The First Sunday of Advent Today begins the Season of Advent, the period of three or four weeks that precedes Christmas. This period is much more than a mere length of time though, as it is a time of expectation, anticipation and preparation for several advents. We remind first of all, the advent of the chosen people in the long wait for the Messiah. Such waiting is still present in our Jew brothers’ life. The prophet Isaiah edifies us upon this expectation. We also wait for the Coming of our Lord Jesus when he will come in his glory at the end of this world. For each one of us the end of the world will come when we leave this world to be before the Righteous Judge and to give our whole life to him. But the whole Creation is in expectation: we are awaiting the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ (Ti 2:13) who will wipe every tear from our eyes (Rev 21:4) and he will establish new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2P 3:13).
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This is from the Vatican site Zenit and responds to the question that has been in the news over the last few days about the use of Condoms. Notes Pope's Ability to See Small Steps of Impoverished Humanity VATICAN CITY, NOV. 21, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- A Vatican spokesman is clarifying that Benedict XVI is not justifying condom use, though the Pope said it could in some cases be a first step toward moral behavior. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said this in a statement today regarding the words of Benedict XVI as recorded in a book, " Light of the World " (Ignatius Press), scheduled for release on Tuesday. On Saturday, L'Osservatore Romano published some quotes from this book, which drew public interest and media misunderstandings. At the end of the tenth chapter of the book, the writer, German journalist Peter Seewald, asked the Pontiff two questions on the fight against AIDS and the use of condoms. Seewald referenced the Holy Fat
Feast of Christ the King
Feast of Christ the King “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a famous quote and was written by the first Lord Acton to Bishop Creighton in 1887. The phrase still rings home today especially when you see places like Burma and North Korea where dictators have ruled their people by force and fear. And I am sure that we can all see other times and places where this inhumanity has been so prominent. We all know this to be true and does it not then seem strange that we should be celebrating today Christ the King and where does this Kingship come from and how is it different from so many of the world’s experience. The authority of Christ of King does not flow from fear and power but from the beating heart of Jesus. Its source symbol of strength is the cross. It shows us a different kind of kingship a different kind of authority. The authority flows from the cross is that of love and forgiveness it is journey towards holiness. From the cross Jesus speaks hear
Remembrance Sunday They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them ". Since these words were first written we have heard them every year at remembrance Sunday and Armistice day It is a chance to stop and reflect on the sacrifice of those brave men and women who have fought for our freedom never forgetting that they paid the ultimate price. Many of these being young men and women with a future ahead of them cut short by events out of their control. I remember a few years ago when I visited some of the Cemeteries in Normandy of how young these people were and how they were all in rank even in death they were in rank. But as I speak I am aware that there are many other conflicts going on especially the controversial war in Afghanistan. Today is not the day to debate the rights and wrongs of that war there but today is the day to take time to reflect and
From the BBC:
Five Anglican bishops join Catholic Church The Vatican has invited disaffected Anglican bishops to join the Catholic Church Continue reading the main story Related stories Bishop criticised for 'warfare' remark Anglicans' regret over conversion Will women bishops split the Church? Five bishops are to join the Roman Catholic Church under a Vatican scheme intended to provide a welcome for disaffected Anglicans. The move involves three serving bishops and two retired bishops. The Vatican has said groups of Anglicans can join Catholicism, but maintain a distinct religious identity. There have been splits among Anglicans over homosexuality and the ordination of women. The Archbishop of Canterbury said the resignations were a "regret". The men are all suffragan or assistant bishops rather than those in charge of dioceses. The serving bishops are the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Right Reverend Andrew Burnham; the Bishop of Richborough, the Right Reverend Keith Newton; and th
Thirty Second Sunday of Ordinary time If you like me are fascinated with history especially the Tudor times you may have come across those brave men and women who stood up for their faith and paid the ultimate price: martyrdom. They ran the risk often of being discovered often moving from place to place and living in disgusting conditions. We meet in the first reading today a group of brothers who were martyred for their faith in the resurrection and this is at the heart of the readings today which is to be Children of the resurrection. Often in the Gospel we come across many different groups who oppose Jesus and ask awkward questions. We come across a group today called the Sadducess. This group formed in about the time the first reading was written they were a group who accepted Roman rule but only to get where they wanted to get too. Religiously they were very conservative. They had no believe in the Resurrection of the dead instead all people, good and bad, went to the shadow
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI warned Saturday of the return of a 1930s-style "aggressive" anti-clericism in Spain and called on Europe to rediscover its Christian roots. The 83-year-old pontiff, fighting a slide away from the Roman Catholic Church's core beliefs , recalled the years when Republican forces killed priests and nuns and burned churches before and during the Spanish Civil War. "Spain saw in the 1930s the birth of a strong and aggressive anti-clericism," he told reporters on the plane from Rome to Spain's holiest city , Santiago de Compostela, ahead of a giant open-air mass in front of thousands of pilgrims. "The clash between faith and modernity is happening again and it is very strong today," he said as he embarked on a two-day visit to bolster the Church against an onslaught of social change in Spain and Europe. Benedict waved as he emerged from a fog-enshrouded Alitalia plane for a visit aimed at upholding t