7-6-06
Greetings!
Pope Benedict gives a public address in St. Peter's Square every Wednesday, followed by leading the people in the Angelus. Generally, the pope follows a theme over a series of Wednesdays. In fact, what we now call, Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" is a collection of Wednesday addresses over a number of years.
This past Wednesday he talked about our relationship with Christ through the example of St. John, the "beloved disciple". :
VATICAN CITY, JULY 5, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The Apostle John teaches Christians that to be a disciple of Christ means to be his close friend, explained Benedict XVI today.
"[T]he Lord wishes to make each one of us a disciple who lives in personal friendship with him. To do this, it is not enough to follow and listen to him exteriorly; it is also necessary to live with him and as him," explained the Pontiff.
"This is only possible in the context of a relationship of great familiarity, penetrated by the warmth of total trust," he added, continuing with the series of meditations he is offering on the Twelve Apostles and the origins of the Church.
"It is what happens between friends: this is why Jesus said one day: 'Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you,'" he stressed.
On being tried before the Sanhedrin with Peter, he replied: "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."
"This frankness in confessing their own faith remains as an example and a warning for all of us so that we will be ready to declare with determination our unbreakable adherence to Christ, putting our faith before any human calculation or interest."
----This follows closely one of the more striking statements from Pope Benedict's encyclical "Deus Caritas Est": "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction."
As the old song goes, "To know him is to love him." To know Christ, is to love Him. The more we know about Him, the more we can love Him. Think back to when you first met your future spouse..how the first dates were spent getting to know each other…and how that has continued throughout your lives. It is the same with Christ. To know Him, is to love Him.
In the spirit of Independence Day, I came across this recently:
Washington knew if God was to be on America's side, their cause must be just, her soldiers must pray, but more than this, they must act like Christians. He believed, for instance, that using the Lord's name in vain undermined an army's strength. Therefore, in 1776, he issued this order, which he repeated when necessary:
"The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice heretofore little known in an American army, is growing into fashion. He hopes the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it, and that both they and the men will reflect that we can have little hope of the blessings of heaven on our arms if we insult it by our impiety and folly." (6)
From: Stiff Right Jab: George Washington: Believer Liberator Steve Farrell
August 15, 2002
For General George Washington to take the step in issuing an official order telling his troops to stop using rough language, lest they offend God is remarkable. I wonder what he would think of the current debates about separation of Church and State, which in context is good, but taken to the extreme of banishing God from all things, is very dubious.
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Don't let yours be one of them. What you must know to survive.
I shook my head when I saw the name of the website….
A Pro-Life Victory:
Pro-Life Group Purchases Building Housing Abortion Clinic forcing Abortion Business Closure
WICHITA, June 29, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The pro-life group Operation Rescue has announced that it has purchased the building that housed Central Women's Services, an abortion mill located at 3013 E. Central in Wichita, Kansas. Central Women's Services had not been able to pay the rent, and the property was put up for sale. When Operation Rescue purchased the property, under the stipulation that the current tenant not be allowed to remain, it forced the mill to close.
The facility is to be renovated and serve as the pro-life group's corporate headquarters, and will feature a memorial to the pre-born victims of abortion.
The abortion business operated at the location for 23 years and it is estimated that about 50,000 children were killed on the site.
Conditions in the abortion 'clinic' were deplorable said Operation Rescue staff member Cheryl Sullenger who walked through the building with a realtor.
The abortion mill captured the attention of local pro-lifers during the 1991 Summer of Mercy when a Pastor's Rescue, led by Operation Rescue tactical director Jeff White, resulted in the arrests of 80 members of the clergy in what was likely the largest incident of civil disobedience by pastors in the history of the pro-life movement.
Operation Rescue had previously purchased the lot behind the abortion business and erected a huge pro-life billboard there, which was easily viewable by women coming to the facility for abortions.
"Let us thank God that he makes us live among the present problems. It is no longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre" –Pope Pius XI.
-Next time we're tempted to despair at the state of our culture, world, or even Church, recall this wonderful statement by Pope Pius XI, and be thankful that we've been given the opportunity to answer the challenge in our current times.
-There's a line I've seen in numerous places:
"If it suddenly became illegal to be Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
-Mediocrity is not an option. Need further evidence? From the book of Revelation:
"I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."-Rev. 3:15-16
-Harsh words lest anyone be tempted to sit on the fence, or dwell in mediocrity or "lukewarmness" regarding God.
2 Physicists Named to Academy of Sciences
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 21, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has appointed two physicists, Theodor Hänsch of Germany and Edward Witten of the United States, as ordinary members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Hänsch is professor of physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, and director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching.
Witten is professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study,
Princeton University.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, founded in 1603, is currently made up of 80 academicians named for life by the Pope.
The academy is governed by a president, appointed from its members by the Pope, who is helped by a scientific council and by the chancellor.
The president reports directly to the Holy Father. The current president is Nicola Babibbo, professor of physics at Rome's La Sapienza University.
-Notice when this Academy was founded….1603! Some charge the Church with being anti-science. Hardly. Throughout the Church's history, science has been seen as a way of more deeply understanding how things work. And who created all these things? God. So by investigating the "creature" we learn more about the "Creator." That's why the majority of colleges were first begun by religious orders in the Middle Ages.
-I recall something very impressive John Paul II used to do. In the summer on his vacation at Castel Gandolfo , the late pope would invite the leading scientists or experts in a given field, say "biotechnology" or "genetics", to meet with him. They would hold conferences and the pope would just sit in and listen and learn. Asking questions on occasion. This was not a pope or a Church, intimidated by science!
This was further spelled out in JPII's encyclical, "Fides et Ratio" on the unity between faith and reason. They are complementary, not contradictory. For truth cannot contradict itself.
In a nutshell, faith cannot explain human genetics, that is science's domain. Likewise, science cannot explain the dignity of a human being, created in the image and likeness of God--that is faith's domain.
Announcements:
-Theology on Tap---Theology in a casual atmosphere for those 21-39 years old, at Pete's Pub & Grill, 200 Division St, Stevens Point. Begins Wednesday, July 12th with "Every Body's Doing It: Theology of the Body". Presented by Matt & Rebecca Sande. Sessions then continue the following 3 Wednesday nights.
-Looking for something to do on Monday nights? St. Peter's "Keys" Softball team plays at Zenoff Park. Next game is 630pm Monday, July 10th!
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!
