The Areopagus 11-18-08
posted by Phil Lawson11-18-08
Today is the Memorial of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769-1852) She was born in France and died in Missouri. As a child she heard stories from Jesuit missionaries who worked with Native Americans. This caught her imagination and was something she desired to do her whole life. Various circumstances, including the French Revolution prevented her from achieving this desire till late in her life. Nevertheless, she did become a religious sister, joining the Religious of the Sacred Heart and spent her life in God’s service. Finally, at age 71 she got her wish and was able to minister among the Indians in Kansas. The Indians were so impressed by her prayer life that they gave her a new name: “Woman Who Always Prays.” I love that. The Native Americans could not understand her language but they could certainly understand her actions of devotion to God. It’s a great model for all of us. She died at the age of 83 and was canonized on July 3rd, 1988 by Pope John Paul the Great.
Phil’s Tidbits:
Our pastor placed this in the bulletin last weekend---someone had forwarded it to him. I think you’ll find it amusing..and a good reminder to pray for our priests!
The Perfect Priest
The perfect priest preaches exactly ten minutes.
He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone’s feelings.
He works from 8:00a.m. until midnight and is also the church janitor.
The perfect priest makes $40.00 a week, wears good clothes. Drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30.00 a week to the church.
He is 29 years old and has 40 years of experience.
Above all, he is handsome.
The perfect priest has a burning desire to work with teenagers,
and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens.
He smiles all the tiem with a straight face because he has a sense of humor
That keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
He makes 15 home visits a day
And is always in his office to be handy when needed.
The perfect priest always has time for church Councils and all of their Committees.
He never misses the meeting of any church organization
And is always busy evangelizing the un-churched.
The perfect priest is always in the next church over!
This is an amazing true story. Conversion is always possible, no one is so hardened that by the Grace of God that can’t be reached.
Serbian Abortionist Who Aborted 48,000 Babies Becomes Pro-Life Activist
MADRID, November 13, 2008 (CNA) - The Spanish daily "La Razon" has published an article on the pro-life conversion of a former "champion of abortion." Stojan Adasevic, who performed 48,000 abortions, sometimes up to 35 per day, is now the most important pro-life leader in Serbia, after spending 26 years as the most renowned abortion doctor in the country.
"The medical textbooks of the Communist regime said abortion was simply the removal of a blob of tissue," the newspaper reported. "Ultrasounds allowing the fetus to be seen did not arrive until the 80s, but they did not change his opinion. Nevertheless, he began to have nightmares."
In describing his conversion, Adasevic said he "dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence. The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. 'My name is Thomas Aquinas,' the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint. He didn't recognize the name."
"Why don't you ask me who these children are?" St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream.
"They are the ones you killed with your abortions,” the Dominican saint told him.
"Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions," the article stated.
"That same day a cousin came to the hospital with his four months-pregnant girlfriend, who wanted to get her ninth abortion - something quite frequent in the countries of the Soviet bloc. The doctor agreed. Instead of removing the fetus piece by piece, he decided to chop it up and remove it as a mass. However, the baby's heart came out still beating. Adasevic realized then that he had killed a human being,"
After this experience, Adasevic "told the hospital he would no longer perform abortions. Never before had a doctor in Communist Yugoslavia refused to do so. They cut his salary in half, fired his daughter from her job, and did not allow his son to enter the university."
After years of pressure and on the verge of giving up, he had another dream about St. Thomas.
"You are my good friend, keep going,” the man in black and white told him. “Adasevic became involved in the pro-life movement and was able to get Yugoslav television to air the film 'The Silent Scream,' by Doctor Bernard Nathanson, two times."
Adasevic has told his story in magazines and newspapers throughout Eastern Europe. He has returned to the Orthodox faith of his childhood and has studied the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
"Influenced by Aristotle, Thomas wrote that human life begins forty days after fertilization," Adasevic wrote in one article. Scientific advancements since Thomas’ time, however, have revealed that human life begins at the moment of conception. La Razon commented that Adasevic "suggests that perhaps the saint wanted to make amends for that error." Today the Serbian doctor continues to fight for the lives of the unborn.
(Reprinted with permission from the Catholic News Agency)
See the Catholic News Agency Online here:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com
Note the age of the two parishioners who were hurt during the scuffle. One suspects it was they who helped “detain” this poor young soul. (Better think twice about messing with some of those older ushers!)
Communion-wafer caper: Suspect grabbed
The 33-year-old was cornered by other churchgoers until police arrived
The Associated Press
updated 5:11 p.m. CT, Tues., Nov. 11, 2008
JENSEN BEACH, Fla. - Police in Florida said they arrested a Connecticut man after he tried to steal communion wafers during a church service. The Martin County Sheriff's Office said a 33-year-old man was cornered by fellow churchgoers when he grabbed a handful of wafers from the priest during communion services Saturday.
The Stuart News reported that the man was being held down by six or seven offended parishioners when deputies arrived at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach.
Police say two parishioners, ages 82 and 61, received minor injuries in the scuffle.
The man was charged with two counts of simple battery, theft and disruption of a religious assembly. He was being held Tuesday on $2,000 bond at the Martin County Jail.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27667151/?GT1=43001
This story has drawn comparisons to what happened with Terry Schiavo in the United States. God bless these nuns!
Italian Nuns Refuse to Kill Eluana EnglaroToday is the Memorial of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769-1852) She was born in France and died in Missouri. As a child she heard stories from Jesuit missionaries who worked with Native Americans. This caught her imagination and was something she desired to do her whole life. Various circumstances, including the French Revolution prevented her from achieving this desire till late in her life. Nevertheless, she did become a religious sister, joining the Religious of the Sacred Heart and spent her life in God’s service. Finally, at age 71 she got her wish and was able to minister among the Indians in Kansas. The Indians were so impressed by her prayer life that they gave her a new name: “Woman Who Always Prays.” I love that. The Native Americans could not understand her language but they could certainly understand her actions of devotion to God. It’s a great model for all of us. She died at the age of 83 and was canonized on July 3rd, 1988 by Pope John Paul the Great.
Phil’s Tidbits:
Our pastor placed this in the bulletin last weekend---someone had forwarded it to him. I think you’ll find it amusing..and a good reminder to pray for our priests!
The Perfect Priest
The perfect priest preaches exactly ten minutes.
He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone’s feelings.
He works from 8:00a.m. until midnight and is also the church janitor.
The perfect priest makes $40.00 a week, wears good clothes. Drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30.00 a week to the church.
He is 29 years old and has 40 years of experience.
Above all, he is handsome.
The perfect priest has a burning desire to work with teenagers,
and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens.
He smiles all the tiem with a straight face because he has a sense of humor
That keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
He makes 15 home visits a day
And is always in his office to be handy when needed.
The perfect priest always has time for church Councils and all of their Committees.
He never misses the meeting of any church organization
And is always busy evangelizing the un-churched.
The perfect priest is always in the next church over!
This is an amazing true story. Conversion is always possible, no one is so hardened that by the Grace of God that can’t be reached.
Serbian Abortionist Who Aborted 48,000 Babies Becomes Pro-Life Activist
MADRID, November 13, 2008 (CNA) - The Spanish daily "La Razon" has published an article on the pro-life conversion of a former "champion of abortion." Stojan Adasevic, who performed 48,000 abortions, sometimes up to 35 per day, is now the most important pro-life leader in Serbia, after spending 26 years as the most renowned abortion doctor in the country.
"The medical textbooks of the Communist regime said abortion was simply the removal of a blob of tissue," the newspaper reported. "Ultrasounds allowing the fetus to be seen did not arrive until the 80s, but they did not change his opinion. Nevertheless, he began to have nightmares."
In describing his conversion, Adasevic said he "dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence. The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. 'My name is Thomas Aquinas,' the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint. He didn't recognize the name."
"Why don't you ask me who these children are?" St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream.
"They are the ones you killed with your abortions,” the Dominican saint told him.
"Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions," the article stated.
"That same day a cousin came to the hospital with his four months-pregnant girlfriend, who wanted to get her ninth abortion - something quite frequent in the countries of the Soviet bloc. The doctor agreed. Instead of removing the fetus piece by piece, he decided to chop it up and remove it as a mass. However, the baby's heart came out still beating. Adasevic realized then that he had killed a human being,"
After this experience, Adasevic "told the hospital he would no longer perform abortions. Never before had a doctor in Communist Yugoslavia refused to do so. They cut his salary in half, fired his daughter from her job, and did not allow his son to enter the university."
After years of pressure and on the verge of giving up, he had another dream about St. Thomas.
"You are my good friend, keep going,” the man in black and white told him. “Adasevic became involved in the pro-life movement and was able to get Yugoslav television to air the film 'The Silent Scream,' by Doctor Bernard Nathanson, two times."
Adasevic has told his story in magazines and newspapers throughout Eastern Europe. He has returned to the Orthodox faith of his childhood and has studied the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
"Influenced by Aristotle, Thomas wrote that human life begins forty days after fertilization," Adasevic wrote in one article. Scientific advancements since Thomas’ time, however, have revealed that human life begins at the moment of conception. La Razon commented that Adasevic "suggests that perhaps the saint wanted to make amends for that error." Today the Serbian doctor continues to fight for the lives of the unborn.
(Reprinted with permission from the Catholic News Agency)
See the Catholic News Agency Online here:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com
Note the age of the two parishioners who were hurt during the scuffle. One suspects it was they who helped “detain” this poor young soul. (Better think twice about messing with some of those older ushers!)
Communion-wafer caper: Suspect grabbed
The 33-year-old was cornered by other churchgoers until police arrived
The Associated Press
updated 5:11 p.m. CT, Tues., Nov. 11, 2008
JENSEN BEACH, Fla. - Police in Florida said they arrested a Connecticut man after he tried to steal communion wafers during a church service. The Martin County Sheriff's Office said a 33-year-old man was cornered by fellow churchgoers when he grabbed a handful of wafers from the priest during communion services Saturday.
The Stuart News reported that the man was being held down by six or seven offended parishioners when deputies arrived at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach.
Police say two parishioners, ages 82 and 61, received minor injuries in the scuffle.
The man was charged with two counts of simple battery, theft and disruption of a religious assembly. He was being held Tuesday on $2,000 bond at the Martin County Jail.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27667151/?GT1=43001
This story has drawn comparisons to what happened with Terry Schiavo in the United States. God bless these nuns!
By Hilary White, Rome Correspondent
MILAN, November 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The nuns who run the hospice in which Eluana Englaro has been living for 14 years have refused to carry out the court order to remove her food and hydration tube. On Friday, the highest court of appeals of Italy upheld a previous court’s ruling that Eluana Englaro, the young disabled woman who has been in a state of diminished consciousness since being in a car accident in 1992, may be killed by the removal of her food and hydration tube.
In a letter published in yesterday’s Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops Conference, the Misericordine nuns of Lecco said, “Our hope, and that of many like us, is that the death by hunger and thirst of Eluana, and others in her condition, will not be carried out.”
“That is why, once again, we maintain our availability, today and into the future, to continue to serve Eluana. If there are those who consider her dead, let Eluana remain with us who feel she is alive. We don’t ask anything but the silence and the liberty to love and to devote ourselves to those who are weak, poor and little in return.”
At the same time, the Secretary of Welfare, Eugenia Roccella, said in a statement today that there is “no obligation” for government-funded health care facilities to implement the decision of the Court of Cassation that patients can be dehydrated to death.
Legal experts have said that it is possible under Italian law for the sisters to apply for permission from the courts to be appointed Eluana’s legal guardian. Monsignore Ignacio Barreiro, the head of the Rome office of Human Life International told LifeSiteNews.com that such a possibility could be a real glimmer of hope for saving Eluana’s life.
“It’s more than reasonable,” he said, “that someone who wants to keep the person alive should be appointed the guardian, rather than the person who’s ready to kill her. You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to say that; it’s just common sense.”
Msgr. Barriero, who was an attorney before being ordained to the priesthood, added that it is a basic principle of law that “you cannot have a conflict of interest between the guardian and the person who is under guardianship. The purpose of a guardian is to look after the well being of the person.”
550 delegates of the Movement for Life, meeting in Montecatini for the 28th National Congress of the Centers for Aid to Life, have written to President Giorgio Napolitano to ask him to “enforce his highest moral authority” to allow Eluana Englaro “to continue to be cared for and loved by the Sisters of Lecco.”
Giulio Boscagli, Assessor to the Family and Solidarity in the region of Lombardy in which Eluana lives, agreed with the nuns, saying, “The ruling of the Court of Cassation seems to have lost sight of the reality” that Eluana is not dead but alive, although currently in a “seriously disabled condition.”
The desire of the nuns to care for Eluana as though she is “a daughter,” he said, “is the right path, the path taken by all those who daily take care of people who are in a vegetative state or very seriously disabled.” Boscagli pledged the “closeness and support” of the Regione Lombardia for the nuns.
At the same time, the decision of the Court of Cassation has alerted lawmakers to a legal loophole that could be used to sanction euthanasia. Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said that parliament must “fill the legislative vacuum in place” that has allowed the court to rule against Eluana.
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On a lighter note…last week I had mentioned a wonderful book by Joel Schorn, entitled “God’s Doorkeepers.” Sometimes we forget the saints were “real” people like you and me—who in their lives responded to God’s Call in a more perfect way. Hence, they had hobbies and interests like everyone else. Enjoy this tidbit about Fr. Solanus Casey, who spent a large portion of his life in Detroit:
“Fr. Solanus was a ‘real person,’ someone to whom others could relate. He enjoyed mingling at parish picnics and eating the hot dogs (with onions) served there. He was not above stopping for a beer at a tavern that one of his benefactors operated. He played billiards and baseball and was a Detroit Tigers fan. At the age of eighty he joined in games of volleyball and tennis. Ahead of his time, he promoted healthy eating (except for the hot dogs), and he liked to jog to keep trim.” -“God’s Doorkeepers” p. 90
God bless you!
Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter’s, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
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