The Catholic Jedi Academy

Protect Our Girls!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:31:45 PDT

Lila Rose and her associates over at Live Action accomplished another undercover sting of a Planned Parenthood facility recently. A pregnant woman who came to the clinic was told by the counselor that she could have an abortion if the sex of the baby turned out to be undesirable (i.e. if it was a girl). The woman was advised to wait until 20 weeks gestation at which time the sex of the unborn child could be determined and, if it was a girl, she was told to return to the clinic for the termination.

Here is the video of what happened:

(Thanks to Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review for the link)

Go to Live Action's website for the "Protect Our Girls" campaign and sign the petition asking that abortion based on the gender of the child be outlawed in this country. (Isn't this crazy that you would even have to ask for such a thing?)

Today the House of Representatives is voting on HR 3541, known as "PRENDA". Its purpose is to outlaw abortions based on sex or race. Unbelievably, there are feminist websites that are carping about how this law would unfairly impede access to abortion. One can only wonder how far gone we are in our culture when even the desire to prevent children from being killed on the basis of their sex or their race becomes controversial.

Imagine That! One Sister CAN Change The World!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:17:56 PDT

Memorial Day - Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them, O Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:56:10 PDT

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine,
et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Requiéscant in pace. Amen.

Thank you.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski: Church Is Committed To Universal Healthcare Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 25 May 2012 21:00:00 PDT

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski

Vatican City, 24 May 2012 (VIS) - Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Holy See delegation to the sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, delivered an address before that gathering, which was being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 21 to 26 May 2012. Speaking English, the archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See's support for Resolution WHA64.9 on "sustainable health financing structures and universal coverage," which urges member States to aim for affordable universal coverage and access for all citizens on the basis of equity and solidarity.

He also recalled how Pope Benedict XVI has emphasised the importance of establishing "real distributive justice which, on the basis of objective needs, guarantees adequate care to all. Consequently, if it is not to become inhuman, the world of healthcare cannot disregard the moral rules that must govern it."

Archbishop Zimowski noted that "more countries, especially those with emerging economies, are moving towards universal coverage," thanks also to "good policies that promote equity. ... Therefore my delegation strongly believes that in the endeavour to promote universal coverage, fundamental values such as equity, human rights and social justice need to become explicit policy objectives," he said.

The archbishop made an appeal for high-income countries to show greater solidarity towards poorer nations in order to overcome funding shortfalls in health. In this context he quoted the Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" in which Benedict XVI writes: "More economically developed nations should do all they can to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic product to development aid, thus respecting the obligations that the international community has undertaken in this regard."

In conclusion the head of the Holy See delegation affirmed that "progress towards universal coverage cannot be the effort of State machinery alone. It requires support from civil society. ... With over 120,000 social and healthcare institutions worldwide, the Catholic Church is in many developing countries one of the key partners of the State in healthcare delivery, providing services in remote areas to rural low-income populations, enabling them to access services that would otherwise be out of their reach. The efforts and contribution of such organisations and institutions towards universal access, merit the recognition and support of both the State and the international community, without obliging them to participate in activities they find morally abhorrent."

Memorial Day - Bring Back the Poppies

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 25 May 2012 06:50:44 PDT

I don't know if you come across the mostly older gentleman who appear outside supermarkets and shops in the week or two leading up to Memorial Day; accepting donations for the veterans and handing out little paper poppies . The poppies are on a wire and were meant to be wrapped around a button or stuck in a buttonhole on your shirt, back in the day when everyone wasn't wearing a t-shirt. Have you ever wondered where this tradition of handing out poppies came from?

It came from the haunting poem In Flanders Fields by Lieutenant Colonel John McRae, MD, of the Canadian Army. Written after the terrible World War I battle of Ypres, McRae reflected on the brutality of the war and the death of many of the injured soldiers he had treated. It has become one of the most poignant reflections on the casualties of armed conflict.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Jack Fowler at National Review writes of a renewed effort to bring back the wearing of the poppy by an investment banker named Jason DeSena Trenert:

Last year, I resolved myself to bring the poppy back to my little corner of the world. We’re buying 1,000 to give to friends and clients and colleagues. Please let us know if you’d like us to send you one. They’re only 16 cents a-piece so we’ll consider it an honor if we need to buy more. I’m going to encourage all of my colleagues here at Strategas to wear them on the Friday before and the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

May they rest in peace. And may all of those who have come back with limbs missing, with bones broken, with nerves shattered, find consolation in the Lord. And may we never forget their sacrifice.

Alexander Tsiaras' Video Is A Marvel To Behold -- And To Thank God For!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT

Here is a stunning, beautiful video revealing the mind-boggling processes of a human being developing from conception to birth. It has been featured on the TED Site. Here is a profile from the TED site explaining their purpose:

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. TED now includes an award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.

The two annual TED conferences... bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).

On TED.com, we make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. More than 900 TEDTalks are now available, with more added each week.These videos are released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

Our mission: Spreading ideas.

We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. This site, launched April 2007, is an ever-evolving work in progress... .

Image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond.

Using art and technology, Alexander Tsiaras visualizes the unseen human body, developing scientific visualization software to enable him to "paint" the human anatomy using volume data. He's the author of Body Voyage and ... most recently, he is the author of From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds and The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed.

Alexander Tsiaras commented, “Even though I am a mathematician, I look at [fetal development] with marvel: How do these instruction sets not make mistakes as they build what is us?”

“The magic of the mechanisms inside each genetic structure saying exactly where that nerve cell should go — the complexity of these mathematical models is beyond human comprehension.”

I think that this video makes it very easy to grasp that there is a Divine Hand operating the processes which bring about the formation and birth of a human being. God is the Author of all of the mind-boggling organic building -- directing each separate organ and body system to become what He intends them to be.

See for yourself: Conception To Birth -- Visualized:

No More Mr. Nice God!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:30:00 PDT

Here's a nifty item dating back to 2010: An interview with Sister John Sheila Galligan, I.H.M., S.T.D. -- a friend of mine from pontifical university days. She's great!
The link below will bring you to the original webpage. For your convenience, I've duplicated it for you here at the "Academy," dear Academicians!

The "Assistant Headmaster"

http://josephkarlpublishing.blogspot.com/2010/08/did-you-know-that-god-isnt-nice.html

Friday, August 6, 2010

Did you know that God isn’t nice?

Well, He’s not. And neither should you be.

By Robert Steiner

So says Sister John Sheila Galligan, I.H.M, S.T.D., professor in theology at Immaculata University in Immaculata, PA.

“The young people that I’m meeting are coming from a culture that seems to promote religion and spirituality as ‘niceness’,” said Sr. Galligan. “…The commandment that’s out there today is, ‘Be nice,’ or [in] other language, ‘Be tolerant, never make a judgment,’ et cetera.”

The culture of niceness rejects anything that challenges the autonomy of the individual. It has bastardized the meanings of words such as “love”, “freedom” and “marriage”, confusing people and leaving them ignorant about God, the meaning of life, and the dignity of the human person. In fact, the origin of the word “nice” is the Latin word nescius, which means “ignorant.”

“That kind of culture activity of ‘being nice’ is destructive, and it’s not what Christianity is all about,” said Sr. Galligan. “God is not nice. God is good, and goodness is different from niceness.”

The culture of niceness also eschews the rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church.

“We have a tradition that is [almost 2,000] years of the best of philosophical and theological minds, with the contemporary blessings of [Popes] John Paul II and Benedict [XVI], who are also very able to engage young people, old people—the culture,” said Sister Galligan.

But “instead of looking at the world in light of the Church and its teachings ... we come from the world and make a judgment on the Church and its teachings.”

Niceness is the fruit of sloth, what Sister Galligan calls “the most neglected capital sin,” and “the ultimate boredom.” Commonly regarded as laziness, sloth is a “poisoning of the will,” she said, a lack of the will for the good. Niceness is the symptom of a soul poisoned by sloth.

“Niceness [is the attitude]: ‘I do not have the will for your good, [so] I’m just going to go with the flow and be pleasing’,” she said.

Sister Galligan is trying to free her students from the shackles of the “go with the flow” mentality of niceness because “They haven’t been trained to think, to argue” she said. “They’ve only been trained to accept.”

So for all its destructiveness, why have we allowed ourselves to be hypnotized by niceness? The reason is, said Sister Galligan, “we don’t want to ever think about the existential questions: ‘Who or what am I? Where am I going? How do I get there?’ And, even more, ‘Whose am I?’”

To ask the existential questions is to open oneself up to the possibility there is an “Other” toward whom one must center himself. In a culture of niceness that fosters self-centeredness, the tendency is to avoid pursuing the answers to those questions.

“We’re always into that self-protective mode,” said Sister Galligan. “…Truth and goodness become a threat, because then I have to acknowledge my humanity, which is wounded and tends toward self.”

Self-centeredness, however, “makes for unhappiness, loneliness,” she said. “I’m enclosed within myself. I’m imprisoned, and I’m made to be looking at you.”

The other-centeredness that is at the heart of true Christian living reveals the answers to the existential questions. To be other-centered is to image Him Who is other-centeredness itself, the Trinitarian God. Only in the penetrating intimacy of other-centeredness can we be truly happy.

But in a futile attempt to find happiness and alleviate their “ultimate boredom”, those who have fallen into the quicksand of sloth pursue empty and fleeting passion, a pursuit Sister Galligan described as “getting into bizarre things to excite [oneself] for a few minutes.” Yet fulfilling and lasting passion can come only from the other-centered, self-giving life of charity.

So don’t be nice. Instead, burn with love for God and neighbor, as God burns with love for you.

“God is fire,” said Sister Galligan. “He’s not bland fogginess.”

Is Your Life In Knots? Consult The Virgin Mary, Undoer Of Knots

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:18:35 PDT

Prayer to the Virgin Mary as Undoer of Knots

Holy Mary, full of the presence of God, during your life you accepted with great humility the holy will of the Father and the legacy of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and evil never dared to entangle you with its confusion. Since then you have interceded for all of our difficulties as you did at the wedding feast of Cana. With all simplicity and with patience, you have given us an example of how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives. By being our mother forever you arrange and make clear the path that unites us to Our Lord.

Holy Mary, Mother of God and ours, with your maternal heart, untie the knots that upset our lives. We ask you to receive into your hands (here mention your prayer request) and deliver us from the chains and confusion that restrain us.

Blessed Virgin Mary, through your grace, your intercession and by your example, deliver us from evil, and untie the knots that keep us from being united to God. So that free of all confusion and error, we may find Him in all things, keep Him in our hearts, and serve Him always in our brothers and sisters.
Mother of Good Counsel pray for us.
Amen.

From the official website: www.maryundoerofknots.com

How was this devotion started?

The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is not new. The devotion is more than 300 years old. However, it is not based on an apparition of the Virgin Mary to a person, or persons, as in Lourdes or Fatima, but rather it is a revered devotion as many others in the Catholic Church, despite Virgin Mary is only one.

An unknown artist painted Mary Undoer of Knots with great grace. Since 1700, his painting has been venerated in the Church of St. Peter in Perlack, Germany.

It was originally inspired by a meditation of Saint Irenaeus (Bishop of Lyon and martyred in 202) based on the parallel made by Saint Paul between Adam and Christ. Saint Irenaeus, in turn, made a comparison between Eve and Mary, saying: "Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot of disgrace for the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, undid it."

The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is becoming more and more known in many different countries, and the Novena has been printed in 19 languages, as well as in Braille. In the last 4 years, the Sanctuary of Mary Undoer of Knots has welcomed more than 600,000 pilgrims from all over the world.

But what are these knots?

They are the problems and struggles we face for which we do not see any solution.
Knots of discord in your family, lack of understanding between parents and children, disrespect, violence, the knots of deep hurts between husband and wife, the absence of peace and joy at home.

They are also the knots of anguish and despair of separated couples, the dissolution of the family, the knots of a drug addict son or daughter, sick or separated from home or God, knots of alcoholism, the practice of abortion, depression, unemployment, fear, solitude… Ah, the knots of our life! How they suffocate the soul, beat us down and betray the heart’s joy and separate us from God.

The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is becoming more and more known in many different countries, and the Novena has been printed in 19 languages, as well as in Braille. In the last 4 years, the Sanctuary of Mary Untier of Knots has welcomed more than 600,000 pilgrims from all over the world.

We are living in difficult times where the problems, the knots, the temptations, the lack of peace and the evils are all around us. Like a roaring lion your adversary, the devil, prowls around, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5,8)

For that reason, Mary, who undoes the knots, who was chosen by God to crush the evil with her feet, comes to us to reveal herself. She comes to provide jobs, good health, to reconcile families, because she wants to undo the knots of our sins which dominate our lives, so that - as sons and daughters of the King - we can receive the promises reserved for us from eternity. She comes with promises of victory, peace, blessings and reconciliation.

Then, free from our knots – filled with happiness, we can be a testimony of the Divine Power in this world, like pieces of God’s heart or small bottles of perfume exhaling mercy and love to our neighbor. Like ambassador of Jesus Christ and the Virgin of the fair love, we can rescue those who cry without any consolation, those who are lonely, tied with knots, who have no God, no Father nor Mother.

Mother of the Rising Sun,

Immaculate, our Advocate,

Helper in moments of affliction,

Mother of God and made by Him our Mother,

this is how Mary, Undoer of Knots is presented.

Above all, she comes as the Queen of Mercy, the one who knows all about us, who has compassion for us and hurries to rescue us, praying for each one of us to Her beloved Jesus.

Is it possible that the Lord does not answer her?

May Mary Undoer of Knots bless you today and forever. Amen!

To Pray The Novena Of Mary Undoer Of Knots
please visit this link:
novena@maryundoerofknots.com

The Novena is distributed exclusively in Canada and United States by:

MARY UNDOER OF KNOTS

271 Richvale Drive South, Unit # 1

Brampton ( Ontario) L6Z 4W6

Canada

Phone: 1 (905) 495-4614

Mary Of Nazareth: Woman Of The Total "HERE I AM" For God

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:49:55 PDT

Vatican City, 18 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father attended a viewing of "Mary of Nazareth", a co-production of RaiFiction, Lux Vide, BetaFilm, Tellux, Bayerischer Rundfunk, and Telecinco Cinema directed by Giacomo Campiotti.

At the end of the screening the Pope addressed a few words on the film, which focuses on three female protagonists: Herodias, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Nazareth, whose lives cross but who choose different paths.

"Herodias", Benedict XVI said, "remains locked within herself and her world. She is unable to raise her gaze to read the signs from God and she is not freed from evil.

"Mary Magdalene's experience is more complicated. She is attracted by the appeal of an easy life rooted in material things and uses various means for getting her own way up until the dramatic moment when she is judged and is faced with her own life. Her encounter with Jesus opens her heart and changes her existence.

"But the centre is Mary of Nazareth who possesses the wealth of a life that has been a 'Here I am' for God. She is a mother who would have always wanted to keep her son at her side, but she knows that He is God. Her faith and her love are so great that she can accept Him leaving to accomplish His mission. Her life is a constant 'Here I am', said to God from the Annunciation until the Cross".

"Three experiences", the Pope concluded, "a paradigm of how one can build their life around selfishness, being locked within oneself and material things, being guided by evil, or rather upon the presence of a God who came and stays with us, who awaits us with kindness if we make a mistake and asks that we follow Him, that we trust in Him. Mary of Nazareth is the woman of a full and total 'Here I am' to the divine will. In her 'Yes', repeated even when faced with the sorrow of the loss of her child, we find complete and profound beatitude".

Love One Another First, Last And Always!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:32:33 PDT

From

The Holy Gospel
According To Saint John
[Jn 15:9-17]

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father"s commandments
and remain in his love."

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."

Once upon a time, a priest received an emergency sick call to go to a hospital's Intensive Care Unit. An elderly woman was near death. She wanted to talk to a priest. When the priest got to I.C.U., he discovered that the woman was 102 years old. Her mouth was gaping open, and she was drooling out the side of her mouth.
The priest spoke gently to her, heard her confession, and assured her that he and the parishioners would be remembering her during Mass. Then he asked, "Mrs. Kelly, before I leave, is there anything you would like me to do?" She requested that he pray for her: pray right now. The priest said, “Yes, of course,” and asked if there was something specific she would like him to pray for. She answered, "I'd like you to pray for me to be healed, right now." "Right now?," he asked. "Yes, Father, right away."
Realizing the hopelessness of her situation, the priest thought to himself, reluctantly, "Uh Oh!" But, nevertheless, he offered a beautiful prayer: "Loving Father, if it is Your will, please heal Mrs. Kelly; and if it is not Your will, then help her and her loved ones adjust to the situation and place their hope in You. Amen."
Suddenly, 102-year-old Mrs. Kelly sat up in bed and exclaimed, "Wow!"
She threw her feet over the side of the bed, stood up, flexed her muscles, and cried, "This is unbelievable! I feel wonderful!"
Then she walked down to the nurses station, announcing, "I think I'm well! Hey, everyone, I think I'm well!"
The priest left the hospital, walked to the parking lot, got into his car, bowed his head, and offered his own words to God: "Lord, don't You EVER do that to me again!"

____________________________________

The priest had been frightened by the intensity of love for Mrs. Kelly that GOD revealed through the priest.
The priest had never realized how much God loved him and listened to him -- until the incident with Mrs. Kelly.

To love as Christ loves us means, first of all, to put aside our own hesitation, our own fears, in order to relieve the fears of others.
To love as Christ loves us means to let go of our own hopes and wants, and instead seek the hopes and wants of others.
To love as Christ loves us means to care for others and care about others, regardless of the sacrifices demanded of us.
To love as Christ loves us means to be ready always to make the first move to forgive and to heal.

This kind of love can be so overwhelmingly demanding that we may sneak away from the prospect.

Do you and I really believe that our love toward another person can heal ... restore ... unite ... give hope ... bring peace to that other person?

I think that most of us have known at least one incident, wherein, we were able to love someone like Our Lord Jesus loves that person.
I think that most of us have known at least one time when someone had loved us like the Lord Jesus does.

TO EXPERIENCE CHRIST’S DIVINE LOVE IS AN INCREDIBLE JOY!
His Divine Love reaffirms our gut-feeling that we do have a purpose in our lives.
Christ’s Divine Love penetrates our being, and we experience completeness and wholeness -- resulting from our receiving and giving pure unadulterated love: The love Our Lord Jesus Christ has for you and me.

So, we must not forget: It was not you and I who chose Christ, but Christ who chose us -- to go forth and bear much fruit. And our fruit must endure, so that all we ask the Father in Christ's name He will give us.

The command the Lord Jesus gave us is this: that we love one another -- first, last, always!

Georgetown, Georgetown , Where Art Thou?

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:59:52 PDT

Where is the voice of the Jesuits at the formerly Catholic university known as Georgetown? If the university has abandoned its Catholic identity they should formally state so and take down every crucifix, including the one they covered up for the president's speech. Then the Jesuits should pack up their bags and walk away.

Here's an excellent video by the Cardinal Newman Society on the latest scandal to come out of Georgetown, the invitation to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to give a commencement talk.

Swiss Guards Recruiting on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:30:29 PDT

Yesterday the new group of Swiss Guards were sworn in at the Vatican. While reading about this event, I learned that they are now recruiting on Facebook. One of my nephews aspires to be a Swiss Guard, but we haven't quite figured out how to get him Swiss citizenship. Oh, well! Maybe he should talk to Michelle Bachmann to learn how it's done.

In any case, bravo to the brave men who protect the pope.

Cultural Elitism - Are Our Government Leaders Snobs?

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:50:35 PDT

Earlier this year a book was published by an author named Charles Murray. It was entitled "Coming Apart" and was based on five years of statistics that seem to show an ever expanding chasm between upper and lower class in our country. The interesting conclusion to the book is that the void is not due to strictly economic issues and definitely not defined by race or ethnicity, but rather there is a widening cultural gap.

After President Obama's announcement today on so-called gay "marriage," I reflected on the hubris of politicians who will not let such an unprecedented destruction of the social fabric of our society be put to a vote. Or, in the case of Obama, will not uphold a law that was already passed by our elected representatives (the Defense of Marriage Act "DOMA").

Last year when New York State's legislature passed gay "marriage" into law, it was done under the cover of darkness, exchanged for a bag of silver and promises of election day support. When I called my state senator prior to the vote, I was told that he was now supporting gay "marriage" because he took a survey and found that most of his constituents were in favor. This sounded highly suspicious to me and still did not answer the question, if it is so important why not let the people vote? The reason is most likely that everywhere the people are permitted to vote, gay "marriage" is defeated.

So what are our elites to do? We can't let the people vote, because they won't vote the right way.

Back to Murray's book on the cultural divide. A divide between the elites and the salt of the earth ordinary folk. Here is the quiz which Murray devised to determine whether you are a culturally isolated elite: it's entitled "How Thick is Your Bubble."

Some of the questions asked include, "Have you ever worn a uniform to work after graduating from school?" and "Have you eaten in an Applebee's, IHOP, TGIF in the last year?" Take the quiz and see how you score. (I think I would've done better if I knew something about NASCAR). Let me know how you do!

Beautiful Subway Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:52:05 PDT

The Copenhagen symphony decided to surprise the riders on the subway with this:

What a beautiful surprise. Wish this would happen on the New York City subway!

h/t Deacon's Bench

The Faith of a Child - Incredible Video

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:57:47 PDT

I am speechless and profoundly moved.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;h/t &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathrynlopez/2012/04/he-always-has-his-arms-outstreched-to-me/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Kathryn Lopez&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p> h/t Kathryn Lopez

22,104 People Baptized In China On Easter Sunday 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:12:34 PDT

Vatican City, 24 April 2012 (VIS) - The Catholic news agency Fides has reported that 22,104 people were baptized in China on Easter Sunday. The statistics were collected by the Study Centre of Faith in the Chinese province of He Bei. The newly-baptized Catholics, 75 per cent of whom are adults, belong to 101 dioceses. In He Bei itself 4,410 people were baptized on Easter Day, 615 more than last year, while in Hong Kong, which has more than 360,000 faithful, there were 3,500 baptisms.

In evaluating these figures, it should be borne in mind that some dioceses do not celebrate all their baptisms at Easter. For example, in Shang Hai there were 379 Easter baptisms but the total figure could exceed 1,500 by the end of the year. According to Sister Li Guo Shuang of the Study Center, "there are still some dioceses or communities which, due to communication difficulties, have not yet reported data to us. So we must emphasize that the figures are not complete, they may still increase."

Hollywood To Produce LCWR Film - From Acts Of The Apostasy Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:16:36 PDT

From the Acts Of The Apostasy blog (The Larry D describes his AoftheA blog as, "Orthodox commentary on heterodox hooligans: Humorous. Serious. Satirical. Faithful."), here's a funny fantasy news bulletin poking fun at the LCWR (please click on the image below):

Powerful Video. Can't Explain It. Just Watch.

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:17:24 PDT

A video from our Christian friends of The Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock, Arkansas.

You'll agree that the video's title is right on the mark.

Apply Benedict XVI's Words To The HHS Mandate: Church Must Not Fear Persecutions But Trust In The Presence Of God

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:58:50 PDT

Vatican City, Wednesday, April 18, 2012 (VIS) - Returning to a recent series of catecheses on the theme of prayer, Benedict XVI dedicated his general audience this morning to what has been called the "Little Pentecost", an event which coincided with a difficult moment in the life of the nascent Church.

The Acts of the Apostles tell us how Peter and John were released from prison following their arrest for preaching the Gospel. They returned to their companions who, listening to their account of what had happened, did not reflect on how to react or defend themselves, or on what measures to adopt; rather, "in that moment of trial they all raised their voices together to God," Who replied by sending the Holy Spirit.

"This was the unanimous and united prayer of the whole community, which was facing persecution because of Jesus," the Pope explained. It involved the community "because the experiences of the two Apostles did not concern only them, but the entire Church. In suffering persecution for Jesus' sake, the community not only did not give way to fear and division, but was profoundly united in prayer."

When believers suffer for the faith, "unity is consolidated rather than undermined, because it is supported by unshakeable prayer. The Church must not fear the persecutions she is forced to suffer in her history, but must trust always, as Jesus did in Gethsemane, in the presence, help and strength of God, invoked in prayer."

Before trying to understand what had happened the first community sought to interpret events through the faith, using the Word of God. In the Acts of the Apostles Saint Luke notes how the community of Jerusalem began by invoking God's greatness and immensity. Then, using the Psalms, those early Christians recalled how God had acted in history alongside His people, "showing Himself to be a God Who is concerned for human beings, Who does not abandon them," Benedict XVI said. Subsequently the events were read "in the light of Christ, Who is the key to understanding all things, even persecution. The opposition to Jesus, His passion and death were reread ... as the accomplishment of the plan of God the Father for the salvation of the world. ... In prayer, meditating on Sacred Scripture in the light of the mystery of Christ helps us to interpret current reality as part of the history of salvation which God enacts in the world."

Thus the plea the first Christian community of Jerusalem made to God in prayer was not "to be defended, to be spared from trials or to enjoy success, but only to be able to proclaim ... the Word of God frankly, freely and courageously." The community also asked that "their proclamation be accompanied by the hand of God so that healing, signs and wonders could be accomplished. In other words, they wanted to become a force for the transformation of reality, changing the hearts, minds and lives of men and bringing the radical novelty of the Gospel."

"We too," the Holy Father concluded his catechesis, "must bring the events of our daily lives into our prayer, in order to seek their most profound significance. And we too, like the first Christian community, allowing ourselves to be illuminated by the Word of God and meditating on Sacred Scripture, may learn to see that God is present in our lives, even at moments of difficulty, and that everything ... is part of a plan of love in which the final victory over evil, sin and death is truly is that of goodness, grace, life and God."

Happy Birthday Papa!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:34:11 PDT

Happy birthday to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. As they say in German, "Hoch soll er leben!"... May he live well (and for many more years).

This picture is actually taken from the luncheon celebration for Father Reynolds' 25th jubilee of his priestly ordination. Our Catholic Jedi "headmaster" is quite talented and actually made the cardboard cutout of the Pope himself. Understandably, it was a big hit at the festivities.

Long live our pope! And long live our good priests who will be celebrating anniversaries of their ordination in the coming months.

Humanity Will Not Find Peace Until It Turns Trustfully To Divine Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:08:34 PDT

From the lips of the Risen Christ, comes a great message of Divine Mercy. After rising from the dead, He entrusts His message to the Apostles. He goes to them in the Upper Room. He says to them: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Before speaking these words, Our Risen Lord Jesus showed His Hands and His Side. He pointed to the wounds of His Passion and Crucifixion, especially the wound in His Heart.
From the wound in His Heart flows a great wave of mercy poured out on all humanity, for all time!

In Poland in the 1930s, in the years between World War I and World War II, a simple Nun lived in a tiny and obscure monastery outside of Krakow. And although she never left the monastery property, the life and witness of Sister Faustina Kowalska — now Saint Faustina — was completely linked with the history of the 20th century, the century we have just left behind.
In fact, it was between the First and Second World Wars that Christ — who appeared to her in a series of visions — entrusted to Saint Faustina a special message to be announced to the world.
Those who remember those years between the First and Second World Wars, our elders, were witnesses of the horrible sufferings millions of people endured.
These people, our elders, know well how necessary was the message entrusted to Sister Faustina – a message of mercy.
Our Risen Jesus told Saint Faustina: "Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy."
Through the work of Saint Faustina, this message has become linked forever to the 20th century, the last of the second millennium and the bridge to the third.
It is not a new message but it can be considered a gift of special enlightenment that helps us to relive the Gospel of Easter more intensely. The Lord offers us this message as a ray of light to the men and women of our time.
From the Risen Christ’s pierced Heart, Saint Faustina – in a series of visions – saw two rays of light shining and illuminating the world: "The two rays", Our Lord Jesus Himself explained to her one day, "represent blood and water."
Blood and water! We immediately think of the testimony given by the Saint John, who, when a solider on Calvary pierced Christ's side with his spear, saw blood and water flowing from it. Moreover, the Red Ray of Blood recalls the sacrifice of the Cross and the gift of the Eucharist, the White Ray of Water represents not only Baptism but also the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us by God. (cf. The Gospel Of Saint John 3: 5; 4: 14; 7: 37-39).
Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified. He told Sister Faustina: "My daughter, tell the world that I am love and mercy personified."
The Crucified and Risen Christ pours out his mercy on humanity through the sending of the Holy Spirit who, in the Trinity, is likened to the Divine Love Who unites the Father and the Son. And love's "second name" is mercy.
Mercy is able to take upon itself any burden, any need.
Mercy has an immense capacity for forgiveness!
As the Apostles once did 2000 years ago, you and I today must welcome into the upper room of our own history, the Risen Christ, who shows the wounds of His Crucifixion and repeats: Peace be with you!
Humanity must let itself be touched and pervaded by the Holy Spirit given to us by the Risen Christ.
It is the Holy Spirit who heals the wounds of the heart. It is the Holy Spirit who pulls down the barriers that separate us from God and divide us from one another. It is the Holy Spirit who restores the joy of the Father's love and restores the joy of fraternal unity.
It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called "Divine Mercy Sunday".
Christ has taught us that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but is also called to practice mercy towards others: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (The Gospel Of Saint Matthew 5: 7). Divine Mercy gives form to human relations and community life; it constitutes the basis for the sharing of goods. This leads to the spiritual and corporal "works of mercy".
Today, fixing our gaze on the face of the Risen Christ, let us make Saint Faustina’s prayer our own prayer of trusting abandonment and say with firm hope: JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU

Faith In Christ Transforms Our Lives, Frees Us From Fear, And Fills Us With Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:20:34 PDT

Vatican City, Wednesday, 11 April 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father dedicated his catechesis during this morning's general audience to the transformation which Jesus' Resurrection brought about in His disciples, also reflecting on the meaning that Easter has for Christians today. Faith in the Risen One, he said, "transforms our lives; it frees them from fear, gives them firm hope, and infuses them with something that provides existence with full meaning: the love of God."

Benedict XVI explained how on the evening of the day of the Resurrection the disciples were at home behind locked doors, full of fear and doubt at the recollection of the passion of their Lord. "This situation of anguish changed radically when Jesus arrived. He entered through the closed doors, was among them and brought them peace", peace which "for the community became source of joy, certainty of victory, trusting reliance on God."

After His greeting, Jesus showed His wounds to the disciples, "signs of what had befallen and would never be cancelled. His glorious humanity remained 'wounded.' The gesture had the aim of confirming the new reality of the Resurrection. The Christ Who returned among His followers was a real person, the same Jesus Who three days earlier had been nailed to the cross. Thus, in the shining light of Easter, in the meeting with the Risen One, the disciples came to understand the salvific meaning of His passion and death. Then sadness and fear became overwhelming joy."

Jesus greeted them again: "Peace be with you." Yet this, the Pope explained, was not just a greeting, "it was a gift, the gift the Risen One made to His friends. At the same time it was a commission: the peace which Christ had bought with His blood was for them, but it was also for everyone else, and the disciples would have to carry it throughout the world." Jesus "had completed His mission in the world, now it was up to them to to sow faith in people's hearts."

However, the Lord knew that His followers were still afraid. "For this reason He breathed upon them and regenerated them in His Spirit. This gesture was the sign of the new creation. With the gift of the Holy Spirit which came from the Risen Christ, a new world began."

"Today too the Risen One enters our homes and hearts, although sometimes the doors are closed," the Pope said, "He enters bringing joy and peace, life and hope, gifts we need for our human and spiritual rebirth." Only He can put an end to division, enmity, rancour, envy, mistrust and indifference. Only He can give meaning to the lives of those who are weary, sad and without hope.

This was the experience of the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus, full of foreboding at the recent death of their Master. Jesus came up to them and accompanied them without being recognized, explaining the meaning of Sacred Scripture to help them understand His salvific mission. Later they asked Jesus to stay with them and recognized him as He blessed and broke the bread. "This episode," said the Holy Father, "shows us two privileged 'places' in which we can meet the Risen One Who transforms our lives: ... the Word and the Eucharist."

The disciples of Emmaus returned to Jerusalem to join the others. "Their enthusiasm for the faith was reborn, their love for the community and their need to communicate the good news. The Master rose and with Him all life resurges. Bearing witness to this event became an irrepressible need for them."

For Christians, Easter must be a time for the joyful and enthusiastic rediscovery of the sources of the faith. "This means following the same path as that along which Jesus directed the two disciples of Emmaus, through the rediscovery of the Word of God and the Eucharist. The culmination of this journey, then as now, is Eucharistic communion. In communion Jesus nourishes us with His Body and His Blood, becoming present in our lives, making us new and animating us with the power of the Holy Spirit."

In conclusion the Holy Father invited Christians to remain faithful to the Risen One Who "living and true, is always present among us, Who walks with us to guide our lives," and Who "has the power to give life, to make us reborn as children of God, capable of believing and loving."

Christ's Resurrection: About Magdalene, The Holy Eucharist, And Us.

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:07 PDT

Duccio di Buoninsegna - Appearance to Mary Magdalene (Noli me tangere) 1308-11

On the morning of Our Lord's Resurrection, Easter morning, Mary Magdalene was in the depth of sadness. The Lord Jesus had become the center of her life, and now He was dead. Mary could not know how mistaken she was in looking for The Master among the dead.

The great truth of the Resurrection had not as yet become part of her faith to dispel her sadness. And so, with her vision still darkened by gloom, she failed to recognize Her Master, Jesus, standing right in front of her. She needed to hear only a word from Him, and her mind was flooded with the light of faith. She realized that she was in the presence of the Risen Lord.

What happened to Mary Magdalene should be happening to each of us. The meaning of our lives is to search for and to find the Risen Lord Jesus, because He is the source of all life and happiness.

At times, we make the mistake of looking for happiness among sinful pleasures -- which can only bring death. Perhaps we make the mistake of thinking that life can come from temporary values, such as financial success or social status.

Jesus, the Risen Lord, alone is the source of lasting life and eternal happiness.

In a privileged way, you and I find Our Risen Lord Jesus in the Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist.

We hear His words, "This is My Body ... this is My Blood." Those words are intended to flood our minds with the light of faith, so that we can believe that -- by means of the Holy Eucharist -- we are in the presence of the Risen Lord.
The Holy Eucharist is the very heart of our Faith. The Eucharist is the Sacrament which gives us the Real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, the Son of God.

Our Risen Lord Jesus present in the Eucharist does much more than merely stand before us. He invites us, urges us, to take Him into our beings so that He can give us the gift of everlasting life and eternal happiness.

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit, Alleluia!

Why The Risen Christ Did Not Manifest His Glory To The Entire World

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:03:39 PDT

One of my favorite Catholic writers is Caryll Houselander, a British woman who wrote many small articles and features on the Catholic Faith during the 1940s and early 1950s.
Here is her meditation on the Risen Christ and why He did not manifest His glorified Body to all the world, but only to a handful of people.

Resurrection
From The Risen Christ,

by Caryll Houselander

(Sheed And Ward, 1959)

Before the crucifixion [Jesus Christ] had always kept his divinity secret until he had first won men and brought them close to him. He would not prostrate them with fear, they must not be afraid to live intimately with him and learn from this what God's love is.
But now, since that little handful who did love him had been scattered and broken by the bewilderment and terror of the crucifixion, since everything for which they had in spite of recent failure given their lives seemed in ruins, would it not have been consistent with his mercy to have shown his glory, to have shaken his enemies, and to have restored the courage and joy of his apostles in a single glorious moment?
There is no doubt that it was his will that his love should sweep round the world like fire, and now there seemed to be nothing to stop it. Before, his message could only go as far as his voice could carry it, his mission as far as he could go on foot, and even among those whom he could reach tramping the roads and preaching in the streets, the temple and the countryside, many hearts were shut to him and would not open to the joy he brought for them. He wept over them openly; his tears could not move them, his love was frustrated.
Yet, now in his glorified body, he remained in the same little district, he hid his splendor, he kept the wounds of his Passion, he walked and talked and ate with men. He seemed as intent on persuading them to realize that he was human as he had been before on proving that he was divine, and instead of appearing in dazzling light all over the world, he sent other people to carry the news of his Resurrection, people who were still afraid, who still had the stains of their tears on their faces, who were still broken by the grief and horror of Calvary.
He came out of the tomb and walked in the garden and on the road to Jerusalem, as if he was eager to lay hold of the substantial earth with the same blameless feet that had so lately been lifted from it and fastened down by the cold, heavy iron to the cross.
He had loved the earth before, had loved its mysteries of seed and harvest; and he loved it still. The love he had come to give was love like the seed in the earth. Love that must go down again and again into the darkness, be buried again and again in the heart of man, to live again and again in the resurrections of innumerable springs. Christ who had died and risen from the dead would not approach those whom he loved from outside; he would not only be the voice in their ears, he would be the silence in their souls.
He would be the life that quickens in darkness and flowers in countless millions of forms of beauty. He would overcome fear and sin and sorrow and death in the heart of everyone who would love him until the end of time.
He, in his sacred humanity, could suffer no more; he could not be wounded or die any more; his life had become peace, joy, the absolute power of consummated love; and now by a supreme expression of that love, which completely passes our understanding and our realization, he gives us that life of joy.
He gives that joy and peace to be at the very heart of our suffering, to make suffering and joy, for us as it was for him, not two things incompatible with each other, but just one thing, love -- and he gives us his own power of consummated love to use for one another, to comfort and heal and restore one another; even, in a mysterious sense that those who have really known sin and sorrow and love will understand, to raise one another from the dead. "Believe me when I tell you this; the man who has learned to believe in me will be able to do what I do; nay, he will be able to do greater things yet" (John 15:12).
The ultimate miracle of Divine Love is this, that the life of the Risen Lord is given to us to give to one another. It is given to us through our own human loves. It is no violation of our simple human nature.
It is not something which must be cultivated through a lofty spirituality that only few could attain; it does not demand a way of life that is abnormal, or even unusual; it is not a specialized vocation. It is to be lived at home, at work, in any place, any circumstances. It is to be lived through our natural human relationships, through the people we know, the neighbors we see. It is given to us, if we will take it, literally into our own hands to give. It is the love of human lovers, of man and wife, of parent and child, of friend and friend.
It is through his Risen Life in us that Christ sends his love to the ends of the earth. That is why instead of startling the world into trembling adoration by manifesting his glory, he sent the woman who had been a sinner to carry the ineffable secret, and sent the two disciples who had been bewildered by their blind inability to reconcile Scripture and Calvary, and sent the friend who had denied him, to give his love to the world, and to give it as simply as a whispered secret or a loaf of bread.
So is it that we, sinners, wranglers, weaklings, provided only that we love God, are sent to give the life of the Risen Christ to the whole world, through the daily bread of our human love.
"It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. Enough for you, that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will receive strength from him; you are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem and throughout Judea, in Samaria, yes, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts Of The Apostles 1:7-8).

Jesus Mocked

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:16:57 PDT


Jesus Mocked by Philippe de Champaigne