TEXT for Today's Front Page

FRIDAY-SATURDAY-SUNDAY March 13-15, 1998 Vol. 9, no. 52 The "USA Today for CATHOLICS!" at http://www.catholic-internet.org To print out entire text of Today's issue, go to SECTION ONE and SECTION TWO

     Ah yes, this weekend is the occasion of the Ides of March which falls concurrently on the Third Sunday of Lent this year. All know that it was on the Ides of March Julius Caesar was ambushed in the Senate by his "dear and honorable friend" Brutus and there, abetted by a mob of others, stabbed to death. In today's editorial we do a take on Marc Antony's famous soliloquy from William Shakespeare's famous "Julius Caesar", except we change the characters to better hit home on the fact that to disregard God's Will is akin to joining Brutus, as the Iscariot did nearly 2000 years ago for a mere thirty pieces of silver. For Beware the Ides of March!, click on this weekend's CATHOLIC PewPOINT

     That is what Our Lady asks us in her meditation in Meditative Lesson 6, on IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE where she shares what her Divine Son felt and how Divine Will can overcome the weakness of human will. These meditative lessons, imparted by Our Lady to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart during Lent of 1993 and are meant to inspire and prompt a greater understanding of the season of Lent in helping us all prepare for His Passion and Death, and ultimately the glorious Resurrection. These lessons help us realize that through our faithfulness to God, we can offset all that Judas did and fulfill the Divine Will. Click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"

     No sooner had Sister Mary Lucy Astuto written last week about the fury of El Nino and winter weather then her region of Nebraska got hit hard. This weekend she shares the experience and reminds us that only through prayer can we thaw cold hearts and hope for protection from the elements. For her column, El Nino dropped in unannounced!, click on GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

     Lent is the time to prepare and as we gradually reach mid-Lent, it is a time to beware of forsaking our Lenten resolutions, of letting up our guard and allowing satan to take control. The readings over the four days from March 13 to March 16 help us keep our eye on the Prize, help us concentrate on steering straight ahead reminding us to always be aware of the traps that the evil one lays for us. For the readings, meditations and liturgies of this weekend, click on LITURGY OF THE DAY

      O Divine Eternal Father, in union with Your Divine Son and the Holy Spirit, and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we beg You to destroy the Power of Your greatest enemy - the evil spirits.

     Cast them into the deepest recesses of hell and chain them there forever! Take possession of Your Kingdom which You have created and which is rightfully Yours.

     Heavenly Father, give us the Reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

     We repeat this prayer out of pure love for You with every beat of our hearts and with every breath we take. Amen

For more devotions of Lent, click on WAY OF THE CROSS

      Dear children! Also today I am with you and I, again, call all of you to come closer to me through your prayers. In a special way, I call you to renunciation in this time of grace. Little children, meditate on and live, through your little sacrifices, the Passion and Death of Jesus for each of you. Only if you come closer to Jesus will you comprehend the immeasurable love He has for each of you. Through prayer and your renunciation you will become more open to the gift of faith and love towards the Church and the people who are around you. I love and bless you. Thank you for having responded to my call! For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE

Events This Weekend in Church History

      For events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history, click on ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

HEADLINES:

An ultimatum from Kofi Annan: Pay up or Lose it. Clinton on the spot!

      The ultimatum by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that America either pays their dues - present and past, or lose their privilege of voting in the UN Assembly. It's a sticky situation for President Bill Clinton who bullheadedly has threatened to veto the anti-abortion oversees aid bill attached to the measure that would allow Congress to approve paying the dues Clinton so dearly wants paid. To put it simply, pro-life Republicans and now Annan have placed Clinton squarely in a pickle. For more, click on Pay up to read more.

Holy Father to the USA bishops: Straighten up and understand the teachings of Holy Mother Church.

      In the continuing ad-limina visits by U.S. bishops to Rome, Pope John Paul II didn't pull any punches in stressing the need to instruct their people on all Holy Mother Church teaches and to remind them of the accuracy and truth of the Second Vatican Council documents which are so often misinterpreted or abandoned for something else. He emphasized that membership in our Holy Church means "incorporation of the Body of Christ." For more, click on Pope to read more.

Church officials looking for solidarity solution in Bosnia

     While the mountain village of global renown - Medjugorje - enjoys peace, much of the rest of this country is embroiled in ethnic strife and slow restoration after the war years of the early nineties. To the rescue comes Holy Mother Church, led by the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Cardinal Roger Etchegaray who will head to Banja Luka this weekend. For more, click on Bosnia to read more.

For all other standard features, articles and columns, click on Archives

---

---

March 13-15, 1998 volume 9, no. 52          DAILY CATHOLIC