Thank you, Lord, for the Kingdom of Heaven, toward which You are calling and leading each of us.
15 August 2012
Msgr. Pope on the Fear of the Lord
In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the biblical notion of the Fear of the Lord.
To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:
Msgr. Charles Pope: Coming to a deeper understanding of the Fear of the Lord (8 AUG 12)
Reflection Starter from Saint Teresa of Ávila
“Look for Christ Our Lord in everyone and you will then have respect and reverence for all.” – Saint Teresa of Jesus (Saint Teresa of Ávila)
14 August 2012
Lumen Gentium: The Mystery of the Church (38)
Chapter IV of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is entitled “The Laity.” It continues as follows:
“38. Each individual layman must stand before the world as a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the living God. All the laity as a community and each one according to his ability must nourish the world with spiritual fruits.(212) They must diffuse in the world that spirit which animates the poor, the meek, the peace makers – whom the Lord in the Gospel proclaimed as blessed.(213) In a word, ‘Christians must be to the world what the soul is to the body.’(9*)”
(212) Cf. Galatians 5:12.
(213) Cf. Matthew 5:3-9.
(9*) Epist. ad Diogneum, 6: ed. Funk, I, p. 400. Cfr. S. Io.Chrysostomus, In Matth. Hom. 46 (47) 2: PG 58, 78, de fermento in massa.
To access the complete document, please visit:
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Today the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe.
Ordained at age 24 as a Conventual Franciscan, Father Kolbe saw religious indifference as the most serious problem (even poison) of the day. He devoted himself was to combat it. He was inspired to found the Crusade of Mary Immaculate (Militia Immaculatae) to fight evil with the witness of the good life, prayer, work, and suffering. He later began a magazine (Knight of the Immaculata), which eventually reached a circulation of over one million. Father Kolbe also initiated other publishing ventures and, eventually, a radio station.
As a scholar, he earned doctorates in philosophy and theology. He was also deeply interested in science. He drew plans for rocket ships, and he had an interest in fire apparatus.
In 1939 the Nazis overran Poland. Father Kolbe and the friars at his monastery were arrested. They released in less than three months, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. In 1941 he was arrested again as part of a Nazi campaign to get rid of leaders, and he was sent to Auschwitz.
One day, after a prisoner escaped, the camp commandant announced that ten men would die as a punishment. He picked several to send to the starvation bunkers, and one man, Number 16670, stepped from the line and stated, “I would like to take that man’s place. He has a wife and children.”
“Who are you?” the commandant asked.
The man simply replied, “A priest.”
The commandant took Sergeant Francis Gajowniczek out of line and ordered Father Kolbe to go with the other nine. Several days later, on the eve of the Assumption, four of the men were still alive. The jailer injected them with carbolic acid to finish the job.
Maximilian Mary Kolbe was beatified in 1971 and canonized in 1982 (Francis Gajowniczek was present at his canonization). He is the patron saint of media communications.
For more information about his life, please visit:
Jewish Virtual Library: Maximilian Kolbe
Catholic Online: St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Theological Virtue of Hope (13 AUG 12)
There is a shrine in Libertyville, Illinois, dedicated to Saint Maximilian:
National Shrine of Saint Maximilian Kolbe
One of the shrines Father Kolbe had founded, the “Garden of the Immaculate,” was located in Nagasaki, the site of one of of the two atomic bomb blasts that hastened the end of World War II.
For a good reflection related to this, please read:
CatholicCulture: The Catholic Holocaust of Nagasaki - “Why, Lord?”
Marc Cardaronella on Olympic Coverage and Evangelization
“I’m not a big sports fan.
“But I love to watch the Olympics.
“Even the obscure sports are so much fun. I mean, who normally gets excited about rowing.”
In a recent commentary, Marc Cardaronella reflected on the media coverage of the Olympics and the lessons and example this coverage has for our efforts at evangelization.
To access Mr. Cardaronella’s complete post, please visit:
Evangelizing Catechesis: What the Olympics Coverage Can Teach You About Evangelization (8 AUG 12)
Reflection Starter from Maximilian Kolbe
“The most deadly poison of our time is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise him to the greatest extent of our powers.'” – Saint Maximilian Kolbe
13 August 2012
The “Washington Post March”
As our observance of Victory Day continues, I offer this version of John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post March”:
Victory Day
Today is Victory Day, a state holiday in Rhode Island. It commemorates the end of World War II, which (not counting the Civil War) was the most extensive war the United States was involved in. It is also arguably the war in which the nation was most united in its efforts to work as a nation to win the war, with sacrifices on all levels to support the war efforts by the men and women in uniform.
This observance was originally called V-J Day, to commemorate the end of the World War II operations in the Pacific Ocean Theatre. (Many persons still refer to it by this name.) There is also a V-E Day to commemorate the end of operations in the European Theatre (on 8 May 1945). It does not get the same attention, though, because the war itself was still going on in the Pacific area.
My father and his brother, Fran, both served in the Pacific Theatre during the war. Dad was an Aerographer-Meteorologist on the U.S.S. Kermit Roosevelt (ARG-16), which was a repair ship for LST’s (Landing Ship, Tank). (Prior to his overseas deployment, he taught classes related to weather maps and weather instruments at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.) Fran served as a Radarman on the heavy cruiser, U.S.S. Vincennes.
Although Rhode Island is the only state to observe Victory day as a state holiday, a number of communities in New England and throughout the United States hold Victory Day observances to commemorate the sacrifices made by our armed forces and civilians on the home front during World War II.
NH Fire Marshal: 9-Volt Batteries a Fire Hazard
The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office is encouraging the State’s residents and businesses to locate their extra nine-volt batteries and learn how to store them properly.
In July, a fire broke out in a kitchen “junk” drawer which the resident stated she had just cleaned and organized. The fire produced smoke throughout the first floor of the home. In the drawer were spare keys, a cigarette lighter, paper clips, eye glass cleaner, and some batteries in a baggie along with other items that one might find in a “junk” drawer.
The local fire department determined the cause of the fire to be from a nine-volt battery stored in the same baggie with other batteries. The nine-volt battery rubbed against another battery and ignited the fire. In the homeowner’s words, “We were fortunate not have been away for the weekend.”
The Fire Marshal’s Office is advising that a nine-volt battery is a fire hazard because the positive and negative posts are on top, right next to one another. If the ends come in contact with anything metal (e.g., aluminum foil, steel wool, paper clip, other batteries), this will cause the object to heat up and ignite a fire.
To store the batteries, keep them in their original packaging or keep their ends covered. For disposal, make sure that the positive and negative posts are safely wrapped in electrical tape.
The office is also reminding residents to check their smoke alarms each month to ensure an early warning to get out safely if a fire should occur in the home.
Background information:
Lumen Gentium: The Mystery of the Church (37, continued)
Chapter IV of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is entitled “The Laity.” It continues as follows:
“37. . . . A great many wonderful things are to be hoped for from this familiar dialogue between the laity and their spiritual leaders: in the laity a strengthened sense of personal responsibility; a renewed enthusiasm; a more ready application of their talents to the projects of their spiritual leaders. The latter, on the other hand, aided by the experience of the laity, can more clearly and more incisively come to decisions regarding both spiritual and temporal matters. In this way, the whole Church, strengthened by each one of its members, may more effectively fulfill is mission for the life of the world.”
To access the complete document, please visit:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
