WEDNESDAY

November 12, 1997   vol 8, no.29

SECTION TWO Text of Today's Issue - to print out SECTION ONE, Click here.

When it's fourth and long, we don't have to punt when we have the greatest playbook available to lead us for big yardage in our drive toward the ultimate victory. The playbook is the Catechism of the Catholic Church and it works against all defenses thrown at us. We continue with the subject of the Holy Eucharist in our catechesis, bringing you what the Church has said in both the new Catechism of the Catholic Church and the old Baltimore Catechism with capsule paragraphs to contemplate on without ingesting too much information. Click on Catechism Capsules

THE HOLY EUCHARIST

    Too many Catholics don't believe in the real presence of Jesus, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, we continue our series on the Eucharist, bringing you a few capsule paragraphs from both the new Catechism of the Catholic Church and the old Baltimore Catechism to confirm this. No. 1414 to 1417, pages 356 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana: Urbi Et Orbi Communications:

[1414]
    As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God.

[1415]
   Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in a state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance.

[1416]
   Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant’s union with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins. Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between the communicant and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ.

[1417]
   The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion each time they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year.

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From the Baltimore Catechism No. 3; Benziger Brothers, Inc and Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. No. 898, 899, 901, 903 and 904 pages 191, 192, and 193

[898]
Q: What is Holy Communion?
A: Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

[899]
Q: Is it not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food?
A: It is not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food any more than it was beneath His dignity to enter the body of His Blessed Mother and remain there as an ordinary child for nine months. Christ's dignity, being infinite, can never be diminished by any act on His own or on our part.

[901]
Q: What is necessary to make a good Communion?
A: To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in the state of sanctifying grace and to fast according to the laws of the Church.

[903]
Q: Does he who receives Communion in mortal sin receive the body and blood of Christ?
A: He who receives Communion in mortal sin receives the body and blood of Christ, but does not receive His grace, and commits a great sacrilege.

[904]
Q: Is it enough to be free from mortal sin to receive plentifully the graces of Holy Communion?
A: To receive plentifully the graces of Holy Communion it is not enough to be free from mortal sin, but we should be free from all affection to venial sin, and should make acts of lively faith, of firm hope, and ardent love.

Outside of prayer, humor can be one of the great medicines available today and it's free...unlike mega expensive prescriptions. In these days of obscene costs and obscene humor in the media, we bring you some good clean fun with The Lighter Side each week. Today we do some substracting that adds up to a chuckle for all...well at least you and me. Click on Accounting for All God's Flock

     We are asked to pray daily for our fellow man, and that seems like a lot of souls to petition for. Last count was a billion plus and counting. How does the Almighty keep track of everyone? We bring you this bit of humor just about the good folk here in the good ol' US of A, which when you subtract the numbers adds up to a laugh or two. Despite the chuckles, don't stop praying for 'em though! The more the merrier!

Accounting for All God's Flock

     Praying for all these people can be tiring. Why am I so tired? For a couple years I've been blaming it on iron poor blood, lack of vitamins, dieting and a dozen other maladies. But now I found out the real reason:      I'm tired because I'm overworked. Why? Here's the reason:
The population of this country is 237 million.

104 million are retired.
     That leaves 133 million to do the work.
There are 85 million in school.
      That leaves 48 million to do the work.
Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government.
      This leaves 19 million to do the actual work.
Four million are in the Armed Forces.
      This leaves 15 million to do the real work.
Take from the total 14,800,000 people who work for State & City Government and...
      that leaves 200,000 to do the work.
There are 188,000 in hospitals,
      so that leaves 12,000 to do the work.
Now, there are 11,998 people in Prisons.
      That leaves just two people to do the work.
          You and me.

And you're just sitting there doing nothing but reading this page!

HEADLINES:

Bishops getting down to the business of righting the Church in America

    Is it possible the bishops are finally getting the message from the faithful? They are tuning in to both the conscience of Church teaching and the needs of Catholics crying out for help. They even are considering the idea of returning to the pre-Vatican II days of abstaining from meat on Fridays and other changes in hopes of fending off the devastating dirge of the "culture of death." For details on this and other proposals during the Bishop's biannual National Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Washington, D.C., click on Bishops to read more.

US BISHOPS RECONSIDER MEATLESS FRIDAYS, OTHER CHANGES




     WASHINGTON, DC (CWN) - The US bishops' conference gathered for their biannual meeting on Monday to consider issues facing the Church in the United States including reaching out to disaffected Catholics, a proposal to bring back meatless Fridays, and more changes to holy days of obligation.

       Archbishop Anthony Pilla of Cleveland, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), told his brother bishops that the Church must reach out to those hurt by members of the Church, especially those who have been sexually abused. "We have tried to say, with both word and action, how deeply we grieve with those who have been victimized," he said. "Clearly, we need regularly to renew our message." He also decried continuing divisiveness among Catholics and called for a new spirit of reconciliation.

       The bishops are also expected to take up a proposal following a year-long study that Catholics return to abstention from meat on Fridays as a witness against the "culture of death." Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Catholics have only been obliged to abstain from meat on Fridays in Lent and Ash Wednesday. They will also consider a proposal to eliminate the Feast of the Ascension as a weekday holy day of obligation by moving observation of the feast to a Sunday.

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Memo from a pro-life congress to pro-abort Bill Clinton on his "fast-track" initiative: Not so fast!

   The president of the United States has met the enemy and it is the chief executive. That's the message Congress is sending Bill Clinton in refusing to rubber stamp his "fast-track" trade initiative. If he doesn't compromise, he'll pay the consequences when Congress drastically cuts his budget earmarked for international and United Nations interests. His promises to foreign powers that he will have the money available is running into a huge roadblock thanks to a large contingent of pro-life senators who are holding the president's prize program hostage. Click on Fast Track to read more.

CONGRESS, CLINTON COLLIDE OVER ABORTION FUNDING




     WASHINGTON, DC (CWN) - Congress' plans to adjourn for the year are being held up on Tuesday by a standoff between President Clinton and pro-life congressmen over a proposal to ban US foreign aid funding of population control groups that provide or recommend abortions.

       Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said that if the issue is not resolved, the Clinton administration should expect its budget requests for the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations to be cut back. A White House spokesman also said on Monday that Clinton had rejected a deal with his pro-life opponents that would have allowed passage of his "fast-track" trade initiative.

       Some pro-abortion Democrats said privately that they were worried Clinton would eventually compromise to avoid a veto fight over the $13 billion foreign aid bill, which contains the funding of abortion groups and has proven to be unpopular with voters. The Senate has already approved legislation that would provide $435 million for overseas family planning programs for 1998. It would bar the funds for groups that use their own money to perform abortions or to lobby foreign governments to permit abortion, but would let Clinton waive those restrictions. If he did, however, the family planning money would drop to $385 million -- the same as in 1997.

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If Cardinal O'Connor has his way, Dorothy Day will have her day!

    On the eve of celebrating the accomplishments of one Catholic woman - Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini - who accomplished so much for America, another woman is strongly being considered for the same honor as Mother Cabrini: sainthood. That is the goal of New York Cardinal John O'Connor who is going to campaign for the woman who cofounded the Catholic Worker Movement midway through the first part of this century in the Cardinal's city. A movie has been made on Dorothy Day and now the greatest honor is in the offing: sainthood in the Church. Click on Dorothy Day to read more.

NEW YORK CARDINAL RE-OPENS CAUSE FOR DOROTHY DAY

     NEW YORK (CWN) - Cardinal John O'Connor of New York said this week that he is considering re-opening the cause for canonization of Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933.

       The cardinal first advanced the idea ten years ago and said that he plans to discuss the idea with Day's friends and supports next month. Day converted to Catholicism in the 1930s after engaging in a dissolute lifestyle as a confirmed Socialist. She later started a soup kitchen and houses of hospitality and began a newspaper called "The Catholic Worker."

       Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, said that since the cardinal didn't personally know Day, who died 17 years ago, he wanted to meet with those lived and worked with her before he makes a decision. The long canonization process begins with the petition by a local bishop for an investigation to be made into the life and work of an acclaimed person.

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Acknowledgment:
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PROVERB OF THE DAY

"It is honorable for a man to shun strife, while every fool starts a quarrel."

Proverbs 20: 3

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

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November 12, 1997 volume 8, no. 29         DAILY CATHOLIC