"Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam Meam."
In his column today, Pat Ludwa begins a two parter on the Chair of Peter as a follow-up explanation of why we celebrate the feast and why it is so integral to the fabric of Holy Mohter Church. Through scriptural syllogisms Pat - beginning with Our Lord's words above - "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church" - proves without a shadow of a doubt the direct succession from Peter, the first Pope, to his 263 successors after him up to our present Roman Pontiff Pope John Paul II, 264th successor of Peter. To discover the inevitable facts, click on VIEW FROM THE PEW
Practicing Sacrifice makes perfect in the Perfect Sacrifice - the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Today we continue our Lenten segment on the Church today, completing our three parter on Sacrifice, a necessary spiritual and physical exercise we cannot live without! By its nature sacrifice dictates there will be a heavy attrition rate which Jesus knew only too well (cf. Matthew 7: 14) Our Lord has said that we need to be supple, enthusiastic and innocent as little children in order to inherit His kingdom. Sacrifice is the spiritual "nautilus" we must use to keep ourselves in shape to offset the sin-fattening temptations of the world. For the ninety-eighth installment of this on-going megaseries, click on WHERE IS HOLY MOTHER CHURCH HEADING AS WE NEAR THE MILLENNIUM?.
The Calm before the Storm
It was truly a calming time when Jesus and His Mother Mary spent the last hours together, after the Apostles and Holy Women had departed. Our Lady describes the meaning in her meditation today on Meditative Lesson 4: THE TIMELESS ROLES OF LAZARUS AND THE HOLY WOMEN as imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart during Lent of 1995. It was truly the calm before the storm of activity that would begin with the Last Supper and extend through the sorrowful time of the Crucifixion. Now in the final Lent of the millennium, the Blessed Mother asks us to be calm, to seek the calm, protective harbor of her Divine Son. Click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"
We are the clay. Let God form us the way He intends.
Just as we carried the 1998 address of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Conv. to the Mile Hi Congress last year, so also we bring you this year's in which he states that the Catholic faithful need to take the form of faithful, obedient disciples for as he states - "Either we form society, or society will form us." Archbishop Chaput is one of the leading new orthodox shepherds who sets the tone of loyalty and adherence to the faith and, among many experts, is one of the leading American candidates for the cardinalate in the next Consistory. For the first of four installments of the Archbishop's address Forming Disciples for the Third Millennium, click on MITERS THAT MATTER
SIMPLY SHEEN:Pleasure is fleeting, joy eternal
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".
"Pleasure comes from without, but joy comes from within, and it is, therefore, within the reach of everyone in the world."
"Pray for unity of mind and heart. Speak very little. Pray much."
Those words from the Blessed Mother to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in October 1993 at the Shrine of Betania reinforce Our Lady's messages in Medjugorje as well as Betania and everywhere else throughout the world. Blessed Mary asks us to abandon our wills to the Divine Will and be obedient to God and His Vicar on earth. She also reminds us of the ultimate sacrifice - the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which she points out "should and must absorb your whole being." For Messages #419 and #420 in late September 1993, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."
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Search for Postulator for Mother Teresa's cause now in hands of Calcutta's Archbishop who seeks Sister Nirmala's help
The task of recommending a postulator to coordinate the canonization process of Mother Teresa has fallen to Sister Nirmala, Mother's successor as head of the Missionaries of Charity. This responsibility, asked by Calcutta's shepherd Archbishop Henry D'Souza, is one Sister accepts willingly for the nuns are overjoyed that their founder's cause for sainthood has been expedited. For more, click on Appointing a Postulator.
Defend human life in all its stages Pope and Ireland's prelate urge as Japan takes note, banning birth control pill
The Holy Father reiterated his call for American Catholics to get involved politically in the cause of the culture of life through a special letter to Baltimore's Archbishop William Keeler who is heading up a pro-life conference. Meanwhile, in Dublin Archbishop Desmond Connell reinforced Pope Paul VI's often rejected encyclical Humanae vitae blaming that rejection on a dulling of the conscience and an acceptance of abortion and contraception that has demeaned mankind. In Japan, government authorities are conscious of this and have once again outlawed birth control distribution there. For more, click on Defend life
Vatican and pro-life congressmen take on UN's hidden agenda
As the UN stubbornly forges onward in its agenda to promote the culture of death throughout the world, representatives of the Vatican and US Congress are not going to sit idly by and let them get away with it, decrying the confusing language doublespeak being bandied about by the UN which camouflages their true intent. The complaints against the UN are that they are too intent on preventing birth rather than promoting women's health which should have nothing to do with abortion. Meanwhile pro-life congressmen are bracing for another standoff with Bill Clinton this year over overseas abortion funding in the question of America's payment to the UN. For more, click on UN unsettled.
Two Cardinals from Spain's largest cities elected President and Vice President of Spanish Bishops' Conference
Wednesday the Spanish Bishops' Conference elected the Archbishop of Madrid and the Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco and Cardinal Ricardo Maria Gordo Carles respectively, to head that organization for the next three years. Cardinal Ruoco just received his red-hat a little over a year ago in the last Consistory of February 21, 1998. Cardinal Carles received his cardinalate on November 26, 1994. For more, click on Spanish shepherds.
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Postulator
In today's news there is a story of Archbishop Henry D'Souza of Calcutta, who made the original request to the Holy Father to expedite Mother Teresa's canonization process, asking Sister Nirmala for her advice on who he should appoint as "Postulator" in the cause of the "Saint of the Gutters." The word "Postulator" derives its etimology from the Latin postulare which means "to ask." That is the purpose of the position used for seeking out information on the life of a saint in question, and asking about purported miracles and researching these accounts to determine if they are credible enough to submit to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. In a sense the "Postulator" serves as a private detective or, if you will, a file clerk gathering a plethora of material and sorting through it, sifting out all the excess before filing a concise report that will weigh heavily in how the Congregation heads will treat the case and how fast the process will go. The more clarity and proofs of miracles, the faster a person can be processed for beatification and canonization. Webster's defines the word "Postulate" as a position claimed or basis of argument laid dow as well known or too plain to require proof; a self-evident truth. That is what a "Postulator" seeks - truth. The same root is where we get the word "Postulant" which applies to those who apply for a vocation to the religious life, most often used in reference to women. The postulant presents a request, asking to be admitted to an order and in this case the "postulators" are her superiors who watch the candidate closely to make sure she is qualified to continue on to the novitiate in the next step of religious life. (sources: Cabinet of Catholic Information, Duggan Publishing Co.; Webster's Dictionary, G.&C. Merriam Co.)
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