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964 A.D.
Death of Pope John XII. In one of the more embarassing times of the papacy, this pontiff is said to have had a stroke while bedding his mistress, a married woman. A week later he was dead. It was this pope who reconstituted the Holy Roman Empire, crown Otto I of Germany who later would depose John XII.
872 A.D.
Louis II is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Hadrian II.
1306 A.D.
Pope Clement V excommunicates Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots.
1920 A.D.
Birth of Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland during the sixth year of
the reign of Pope Benedict XV, 258th Pontiff. Young Karol would become in 1978, the 264th successor of Peter and take the name John Paul II. See our special section today in SPECIAL SALUTE TO THE VICAR OF CHRIST.
The second part of our simple formula, that is, the revving up of heart activity, addresses itself to that part of the soul which is known as the WILL. As human beings, we are composed of the body and the soul. The body works through its five senses, the soul works through the mind and the will. Underlying all of this is the PERSON of me, the I of me, wherein I am in charge of making use of the body with its senses as also of the soul with its two faculties, the mind and the will. It is this will which we speak of as the heart. Ordinarily it would be more correct too speak of the brain and the heart which physical parts are the channels through which the mind and will of the soul operate. When we speak of increasing heart activity, we make reference to performing acts of the will.
There are certain acts of the will which are merely human; there are other acts which are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. On the ordinary human level, we make use of the will in putting forth power into life, are determined to do something, to make decisions on a purely human level, and loving on the human level. Although it is of some value to live in the heart on a merely human level, this is not where the will is at its best. It is at its best when it is under the influence of the Holy Spirit living and operating with it. Some of these acts are: believing in, trusting in, and loving God, obeying Him, thanking Him, accepting His forgiveness and forgiving our fellowmen, praising Him, giving Him reverence, and the like.
To remember that when we were baptized the Holy Spirit took up His bode within us is a very good thing. We cannot experience the full impact of the Spirit unless and until we are living in the heart, or, to put it more accurately, living in a way that the will plays an essential part in our daily life. The Holy Spirit can be considered as the Soul of our soul and the Heart of our heart. As the Spirit of Love, He shares with us His Life and elevates us to the sharing of His Life.
The more we are able to put ourselves under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the more frequent and of a higher quality are our will or "heart" acts. It is this realization, namely, that the Holy Spirit takes the initiative within us that makes it possible for us very easily and quickly to live in the heart.
Once I SLOW DOWN, I can take charge of my mind, I can limit its intake and be concerned with the quality of my thoughts. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I can find Him living within my heart, I can welcome Him, and allow Him to do for me whatever He knows best to do for my best well being. He will carry on a continuous activity, prompting me in acts of faith, trust, love, obedience, gratitude, forgiveness, reverence and the like. Engaging in this type of life, I will find a peace that the world cannot give. I will find joy. I will find and enjoy a living relationship with Life itself. This all becomes possible when I take the time to just SLOW DOWN!
Planned Parenthood said the six abortion clinics in the state canceled all appointments indefinitely and are turning women away at the door because they say the law is too vague and the abortionists are afraid they could face life imprisonment. On Wednesday, US District Judge John Shabaz refused to issue a temporary injunction against the law while Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and the six abortionists pursue their challenge of the law in court. The abortion group has said it will appeal Shabaz's ruling.
In denying the motion, Shabaz said there was no "irreparable harm" to the doctors or patients that would require a restraining order against the law. Instead, he said, the order could cause more harm to the "parents of those perhaps several hundred living post-first trimester children who may be unnecessarily killed" if the laws were enjoined.
Pro-life groups said the closure by the clinics is a cynical attempt to scare the courts into believing the partial-birth abortion ban could cut into the availability of other abortions. "It is such a smoke-screen because the law couldn't be clearer as to what's a partial-birth abortion," said Susan Armacost, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life.
The bill, approved 375-41, would create a State Department office to monitor and report on religious persecution, and mandates sanctions for countries guilty of persecution. A Clinton spokesman complained that the law restricts the administration's ability to conduct foreign policy and would force them to ignore abuses in order to avoid imposing sanctions.
The law had also been opposed by the US Chamber of Commerce, which has traditionally been supportive of Republican politicians and agendas. "This kind of an issue can have a preeminent factor in your decision-making," said Bruce Josten, the Chamber of Commerce's executive vice president for government affairs. "Companies are going to stop, pause and think about this. Why would you continue to throw money at someone who's continuing to vote against your corporate interests." The Senate is expected to take up similar legislation later this year.
Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, told the American Jewish Committee at its annual meeting that the document was intended to promote awareness of the Shoah (Holocaust) among "Catholics in those countries that were far removed by geography and history from the scene of the Shoah, and encourage their participation in the present efforts of the Holy See to promote throughout the Church a new spirit in Catholic-Jewish relations."
The cardinal also said that awareness is not enough, but Christians should ask forgiveness from God for pardon and reconciliation on behalf of victims and those who perpetuate violence throughout history. Martin Kaplan, chairman of the AJC Interreligious Affairs Commission, replied to the cardinal's comments, applauding two achievements of the document: "There is no room within the Christian religion for anti-Semitism or anti-Judaism, and the Roman Catholic Church affirms the truth of the Shoah." He also saluted Pope John Paul II and other Catholic leaders for their efforts in ending anti-Jewish attitudes in Christians and the Church's theology.
Both Kaplan and Rabbi A. James Rudin both expressed disappointment that the document did not form an explicit link between old anti-Jewish attitudes and the Nazi anti-Jewish movement that culminated in the Holocaust. The Vatican has repeatedly said that Nazi hatred of Jews and Christians is rooted in pagan, and not Christian, influences.
Don Giacomo Alberione, the founder of the Society, had often told his follower, "Your parish is the world." Taking up that phrase, the Holy Father pointed out, "Your parish is the Pope's parish."
Last year, in an effort to resolve tensions within the order, the Pope had appointed Msgr. Antonio Buoncristiani as his delegate to head the Society until a new leader could be elected. The publications sponsored by the order had drawn protests from Church authorities, in particular from Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the president of the Italian bishops' conference, because of editorial stands that seemed to conflict with Church teachings.
"The time has now come," the Pope said, "to confront and resolve difference in a spirit of faith." He also urged the delegates to keep "a constant reference to the magisterium of the Church."
The Pope recalled that Don Alberione had envisioned a religious order based on the Eucharist, the Gospel, prayer, and the use of modern means of evangelization. The same basic outlook, he said, should motivate the order at the dawn of the 21st century.
