8-15-06
Greetings!
Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Non-Catholics will nearly always pose the question, "Where's that in the Bible"? Well, in truth it isn't. (Although Revelation 12 and the fact that God took Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and later Elijah directly to Heaven certainly points out that it is possible.)
Perhaps the greatest evidence we have for Mary's Assumption directly to Heaven, outside of the Church's longstanding Tradition, is what we don't have. We don't have any relics of Mary. The early Church was very keen on preserving the bodies and anything associated with the Apostles and other holy men and women. I've seen St. Peter's tomb in Rome. I've seen the chains that held St. Paul. We have blood from St. Januarius (3 rd Century). And the list could go on and on. Yet, we have nothing from Mary. Indeed, no town ever claimed her grave. That's incredibly counter-intuitive.
Another note of interest, Martin Luther (founder of the Lutheran church) had a very strong devotion to Mary. In fact, he purportedly had a picture of the Assumption of Mary on his tombstone.
Finally, in light of the DaVinci Code, which charged the Catholic Church with covering up "the sacred feminine" and downgrading women throughout its history, the Church sings the praises of a woman. One reporter from Rome noticed this, saying that nearly everywhere you look, you can find images of Mary, and this feast day is greatly celebrated throughout Italy. If the Church wanted to downgrade the role of women, celebrating Mary's Assumption, as a Holy Day of Obligation, no less, certainly isn't very effective. Then again, perhaps the Church has instead raised the dignity of women throughout history? But I don't suppose that would make a good novel….
Phil's Tidbits:
Concerning Holy Days of Obligation….it is true that more people will attend Mass on Sundays, yet perhaps an opportunity here is missed to force us to take time out of our busy schedules during the week for God---at least a handful of times during the year. Is that asking too much? When we can once again say, "this is what makes us distinctive as Catholics?
I also daresay, that even with work schedules, anyone who wants to get to Mass can and should be able too. Most parishes offer morning and evening Masses, and some even a lunchtime Mass. All it requires is a little sacrifice.
As meatless Fridays used to be. It was something distinctive that bonded Catholics together. And for a beautiful cause, uniting ourselves in some small sacrifice to Christ's Passion and death, which took place, of course, on a Friday. There are now 3 fewer opportunities for that in England & Wales.
England and Wales Adjust Holy Days
Move 3 Feasts to Sunday
LONDON, JULY 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The bishops of England and Wales have made changes to the holy days of obligation to facilitate Catholics' observance of important feasts.
"We have responded to requests from diocesan councils of priests and many others, deeply concerned at the diminishing observance of these days," said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster
, in a recent statement.
"In order to foster the celebration of the rhythm of the liturgical year and to celebrate more profoundly the mysteries of the life and mission of the Lord, the bishops have decided to transfer to Sunday those holy days of obligation which are solemnities of the Lord" other than Christmas Day, he said.
"This means that the Epiphany, the Ascension of the Lord and Corpus Christi will now be celebrated on Sunday," he added.
According to the statement, the prelates commend this as an opportunity for Catholics to deepen, through catechesis and celebration, their faith and understanding of these mysteries of the life of Christ.
These changes, approved by the Holy See on July 13, will take effect in England and Wales on the First Sunday of Advent, Dec. 3.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor specified that "other holy days of obligation -- Christmas, the feast of
Sts. Peter and Paul, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the feast of All Saints will continue to be celebrated as at present."
With the exception of Christmas Day, the discipline in England and Wales
is that when these days fall on a Saturday or Monday, they are transferred to Sunday. Further details are posted at www.liturgyoffice.org.uk
.
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Mary Karr---Author of "The Liars Club" rough background alcoholic home, grew up to be an alcoholic. Baptized into the Catholic Church. "She was won over by the liturgy and other rituals of the church, by certain kindly and wise priests, and especially by the volunteer work." -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
This reminds me of one of the stories of how Russia became Orthodox Christian under Prince Vladimir I in 988. Supposedly Vladimir sent emissaries to all the religions of the world, looking for the true one. Upon seeing the beauty, richness, splendor, solemnity and utter reverence of the Orthodox Liturgy, he decided this had to be of God and adopted the religion for himself and Russia.
-This is pretty impressive.
500 Doctors from 26 Countries Gather to Present Evidence of Divine Healing
CEBU CITY, The Philippines, June 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - More than 500 physicians from 26 countries gathered June 1-2 for a conference at the Grand Convention Center, Cebu City, the Philippines, in which medical doctors from around the world presented scientific evidence of divine healing.
The theme of the unique gathering was "Spirituality and Medicine" and was held under the auspices of the World Christian Doctors Network (WCDN), founded by Dr. Jaerock Lee, senior pastor of Manmin Joong-ang Church, Seoul, Korea.
"WCDN is an international Christian medical organization that addresses not only urgent questions facing the Christian medical community today, but is also the first of its kind that objectively confirms and examines instances of healing by the power of God," said a spokesperson for the organization.
Delegates were delighted to hear of a congratulatory message for the conference sent by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines and also from Francisco T. Duque III, M.D., Msc., the country's Secretary of Health.
Keynote addresses were delivered by the Hon. Antonio Yapha, Jr., M.D., Chairman of the Committee on Health and a member of the Philippines ' House of Representatives, and the Rev. Bishop Romeo Corpuz Sr., President of All Creation Global Network Ministries, Inc.
"The conference emphasized God as 'the healer' and an exchange of notes on cases of divine healing through prayer," said the WCDN spokesperson.
Following the lecture on "Spirituality and Medicine III" by Dr. Joonha Hwang M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the WCDN, real medical data backing claims of divine healing were presented by physicians on maladies such as gastric cancer, quadriplegia, intracerebral hemorrhage, severe disability, thoracic tumor, Celiac disease, infertility, facial burns, tennis elbow tendonitis, liver cirrhosis, and other incurable diseases.
"When the presentations of God's healing were complete, the audience responded with applause and then shared with one another about the grace they had just received," said the spokesperson.
Dr. Sven Frederik, a participant from Denmark, remarked that, "If this kind of medical conference could be held in northern Europe , many intellectuals would accept the power of God."
The website for the World Christian Doctors Network can be found at: http://www.wcdn.org .
(news tip from http://www.SpiritDaily.com)
From National Review 3-13-06, Kevin A, Hassett
Recently a survey was conducted in conjunction with an institute titled the "World Database of Happiness", an exhaustive compilation of over 1,500 high-quality surveys about self-reported happiness around the world. One conclusion, "the higher a country's income, the more likely its citizens are to be happy."
-But there were some surprises as well. Countries like Columbia, Guatemala, and Mexico are far happier then one would expect given their incomes. Others like Ukraine and Zimbabwe are far unhappier then the survey would expect. The countries that had the "highest degree of happiness" in spite of their economic standing all happen to be Catholic.
Hmmmm. Go figure.
You can't make this stuff up….Note this is not a Catholic bishop. And this particular fellow has been in the news before for other outlandish actions. In spite of it's value as sad humor, it does not help the overall image of religion—along with the seriousness and solemnity the Mysteries of God demand and require.
"James Tramel, a convicted murderer, was paroled by Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar after he had demonstrated that he is a new man. He was then ordained a priest by Bishop William Swing, the Episcopal episcopos of San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle, reports that Swing 'used a blueberry muffin and grape soda out of the prison vending machine as stand-ins for bread and wine during the ceremony."Source: First Things, June 2006. Fr. Richard John Neuhaus.
And a happy note:
During Crisis, Youth Spread Joy in Lebanon
AL FIDAR, Lebanon, JULY 27, 2006 ( Zenit.org).- Amid the country's latest strife, Youth leaders of the Salesian-run Al Fidar Oratory are helping to spread cheer to the children and adults of Lebanon.
According to the Salesian news agency, the youth leaders provided entertainment for the young refugees in the Amira Daou school at Jbeil on Monday. The center's organizers reported that the children were cheered up by the entertainment.
The youth were invited Tuesday to a second refugee center, where dozens of children where waiting for them.
A dozen youth leaders led the children in group games, songs and dancing which lasted over an hour.
The youth leaders were then asked to appear at another shelter in Kartaboun, about a mile from Al Fidar.
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Announcements:
St. Peter's Keys Softball:
The Keys ended on a downnote, losing 13-4 to the 1st Place, Second Street Pub. Defensively a good game was played but the offense disappeared after the 3 rd inning. The team finished 7-7 on the year…not bad for our 1st try!
We'll be back next year!
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
For the latest info on St. Peter's, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com
The Areopagus is a regular email for adults that includes various reflections, tidbits, news and events. Hope you find it fruitful!