Reading 1Eccl 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
HI Charlie and Patrick!
America's Future in Rome
ZENIT REPORTS
North American College Nears Capacity
ROME, SEPT. 25, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The return of the seminarians invariably signals the arrival of Roman fall. Nowhere else in the world does the Church seem as vibrant, youthful and energetic than Rome at the end of September, when fresh faces in Roman collars fill the streets, striding purposefully across town toward their classes.
A large number of these future priests are Americans hailing from dioceses across the 50 states. This stronghold of the hope for the Church in America sits above the right shoulder of St. Peter's Basilica, the Pontifical North American college.
This fall, the North American College seems to stand even taller as it welcomes a record number of first-year seminarians, 61 "new men." The total number of 208 students will bring the seminary close to its capacity.
The students live on the premises although they walk into town every day to attend classes at the Jesuit Gregorian University or the Dominican University of the Angelicum.
The College is situated on the Janiculum Hill just a step away from the Bambin Gesu, Italy's foremost children's hospital. Also next door is the Vatican bus park, a bustling tourist hub constructed during the Great Jubilee 2000. In the midst of all this hubbub, the NAC offers a pleasant oasis of tranquility, prayer and study.
Blessed Pius IX, despite his many domestic hardships during the unification of Italy, demonstrated his pastoral concern for the Church in the United States when he proposed the idea of a seminary in Rome for the formation of American priests.
Rome, the Holy Father felt, could teach these young men about the universality of the Church, the long history and tradition of Christianity and the magisterium of the successor of St. Peter. To expedite this plan, the Pope donated the first piece of land for the college.
On Dec. 8, 1859, the first home of the North American College was inaugurated in Casa Santa Maria on Via Dell'Umiltà, near the Trevi fountain, and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
After the unification of Italy, the Italian state attempted to confiscate the Casa Santa Maria as it had done with all the other Church holdings.
Only the intervention of the U.S. president Chester Arthur at the instigation of the American bishops saved the property.
By the end of World War II, vocations in the United States had increased to the point where the Casa Santa Maria could not accommodate the seminarians, so the North American College moved into the Villa Gabrielli park. The new premises, which enjoy the status of being extra-territorial property of Vatican City State, were inaugurated on Dec. 8, 1952, by Pope Pius XII in person.
Oasis in the city
The NAC's building structure was designed by Count Enrico Pietro Galeazzi in a refreshingly modern style intended to exploit the qualities of clean air and nature on the site. While simple and austere, wide corridors and large windows allow for light and fresh breezes and courtyards offer the serenity of nature for prayer.
The core of the structure was a series of chapels placed one on top of the other. The lowest level contained the crypt chapel, while the second was arranged with a score of little side altars where the priests would learn to celebrate their first Masses. Count Galeazzi chose to be buried in this chapel where he would be surrounded by the prayers of the young seminarians.
The uppermost chapel is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The lofty space boasts a mélange of modern styles, a sort of universality in artistic expression.
From stone reliefs illustrating the sacraments framing the altar in an updated Romanesque to the stained glass windows and expressionistic renderings of Old and New Testament stories along the nave, the chapel encompasses traditional church decoration in contemporary style.
The chapel is dominated by a mosaic of the Immaculate Conception designed by Count Galeazzi. He featured the Blessed Mother standing upon a crescent moon with her right hand raised in blessing and her left holding a globe surmounting the cross. Angels fly above her raising lilies and a crown, while below her stand Sts. Gregory the Great, Francis de Paul, Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney and Pius X.
Like the art of the chapel, the saints represent faith and devotion over the centuries of the Church.
Leaving a mark
I visited the College with a priest who had lived there as a seminarian in his youth and was now participating the in the Continuing Theological Education program, which is also based in the same building.
His love for the place of his priestly formation and his vivid memory of the art and architecture of the building show what an impact a seminary can have in a priest's life.
The first thing he brought me to see was a stunning mosaic, which had once graced the entryway to the complex. Designed for the inauguration of the new premises in 1953, the work represents the former residence of the seminarians, the Casa Santa Maria.
The work was deigned by Nello Ena, a successful Italian architect, and executed by Vatican Mosiac laboratory. Composed of bright and colorful tiles and enlivened by splashes of gold, the mosaic superimposes the myriad of buildings that made up the Casa Santa Maria in a sort of collage.
A pretty medieval brick bell tower flecked with shimmering bells hovers above a classical shrine with an image of the Virgin. Arcaded porticos, honorific columns and ancient ruins all patterned together give an idea of the dense layers of history that make up Rome and the Church.
This lovely work of art was a gift of Claire Boothe Luce, herself a remarkable mosaic of gifts and accomplishments. She started as a model/actress before turning to writing. A brilliant author, several of her plays won critical acclaim.
Upon her marriage to Henry Luce, publisher of Time and Life magazine, Claire Boothe Luce turned to journalism. From there it was a short step to politics.
Claire Boothe Luce famously converted to Catholicism in 1946 and wrote of her conversion in a series of articles for McCall magazine. In 1953, she became the U.S. Ambassador to Italy. One her first acts upon her arrival was to commission the mosaic as a gift to seminarians for their new residence.
Through the bright faces of our future priests, the modern engagement with ancient tradition and the myriad of backgrounds and histories of the people, the North American College presents all the good that the United States has to offer.
* * *
Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University's Italian campus. She can be reached at lizlev@zenit.org.
ZENIT REPORTS
North American College Nears Capacity
ROME, SEPT. 25, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The return of the seminarians invariably signals the arrival of Roman fall. Nowhere else in the world does the Church seem as vibrant, youthful and energetic than Rome at the end of September, when fresh faces in Roman collars fill the streets, striding purposefully across town toward their classes.
A large number of these future priests are Americans hailing from dioceses across the 50 states. This stronghold of the hope for the Church in America sits above the right shoulder of St. Peter's Basilica, the Pontifical North American college.
This fall, the North American College seems to stand even taller as it welcomes a record number of first-year seminarians, 61 "new men." The total number of 208 students will bring the seminary close to its capacity.
The students live on the premises although they walk into town every day to attend classes at the Jesuit Gregorian University or the Dominican University of the Angelicum.
The College is situated on the Janiculum Hill just a step away from the Bambin Gesu, Italy's foremost children's hospital. Also next door is the Vatican bus park, a bustling tourist hub constructed during the Great Jubilee 2000. In the midst of all this hubbub, the NAC offers a pleasant oasis of tranquility, prayer and study.
Blessed Pius IX, despite his many domestic hardships during the unification of Italy, demonstrated his pastoral concern for the Church in the United States when he proposed the idea of a seminary in Rome for the formation of American priests.
Rome, the Holy Father felt, could teach these young men about the universality of the Church, the long history and tradition of Christianity and the magisterium of the successor of St. Peter. To expedite this plan, the Pope donated the first piece of land for the college.
On Dec. 8, 1859, the first home of the North American College was inaugurated in Casa Santa Maria on Via Dell'Umiltà, near the Trevi fountain, and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
After the unification of Italy, the Italian state attempted to confiscate the Casa Santa Maria as it had done with all the other Church holdings.
Only the intervention of the U.S. president Chester Arthur at the instigation of the American bishops saved the property.
By the end of World War II, vocations in the United States had increased to the point where the Casa Santa Maria could not accommodate the seminarians, so the North American College moved into the Villa Gabrielli park. The new premises, which enjoy the status of being extra-territorial property of Vatican City State, were inaugurated on Dec. 8, 1952, by Pope Pius XII in person.
Oasis in the city
The NAC's building structure was designed by Count Enrico Pietro Galeazzi in a refreshingly modern style intended to exploit the qualities of clean air and nature on the site. While simple and austere, wide corridors and large windows allow for light and fresh breezes and courtyards offer the serenity of nature for prayer.
The core of the structure was a series of chapels placed one on top of the other. The lowest level contained the crypt chapel, while the second was arranged with a score of little side altars where the priests would learn to celebrate their first Masses. Count Galeazzi chose to be buried in this chapel where he would be surrounded by the prayers of the young seminarians.
The uppermost chapel is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The lofty space boasts a mélange of modern styles, a sort of universality in artistic expression.
From stone reliefs illustrating the sacraments framing the altar in an updated Romanesque to the stained glass windows and expressionistic renderings of Old and New Testament stories along the nave, the chapel encompasses traditional church decoration in contemporary style.
The chapel is dominated by a mosaic of the Immaculate Conception designed by Count Galeazzi. He featured the Blessed Mother standing upon a crescent moon with her right hand raised in blessing and her left holding a globe surmounting the cross. Angels fly above her raising lilies and a crown, while below her stand Sts. Gregory the Great, Francis de Paul, Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney and Pius X.
Like the art of the chapel, the saints represent faith and devotion over the centuries of the Church.
Leaving a mark
I visited the College with a priest who had lived there as a seminarian in his youth and was now participating the in the Continuing Theological Education program, which is also based in the same building.
His love for the place of his priestly formation and his vivid memory of the art and architecture of the building show what an impact a seminary can have in a priest's life.
The first thing he brought me to see was a stunning mosaic, which had once graced the entryway to the complex. Designed for the inauguration of the new premises in 1953, the work represents the former residence of the seminarians, the Casa Santa Maria.
The work was deigned by Nello Ena, a successful Italian architect, and executed by Vatican Mosiac laboratory. Composed of bright and colorful tiles and enlivened by splashes of gold, the mosaic superimposes the myriad of buildings that made up the Casa Santa Maria in a sort of collage.
A pretty medieval brick bell tower flecked with shimmering bells hovers above a classical shrine with an image of the Virgin. Arcaded porticos, honorific columns and ancient ruins all patterned together give an idea of the dense layers of history that make up Rome and the Church.
This lovely work of art was a gift of Claire Boothe Luce, herself a remarkable mosaic of gifts and accomplishments. She started as a model/actress before turning to writing. A brilliant author, several of her plays won critical acclaim.
Upon her marriage to Henry Luce, publisher of Time and Life magazine, Claire Boothe Luce turned to journalism. From there it was a short step to politics.
Claire Boothe Luce famously converted to Catholicism in 1946 and wrote of her conversion in a series of articles for McCall magazine. In 1953, she became the U.S. Ambassador to Italy. One her first acts upon her arrival was to commission the mosaic as a gift to seminarians for their new residence.
Through the bright faces of our future priests, the modern engagement with ancient tradition and the myriad of backgrounds and histories of the people, the North American College presents all the good that the United States has to offer.
* * *
Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University's Italian campus. She can be reached at lizlev@zenit.org.
My patron saint
October 1 is her feast day- and a good day to be in her Basillica all day (on my way).Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Peace Through Unity--and More Love
Le primat de l'Eglise anglicane à Lourdes
Un parfum d’œcuménisme va flotter ce mercredi sur Lourdes. L’archevêque de Canterbury et chef de l’Eglise anglicane Rowan Williams se rendra en effet dans la cité mariale, dans le cadre du 150ème anniversaire des apparitions. 400 fidèles anglicans, membres de l’Eglise d’Angleterre seront présents. Rowan Williams assistera à la messe présidée par le cardinal Walter Kasper, président du Conseil Pontifical pour l’unité des chrétiens. Pour ce dernier cette présence est le signe que de nombreux anglicans se sentent proches de l’Eglise catholique et de la dévotion mariale. Un sentiment partagé par le père Jacques Duquesne, membre de la commission mixte pour le dialogue entre catholiques et anglicans
« Retour à l'index
The head of the Anglican church in Lourdes:
A perfumed breeze of ecumenicism floated over Lourdes on Wednesday. The Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the English Anglican church Rowan Williams returned to the Marian city, in the context of the 150th Anniversary of the apparitions....
ET AUSSI LA, a ce moment, il faut dire est Monsignor Filardi, de Washington, DC, USA qui amene un pelegrinage d'une dizaine des americaines fameuse la pour quel que jours.
SALUT TOUT LE MONDE!
Un parfum d’œcuménisme va flotter ce mercredi sur Lourdes. L’archevêque de Canterbury et chef de l’Eglise anglicane Rowan Williams se rendra en effet dans la cité mariale, dans le cadre du 150ème anniversaire des apparitions. 400 fidèles anglicans, membres de l’Eglise d’Angleterre seront présents. Rowan Williams assistera à la messe présidée par le cardinal Walter Kasper, président du Conseil Pontifical pour l’unité des chrétiens. Pour ce dernier cette présence est le signe que de nombreux anglicans se sentent proches de l’Eglise catholique et de la dévotion mariale. Un sentiment partagé par le père Jacques Duquesne, membre de la commission mixte pour le dialogue entre catholiques et anglicans
« Retour à l'index
The head of the Anglican church in Lourdes:
A perfumed breeze of ecumenicism floated over Lourdes on Wednesday. The Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the English Anglican church Rowan Williams returned to the Marian city, in the context of the 150th Anniversary of the apparitions....
ET AUSSI LA, a ce moment, il faut dire est Monsignor Filardi, de Washington, DC, USA qui amene un pelegrinage d'une dizaine des americaines fameuse la pour quel que jours.
SALUT TOUT LE MONDE!
je t'aime mon cheri-et je t'attende
Reading 11 Cor 12:31-13:13\Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,but then face to face. At present I know partially;then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Responsorial PsalmPs 33:2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22R. (12)
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
HEROS
"I MUST TRY TO SAVE SOULS NOT TAKE THEM"- Christian Iraq Vet granted Contientious Objector Status
http://news.aol.com/article/soldier-ruled-a-conscientious-objector/186059
http://news.aol.com/article/soldier-ruled-a-conscientious-objector/186059Monday, September 22, 2008
sing a new song
WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT
The Nation's Premier Baroque Chorus and Orchestra
J. Reilly Lewis, Founder and Music Director
3, 4, 5-Concert Subscription Packages
Now On Sale!!!
For Concert Information and To Purchase Tickets
Please visit: www.bachconsort.org
or Call: 202.429.2121
What's Opera Bach!
Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Harman Center for the Arts
An International Christmas
Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 3 p.m.
National Presbyterian Church
The Dresden Connection
Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 3 p.m..
Harman Center for the Arts
The Great Organ Mass
Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 3 p.m.
National Presbyterian Church
In Praise of Music
Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 3 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore
Join us for a magical, rich and glorious season!
The Nation's Premier Baroque Chorus and Orchestra
J. Reilly Lewis, Founder and Music Director
3, 4, 5-Concert Subscription Packages
Now On Sale!!!
For Concert Information and To Purchase Tickets
Please visit: www.bachconsort.org
or Call: 202.429.2121
What's Opera Bach!
Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Harman Center for the Arts
An International Christmas
Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 3 p.m.
National Presbyterian Church
The Dresden Connection
Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 3 p.m..
Harman Center for the Arts
The Great Organ Mass
Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 3 p.m.
National Presbyterian Church
In Praise of Music
Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 3 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore
Join us for a magical, rich and glorious season!
Contra La Peine De La Morte; Against the Death Penalty
Dear Friends of La Maison Française,
The Georgetown University BMW Center for German and European Studies and La Maison Française are happy to welcome French senator and former French Minister of Justice Robert Badinter for a lecture on Thursday, September 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Georgetown University.
A prominent lawyer and scholar, Robert Badinter is an icon in the world of human rights and a world-renowned moral authority. He served as France's Minister of Justice (1981-1986), and waged a campaign against the death penalty which led to its abolition in 1981. In 1986, he was appointed for a nine-year term as President of the French Constitutional Council, France's equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court.
At 80, Robert Badinter still serves as a French Senator and is a tireless expert working with European states, especially in Eastern Europe, to prevent and settle conflicts peacefully. Until recently he presided over the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the leading peace-building European organization, comprised of 56 countries (including the U.S.).
He continues a worldwide crusade to abolish the death penalty, and has made this life-long struggle the subject of his book Abolition, just published in English by the University Press of New England. In his lecture at Georgetown University, M. Badinter will provide an informed and thought-provoking analysis of the developments and issues regarding the abolition of the death penalty in the world today.
WHAT: Robert Badinter: "Toward the Universal Abolition of the Death Penalty?"
WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2008 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Gaston Hall, Georgetown University - 37th and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20057
ADMISSION: Free
RESERVATION: required. Please send an email to: culturel.washington-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr, providing your surname, first name and the number of persons attending.
Cordial Regards,
Roland CeletteCultural AttachéDirector of La Maison Française
The Georgetown University BMW Center for German and European Studies and La Maison Française are happy to welcome French senator and former French Minister of Justice Robert Badinter for a lecture on Thursday, September 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Georgetown University.
A prominent lawyer and scholar, Robert Badinter is an icon in the world of human rights and a world-renowned moral authority. He served as France's Minister of Justice (1981-1986), and waged a campaign against the death penalty which led to its abolition in 1981. In 1986, he was appointed for a nine-year term as President of the French Constitutional Council, France's equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court.
At 80, Robert Badinter still serves as a French Senator and is a tireless expert working with European states, especially in Eastern Europe, to prevent and settle conflicts peacefully. Until recently he presided over the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the leading peace-building European organization, comprised of 56 countries (including the U.S.).
He continues a worldwide crusade to abolish the death penalty, and has made this life-long struggle the subject of his book Abolition, just published in English by the University Press of New England. In his lecture at Georgetown University, M. Badinter will provide an informed and thought-provoking analysis of the developments and issues regarding the abolition of the death penalty in the world today.
WHAT: Robert Badinter: "Toward the Universal Abolition of the Death Penalty?"
WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2008 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Gaston Hall, Georgetown University - 37th and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20057
ADMISSION: Free
RESERVATION: required. Please send an email to: culturel.washington-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr, providing your surname, first name and the number of persons attending.
Cordial Regards,
Roland CeletteCultural AttachéDirector of La Maison Française
Saturday, September 20, 2008
You Can Play Too-get this one for your kiddies
Teenage Mutant Ninja Vampire Slayers
The Girl Also Kicks Vampire-Derriere and looks shockingly like Angelina Jolie
http://vampire.planethalflife.gamespy.com/characters/characters.htm
What will they think of next!
The Girl Also Kicks Vampire-Derriere and looks shockingly like Angelina Jolie
http://vampire.planethalflife.gamespy.com/characters/characters.htm
What will they think of next!
It's Official From The Vatican
CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS:
TOGETHER FOR DIGNITY OF THE FAMILY
[from the Vatican Information Service- your official Vatican News Service. ]
VATICAN CITY, 19 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue today published its annual Message to Muslims for the end of the month of Ramadan. The Message bears the signatures of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, respectively president and secretary of the council, and has as its theme this year (1429 AH / 2008 AD): "Christians and Muslims: Together for the dignity of the family."
The Message has been published in various languages. Excerpts from the English version are given below:
"During this month Christians close to you have shared your reflections and your family celebrations; dialogue and friendship have been strengthened. Praise be to God!"
"This friendly rendezvous gives us an opportunity to reflect together on a mutually topical subject which will enrich our exchange and help us to get to know each other better, in our shared values as well as in our differences: ... the subject of the family.
"One of the documents of Vatican Council II, 'Gaudium et Spes', which deals with the Church in the modern world, states: 'The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family. Hence Christians and all men who hold this community in high esteem sincerely rejoice in the various ways by which men today find help in fostering this community of love and perfecting its life'".
"These words give us an opportune reminder that the development of both the human person and of society depends largely on the healthiness of the family! How many people carry, sometimes for the whole of their life, the weight of the wounds of a difficult or dramatic family background? ... Christians and Muslims can and must work together to safeguard the dignity of the family, today and in the future.
"Given the high esteem in which both Muslims and Christians hold the family, we have already had many occasions, from the local to the international level, to work together in this field. The family, that place where love and life, respect for the other and hospitality are encountered and transmitted, is truly the 'fundamental cell of society'.
"Muslims and Christians must never hesitate, not only to come to the aid of families in difficulty, but also to collaborate with all those who support the stability of the family as an institution and the exercise of parental responsibility, in particular in the field of education. I need only remind you that the family is the first school in which one learns respect for others, mindful of the identity and the difference of each one. Inter-religious dialogue and the exercise of citizenship cannot but benefit from this".
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." – Romans 8:28 (NLT)
TOGETHER FOR DIGNITY OF THE FAMILY
[from the Vatican Information Service- your official Vatican News Service. ]
VATICAN CITY, 19 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue today published its annual Message to Muslims for the end of the month of Ramadan. The Message bears the signatures of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, respectively president and secretary of the council, and has as its theme this year (1429 AH / 2008 AD): "Christians and Muslims: Together for the dignity of the family."
The Message has been published in various languages. Excerpts from the English version are given below:
"During this month Christians close to you have shared your reflections and your family celebrations; dialogue and friendship have been strengthened. Praise be to God!"
"This friendly rendezvous gives us an opportunity to reflect together on a mutually topical subject which will enrich our exchange and help us to get to know each other better, in our shared values as well as in our differences: ... the subject of the family.
"One of the documents of Vatican Council II, 'Gaudium et Spes', which deals with the Church in the modern world, states: 'The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family. Hence Christians and all men who hold this community in high esteem sincerely rejoice in the various ways by which men today find help in fostering this community of love and perfecting its life'".
"These words give us an opportune reminder that the development of both the human person and of society depends largely on the healthiness of the family! How many people carry, sometimes for the whole of their life, the weight of the wounds of a difficult or dramatic family background? ... Christians and Muslims can and must work together to safeguard the dignity of the family, today and in the future.
"Given the high esteem in which both Muslims and Christians hold the family, we have already had many occasions, from the local to the international level, to work together in this field. The family, that place where love and life, respect for the other and hospitality are encountered and transmitted, is truly the 'fundamental cell of society'.
"Muslims and Christians must never hesitate, not only to come to the aid of families in difficulty, but also to collaborate with all those who support the stability of the family as an institution and the exercise of parental responsibility, in particular in the field of education. I need only remind you that the family is the first school in which one learns respect for others, mindful of the identity and the difference of each one. Inter-religious dialogue and the exercise of citizenship cannot but benefit from this".
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." – Romans 8:28 (NLT)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Psalm 26:2
Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
I can't tell you how I knew
that things I dream really do come true
the minute that I met you
or how I knew that face to face
in the embrace of your warm eyes
that one day I would decide
that I was tired of running from you
or hiding from the love above
that landed me in your path
at last.
Don't look now
my Prince in disguise
but God is real and I see him
in your eyes when I let myself look.
I can't tell you when
I will be tired of this hiding
everything I am living for
but on that day that I so decide
God will not contain his pride in his creation
and songs of joy will burst from clouds in fountains
of harmony from sea to shining sea
that day you are with me.
Forever and Finally.
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
I can't tell you how I knew
that things I dream really do come true
the minute that I met you
or how I knew that face to face
in the embrace of your warm eyes
that one day I would decide
that I was tired of running from you
or hiding from the love above
that landed me in your path
at last.
Don't look now
my Prince in disguise
but God is real and I see him
in your eyes when I let myself look.
I can't tell you when
I will be tired of this hiding
everything I am living for
but on that day that I so decide
God will not contain his pride in his creation
and songs of joy will burst from clouds in fountains
of harmony from sea to shining sea
that day you are with me.
Forever and Finally.
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