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| MONDAY vol. 10, no. 31 February 15, 1999 |
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| MONDAY vol. 10, no. 31 February 15, 1999 |
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O God, Who dost makeus glad by the yearly festival of Thy Holy Martyrs, Faustinus and Jovita, mercifully grant that we, who rejoice in their merits, may be inspired by the example of their lives. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Events in Church History  On this date in 1145 a holy Cistercian Abbot was chosen to lead the Church during turbulent times where violence was the norm. This 167th successor of Peter was Blessed Pope Eugene III who is most remembered for putting the final touches to the Sacred College of Cardinals which has continued, with several modifications, to this day. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES
 Cardinal Casoria: a fixture in the Roman Curia for over half a centuryOur nineteenth red hat we feature, in alphabetical order is Cardinal Guiseppe Casoria who retired from active ministry in the eighties. Today's featured Prince of the Church is the 91 year-old Italian prelate and former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. For more on Cardinal Casoria, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION
 hoping and praying...  
Dear children! I again invite you to prayer. You have no excuse to work more because nature still lies in deep sleep. Open yourselves in prayer. Renew prayer in your families. Put Holy Scripture in a visible place in your families, read it, reflect on it and learn how God loves His people. His love shows itself also in present times because He sends me to call you upon the path of salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call.
For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE
 To review past articles in textonly format, click on Archives. To read the front page graphics versions click on the desired Year below
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In his column today, 
The times may change, cultures may change, but the truths of Revelation and the Word never change nor do the dogmas of the Church 
Today and tomorrow are the last days of Ordinary Time until May 24th. Why does the Church call it "Ordinary Time?" It has nothing to do with the term Ordinary which is attributed to one who has jurisdiction of an office such as the Pope who is the "Ordinary of the Church," a bishop is the "Ordinary of his Diocese" or a priest being the "Ordinary of his parish." Some abbots are "Ordinaries" who are not subject to the jurisdiction of the local bishop. The term "Ordinary Time" evolved from that time that used to be called the Time of Epiphany after Christmas or Septuagesima (which means seventy days and therefore rougly comprises the thirty days prior to the forty days of Lent); and after the Easter Season it used to be regarded as the Season of Pentecost that included Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Feast of Corpus Christi Sunday and the time after Pentecost up until the First Sunday of Lent. After the Second Vatican Council the liturgy was changed and simplified, marking the time after Christmastide, beginning with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord as the gateway to the first block of Ordinary Time. The second block begins the day after Pentecost incorporating the two succeeding Sundays of The Holy Trinity and The Body and Blood of Christ, then picking the following Sunday as the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, picking up the three feasts of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi as the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Sundays preceded by the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Even though there are 34 Sundays in Ordinary Time, it ends that nomenclature with the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time the week before the Feast of Christ the King which begins the final week of Ordinary Time before the First Sunday of Advent seven days later. The vestment colors are, of course, green which is the symbol of hope and growth; hence its use for the greater part of the year. (sources: My Catholic Faith, Mission House; 1999 Catholic Almanac, Our Sunday Visitor, Publisher; Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson Publishers; Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon, SJ, Doubleday).
Those strong words from Our Lord set the pattern of Jesus' plea to take total refuge in Him for the Purification, the Recleansing will come when the fields of souls are plowed and the harvest gathered up. Those who will be counted among the wheat are those who heed all He says and dismiss human rebuke for we have nothing to fear if we live in the Divine Will. Besides, any human rebuke pales in comparison to the rebuke of the Father if we fail to heed the Son's words. Can you say "chaff?" His Blessed Mother prefaces this in her Message two days earlier to the 
Idleness is the devil's workshop
WORLDWIDE
The American humorist Mark Twain would have loved it. The Pope even got a chuckle out of it. Was it a liberal ruse that started it? We're talking about rumors that spread throughout Rome late last week that the Holy Father had died, only to discover the accounts of his death were greatly exaggerated as he appeared in good health and spirits while meeting with Irish President Mary McAleese at the Vatican. For more, click on 
In order to smooth relations with China and hopefully allow Catholics in union with Rome to worship freely, the Holy See made an offer of rapproachment to the Chinese Government in Beijing. The latter has stubbornly refused to even discuss possibilities of reconciliation unless the Vatican breaks off relations with Taiwan, a resentment that goes back to the days of Chang Kai Shek. The Vatican's greatest concerns revolve around the communist state-run Patriotic Catholic Church, in schism from Rome, and the persecution of the underground Catholic Church which recognizes the Pope. For more, click on 
In these days of politically correct absurdity, the gay groups are keeping an ear and eye out to catch the Church on anything it can. But, thank God, their efforts have failed miserably because those true to the Faith continue to profess to love the sinner, but hate the sin. Homosexuals have expended millions and countless energy to change the thinking to "love the sin" and Holy Mother Church remains one of the few who staunchly refuse to go along with this abomination. But they continue to hassle the Church and her prelates, from trying to accuse Archbishop Roman Arrieta Villalobos of discrimination of which he was exonerated, to trying to infuse a homosexual relationship as the cause of the Swiss Guard murders last May even though no evidence has been provided to substantiate this ridiculous claim. For more, click on 
After billions of dollars have been spent on trying to push condoms and the merits of this contraceptive measure that goes against everything Humanae vitae and the Sanctity of Life stands for, not to mention God's will, medical doctors are finally realizing it's all been a sham! That is the conclusion they have finally reached after reviewing a report that shows teen pregnancies can only be prevented by the sure contraception method: abstinence! The report confirms that condoms have not diminished sexually-transmitted diseases, AIDS, or pregnancies. Now pro-life groups are hoping the politicians will take heed and eliminate the safe sex programs in high school that send the wrong message to our children. For more, click on 
