has 66 chapters in it. You have 39 chapters in the book of judgment and 27 chapters in the book of comfort. In the Old Testament you have 39 chapters in the Old Testament and 27 chapters in the New Testament. The book of Isaiah mirrors the whole bible. Contained within these fabulous words we come to this point where we read Isaiah 41:10 which are the words I want to share with you today. It says: "So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." These are powerful words for us today. Two weeks ago I shared with you the words, "I have not given you a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind." Last week we discovered that "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us." So today we take the next step of discovering that he does not want us to fear nor to be dismayed. It's kind of a challenging thing to do in our society and in our world today. Especially when you go to the gas pump. Has anyone noticed the price of gas going up a little bit? I was shocked! I went to the gas station the other day and the price of gas was over $4.00 a gallon! It's insanity and it just keeps going up. In fact my wife and I decided that we are going to examine and find out what it is going to take for us to take the bus from our home to the Crystal Cathedral. You know unfortunately the mass transit system in Southern California isn't user friendly. Some of you may have discovered that it works for you, but I haven't found out if it works for me yet or not, but we're going to try it and see how long it actually takes for me to get to work. Why? It's to handle and deal with this fear and this dismay of fuel prices.
  Continue... see, www.hourofpower.org

OUR LADY OF Saint Etienne [St. Stephen] of LAUS--CHURCH RECOGNIZES ANOTHER FRENCH APPARITION---pilgrimmage detours??

http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/laus.htm

"Go to the valley above Saint-Étienne. [Saint Stephen] That is where you will see the Mother of God."

PARIS (May 4) - A Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday that the church has officially recognized that the Virgin Mary appeared to a 17th-century shepherd girl in the French Alps.Speaking at Mass in remarks broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old Benoite Rencurel from 1664 to 1718.

The bishop, in an interview on France-Info radio, said the decision meant the church "has committed itself in an official way to say to pilgrims 'you can come here in total confidence.'" The recognition process involved a panel of experts including two theologians and an investigating judge, he said.Officials at Notre-Dame-du-Laus church say that after four months of daily apparitions starting in May 1664, the Virgin Mary asked Rencurel to build a church and a house to receive priests.The sanctuary, which was founded by Rencurel, today welcomes some 120,000 pilgrims a year - at times providing healing oils based on a method that the Virgin Mary was said to pass on to the shepherd girl, the officials said.The recognition Sunday makes Laus an official pilgrimage site for the church - on a par with Lourdes, a site where Roman Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared before 14-year-old girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.Thousands of people who have since prayed and bathed at a spring in Lourdes said they have been healed.

Reconnaissance officielle des apparitions à Notre Dame du Laus
En France l’inauguration de ce mois de Marie est marquée par la reconnaissance officielle du caractère surnaturel des apparitions de la Vierge à Benoîte Rencurel, au sanctuaire du Laus, dans les Hautes-Alpes. Une reconnaissance qui sera proclamée ce dimanche par Mgr Jean-Michel di Falco Léandri, évêque du diocèse de Gap et d’Embrun, au cours de la messe célébrée à 10h30 dans la Basilique Notre-Dame du Laus. Le Nonce apostolique en France, Mgr Fortunato Baldelli, et une trentaine de cardinaux et d’évêques venus du monde entier assisteront à la célébration. Sabine de Rozières a rencontré Mgr di Falco lors d’une visite à Rome, il revient sur l’importance de cette reconnaissance (ecoute Vatican Radio---a droite)

...more on supernatural marian apparitions....

http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/phenomena.asp

The LITANY OF LORETO

Litany of Loreto
V. Lord, have mercy.R. Christ have mercy.V. Lord have mercy. Christ hear us.R. Christ graciously hear us.God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Holy Virgin of Virgins, [etc.]Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace,Mother most pure,Mother most chaste,Mother inviolate,Mother undefiled,Mother most amiable,Mother most admirable,Mother of good Counsel,Mother of our Creator,Mother of our Savior,Virgin most prudent,Virgin most venerable,Virgin most renowned,Virgin most powerful,Virgin most merciful,Virgin most faithful,Mirror of justice,Seat of wisdom,Cause of our joy,Spiritual vessel,Vessel of honor,Singular vessel of devotion,Mystical rose,Tower of David,Tower of ivory,House of gold,Ark of the covenant,Gate of heaven,Morning star,Health of the sick,Refuge of sinners,Comforter of the afflicted,Help of Christians,Queen of Angels,Queen of Patriarchs,Queen of Prophets,Queen of Apostles,Queen of Martyrs,Queen of Confessors,Queen of Virgins,Queen of all Saints,Queen conceived without original sin,Queen assumed into heaven,Queen of the most holy Rosary,Queen of peace,
V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,R. Spare us, O Lord. V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,R. Graciously hear us, O Lord. V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be freed from present sorrow, and rejoice in eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
The versicle and prayer after the litany may be varied by season. Thus, during Advent (from the fourth Sunday before Christmas to Christmas Eve):
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray. O God, who hast willed that by the message of an Angel, thy Word should receive flesh from the womb of the Virgin Mary: grant unto thy suppliants, that we who believe that she is truly the Mother of God, may be assisted by her intercession before Thee. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
From Christmas to Candlemass (the Feast of the Presentation), that is through February 1:
V. Thou gavest birth without loss of thy virginity.R. Intercede for us, O holy Mother of God.
Let us pray. O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast offered unto the human race the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that we may know the effects of her intercession, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son. R. Amen.
From Candlemass to Easter (through Holy Week), AND from the day after Pentecost (or from Trinity Sunday, if Pentecost is celebrated with octave) to the beginning of Advent:
V. "Pray for us" and prayer "Grant unto thy servants," as above:
During Eastertide (from Easter day through Pentecost, and throughout the octave of Pentecost if it is celebrated):
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. R. For the Lord is truely risen, alleluia.
Let us pray. O God, Who by the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to make glad the whole world, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life, through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

AND MORE ON LOURDES

Le Jubilé des médias à Lourdes les 29 et 30 mai prochains
A l'occasion des 150 ans des apparitions de la Sainte Vierge à Bernadette Soubirous, la Fédération Française de la Presse Catholique, Signis France, le Conseil pour la Communication de la Conférence des Evêques de France, les Sanctuaires de Lourdes et le Secours Catholique invite tous les professionnels des médias, français et étrangers, à suivre deux jours de colloques et tables rondes la figure de la Vierge Marie et le rôle des medias comme acteurs de la paix et du dialogue.Les inscriptions sont encore possible jusqu'au 9 mai 2008. Pour les renseignements appeler au +33.(0)1.44.35.65.98

The Jubilee for the Media covering Lourdes is this May 29-30.

On the occasion of the 150th year of the apparitions of the Saint Virgin {Mary} to Bernadette Soubirous, the French Federation of the Catholic Press, Signis France, the French Bishops Conference Communications Committee, the Lourdes Sanctuaries and Catholic Health invite all media professionals, French and Foreign [Press/Media] to spend two days of round table and colloqia [discussion] on the figure of the Virgin Mary and the role that media plays as agents of Peace and Dialogue. It is still possible to register up until May 9, 2008. To register call +33 (0)1.44.35.65.98

"A Man Who Believes, Is A Man Who Hopes"- French President Sarkozy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1927473/New-French-shrine-

If you are in Delaware- here's something not to miss

I Lay Before You the CHOICE of LIFE and DEATH.
CHOOSE, therefore, LIFE


I came that you should have LIFE and have it ABUNDANTLY


....................................
Father JIM Greenfield sent the following message on the death of
Father Angelo Maraldo OSFS,
Director of Development of the Oblates of St. Francis DeSales on Friday,
May 2, 2008.

May He Rest in Peace

The one who has hope lives differently; he has been given the promise of a new life
[editorial note: LET IT BE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN]

These words of Pope Benedict XVI in Spe Salvi remind and console us that in the promise of Resurrection we find our true joy. In this spirit, I share the arrangements for Angelo F. Maraldo's Funeral Mass and Liturgy of Christian Burial.


Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Church of the Holy Child
2500 Naamans Road
Wilmington, DE 19810

Viewing from 4 PM to 7 PM
Funeral Mass at 7 PM

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Oblate Community at Childs

Viewing from 11 AM to 12 Noon
Liturgy of Christian Burial at 12 Noon=

on a serious note folks

Dear Cynthia,
Tonight marks the beginning of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we honor the memory of the six million Jews who were slaughtered while the world stood silently by. As Jews, we have a deep understanding of the danger of inaction in the face of genocide. And so Yom HaShoah also serves as a reminder that as global citizens and advocates for justice, there is much more that we can do - especially for the people of Darfur. This Yom HaShoah, please join me and other members of the AJWS community by signing an open letter that calls on President Bush not to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. AJWS will deliver signatures to the White House on Monday, May 12. China has acted as both an enabler and protector of the government of Sudan. Since 2004, China has supplied 90 percent of all small arms purchased by Sudan - weapons used in the murder and forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Darfuri people. And as Sudan's largest trading partner, China continually thwarts international action to end the violence in Darfur. The attendance of President Bush at the opening ceremony would implicitly endorse the actions of the government of China. In the words of Elie Wiesel, "a memorial unresponsive to the future would violate the memory of the past." Please join me in taking action for the people of Darfur this Yom HaShoah by signing the open letter to President Bush asking him not to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics this summer. Sincerely,

Ruth MessingerPresident, AJWS

Happy May 1 to all my French Friends; It's La Fete De Muguet!

The Feast of Saint Joseph today is celebrated in France with white Lillies of the Valley.
Look at the lillies - they don't toil, yet see how beautifully your heavenly father arrays them.
The French celebrate May 1 by giving lillies of the valley to everyone as a rite of spring. The French Embassy in Washington has a project to bring more lillies of the valley to us here in America. I so love those people!!

Here is what the Embassy says about the lillies of the valley:
This charming flower-giving tradition dates back to 1561 when King Charles IX decided that lily of the valley (muguet in French) should be offered on May 1 as a sign of good luck. Since then, people throughout the country have been offering the fragrant blooms to friends, loved ones and relatives to bid them a lucky year. As the flower became a gift rewarding virtue and good conscience, it is said that when the world was created, lily of the valley grew on both sides of the Gates of Paradise and that its little bells rang whenever a good soul went through the door. In the Middle Ages, May was the month for couples to get engaged and the tradition was to hook blades of lily of the valley above the door of one’s loved one. Lily of the valley has long been a symbol of renewal and spring, and it is fitting that it became a symbol of happiness and good luck.