September 15th: The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Taken from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints:
The Church twice commemorates the sorrows of its heavenly Mother. The Friday of Passion week, since the 15th century, has also been dedicated by the universal Church to Her Compassion. Why is this so? To understand this double liturgy, we must know that Mary is also the Mother of the Mystical Body. The present feast was instituted by Pius VII after his return from his captivity and exile, which lasted from 1809 to 1814. Christ no longer suffers, and for Our Lady also, all suffering as we understand it has ceased. Nonetheless, the prophet Jeremias in his Lamentations, asks: “To whom shall You be compared, O Virgin? Your affliction is like the ocean.” A mother who is happy in her home weeps just the same over the sorrows of her children. The statues and pictures of Mary all over Europe wept before the Revolution in France, and Her statues weep again today, in many places. The Passion of Christ continues in His elect, in particular in His Vicar on earth, from whom He does not separate Himself, and against whom the force of hell is deployed unceasingly. The mysterious compassion of the Mother is forever acquired for the Mystical Body of Her Son, which must reproduce the divine death in its human nature, elevated above its natural condition by the superhuman power of grace.
Mary’s great sorrows began at the prediction of Simeon that a sword would transpierce Her heart. Soon afterwards, She was obliged to flee with the newborn Infant, already object of a fatal search. She lost Him in the temple for three inexpressibly painful days; She met Him on the road to Calvary, and the sight indeed pierced Her heart. She saw Him die, heard His final cry, and witnessed the opening of His side with the effusion of His last drops of blood, mingled with water; She received in Her arms the inert body of the most beautiful of the sons of men. Finally, She was obliged to depose Him in a tomb, leave Him there and return with Her adopted son, John, to a deicidal Jerusalem.
The Queen of Martyrs has never ceased to encourage Her children on earth to bear their own crosses, which complement the Passion of Christ. He suffered first the ordinary contradictions of life; for three years He was taunted and regarded as a menace by those who should have recognized Him and His mission. He knew hunger, cold and fatigue; He slept so heavily in a boat amid a tempest, that we can only suppose He was exhausted. He knew what it was to be abandoned in need and to lose, to the empire of various passions, followers He had called His. Christ is our forerunner in all human sorrows and difficulties. Mary, as His Mother, offered to God with Him all the afflictions of His earthly life, and She continues to offer those of the Church, for its sanctification, for the souls in Purgatory and the salvation of souls.

The Primacy of Peter

From booklet, "The Papacy: Expression of God's Love", + Imprimatur: Most Reverend John J. Carberry:

Primacy is a word meaning first place or first rank. The word is often used by Catholics in reference to St. Peter and his successors, the popes. It may strike the reader that this kind of talk makes three large assumptions. The first is the assumption that Jesus gave such primacy to Peter; the second is the assumption that it was primacy not simply of place but also of authority; and the third is the assumption that Peter’s primacy was passed on to his successors.
It will come as no surprise that Catholics hold these three assumptions to be valid. This is part of our faith tradition, something that has been handed down from generation to generation since the time of the Apostles. It is reflected in the Scriptures as they are read within the Church. It is attested to in the writings of the time immediately following that of the Apostles and in the sermons and treatises of the Fathers of the Church. With no desire to provoke debate but simply to explain what we believe, we offer the following reflections on the papacy.
It seems reasonable to relate John 6 with Matthew 16 in some sort of time frame. From this we can set the following scene. Fifteen days before the Passover in the second year of His ministry, Jesus journeyed from Capernaum where He had foretold the institution of the Eucharist. In danger from the agents of Herod Antipas who were listening to everything He said, He was making His journey to Jerusalem in a roundabout way. He left the Lake of Genesareth and went north to Caesarea Philippi. The twelve disciples were with Him, those who were to form His core group from that time on. They were Simon Bar-Jonah (son of John), Andrew his brother; James and John, sons of Zebedee; Philip and Nathaniel (son of Tolmai and known to us also as Bartholomew); Matthew-Levi, the tax-collector; James the Less and Jude Thaddeus, who were cousins of Jesus; Thomas the twin; Simon of the Zealot party; and finally Judas from Kerioth, a newcomer to the group.
These twelve were among the few who remained after the discourse on the Eucharist. Shocked that Jesus had talked about giving His body and blood as food for eternal life, the greater number had walked away. Sadly, Jesus had turned to the twelve and asked, “Do you want to leave me too?” And Simon Peter had answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that you are God’s holy one.”
In a village in the region of Caesarea Philippi, a halting place on the trip southward to the Holy City, Jesus asked an important question. He had been debating with the scribes and Pharisees and it was time to judge whether the hostility was shared by the common people. This is how Matthew tells it.

Important Question
When Jesus came to the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples this question: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “And you,” He said to them, “who do you say I am?” “You are the Messiah,” Simon Peter answered, “the Son of the living God!” Jesus replied, “Blest are you, Simon, son of John! No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. I for my part declare to you, you are the Rock and on this rock I will build My Church and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it. I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16: 13-19).
From earliest times, as the tradition recorded by Matthew shows, Christians have placed great importance on this commission given by the Lord to Peter. The scene as found in Matthew is foreshadowed by another which appears early in St. John’s gospel (Jn 1:42).
John the Baptist had begun to preach beside the Jordan. An unknown man comes to him among the others. It is Jesus of Nazareth. The prophet is inspired to recognize Him. He points Him out to two who had already been baptized and had become his disciples. “Look,” he said, “there is the Lamb of God.” The significance of this title like a Hebrew code-word was not lost on them. It could only mean the Messiah. So the two followed Jesus and spent the day with Him. One of the pair was Andrew, Simon’s brother. The gospel continues: “The first thing he did was seek out his brother Simon and tell him, ‘we have found the Messiah!’… He brought him to Jesus who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John, your name shall be Cephas (which is rendered Peter).’”
This simple phrase changes everything. Henceforth Simon will be more than Simon. He will be Cephas. The Aramaic word means rock. The fullness of Christ’s meaning did not appear on that first occasion but it did come to light during the dialogue at Caesarea Philippi. Together, both texts, John 1:42 and Matthew 16:13-19, witness tellingly to the nature of Peter’s primacy—that it was a primacy of real authority and not just honorary precedence.
We have noted that the event at Caesarea Philippi occurred in the second year of Jesus’ preaching. It is clear that by this time Peter had already achieved what might be called a primacy of honor. Read the scriptures and see how his name invariably appears first in the listing of the Apostles (cfr Mt 10:2: “first Simon who is called Peter;” Mk 1:36: “Simon and his companions;” etc.). Surely the very seriousness and solemnity of the text prefaced by the words, “I for my part declare to you,” indicate that Jesus intended to give Peter something more than he had already had up to that time.
Our impression is that Jesus intended to go beyond primacy of honor and give Peter real authority in the Church so that he might in face speak and act in His name. The impression is heightened by the very symbols which Jesus used. The first of these is “rock”, a time-honored word in the Scriptures to signify firmness, strength and unchanging fidelity. It was often applied in Old Testament times to God. In time it would be applied in the New Testament to Christ. Some have argued from this that Jesus never could have applied the word to the person of Peter. But why not? A figure of speech can be used in various ways and often, even in Scripture, we have different spheres of meaning. The Scriptures would not be adverse to calling Peter the rock who symbolizes the solidity and fidelity of God, the Rock, or of Jesus, the Rock. As a matter of fact, such an understanding would be perfectly in keeping with the belief that Peter is Christ’s vicar, making visible the invisible presence of the rocklike Christ.

Christ and Peter
A problem sometimes arises because people take the metaphor out of context. How can Peter be the rock if Christ is the foundation stone (1 Cor 3:11)? But the image in the first passage sees Christ as the builder and Peter as the rock on which He builds. The image in the second passage simply considers Christ in Himself as the mediator of God’s saving plan with no reference at all to Peter. Even the most ardent defender of Peter’s primacy would not dream of seeing the Apostle in the place of Christ. All that is implied is that Christ has given Peter the key role, subordinate to Himself. The language is that of a poet rather than of an engineer. There is no need to be terribly literal. What Christ meant was that Peter would be His chief ambassador, His authentic Vicar (or man-on-the-scene), the instrument of His loving care for His Church. Physically it is not possible to have a double foundation stone. Theologically, it would be very correct to say that Peter in Christ, with Christ and through Christ is the rock foundation of the Church.
The impression that Christ gave Peter real power and not just “pride of place” is vastly strengthened by the symbol of the keys which bind and loose. Jesus said, “I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16: 19).
There are several Scripture passages which help to illuminate these words. In Isaiah we read: “On that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah … I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open.” God in the prophecy is speaking of the infidelity of Shebna, master of the royal palace in Jerusalem. He will be removed from office and his place will be taken by Eliakim, son of Hilkiah (cfr Is. 22:22). For our purpose here, the point of interest is in the expression the prophet uses. He speaks of power in terms of a key that can be shut so that no one may open and open so that no one may shut. Christ’s words about giving the keys to Peter for binding and loosing are clearly in this tradition.
Further, in Revelation, the risen Christ appears to John and says: “There is nothing to fear. I am the First and the Last and the One who lives. Once I was dead but now I live—forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and the nether world” (Rev 1:17). Here again, the mention of keys implies real power. In a similar way the word “key” appears in chapter 20:1: “Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, holding the key to the abyss.”

Bind and Loose
The gospel words, “bind” and “loose”, are sometimes said to be Greek expressions taken from the pagan world of magic. The better opinion, however, seems to be that the terms are taken from the Semitic language as used in the rabbinic literature of the times. In this literature, the rabbis use the words “binding” and “loosing” to express wide authority such as that of admitting persons or excluding them from the community, admitting or excluding doctrines as authentic teaching. Consideration of this rabbinical usage at the time of Christ has led many impartial scholars to admit for Peter a real fullness of power to act as Christ’s vicar.

Prince of Apostles
There are many, of course, who read the Scriptures and agree with Catholics that Christ did indeed choose Peter as His vicar, the one with special power to rule over the early Christian Church, the mainstay who, once confirmed in his own belief, would sustain the faith of his brethren (Lk 22:32). Some object to this on the grounds of the dispute between Paul and Peter as related in Galatians 2:11 ff. But a careful reading shows that this dispute refers to a personal failing on Peter’s part rather than any false teaching or universal discipline. The relationship between Paul and Peter as seen in Acts and the great prominence given to Peter in the early development of the Church leave little doubt about Peter’s acceptance by the early Christians as prince of the Apostles and vicar of Christ. The witness of Acts is especially noteworthy. Between the Ascension and Pentecost, Peter is the spokesman who acts for the community. He presides when Matthias is chosen to succeed Judas (Acts.1:15-26), he interprets the Pentecost event (Acts 2:14ff). He heals the lame man and advances the early Church (Acts 3:1-6; 4:4-6). Peter defends the Church before the Sanhendrin (Acts 4:5-22), judges Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), appears a second time before the Jewish court in the name of the Christians (Acts 5:29), goes to Samaria to lay hands on those baptized by Philip the deacon (Acts 8:15), scolds Simon the magician (Acts 8:14-24), works miracles (Acts 11:31-43).
Peter’s imprisonment and release are of vital interest to the young community (Acts 12:3-17). He acts as president of the so-called “Council of Jerusalem” (Acts 15:6-12) and his vision opens up the Church to gentiles as well as Jews (cfr. Chapters 9 and 10). The cumulative effect of reading the first 15 chapters of Acts is one of seeing Peter as at the very heart of the early Church, the key person in its life, the ultimate decision maker.
Among those who accept with Catholics the belief that Peter had a primacy of jurisdiction as well as primacy of honor, there are many who part company with Catholics on the matter of Peter’s successors. They will agree that Peter was Christ’s vicar. They will not agree that the power given Peter continues, by Christ’s wish, to be extended to Peter’s successors. The matter calls for some calm consideration.

September 14th: Exaltation of the Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Taken from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints:
In the year 627, during the reign of the emperor Heraclius I of Constantinople, the Persians conquered the city of Jerusalem and removed from its venerable Sanctuary the major part of the true Cross of Our Lord, which Saint Helen, mother of the emperor Constantine, had left there after discovering it on Calvary. The emperor resolved to win back by combat this precious object, the new Ark of the Covenant for the new people of God. Before he left Constantinople with his army, Heraclius went to the church wearing black in the spirit of penance; he prostrated himself before the altar and begged God to sustain his courage. And on leaving he took with him a miraculous image of the Saviour, determined to combat with it even unto death.
Heaven visibly assisted the valiant emperor, for his army won victory after victory. One of the conditions of the peace treaty was the return of the Cross of Our Lord, in the same condition as when it was removed. Heraclius on his return was received in Constantinople by the acclamations of the people; with olive branches and torches, they went out to meet him. And the true Cross was honored, on this occasion, in a magnificent triumph.
The emperor wished to give thanks to God by going in person to Jerusalem to return this sacred wood, which had been in the power of the pagans for fourteen years. When he reached the Holy City, he placed the precious relic on his shoulders, but when he came to the gate leading out to Calvary, it became impossible for him to go forward. He was greatly astonished, and those in attendance were stupefied. “Take care, O Emperor!” said the Patriarch Zachary to him. “Certainly the imperial clothing you are wearing does not sufficiently resemble the poor and humiliated condition of Jesus carrying His cross.” Heraclius was touched on hearing this; he removed his shoes and his imperial robes, adorned with gold and jewels. Wearing a poor man’s tunic, he was able to go up to Calvary and depose there his glorious burden. To give greater brilliance to this triumphant march, God permitted several miracles to occur by the power of the Cross of Christ. A dead man returned to life, four paralytics were cured; ten lepers recovered their health and fifteen blind persons their sight; many possessed persons were delivered from the evil spirit, and a large number of sick persons were completely cured.
In those days the greatest power of the Catholic world was the Empire of the East, and that bulwark against the eastern pagans was verging toward its ruin, before God put forth His hand to save it in this way. The re-establishment of the Cross at Jerusalem, by means of the emperor’s Christian valor, was a sure pledge of its protection. It was after these events that the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was instituted, to perpetuate their memory in the Church.
Reflection: It is not necessary to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate and exalt the Holy Cross: we can do so by meditating upon it daily and exalting it in our own lives.

Feast of the Holy Name of Mary

From the Catholic Encyclopedia at www.newadvent.org

We venerate the name of Mary because it belongs to her who is the Mother of God, the holiest of creatures, the Queen of heaven and earth, the Mother of Mercy. The object of the feast is the Holy Virgin bearing the name of Mirjam (Mary); the feast commemorates all the privileges given to Mary by God and all the graces we have received through her intercession and mediation. It was instituted in 1513 at Cuenca in Spain, and assigned with proper Office to 15 Sept., the octave day of Mary's Nativity. After the reform of the Breviary by St. Pius V, by a Decree of Sixtus V (16 Jan., 1587), it was transferred to 17 Sept. In 1622 it was extended to the Archdiocese of Toledo by Gregory XV. After 1625 the Congregation of Rites hesitated for a while before authorizing its further spread (cf. the seven decrees "Analecta Juris Pontificii", LVIII, decr. 716 sqq.) But it was celebrated by the Spanish Trinitarians in 1640 (Ordo Hispan., 1640). on 15 Nov., 1658, the feast was granted to the Oratory of Cardinal Berulle under the title: Solemnitas Gloriosae Virginis, dupl. cum. oct., 17 Sept. Bearing the original title, SS. Nominis B.M.V., it was granted to all Spain and the Kingdom of Naples on 26 Jan., 1671. After the siege of Vienna and the glorious victory of Sobieskl over the Turks (12 Sept., 1683), the feast was extended to the universal Church by Innocent XI, and assigned to the Sunday after the Nativity of Mary by a Decree of 25 Nov., 1683 (duplex majus); it was granted to Austria as d. 2. classis on 1 Aug., 1654. According to a Decree of 8 July, 1908, whenever this feast cannot be celebrated on its proper Sunday on account of the occurence of some feast of a higher rank, it must be kept on 12 Sept., the day on which the victory of Sobieski is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology. The Calendar of the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration, O.S.B., in France, of the year 1827, has the feast with a special Office on 25 Sept. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary, is the patronal feast of the Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools (Piarists) and of the Society of Mary (Marianists), in both cases with a proper office. In 1666 the Discalced Carmelites received the faculty to recite the Office of the Name of Mary four times a year (duplex). At Rome one of the twin churches at the Forum Trajani is dedicated to the Name of Mary. In the Ambrosian Calendar of Milan the feast of the Holy Name of Mary is assigned to 11 September.

APA citation. Holweck, F. (1911). Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Retrieved September 12, 2009 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673b.htm
MLA citation. Holweck, Frederick. "Feast of the Holy Name of Mary." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911.
12 Sept. 2009 .
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas. Dedicated to Mary Thomas.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Can't Trust Them

Here's the new video from Cóir for the second Lisbon referendum.

Hidden Agenda for Climate Change?

LifeSiteNews.com September 10, 2009:
The best way to combat global warming is to reduce the surplus population through contraception and abortion, according to a report from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
According to the report, commissioned by the radical pro-abortion, anti-human environmentalist group, Optimum Population Trust, every £4 spent on "family planning" over the next forty years would reduce global CO2 emissions by more than a ton. This would outstrip the gains of spending on "low-carbon technologies" by £15.
"Considered purely as a method of reducing future CO2 emissions" such "family planning" methods as abortion, sterilisation and mass distribution of contraceptives, "should be seen as one of the primary methods of emissions reduction." Basing its data on reports by UNICEF and the UNFPA on the "unmet need" for "family planning" in the developing world, the report concluded that if this need is met, 34 billion tonnes of CO2 would be "saved."
The UN groups cited in the LSE report have claimed that 40 per cent of all pregnancies worldwide are "unplanned" and therefore unwanted. This, they say, means there is an unmet need for abortion, sterilization and artificial contraceptives that, if met, would reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies by 72 per cent.
The term "emitters" in the report, titled, "Fewer Emitters, Lower Emissions, Less Cost," refers to human beings. Roger Martin, chairman of the Optimum Population Trust at the LSE, said, "It's always been obvious that total emissions depend on the number of emitters as well as their individual emissions - the carbon tonnage can't shoot down as we want, while the population keeps shooting up."
Telegraph columnist Gerald Warner commented that the proposal to reduce carbon emissions by reducing people does not go far enough for anti-human environmentalist extremists. "Why not save 80 billion tonnes by ending pregnancy completely? There is one sure way to prevent man-made global warming and that is to abolish man."
Warner continued, "Having generated highly profitable mass hysteria and sidelined honest scientists who point out that the Arctic ice-cap is growing, not shrinking; that the polar bear population is increasing, not dwindling; and that the total human contribution to atmospheric CO2 is miniscule, making adjustments in its size irrelevant, the warming fanatics are learning the joys of coercion."
The equation of "overpopulation" with increased "carbon emissions" and therefore man-made "climate change," is heavily contended within the scientific community, with many denouncing it as ideologically inspired junk science. It is, however, the cornerstone of much modern environmentalist theory, including that of one group called the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, whose motto is "May we live long and die out."
Criticism from the scientific community has not stopped governments from uncritical acceptance of the doctrine. This week, parliament's Committee on Climate Change, created by the Climate Change Act 2008, told the Labour government to scrap plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in the world, saying there must be a "global cap on aviation emissions."
The LSE report's mention of carbon being "saved" is related to the growing administrative practice of governments called "emissions trading," sometimes referred to as "cap and trade." A government that has set a cap on the allowable C02 emissions issues "emission permits" or "emission credits" that allow companies to emit a specific amount of CO2. Companies that want to increase their emission allowance can buy these credits from companies that pollute less, meaning, in effect that the buyer company may continue to emit pollutants at the same rate, and that companies that do not pollute may sell their credits to the highest bidder.
Critics of the practice have said that while it has created a lucrative new business trade and increases government revenue, it does little to actually reduce carbon emissions. The largest "carbon market" trading system in the world is that run by the European Union. Carbon emissions trading has been steadily increasing in recent years, with the World Bank estimating that it has grown from 11 billion USD in 2005 to 30 billion in 2006 to and 64 billion by 2007.

September 8th: The Birth of Our Lady

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2001 issue of The Catholic Faith magazine.

The Blessed Virgin in the History of Christianity John A. Hardon, S.J. http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2007/jhardon_historymarian_aug07.asp

Christianity would be meaningless without the Blessed Virgin. Her quiet presence opened Christian history at the Incarnation and will continue to pervade the Church's history until the end of time.Our purpose in this meditation is to glance over the past two thousand years to answer one question: What are the highlights of our Marian faith as found in the Bible and the teaching of the Catholic Church?
New Testament
The first three evangelists were mainly concerned with tracing Christ's ancestry as Son of Man and, therefore, as Son of Mary. St. Matthew, writing for the Jews, stressed Christ's descent from Abraham. St. Luke, disciple of St. Paul, traced Christ's origin to Adam, the father of the human race. Yet both writers were at pains to point out that Mary's Son fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah. He was to be born of a virgin to become Emmanuel, which means "God with us." Luke gave a long account of the angel's visit to Mary to announce that the Child would be holy and would be called the "Son of God" (Luke 1:36).St. John followed the same pattern. He introduced Mary as the Mother of Jesus when He began His public ministry. In answer to her wishes, Christ performed the miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana in Galilee. What happened then has continued ever since. Most of the miraculous shrines of Christianity have been dedicated to Our Lady.It is also St. John who tells us that Mary stood under the Cross of Calvary as her Son was dying for our salvation. Speaking of John, Jesus told His Mother, "This is your son." To John, He said of Mary, "This is your Mother." The apostle John represented all of us. On Good Friday, therefore, Christ made His Mother the supernatural Mother of the human race and made us her spiritual children.
Mother of God
In the early fifth century, a controversy arose in Asia Minor, where the Bishop of Constantinople claimed that Mary was only the Mother of Christ (Greek=Christotokos). He was condemned by the Council of Ephesus in 431, which declared that "the holy Virgin is the Mother of God (Greek=Theotokos).St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, was mainly responsible for this solemn definition of Mary's divine maternity. It was St. Cyril who thus composed the most famous Marian hymn of antiquity. It is a praise of Our Lady as Mediatrix with God:
Through you, the Trinity is glorified.
Through you, the Cross is venerated throughout the world.
Through you, angels and archangels rejoice.
Through you, the demons are driven away.
Through you, the fallen creature is raised to heaven.
Through you, the churches are founded in the whole world.
Through you, people are led to conversion.
Every other title of Mary and all the Marian devotion of the faithful are finally based on the Blessed Virgin's primary claim to our extraordinary love. She is the Mother of God. She gave her Son all that every human mother gives the child she conceives and gives birth to. She gave Him His human body. Without her, there would have been no Incarnation, no Redemption, no Eucharist; in a word, no Christianity.
Mary's Virginity
Logically related to her divine maternity is Our Lady's perpetual virginity. From the earliest days the Church has taught that Mary was a virgin before giving birth to Jesus, in giving His birth, and after His birth in Bethlehem.All of this is already stated or implied in the Gospels. In St. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, all the previous ancestors are called "father." But then we are told there came "Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ" (Matthew 1:16). St. Luke twice identifies Mary as "virgin," who "knows not man."Already in the early Church, those who questioned Christ's divinity were the same ones who denied His Mother's virginity. As explained by St. Augustine, "When God vouchsafed to become Man, it was fitting that He should be born in this way. He who was made of her, had made her what she was: a virgin who conceives, a virgin who gives birth; a virgin with child, a virgin labored of child-a virgin ever virgin." Given the fact of the Incarnation, its manner follows as a matter of course. Why should not the Almighty who created His Mother have also preserved the body of which He would be born? But this appropriateness of Mary's virginity makes sense only if you believe that Mary's Son is the living God.
Immaculate Conception
Mary's freedom from sin, present at her conception, is already taught by St. Ephraem in the fourth century. In one of his hymns, he addresses Our Lord, "Certainly you alone and your Mother are from every aspect completely beautiful. There is no blemish in you my Lord, and no stain in your Mother."By the seventh century, the feast of Mary's Immaculate Conception was celebrated in the East. In the eight century, the feast was commemorated in Ireland, and from there spread to other countries in Europe.In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, some leading theologians, even saints, raised objections to the Immaculate Conception. Their main difficulty was how Mary could be exempt from all sin before the coming of Christ. Here the Franciscan Blessed John Duns Scotus (1266-1308) stood firm and paved the way for the definition of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Blessed Pius IX in 1854.In the words of Pope Blessed Pius IX, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception . . . was preserved from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."Four years after the definition, Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception. The numerous miracles at Lourdes are a divine confirmation of the doctrine defined by Pius IX. They are also a confirmation of the papal primacy defined by the First Vatican Council under the same Bishop of Rome.
Assumption into Heaven
Not unlike his predecessor, Pope Pius XII defined Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven. On November 1, 1950, the pope responded to the all but unanimous request of the Catholic hierarchy by making a formal definition:By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare and define as divinely revealed dogma: the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, after her life on earth, was assumed body and soul to the glory of heaven.The day after the definition, Pius XII told the assembled hundreds of bishops his hope for the future: May this new honor given to Mary introduce "a spirit of penance to replace the prevalent love of pleasure and a renewal of family life stabilized where divorce was common and made fruitful where birth control was practiced." If there is one feature that characterizes the modern world, observed the Pope, it is the worship of the body. Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven reminds us of our own bodily resurrection on the last day, provided we use our bodies on earth according to the will of God.
Mother of the Church
Never in the history of Christianity has any general council spoken at such length and with such depth about Mary as the Second Vatican Council.This is not surprising in view of the extraordinary devotion to the Blessed Virgin in our day. What the Council did was put this devotion into focus and spell out its doctrinal foundation.First a quiet admonition. The council "charges that practices and exercises of devotion to her be treasured as recommended by the teaching authority of the Church in the course of centuries." True Marian piety consists neither in fruitless and passing emotion, nor in a certain empty credulity.Rather authentic devotion to Mary "proceeds from true faith by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and are moved to filial love toward our Mother and to the invitation of her virtues" (Constitution on the Church, 67-8).What are we being told? We are told that true devotion to Our Lady is shown in a deep love of her as our Mother, put into practice by the imitation of her virtues-especially her faith, her chastity and charity.These are the three virtues that the modern world most desperately needs.
• Like Mary, we need to believe that everything which God has revealed to us will be fulfilled.
• Like Mary, we need to use our bodily powers to serve their divine purpose no matter what the sacrifice of our own pleasure.
• Like Mary, we are to be always sensitive to the needs of others. Like her, we are to respond to these needs without being asked and, like her, even ask Jesus to work a miracle to benefit those whom we love.
No wonder the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this astounding profession of faith: "We believe that the most holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven her maternal role toward the members of Christ." It all depends on our faith in her maternal care and our trust in her influence over the almighty hand of her Son.

If I were the devil...

From a US radio personality, Paul Harvey, March 16, 1993

If I were the prince of darkness I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness, and I’d have a third of its real estate and four fifths of its population. But I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree: thee.
So I’d set about however necessary, to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, “Do as you please.” To the young I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince them that man created God, instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is square. And the old I would teach to pray after me, “our father which art in Washington...”
And then I’d get organized: I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies, and visa versa. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves; churches at war with themselves; and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.
If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellect, but neglect to discipline emotions; just let those run wild, until before you knew it you’d have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing; I’d have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls—and church money.
If I were the devil I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want it, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And what’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich.
I would caution against extremes, and hard work, and patriotism, and moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old fashioned—that swinging is more fun. That what you see on TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.
In other words, if I were the devil I would just keep on doing what he is doing.

Death Sentence for British Patients

LifeSiteNews.com September 3, 2009:
A group of British physicians specializing in palliative and end of life care has sounded the alarm that some terminally ill patients are being killed under an ethics protocol recently approved by the country's health care rationing body. Patients in Britain are being misdiagnosed as "close to death" and sedated and dehydrated to death the doctors said in a letter to the Daily Telegraph this week. Under a National Health Service (NHS) protocol called the Liverpool Care Pathway, patients are being labelled as dying "without regard to the fact that the diagnosis could be wrong" the physicians said in their letter. Under the guidelines, the diagnosis that a patient is close to death must be made by the entire medical team, including a senior doctor. This diagnosis, under existing rules, then allows a patient to be sedated and to have food and hydration and other treatment, such as antibiotics, withdrawn until death. Under the Pathway protocol, patients can be diagnosed as "close to death" if they become confused or have difficulty swallowing. But the doctors warn that these symptoms can be caused by the sedating medication and dehydration, creating a self-fulfilling diagnosis. In the letter, Professor Peter Millard, Emeritus Professor of Geriatrics at the University of London, Dr. Peter Hargreaves, a consultant in Palliative Medicine at St Luke's cancer centre in Guildford and four others, said that the practice is causing a "national wave of discontent" as family members watch their loved ones killed by dehydration. John Smeaton of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children commented that the "practice of consigning vulnerable patients to a death pathway" is the result of years of changes to the legal system that is building up to the effectively legalisation of euthanasia. "The government's 2005 Mental Capacity Act," Smeaton said, "extended the possible scope of this practice. The inherent right to life of all patients, whether they are terminally ill or not, must be defended in the face of the government's war against the weak." Barbara Wilding, Britain's longest serving female chief constable, said last month that the growing public approval of assisted suicide is a threat to elderly people. Wilding said that "a growing rift" between the generations is becoming a significant challenge for police who are concerned that increasing relaxation of assisted suicide laws could be exploited by families to kill "burdensome elderly relatives". Wilding told the Daily Telegraph, "From a policing perspective we need to be very careful on this to make sure it does not become a way of getting rid of a burden. I will be watching any change in legislation very carefully". The Liverpool Care Pathway, described by its formulators as a "template" to guide the care of the dying, was approved in 2004 by the notorious National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), the Government's health scrutiny body in charge of rationing health services. The NICE is known to be heavily biased in favour of dehydrating patients to death, as was revealed in the case of Leslie Burke, a British man who attempted unsuccessfully to obtain court guarantees that he would not be killed by this method once his motor neurone disease had rendered him unable to communicate. The Pathway has been adopted nationwide with more than 300 hospitals, 130 hospices and 560 care homes in England using it to allocate health care resources. In August, the BBC reported that some physicians in Britain and abroad are concerned with the increasing use of "continuous deep sedation" in treating the terminally ill. Deep sedation, in which a patient is kept continuously unconscious or at a low level of consciousness, is ethically used in cases where pain is treatable by no other means. It can have the effect of reducing life expectancy by suppressing respiration but classical ethics allows this if it is an undesired and unintended secondary effect to the relief of pain. But reports from the Netherlands show that the use of continuous deep sedation until death was becoming more widespread in that country where direct euthanasia is legal. In 2001, researchers found that in six European countries deep sedation was used in 8.5 percent of all deaths in patients with cancer and other diseases. In most cases patients under deep sedation were also denied fluids. In the Czech republic, where assisted suicide is illegal, it was revealed that some doctors were using large doses of morphine to kill patients in order "not to prolong" patients' suffering.

An Excellent Catholic Resource for Prayers and Beliefs

http://www.communityofhopeinc.org/prayerline.html