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Le blog de la Bergerie Sharing the faith . . . in English . . . et en français! |
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January to June 2008 - Sharing the faith… in English: 
Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us! The WYD in
Australia! Sydney just went through a very blessed moment and the fruits
are already spreading. Here is one extract
here but go to Zenit.org and read all
the texts in full, you will find in them a real treasure of encouragement
and inspiration: Fr. Groeshel on YouTube! I love Fr. Groeshel, he has always inspired me. "I want to know you, I want to touch you, I want to know you more" the song says. We are all searching for God, no matter how fumbling and how often we dropped the ball, we are all on our way to God. Fr. Groeshel's words are very encouraging and here is an old video clip on wanting God and setting an exemple, on the importance of seeking him now here A beautiful Pro-Life page! It's in French but the pictures speak in all languages and will remind us that our most beautiful and crucial duty is to welcome life: here on the site "Petites Soeurs des Maternités Catholiques". I was checking their site because of the recent incident in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère, where a Muslim father vehemently and furiously requested the removal of a crucifix in his daughter's hospital room... How terribly misguided and sad. Except for the fact that by generating so much media coverage, now we can all pray for him and pray for his daughter! 
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us! Was he the last Prophet or the first Saint? Was he a forerunner or a follower, or both? How can you be both? I must admit that I had never really thought before of the paradox involved in applying these various titles to John the Baptist. Even if I had heard them mentioned next to his name, I had never probed the depth of their meanings and I certainly never grasped the theological implications of these titles but, within the first few pages of Prof. Burke's book, I was intrigued, I was fascinated and I was hooked! The question of knowing who John really was, of understanding his unique (and un-repeatable) position in the economy of salvation is very methodically - and lovingly - answered by Prof. Burke. Read more here The grace of God spreading through the internet and thanks to its nature: interactivity, openness and informality. "People usually laugh when they hear me say that I think the Internet age will lead to mass conversions to orthodox Christianity. I believe a strong case can be made that the particular type of communication that the Internet facilitates will lead lost souls to discover truth more readily than any medium that has come before it." Read Google and Ye Shall Find: The Internet and the New Evangelization by Jennifer Fulwiler here The Credo of Paul VI. Who Wrote It,
and Why. by Sandro Magister. First it reads like a detective story:
who did what and when and why. Then The Credo: beautiful and eloquent,
faithful and articulated just for us, disconnected moderns that we are. Here is an excerpt: 
Saint Ephrem the Syrian A Deacon in the 2nd century, an Ermit and an Apologist, a Defender of the Faith against the heretics, a Composer of great religious Hymns, a Doctor of the Church, who wrote in Syriac, Greek, Latin and Armenian. One of my favorite Saint! See the Prayer of Saint Ephrem here and what he has taught me about the Transfiguration. The presidential campaign: a window of opportunity to influence the candidates - and their parties - and to promote Catholic social justice ethics in the process. That's how I look at it. For me, this is a great opportunity to pray for them, for each one of them, and to ask for blessings on their heads and a greater conversion of heart. It will benefit us all! It is also the best time to articulate Catholic ethics of life and family and peace and social justice. There has been a very interesting debate on Catholic.org where Deacon Keith Fournier wrote: "Why This Catholic Dreads the Campaign" here . In his article, he tackles the topics of abortion, capital punishment, gay marriage, the war in Iraq, the health care system and the economy. A must read. When the allegorical sense surpasses the litteral one. I read a wonderful article by Robert Louis Wilken on the history of the allegorical sense in Biblical studies and it got me to think why it meant so much to me, so suddenly, so late in life... Wilken says that "Christian allegory is centered on Christ, it means interpreting the Old Testament as a book about Christ. Saint Ambrose wrote: "The Lord Jesus came and what was old was new". Everything in Scriptures is to be related to him". Read more here . The domestic church in the global village. I just had a short article published in Catholic San Francisco (May 23, 2008) on the subject of the precarious position of the family, the domestic church, within the challenges (and threats) of the global village. Actually, just like with all other aspects of the faith journey, the challenges can come from outside the circle of the family, from unbelievers and unsupportive sources, as well as from members of our own family who can resist the faith through a sort of apathy. But grace will prevail! And our job is to allow the grace to flow through our own love and humility and forgiveness. See here. The Vezelay Pilgrimage, with hundreds and hundreds of young people, in early May. Routes de Vézelay 2008 : "Laissez-vous mener par l'Esprit" Earlier this month, more than 800 young people converged on the Basilic of Vézelay. See the beautiful pictures here. It's quite a testimony to the state of the faith in France. The Church. Quotes from Cardinal Thuan's book The Road to Hope. 
An urban field of flowers Our Lady of Sheshan: Prayer for the People of China Today Lisa Hendey posted this prayer from Pope Benedict, dedicated to Our Lady of Sheshan: Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title “Help of Christians”, the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. Read more here and see also Have "Tea with Mary", on a beautiful, faithful and loving blog. Michael O'Brien: novelist of the Last Days and the Anti-Christ My novel Father Elijah does not attempt to predict the future. It is a very different kind of novel than certain fundamentalist Protestant scenarios or even secular scenarios of an apocalyptic nature. It is not "baptized fortune-telling" which is a contradiction in terms. My book attempts to raise, in a fictional form, the questions that must be asked in every generation. Am I awake? Am I living in a spirit of vigilance? Am I reading the signs of the times with a calm, peaceful and trusting heart and with a mind in tune with the mind of the Church, or am I asleep? Am I vulnerable to the falsehood of Antichrist? Have I made compromises with that spirit? And if so, where? Am I praying to the Holy Spirit for light? Light to understand the times we live in and light to understand my role? Read more here on Ignatius Insight Beyond Left and Right: Awaiting the Pope’s Next Encyclical. The tired categories of Left and Right, which we associate with Liberal (or Progressive) and Conservative, originated in the French Revolution, and have long outlived their usefulness. They are way too clunky to capture the complex political opinions that most of us make up as we go along, these days. Read more here on GodSpy.com 
A small
and simple FAITH AND POLITICAL POWER.
The third temptation. Its true content becomes apparent when we realize that throughout history it is constantly taking on new forms.
The Christian empire attempted at an early stage to use the faith in order to cement political unity. The Kingdom of Christ was now
expected to take the form of a political kingdom and its splendor. The powerlessness of faith, the earthly powerlessness of Jesus
Christ, was to be given the helping hand of political and military might. This temptation to use power to secure the faith has
arisen again and again in varied forms throughout the centuries, and again and again faith has risked being suffocated in the
embrace of power. The struggle for the freedom of the Church, the struggle to avoid identifying Jesus' Kingdom with any political
structure is one that has to be fought century after century. For the fusion of faith and political power always comes at a price:
faith becomes the servant of power and must bend to its criteria. ‘The Father of the World’—The Pope at the U.N. "To the delegates and staff whom he addressed, his words were a reminder of, or for some, an education in why they were working at the UN in the first place. This is why the UN exists; this is what all the juridical and bureaucratic structures are meant to serve: the integral human person with an intrinsic dignity rooted in the transcendent, and the common good.” Read the whole article on "the father the world" here on Godspy.com In an effort to establish a bridge,
Pope Benedict uses the angle of wisdom and reason (here again, one more
time) when articulating his worldview to the people who might (or might
not) be un-believers, knowing that believers will be inspired too (as,
hopefully, they should). He is very good at doing this type of gentle,
intelligent and reasonable invitation, and he is going to do it again
and again, as long as it takes, because that is what it is, an invitation
and one should never tired of extending a hand to the other in front of
us. Left picture: Pope Benedict XVI reading the letter he wrote to the American people prior to his arrival. Right picture: A week later, toward the end of his visit, he is kneeling down and praying at Ground Zero. And in between these 2 pictures, a short week of blessed moments, some visible and many more invisible for now, where the seeds of the truth and goodness of Christ have been planted, all over the Northern East coast of the US first, then all over the world by repercussion, seeds of healing and inspiration, re-direction and motivation.  The special Web site (uspapalvisit.org)
created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for Pope Benedict
XVI’s April 15-20 visit to the United States will live stream the events.
See a video of Pope Benedict XVI addressing the people of the US in English
(for the most part). It is very moving to hear his voice, his accent.
There is a certain physical frailty which comes through in the video which
I had not realized just by looking at pictures. He is 81 years old! But
his ability at multi language shows clearly and most of all, his gentleness,
his steadfastness and his clarity of intention: he is here to deliver
a message, to gather us around him, to witness and to lead; he is a great
teacher, he is our spiritual leader, he is the Pope! And God has blessed
us with terrific leaders in our recent history of the Church. This is
definitively a blessed moment in time. First for DC and NY, but then for
all of us watching and listening, paying attention and praying too. How I wish I could be
there... But I'll pray that his vist be most fruitful for all of us, believers
and seekers, traditional or progressive, may this be a window of opportunity
to come one step closer and put into practice the commandment of loving
God and loving our neighbor.
See the video here. Thomas Merton. All
nature is meant to make us think of paradise. Woods,
fields, valleys, hills, the river and the sea, the clouds travelling across
the sky, light and darkness, sun and stars, remind us that the world was
first created as a paradise for the first Adam, and that in spite of his
sin and ours, it will once again become a paradise when we are all risen
from death in the second Adam. 
Free Tibet! When created minds do see God's substance, the very substance of God himself forms their understanding, but then something more than their nature is needed to predispose them to such sublimity: what we call a light of glory. The brightness of God will illuminate her, namely the community of those who see God. The function of this created light is not to make God's substance understandable (that it is of itself) but to strengthen our understanding in the way skills and other dispositions strengthen our ability to do things. It is not a medium through which God is seen but something enabling us to see him immediately…. The light makes the creature like God. The more such light there is in the mind, the more perfectly the mind sees God. And those who have the greater love have the more light. Greater love causes greater desire and desire is in itself a predisposition making man fit to receive what he desires. So those who love more will see God more perfectly and be more blessed. (P 28 Summa Theologiae, Saint Thomas Aquinas. A concise translation, edited by Timothy McDermott).
Probably the word most often used in the contemporary scene is the word freedom. If the sick talk most about health,
because health is endangered, may it be
that the modern talk about freedom means that we are in danger of losing it? It is indeed possible while we fight to keep our enemies from binding chains
to our feet, we become our own enemy by binding chains to our souls. What I am trying to say is there are two kinds of freedom; a freedom from something
and a freedom for something. An external freedom from restraints and an internal freedom of perfection, a freedom to choose evil and a freedom to possess
the good. This inner freedom the typical modern man does not want because it implies responsibility and therefore is a burden. Freedom is ours to give away.
Each of us reveals what we believe to be the purpose of life by the way we use that freedom. "Brain Dead" Man Saved from Organ Harvesting. 48 days after Zack's accident, the young man returned home, walking on his own two feet. Read this amazing and miraculous story here found on the Catholic Exchange site.
What do we do when those whom we love no longer share our faith, our deep values, and our morals? Suppose, to use a very common example, as a parent you have lost
your own children in terms of practicing your faith. Your own children no longer go to church, no longer pray, no longer observe the church's rules (especially as
these pertain to sex and marriage) and view your own faith practice as either a naiveté or a hypocrisy. You have argued with them, fought with them, and tried in
very way to convince them, but to no avail. Eventually you arrive at the unhappy truce you live today: you practice and they don't. One of the deepest bonds
of all between you has been broken. Moreover, you worry about them, living, at least so it seems, godless lives. What can you do? Obviously you can continue
to pray and live out your own life according to your own convictions, hoping to challenge them with your life more than with your words. But you can do more.
You can continue to love and forgive them and, insofar as they receive that love and forgiveness from you, they are receiving love and forgiveness from God.
You are part of the Body of Christ and they are touching you. Within the incredibly mystery of the incarnation, you are doing what Jesus asks of us when he says:
"Whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven." 
If I understand windsurfing correctly, Why Catholics and Protestants Don't
See Eye to Eye. Very interesting article on the different worldviews
of Catholics and Protestants, based on their differences in faith, in
living and understanding their faith. That's the first layer of the story.
The main points of the article are interesting (analogical vs. linear)
and the conclusion are very positive and encouraging (we should build
bridges between us so we can better work together). But there is more
than it first seemed. I realized the article was written by an ex Protestant
who is now Catholic (Praise the Lord!) and right there you can see another
layer appearing, you can see that he would have a personal reason for
articulating the different faith traditions in such a reconciling manner.
But there is more! There is an unusual twist to this situation because
he is one of the exception to the rule, he is married (Anglican Priest
can be married) and, after he had converted to the Catholic Church, he
got a dispensation from the Church to become a Catholic Priest although
he had a wife and family. I would say that this brings us to the deeper
and more complex layers 3, 4 and 5 all at once! I am referring to the
gift of celibacy, the primacy of our own judgment vs. holy obedience and
the mystery of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, who chose to come to
us as a male human, as a defenseless baby, as a loving son and a chaste
man. But the Church in her wisdom knows when and how to welcome her exceptional children. God does not call the "equipped", God equips the "called"... What constitutes a church? Is it like-minded individuals, gathering on the basis of mutual compatibility? This is a very common misunderstanding, but gathering as church has little or nothing to do with liking each other or finding others with whom we are mutually compatible. The group of disciples that first gathered around Jesus were not individuals who were mutually compatible at all. They came from very different backgrounds and temperaments, had different visions of what Jesus was all about, were jealous of each other, and were, as scripture tells us, occasionally furious with each other. They loved each other, in the biblical meaning of that phrase, but they did not necessarily like each other. Too often, we are disappointed in church because we find there such a diverse and motley collection of persons, some of whom do not like us and whom we would never pick to be our friends. We got to church looking for friendship or ideological soul-mates and, often, do not find them. This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with the church, merely that we have false expectations. To be in apostolic community, church, is not necessarily to be with others with whom we are emotionally, ideologically, and other-wise compatible. Rather, it is to stand, shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, with them, hear a common word, say a common creed, share a common bread, and offer a mutual forgiveness so as, in that way, to bridge our differences and become one common heart. Church is not about a few like-minded persons getting together for mutual support, it is about millions and millions of different kinds of persons transcending their differences so as to become a community. (Ronald Rolheiser, the Holy Longing). ‘Deliver us, Lord, from the fear of the enemy.' Dorothy Day often quoted the Psalms. In January of 1967 she said in The Catholic Worker, “‘Deliver us, Lord from the fear of the enemy.' That is one of the lines in the Psalms, and we are not asking God to deliver us from enemies, but from the fear of them. Love casts out fear, but we have to get over the fear in order to get close enough to love them.” (Found in the Houston Catholic Worker here A Muslim journalist was baptized by Benedict XVI at Saturday's Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Read this amazing and very courageous conversion story and remember to pray for Magdi Cristiano Allam: here on Catholic On line.
Discourse 16. Mental Sufferings of Our Lord in His Passion by John Henry Newman . As the solemn days proceed, we shall be especially called on, my brethren, to consider His sufferings in the body, His seizure, His forced journeyings to and fro, His blows and wounds, His scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails, the Cross. They are all summed up in the Crucifix itself, as it meets our eyes; they are represented all at once on His sacred flesh, as it hangs up before us—and meditation is made easy by the spectacle. It is otherwise with the sufferings of His soul; they cannot be painted for us, nor can they even be duly investigated: they are beyond both sense and thought; and yet they anticipated His bodily sufferings. The agony, a pain of the soul, not of the body, was the first act of His tremendous sacrifice; "My soul is sorrowful even unto death," He said; nay; if He suffered in the body, it really was in the soul, for the body did but convey the infliction on to that which was the true recipient and seat of the suffering. Read more here on the Newman reader site . 
Saint Joseph. Lord, our God, you chose
Joseph the righteous to care for your Son in childhood and youth, teach
us to care for Christ's body by caring for our brothers and sisters, You
entrusted the earth to mankind, to people it and make it prosper, inspire
us to work wholeheartedly in this world, seeking always to give you glory.
(from the morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours) Pope Benedict XVI is coming to the US!. "With great joy we anticipate the first apostolic visit of his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, to the United States of America, April 15-20, 2008. We pledge our prayers in preparation for this historic journey, that hearts may be opened to God's love and fidelity by our Holy Father's pilgrimage." See the new blog launched just for the Pope's visit by the USCCB here If you have already checked this blog de la Bergerie then you know how much I love conversion stories. Read this most poignant and beautiful one, a Jewish convert to Catholicism: Sister Mary Samuele (born Sonia Katzmann) a Holy Spirit Adoration Sister here on the site: "Salvation is from the Jews" which is about, and celebrates, the relationship between Judaism and the Catholic Church and the conversion of the Jews, by Roy Schoeman. Catholics Come Home Epic . This
ad emphasizes the consistent and universal presence of the Catholic Church
that opens its doors to all races, ages, cultures and socio-economic levels.
Video for this ad includes scenes of the sacraments being received around
the world. A must see. It's called "epic" and it was put together by
the Catholic Come Home network whose apostolate is to: "create effective
and compassionate media messages and broadcast them nationally and internationally,
in order to inspire, educate and evangelize inactive Catholics and others,
and invite them to live a deeper faith in Jesus Christ, in accord with
the magesterium of the Roman Catholic Church".  The intricacy and Forgiving is a
form of giving. Mercy does not oppose justice, but fills it out. Fulton Sheen: Seven Words of Jesus
and Mary - a meditation for Lent. Here on the cross and in its
shadow were the two most innocent persons of all history: Jesus was absolutely
sinless because he is the Son of God; Mary was immaculate because she
was preserved free from original sin, in virtue of the merits of her Divine
Son. It was their innocence which made their sufferings so keen. 
An
awareness of God, though neither clear nor specific, exists in practically
everyone. Some people think this is because it is self evident that God
exists, others, think that natural use of reason leads men straight to
some sort of knowledge of God, for when men observe the sure and ordered
course that things pursue by nature, most people see that rule cannot
exist without a ruler… The Power of Holy Water. Doug Berry of Radix speaks of the power of Holy Water. An amazing testimony to the power of holy water. Don’t be afraid to make it a practice of Lent. This is a terrific short video on Catholic Tube here. Check it out! My own Lenten meditation
here
A Papal Masterstroke: by Christopher A. Ferrara, REMNANT columnist. The Pope's Good Friday Prayer Reinforces Infallible Church Teaching… and the change is another positive development in this papacy, although I would never have thought so until I actually read the text of the new prayer . Read here . Asking for a Moratorium on Abortion and a Moratorium on Death Penalty. Sr Nirmala Joshi says YES to the moratorium on abortion, article by Nirmala Carvalho. Kolkata (AsiaNews) – No to the death penalty and above all to abortion “the greatest destroyer of peace”, is the response of Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, Sr. Nirmala Joshi. Read more on this most compassionate answer from Mother Teresa "we have sent words to all the clinics, to the hospitals, police stations — please don't destroy the child, we will take the child, tell them come, we will take care of you, we will take the child from you, and we will get a home for the child”. Read it here on Asia News. Doubts about the articles of faith
Who Can Be Saved?
For a very thorough treatment of the "salvation outside the Church" issue see this article
by Avery Cardinal Dulles.
The apostles and their associates are convinced that in Jesus they have encountered the Lord of Life and that he has brought them
into the way that leads to everlasting blessedness. By personal faith in him and by baptism in his name, Christians have passed
from darkness to light, from error to truth, and from sin to holiness.
Read
more in First Things (Feb. 2008) An evening
with Mother Lillie A week ago, the West Coast Walk
For Life 2008 happened along the Embarcadero and through the Wharf and it
was such a wonderful event! The sun was shining, the crowd of marchers was larger
than ever (25,000!) and it was a terrific testimony to the goodness of life and
family, to the joyful support and strength that happens when so many different
people team up for the common good.
The Pope had prepared a speech and
a group of agitated Church-haters forbid him to speak. The truth makes us good and goodness is true.This is the optimism that lives in Christian faith, because to it has been conceded the vision of the Logos, of creative Reason that, in the incarnation of God, has revealed himself as the Good, as Goodness Itself. (BXVI La Sapienza) The Bishop of Assisi once said to Francis, “I think your life is too hard, too rough. You don’t possess anything in this world.” And Francis replied, “If we had possessions, we would need weapons to defend them. They are frequently a source of quarrels and lawsuits. Possessions usually prove to be an obstacle in one’s search for God. That is why we do not desire temporal goods.” "Knowledge puffs up,
but love builds up" 1 Cor 8:1 Where the Church is, there is the
Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace - Irenaeus. “I believe and
I confess that for the Church, for the world, for mankind there is no
more important, more urgent question than what is accomplished in the
eucharist. In reality, this question is most natural to faith, which
lives by the thirst for entry into the wisdom of truth, by the thirst
for the logical, reasonable, service of God that manifests and is rooted
in the divine wisdom. It is truly the question of the ultimate meaning
and purpose of all that is real, of the sacramental ascent to where “God
will be all in all” and thus it is the question that, through faith, was
constantly radiating as a mysterious burning in the hearts of the disciples
on the road to Emmaus”. THE EUCHARIST by Alexander Schmemann. Man and Woman God Made Them. A new edition of Jean Vanier's heartfelt reflection on long-lasting friendship with the mentally disabled is timely. “The dignity of a human being and right relations between the sexes are under relentless and increasing assault in our secular society. In an age where everyone is entitled to a sexual relationship and where disabled people, when not aborted before birth, are often vulnerable to the well-meaning abuse of those who care for them, Vanier's is a prophetic voice. Seen from this perspective, society has an elementary choice: to walk alongside those who are dispossessed of brains and beauty -- or to walk over them.” Read more here on mercatornet.com. Religion and Politics. In a reasoned
and balanced statement, Archbishop George H. Niederauer attempts to answer
the burning question of “Religion and Politics in 2008”. I was struck by these words that a famous author put in the mouth of one of his main character,
talking to her brother: “I ask you only one thing, I beg you” she said touching his arm and staring at him through her tears with
her luminous eyes. “I understand you” (and she lowered her gaze). “Don't think that suffering comes from men. Men are His instruments”.
- Her eyes now fixed with confidence on a point above his head, as we stare at the place where is located a portrait. - “It is
Him who sends us suffering and not men. Men are His instruments, they are not guilty. If anyone appears guilty toward you,
forget and forgive. We do not have the right to chastise. Then you will understand the happiness of pardon.”
“I was in prison and you visited me” Last night I was writing to a friend of mine who is incarcerated. It's a very strange thing where God places us… Read more here on luminousmiseries blog with a picture of Pope John XXIII, on Christmas Day, 1958, visiting the Roman prison. About becoming “hope” for others:
Patience in Suffering NJ is one step closer to abolishing
the death penalty. The lay Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio asked
the city of Rome to light up the Colosseum when New Jersey's governor
signs into law a bill abolishing the death penalty in that state. “This
historic vote in New Jersey is the clearest signal yet that the American
public is moving away from capital punishment”. Read more on Zenit here
. There is beauty in nature, and that beauty is often obvious
to every one of us, such as the gorgeous and golden rays of the sunset, the mysterious and surging
waves of the ocean or the breath-taking view from the top of the mountain. For one moment, we look
and we admire, we take it in and we stand still, awe-struck. But the artist among us will be able
to catch even more subtle changes in nature and bring us their simple and sober beauty, elegant
and fragile, such as a drop of rain on a petal or the luminous outline of an autumn leaf against
the setting sun. Once in a while, an especially great artist will offer us the opportunity to
look at things in a completely new way and even affect a change in ourselves in the process
and we walk away from the experience transformed and enriched.
That's what the saints are! They can see better than most of us the grace of God in his creation and
in his creatures and because of their radical love for God, they help us see the invisible filaments of
grace filling the world. For one moment, through the saints, we see love in action, we feel the joy and
peace that comes with it and we are swept along in that mysterious and beautiful wave of surrender,
awe-struck.
Well, at least that is how I see it. So I walk around with my camera and I take pictures. It's not
that I am a great artist because I am pretty much your average middle-of-the-pack photographer but
once in a while I get a good shot. And when I do, I smile and I am grateful. For that matter, I am
often thankful for even the poor and fuzzy and fumbled shots, because I can, once in a while, still
see the filaments through them too… The Horror of Organs Harvesting. "L'Osservatore Romano" two days ago reopened the discussion on the criteria for establishing the death of a human person. 40 years ago, on August 5, 1968, the "Journal of the American Medical Association" published a document – referred to as the "Harvard report" – that established the total cessation of brain activity, instead of the stopping of the heart, as the moment of death. All of the countries of the world rapidly adopted this standard. .... But years later, when from January 3-4, 2005, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences again met to discuss the question of the "signs of death," the positions had been reversed. The experts present – philosophers, jurists, neurologists from various countries – found themselves in agreement in maintaining that brain death is not the death of a human being, and that the criterion of brain death, not being scientifically credible, should be abandoned. Read more here on Chiesa. 
O Lord, have mercy on the Christians
in India, Sr Nirmala Joshi's appeal to end the violence against Christians in India. For the occasion of the feast of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, on September 5, the superior of the Missionaries of Charity launches an appeal to all Indians to break the chain of violence taking place in Orissa. So far at least 20 have been killed, hundreds wounded, 45 churches have been burned, social centers, hostels, orphanages, and hospitals have been sacked and destroyed, and hundreds of homes have been burned. Tens of thousands of people who fled from the violence are still living in the forests or in shelters set up by the local government. Read more on Asia News: here The political horizon is forever shifting as candidates - and presidents - come and go. Although they spend a lot of time talking about a wide variety of issues, they are usually showing true strength, determination and creativity in a more narrow range of specific issues and they are not always comfortable handling the other kinds. Two general tendencies have developed, one centered on life and family issues and always coming back to this crucial base as the first organization of a strong society, and the other tendency forever speeding along the routes of social justice and peace and claiming that it is in their improvement that lies the hope of a better society. The way I see it, they are both holding a piece of the truth. See my comments on "Where the Ethics of Life and Family embrace the Ethics of Peace and Social Justice and vice-versa" here . After this the Lord brought to my mind my longing for
him and I saw that nothing hindered me but my sin, and that is true in
general for us all. And I wondered why, through the great wisdom of God,
sin was not prevented for then all would have been well. Jesus answered:
"Sin is necessary, but all will be well, and every kind of thing will
be well." I contemplated this, darkly and mournfully, saying with very
great fear: "How could all things be well, when through sin, great harm
has come to your creatures?" Here I wished, so far as I dared, for
some plainer explanation through which I might be at ease about this matter.
And to this our Lord meekly and with a most loving manner showed me that
Adams' sin was the greatest harm ever done or ever to be be done until
the end of the world, and He said, "Since I have set right the greatest
of harms, it is my will that you should know that I shall set right everything
which is less." The Lord answered all the questions and doubts that I
could raise saying most comfortingly, "I may make all things well, I can
make all things well, I shall make all things well, and I will make all
things well, and you will see that every kind of thing will be well."
It seemed to me that it was impossible that every kind of thing should
be well, and the Lord answered me, "What is impossible to you is not impossible
to me. I shall preserve my Word in everything, and I shall make everything
well." St. Clare's Retreat:
The interior life of the soul. The listening soul needs silence
in order to hear the sweet whisper of the Holy Spirit. Contrition and
humility open up a space where our spirit, the higher part of our soul,
can truly listen and pay attention. The spirit, the heart, the center,
the seat of the soul, seeks God. Our free will is always there, is always
ours to exercise. In contemplative prayer, the ascending to God is done
by staying still. Remember, there is no physical illness, no illness of
the mind, that can stop the spirit ascending to God, even if the physical
or mental symptoms do not stop… Fr. Vito, St Clare's contemplative
retreat. A most appropriate prayer in these highly charged
political moments: it is specifically directed toward our political
leaders, the current ones and the ones who are getting ready to replace
them. The Redemption of the Child. Outside the light of Christianity, the weak are destined to be neglected, if not despised and trampled upon. This explains the lot not only of woman but also of the child. In the pagan family, just as the husband had absolute power over his wife, so had the father absolute power over his children, he could punish them at will, abuse them, sell them as slaves or even put them to death. The famous apologist Tertullian, in the 2nd century, wrote against the persecutors of Christians as follows: "amongst so many men who thirst for the blood of Christians, how many are there that have not put to death one or more of their children, that have not caused them to die of cold or of hunger or exposed them as prey to dogs?" Jesus has also lifted up this frailest of beings, the child, and he has done so in may ways: first of all, by becoming a child himself, obedient to Joseph and Mary: "He was subject to them" (Lk 2:51). In the Christian family, the children are not considered heavy burdens, but sweet pledges of love (Pope Pius XII in Sertum Laetitiae). Jesus showed his predilection for children, he caressed them, he blessed them, praised them, nay, more he identified himself with them by saying: "And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receives me." (Matt 18:5) He also said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter it. (Mk 10:13-15). If the dignity of the child is so lofty, his education is the noblest of all arts and a must worthy action. The Divine Redeemer brought so many blessings to family life, and indirectly, to social life as well, since the family is truly the cell of society. Excerpts from Msgr Luigi Civardi: How Christ changed the world (chapter 1). Cardinal Justin Rigali wrote in "Show us your mercy
and love": There is a very tragic situation unfolding in Georgia - and they need the help of the West! The Pope addressed a crowd of approximately 8,000 people in Bressanone, and evoked "the shared Christian heritage" of the combatants, and union with "the Orthodox brethren" in prayer for peace. "There is cause for great concern", he said, "in the increasingly dramatic news of the tragic events taking place in Georgia. These, beginning from the region of south Ossetia, have already caused many innocent victims, and forced a great number of civilians to leave their homes. It is my earnest hope", he added, "that the military action may cease immediately, and that, partly in the name of a shared Christian heritage, further violent conflict and retaliation may be avoided, which could degenerate into a much more widespread conflict. May the path of negotiation and respectful, constructive dialogue be taken instead, avoiding further devastating suffering for those beloved peoples. I also call upon the international community and the most influential countries in the current situation", he continued, "to make every effort to support and promote initiatives aimed at reaching a peaceful and lasting solution, for the sake of open and respectful coexistence. Together with our Orthodox brethren let us pray intensely for these intentions, which we entrust confidently to the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and of all Christians". See article on Asia News here . "American Catholic structural polarization" By George Wesolek When the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops set up a separate Pro - life ministry with its own staff and network right across the hall from its office for Social Development and World Peace ( Justice and Peace ) , it set in motion a chain of developments that has compartmentalized Catholic social teaching and helped to create two Catholic constituencies. Instead of establishing one office of Catholic social teaching which would expound one message - clearly and consistently about the human person from the unborn through the life cycle right until death - the decision makers set up parallel structures, each with its own message. These structures resulted in dysfunction and confusion that continues to this day. Each message has created a constituency around it. These two constituencies often have little in common; have opposite world - views regarding culture and politics and, frankly, dislike each other. George Wesolek makes many pointed observations on the history and development of each group and he ends his commentary by recognizing that, in recent years, many people have been able to get involved in both sides of the issues, as was evident by the same people participating in the "West Coast Walk for Life" and the ".7 Conference on Global Poverty". Read more here . Father
Patrick Byrne, the General Secretary of the Holy Childhood Association,
announces the Sixth Annual "Worldwide Children's Eucharistic Holy Hour".
California Commission Finds State Death Penalty to be "Broken" and "Dysfunctional". In 2004, the California State Senate created the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice. The Commission, chaired by former Attorney General John Van de Kamp, includes judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, elected officials, law enforcement officials, and representatives of victims' organizations. The Commission issued its report on California's death penalty on June 30, 2008, after conducting public hearings around the state. Costs: “The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons where those sentenced to life without possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate. With California’s current death row population of 670, that accounts for $63.3 million annually.” My reasons for being anti-death penalty are faith-based reasons but I thought this economic angle ($63.3 million a year!) might helped someone else come around to the "life without parole" option. Read more about the report at the "Death Penalty Information Center" here . Paul's pastoral advice to Titus
: Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient,
to be ready for any honest work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling,
to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men. Titus 3:1 Avoid stupid controversies!
But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels
over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. The Letter of
Paul to Titus, 3:9. For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him. For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never lag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Saint Paul, Roman 12. The Faith of Mother Teresa First let me say that any reviewer out there who reads this book and claims that she doubted God her whole life or had a "crisis of faith" or any such thing obviously missed the entire point of her writings. The feeling wasn't there after a certain point in her life, and this caused her much suffering because she longed to feel God's love so much, but the amazing part is that her faith remained and grew despite the lack of feeling, and in fact because of it and even through it. She did not spend her life doubting God, she says herself she never doubted God... Read more of Stephanie's review of "Come be my light" here on "La Vie Catholique" See this funny and quirky video on "Alert to all Christians: Saving Hollywood!" or "Hollywood as a Missionfield" the lost tribe of the 30 miles zone with a global impact... here . I found it on Church of the Masses, Barbara Nicolosi's blog, which is here . Barbara Nicolosi has written numerous movie reviews and articles about Christianity and culture, the craft of writing, and Hollywood as a mission field. Ingrid Betancourt
in an interview with the French Catholic paper La Croix
here 
I have written an Open Letter to Ingrid Betancourt, whom I admire so much and whose release brought me - and the whole world - so much joy and so much hope, such a wonderful sense that peace is possible! Read it here and see my meditation/slideshow on Mary Most Holy. Ingrid Bétancourt is free! This is absolutely the best news possible and I can't tell you enough how happy I am. A great rescue operation, 15 people freed in all, Ingrid being the most famous one but 3 Americans were freed too, the whole rescue was "flawless" Ingrid said. Rejoice and thank God! See more details on the site lefigaro.fr here or the French Catholic site ici la-croix.com 
One of my pictures is in the "Travel" section of
the Los Angeles Times site |
de janvier a juin 2008 - Le partage de la foi… en français: 
Lettre de saint François Xavier à un Jésuite de ses confrères, écrite de Goa et datée de mars 1549.
" Soyez prompt et empressé pour les tâches basses et obscures afin de pouvoir apprendre à être humble et de croître toujours en humilité.
Soyez aimable et de bonne humeur avec tous sans exception. Evitez la raideur et la maussaderie car un visage morne empêchera bien de gens
de s'approcher de vous et de profiter de vos conseils." Lire la suite (et à mediter!)
ici sur le site missel.free.fr. Quel drôle de jeu de cache-cache quand la Torche Olympique est passée dans ma ville ! J'ai pris des photos et j'ai voulu soutenir ceux qui souhaite un Tibet Libre. Si je blâme le régime communiste chinois pour avoir bafoué les droits de l'homme et pour tourmenter les croyants, j'ai aussi beaucoup de respect pour le peuple chinois et leurs aspirations et je prie pour que tout ce brouhaha autour de la Torche et tout ce charivari avant les Jeux soient transformer, par la grâce de Dieu, en un moment bénis, pour le Tibet, pour la Chine, pour nous tous, a l'est comme a l'ouest. Que l'esperance et la paix et l'amour du prochain soient les vrais gagnants! Voir mes photos et mes commentaires (en anglais) ici . On est moins vulnerable  "Il faut savoir douter où il faut,
Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph fut un homme juste, de foi et de douceur,
de force calme et de confiance. Père nourricier de Jésus, il montra une disponibilité parfait pour entrer dans les vues de Dieu.
Il fut cette image terrestre a laquelle Jésus put toujours se référer pour nous révéler avec tant de vérité humaine
le cœur du Père qui est aux cieux. Globalisation : des clés pour comprendre la prochaine encyclique sociale qui devrait paraître après Pâques, et porter largement sur les problèmes soulevés par la mondialisation. La compréhension de la mondialisation est notamment difficile parce que nous nous trouvons dans un processus encore en développement, et dont l'issue n'est pas claire. Ce qui est certain, c’est que le problème le plus grave vient des carences de gouvernement de nos dirigeants par manque de vision éthique. C'est précisément dans cette perspective éthique que l'Église offre sa contribution à la société. Jean-Paul II a fait remarquer que la mondialisation en soi n'est ni bonne ni mauvaise, mais que son impact dépendra de nos décisions. Par conséquent, gouverner la mondialisation appelle à la sagesse. Lire la suite ici sur le site www.libertepolitique.com Les principaux moyens du combat spirituel: Analyse critique de la démocratie libérale. "La démocratie est devenue le système politique normatif de la société moderne (…) Pourtant la démocratie n’est pas la panacée de tous les maux de notre civilisation. Elle peut générer des injustices et des dérives allant jusqu’au totalitarisme idéologique"…" Le terme «démocratie» cependant contient sa propre définition : le pouvoir du peuple. Il trouva une réalisation achevée dans la démocratie athénienne où le pouvoir appartenait directement au peuple. " Lire l'article ici sur le site: Europae Gentes. 
Je me propose d'envisager Tristan non
point comme œuvre littéraire, mais comme type des relations de l'homme
et de la femme dans un groupe historique donné: l'élite sociale, la société
courtoise et pénétrée de chevalerie du douzième et treizième siècles.
Ce groupe est a vrai dire dissous depuis longtemps. Pourtant ses lois
sont encore les nôtres d'une manier secréte et diffuse. Profanées et reniées
par nos codes officies, elles sont devenues d'autant plus contraignantes
qu'elles n'ont plus de pouvoir que sur nos rêves. Tristan et Iseut ne
s'aiment pas, ils l'ont dit et tout le confirme. Ce qu'ils aiment, c'est
l'amour, c'est le fait même d'aimer. Et ils agissent comme s'ils avaient
compris que tout ce qui s'oppose a l'amour le garantit et le consacre
dans leur cœur, pour l'exalter a l'infini dans l'obstacle absolu, qui
est la mort. « La fin de l'éducation est que l'enfant en vienne à préférer librement pour toujours le vrai au faux, le bien au mal, le juste à l'injuste, le beau au laid, Dieu à tout. » Voici comment l'abbé Berto concevait le but de l'éducation. Citation trouvée sur le site de la revue Kephas ici. La rencontre inter-religieuse selon François d'Assise Quelle formidable leçon de méthodologie missionnaire nous donne notre patron Saint François d’Assise dans ce passage extrait du chapitre 16 de la Première Règle. Le champion de la pauvreté nous propose deux façons d’être missionnaires et la première n’est pas celle à laquelle tout le monde s’attend,lire la suite ici sur le site inXL6. 
Les doutes sur les articles de foi Le démon existe-t-il ? MEDITATION: Thomas Merton, Nul n’est une île. Dieu, qui est partout, ne nous quitte jamais. Cependant II semble parfois absent. Et si nous ne Le connaissons pas bien, nous ne comprenons pas qu'Il peut être plus proche de nous lorsqu'Il est absent que lorsqu'Il est présent. Il y a deux sortes d'absences de Dieu. L'une nous condamne, l'autre nous sanctifie…. Seuls ne sont jamais séparés du Seigneur ceux qui ne mettent pas un instant en doute le droit qu'Il a de se séparer d'eux. Lire la suite ici sur Spiritualité 2000, site Dominicain De la justice de chacun nait la paix pour tous par Jean Paul II. La justice de chacun est fondée sur le respect des droits humains La personne est par nature dotée de droits universels, inviolables, inaliénables. Ceux-ci, cependant, ne se maintiennent pas tout seuls. A ce sujet, mon vénéré prédécesseur, le Pape Jean XXIII, enseignait que la personne « est sujet de droits et de devoirs, découlant les uns, et les autres, ensemble et immédiatement, de sa nature » .L’authentique rempart de la paix s’appuie sur le juste fondement anthropologique de ces droits et de ces devoirs, ainsi que sur leur corrélation intrinsèque. Lire la suite ici sur le site: www.portstnicolas.org 
La Bénite Fontaine : aux abords de la Cité Médiévale
de la Roche-sur-Foron, il y a une source, “La Bénite Fontaine”,
près de laquelle se poursuit une très longue tradition de prière. C'est
un lieu de paix et de guérison, de recueillement et de ressourcement.
Ne manquez pas d'y aller si vous êtes dans la région (en Haute Savoie)
! Les eaux de cette source ont déjà guéri bien des malades; la source
est tout en bas, dans le parc, calme et ombragé, pour méditer, et en haut
de la colline, il y a une petite boutique de livres et objets de piété
et une belle chapelle avec une statue mariale de (presque) 400 ans. Pascal:
Les Pensées. J'ai dit souvent que tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une
seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos dans une chambre.
§136 Reconnaître la présence de Dieu . Exercer le corps; Entraîner la respiration; Entraîner l'écoute; Dieu se cache aux endroits les plus improbables; et un poeme sur "Chacun son nombril" (à la manière de Péguy) ici sur le site: Un Moment sacré . Il y a plus de bonheur a donner qu'a recevoir " Rappelle-toi que si un rien fait souffrir, un rien peut aussi faire plaisir...Lire la suite ici sur le site: "les petits du Seigneur". "Ne croyez pas ceux qui vous disent que la jeunesse est faite pour s'amuser. La jeunesse n'est pas faite pour le plaisir, elle est faite pour l'héroïsme" (Paul Claudel) Les dangers de la vie chrétienne pour un jeune catholique en 2008 : le compromis ! Lire la suite ici sur Notre Dame des Neiges. Soutenir les chretiens en Irak. Proposée par Pax Christi France, l'opération oecuménique d'information, de sensibilisation et de soutien aux Chrétiens d'Irak, appelée "Pâques avec les Chrétiens d'Irak", est animée en partenariat avec Justice et Paix, la Fédération Protestante de France, l'Oeuvre d'Orient et Chrétiens de la Méditerranée ici. 
L’urgence d’une éducation qui conjugue liberté et discipline . « A la racine de la crise de l'éducation, il y a une crise de confiance dans la vie », explique le pape. « Nous avons tous à coeur le bien des personnes que nous aimons, et en particulier de nos enfants, de nos adolescents, et de nos jeunes. Nous savons en effet que c'est d'eux que dépend l'avenir de notre Ville. Nous ne pouvons donc pas ne pas être attentifs à la formation des nouvelles générations, à leur capacité de s'orienter dans la vie et de discerner le bien et le mal, à leur santé non seulement physique mais aussi à leur santé morale », écrit notamment Benoît XVI . « Eduquer n'est certes jamais facile, reconnaît le pape, et aujourd'hui, cela semble devenir toujours plus difficile (...). On parle d'une grande « urgence dans l'éducation », Lire plus ici sur Zenit.org. Rencontre avec une clarisse. Comment êtes vous devenue sœur ? Chaque histoire est absolument unique et en même temps, on retrouve pour chacune deux éléments forts : un désir d'absolu que Dieu seul peut combler et un désir de servir les hommes d'une manière particulière, par la prière. Pourquoi est-ce que vous travaillez en silence ? Nous travaillons en silence pour rester à l'écoute de Dieu. Lire le reste de cet interview ici sur www.franciscain.net 
Tracer un chemin de confiance: où
foi, confiance et ski se rencontent. Envie de grand air, envie de
paysage. Quel beau programme! “L’Église est contre l’idéologie écologiste” La doctrine sociale de l’Église n’a jamais avalis éé ces formes radicales et idéologiques d’écologisme, pour deux raisons. Avant tout, parce que celles-ci subordonnent l’homme à une prétendue centralité de la nature ; dans cette perspective, tout, l’homme compris, doit tourner autour de la nature, considérée comme le centre vers lequel tout doit converger. La seconde raison est que certaines formes radicales d’écologisme risquent de bloquer le développement, et surtout de remettre en cause le droit au développement des pays pauvres. Lire la suite ici Utiliser ses fautes pour s'affermir dans la persévérance :
Les navigateurs ont leur carte marine ou ils marquent soigneusement les récifs qu'ils ont
constatés ; a la lumière de nos fautes passées, faisons nous aussi notre carte de navigation
spirituelle, ou seront décrites les causes de nos défections antérieures, les courants, les
illusions, les défauts de précaution qui ont amené nos égarements, et instruits par notre
triste expérience, nous éviterons désormais les écueils signalés par nos naufrages. L'ÉGLISE ET L'ÉTAT : UNE SYMPHONIE DIFFICILE par Noël RUFFIEUX. L'idéal byzantin connaissait théoriquement la distinction de l'État et de l'Église, mais concevait entre eux une "symphonie" où l'action de l'empereur franchissait souvent la limite. Dans l'idéal de chrétienté à l'occidentale, c'est le pape qui s'emparait du pouvoir politique et humiliait les princes. Aujourd'hui l'Occident, de manière chaotique, en est arrivé à séparer le pouvoir religieux, les sphères publique et privée, le profane et le sacré, le temporel et un éternel hypothétique. Lire plus ici sur le site du SOP Service Orthodoxe de Presse. "Le calcul à l'école primaire" par Laurent Lafforgue Professeur permanent à l'IHÉS. Texte rédigé en janvier 2007 avec le concours d'instituteurs praticiens et de professeurs de différentes disciplines ici Il a été écrit en réaction à un "avis" sur le même sujet préparé par une sous-commission de l'Académie des sciences à la demande du ministre de l'Éducation nationale et voté le 9 janvier. Voici le résumé de cet avis ici destiné à la presse avec les commentaires personnels (en rouge) de Laurent Lafforgue et voici l'avis lui-même avec d'autres commentaires personnels. ici L’Evangile, programme social ? Les Semaines Sociales, une parole de chrétiens laïcs Mais, pour que la parole du pape et des évêques soit relayée, des chrétiens de Lyon et de Lille ont voulu créer une “université sociale” où les principes moraux prenaient corps dans une pensée structurée sur les réalités économiques et sociales. Lire plus ici sur le site Theo4you.org site des jeunes catholiques de la Côte en Suisse. A pied de Compostelle à Jérusalem. Le blog de Patrice et Marie-France Goulard, partis de Compostelle pour aller à Jérusalem. Patrice et Marie-France Goulard, 68 et 66 ans, ont osé l’aventure pour réaliser leur rêve : rejoindre à pied Jérusalem et assister à la messe de Noël en Terre sainte… en décembre 2007 ! L’équipe de www.pelerin.info a fait le pari de s’associer à cette aventure en ouvrant un « blog » à ces pèlerins. ici
Le temps de l'attente, de la vigilance. Bienvenue sur WikiKto, l'encyclopédie catholique libre, accessible et modifiable par tous. Introduction au christianisme; Église; Vie chrétienne; Recherche; Bible; Théologie; Spiritualité; Participation et Communauté et beaucoup plus… Actuellement, 3 557 articles en français sont présents dans l'encyclopédie ici Prière pour obtenir l'Humilité. Ô Jésus! lorsque vous étiez Voyageur sur la terre vous avez dit: "Apprenez de moi que je suis doux et humble de coeur et vous trouverez le repos de vos âmes." Ô Puissant Roi des Cieux, oui mon âme trouve le repos en vous voyant, revêtu de la forme et de la nature d'esclave, vous abaisser jusqu'à laver les pieds à vos apôtres. Je me souviens alors de ces paroles que vous avez prononcées pour m'apprendre à pratiquer l'humilité : "Je vous ai donné l'exemple afin que vous fassiez vous-mêmes ce que j'ai fait, le disciple n'est pas plus grand que le Maître. Si vous comprenez ceci vous serez heureux en le pratiquant." Sainte Therese 16 juillet 1897 . Les prêtres blogueurs de plus en plus nombreux
Les sites personnels de prêtres ou de séminaristes se multiplient sur la Toile.
Un moyen original pour faire entendre la voix de l'Église et leurs voix dans l'Église.
Voir l'article de Sophie de Ravinel
ici
sur le site: www.lefigaro.fr. Les apparences sont trompeuses. Un ami me disait qu'il avait entendu une réflexion très négative, a l'hôpital, faite par un infirmier qui venait de s'occuper d'un grand handicapé: "Une vie comme ça, ça ne vaut pas la peine de continuer a vivre " et mon ami lui avait alors parlé de Marthe Robin. Il lui avait dit quelle vie extraordinaire elle a vécut, combien d'amour et de joie, d'encouragement et d'espérance Marthe a put apporter a une foule de gens durant sa propre vie (elle a eut plus de 103,000 visiteurs dans sa petite chambre de malade) et que son rayonnement continue a s'étendre aujourd'hui même (voir la carte actuelle des Foyers de Charité dans le monde ici ) et que Marthe a accomplit tout cela du fond de son lit d'handicapé, sans jamais sortir de chez elle. On a bien tort de juger sur les apparences. Toute l'importance de notre vie, notre vraie richesse, tient dans nos relations avec les autres (et avec Dieu), et ca c'est un capital pas toujours facile a cerner, pas toujours évident, surtout a un regard superficiel, mais qui a l'immense avantage de pouvoir être améliorer et agrandit, a l'aube de chaque nouvelle journée, car l'amour et l'amitié peut naitre a chaque instant. JesusMarie.comTout le site peut être copié sans autorisation - le seul but est la diffusion gratuite des meilleurs livres de l'église catholique romaine : ceux du magistère romain, des docteurs de l'église, des pères de l'église et des grands mystiques catholiques ici sur le site JesusMarie.com. La peine de mort. Je suis contre la peine de mort et je voudrais pouvoir trouver les mots justes pour convaincre ceux qui hesitent encore (surtout aux US!) mais en attendant, j'ajoute ce lien ici sur "Peine de mort : un dossier publié par le Vatican" ou « Comment l’État ôte la vie ». Une bonne critique des erreurs New Age de Scott Peck, de l'abandon de la raison qui conduit a "la divinisation de l’inconscient collectif" … "Hélas lorsque la conscience personelle sera dénigrée, toutes les idéologies - y compris les plus totalitaires - auront droit de cité par le seul fait qu’elles existent, puisqu’aucun critère rationnel ne pourra être invoqué pour opérer un discernement." Lire plus ici du Père Joseph-Marie Verlinde. 
Taizé, Genève et 40 000 jeunes croyants plein d'espérance: messages adressés à la communauté de Taizé et aux 40 000 jeunes qui participeront à la rencontre européenne de Genève du 28 décembre 2007 au 1er janvier 2008. Lire plus ici . La lettre de Cochabamba : une rencontre latino-américaine de jeunes a eu lieu à Cochabamba, Bolivie, du 10 au 14 octobre 2007. Elle a réuni 7000 participants venus des diverses régions du Bolivie, de tous les pays d'Amérique latine et de quelques pays européens. Lire la lettre ici . Cuba, ou comment l’Eglise cultive le germe de la liberté . Interview de Dagoberto Valdés Hernández, fondateur et directeur du think-tank catholique libéral le plus influent de l’île: "A Cuba, l’Eglise est la seule institution où il reste encore une trace de cette société civile qui a été anéantie partout ailleurs", par Sandro Magister. Lire plus ici L'œcuménisme du cardinal Kasper: la vérité avant tout. Le texte intégral du rapport qu'a lu en consistoire le président du conseil pontifical pour l'unité des chrétiens. Dialogue avec les orthodoxes: bon. Avec les protestants: mauvais. Avec les évangélistes et les pentecôtistes: moyen. Entre temps, avec les musulmans... par Sandro Magister. A lire sur le site Chiesa ici 
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden xxx xxx 
La vie d’oraison Dieu, voulant «élever les hommes jusqu’au partage de la vie divine», met en nous le désir de le voir face à face. Lire plus ici sur cette belle page de La COMMUNAUTE DES BEATITUDES, qui fait partie des «communautés nouvelles» nées dans l'Eglise Catholique à la suite du Concile Vatican II et dans la mouvance du Renouveau charismatique. "Petites Soeurs des Maternités Catholiques" Voyez comme elles accueillent bien la vie ici ! J'ai entendu parler de l'incident récent a Bourgoin-Jallieu, en Isère, ou un père musulman s'est mis en colère et a fait enlever le crucifix du mur de la chambre ou était sa fille. Tout d'abord, j'en étais très attristée puis je me suis dit que, grâce a ce brouhaha médiatique, maintenant, nous pouvons tous prier pour lui et pour sa fille! Saint Jean-Baptiste, priez pour nous! Le 24 juin, la Nativité de Saint Jean-Baptiste. Maintenant encore l’Eglise célèbre cette naissance ; elle ne célèbre que trois naissances, celle du Fils de Dieu, celle de sa mère et celle-ci ; elle sait « que pour l’homme le jour de la mort est meilleur que celui de sa naissance », et que toute naissance humaine est accompagnée de tristesse. C’est pourquoi elle célèbre la mort des martyrs qu’elle appelle leur naissance, car ils naissent vraiment à la vie quand ils se dépouillent de la vie pour le Christ. Mais cette naissance de Jean, l’Eglise la célèbre avec assurance sur la parole si expresse de l’Ange (saint Pierre Damien : sermon XXIII, sur la nativité de saint Jean-Baptiste, 4). Lire plus ici sur le site: missal.free.fr, le Calendrier Liturgique. Au milieu de la nuit, 
Voir une diaporama
sur: La Montagne, La miséricorde du Christ. Il
existe, d'une certaine manière, une miséricorde du cœur et une miséricorde
des mains. Ce que Jésus condamne c'est le fait d'établir soi-même que
telle justice est la vraie justice et de considérer tous les autres comme
des " voleurs, des personnes injustes et adultères ", au point d'ailleurs
de leur nier la possibilité de changer. La façon dont Luc introduit la
parabole du pharisien et du publicain est significative : " Jésus dit
une parabole pour certains hommes qui étaient convaincus d'être justes
et qui méprisaient tous les autres " (Lc 18, 9). Jésus était plus sévère
avec ceux qui méprisaient ou condamnaient les pécheurs, qu'avec les pécheurs
eux-mêmes (2). Rappelons ce que le père répond à son fils aîné : " Toi,
mon enfant, tu es toujours avec moi, et tout ce qui est à moi est à toi
" (Lc 15, 31). L'erreur du fils aîné est de considérer que le fait d'être
toujours resté chez lui et d'avoir tout partagé avec son père, n'est pas
un immense privilège, mais un mérite ; son attitude est plus celle d'un
mercenaire que celle d'un fils. (Ceci devrait être un avertissement pour
nous tous qui, dans notre manière de vivre nous trouvons dans la même
position que le fils aîné !) Nous déduisons quelques critères, de l'attitude
du Christ envers les pécheurs, examinée ci-dessus. Il ne banalise pas
le péché mais trouve le moyen de ne jamais perdre l'affection pour les
pécheurs, mais au contraire de les attirer à lui. Il ne voit pas seulement
en eux ce qu'ils sont, mais ce qu'ils peuvent devenir s'ils sont touchés
par la miséricorde divine au plus profond de leur misère et de leur désespoir.
Il n'attend pas qu'ils viennent à lui. C'est souvent lui qui va les chercher. Saint Ephrem Un Diacre du IIième siecle, un Docteur de l'Eglise, un Defendeur de la foi contre les hérétiques. La prière de Saint Ephrem, en français et en anglais ici Pacem in terris. Rapport indissoluble entre droits et devoirs dans une même personne. Jusqu'ici, Nous avons rappelé une suite de droits de nature. Chez l'homme, leur sujet, ils sont liés à autant de devoirs. La loi naturelle confère les uns, impose les autres ; de cette loi ils tiennent leur origine, leur persistance et leur, force indéfectible. Ainsi, par exemple, le droit à la vie entraîne, le devoir de la conserver ; le droit à une existence décente comporte le devoir de se conduire avec dignité ; au droit de chercher librement le vrai répond, le devoir d'approfondir et d'élargir cette recherche. Dans la vie en société, tout droit conféré à une personne par la nature crée chez les autres un devoir, celui de reconnaître et de respecter ce droit. Tout droit essentiel de l'homme emprunte en effet sa force impérative à la loi naturelle qui le donne et qui impose l'obligation correspondante. Ceux qui, dans la revendication de leurs droits, oublient leurs devoirs ou ne les remplissent qu'imparfaitement risquent de démolir d'une main ce qu'ils construisent de l'autre. (28, 29, 30) 
Une croix, un bapteme et une ordination au Pole Nord Une célébration liturgique orthodoxe a eut lieux le 6 avril dernier au Pole Nord. Voir l'article et les photos ici sur le site de La Croix. Hommage de Benoît XVI au Cardinal Van Thuan, sur le chemin de la béatification. Le Pape a tout d'abord tenu a rappeler "la cordialité, la capacité de dialogue et de se faire proche de tous" qui caractérisaient le défunt Cardinal vietnamien, qui fut Président de Justice et Paix, et qui fut à l'origine du Compendium de la Doctrine sociale de l'Eglise (octobre 2004). "Il s'est engagé avec ferveur pour la diffusion de la doctrine sociale parmi les pauvres du monde, il a donné un nouveau souffle à l'évangélisation de son continent, l'Asie, il avait la capacité de coordonner les activités charitables et soutenait la promotion de l'homme dans les endroits les plus retranchés de la terre". Lire plus ici sur le site EUCHARISTIE SACREMENT DE LA MISERICORDE. Une diaporama fascinante et pleine d'information sur Le Mont Saint Michel Abbatiale du Mont-Saint-Michel: Un lieu, une histoire, une communauté. Genèse d'une fondation. Le Mont-Saint-Michel jour après jour. Une mission particulière. Voir la diaporama de 28 minutes: ici trouvé sur le site Frat. Jérusalem, une Fraternité Monastique, Apostoliques et Laïque, au sein de l'Église Catholique, la "Famille de Jérusalem". “La main de Dieu et le pélican.” Homélie pour la Fête-Dieu par l'Abbé Pierre Guéroult Le pélican alimente ses petits avec la nourriture qu’il a stockée dans la poche membraneuse; en cas de nécessité, il nourrit ses petits avec sa propre chair, s’étant déchiré la poitrine. Pour cette raison, la tradition chrétienne à utiliser le pélican comme symbole eucharistique. Le sang vivifiant étant une figure du sang rédempteur du Christ. Lire plus ici sur le site Liberté Politique . 
le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité Dans le langage chrétien, le Mystère est source de vie. Depuis notre baptême, le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité nous porte et nous habite tout à la fois. Nous en vivons sans le comprendre, un peu comme on respire sans l’expliquer. « Je te bénis, Père, dit Jésus, d’avoir caché ces choses aux sages et aux savants et de les avoir révélées aux tout-petits. » Lire l'article de Mgr Louis Sankalé Evêque du diocèse de Nice ici . ROME, le 13 mai 2008. le Code
de droit canon. Le Concile Vatican II n’a pas été le seul moment
décisif de l’histoire de l’Eglise catholique au XXe siècle. Un autre tournant
important a eu lieu un demi-siècle auparavant, avec le pontificat de Pie
X. C’est ce qui ressort d’un imposant essai en deux volumes qui vient
de sortir en Italie, sous le titre “Chiesa romana e modernità giuridica“.
Ecrit par un expert très connu en droit ecclésiastique, Carlo Fantappiè.
Il est consacré à une entreprise grandiose du pape Giuseppe Sarto, le
nouveau Code de droit canon. On retient de Pie X sa bataille acharnée
contre les catholiques “modernistes“. On le décrit généralement comme
le pape de la restauration et des anathèmes. Cela n’a pas été le cas.
De nouvelles études examinent ce pontificat sous une lumière nouvelle,
beaucoup plus constructive et innovatrice. Sa célèbre encyclique “Pascendi
Dominici Gregis“ contre les modernistes, par exemple, dont on a fêté le
centenaire en 2007, a abordé avec prévoyance des sujets qui sont encore
d’actualité et centraux dans la vie de l’Eglise…  La beauté et le calme d'une promenade en foret, la douceur du temps, le printemp en fleur, l'arboretum de Jeli en Hongrie. 
L'Ascension : "Vous serez mes témoins jusqu'aux extrémités de la terre" Agir dans la société est en effet indispensable. Mais en cohérence avec la démarche chrétienne : des chrétiens qui tourneraient en rond dans leurs griefs et doléances, criant au scandale quand on les contredit (voire quand on les diffame), ce serait anti-évangélique. Ce serait vouloir supprimer les contradictions et rêver d’une société « favorable » : une société dont la pression sociologique s’exercerait en faveur des chrétiens plutôt qu’à leur détriment. Cette société « favorable » serait une machine à trahir l’évangile. Alors qu’une société hostile est une pépinière de saints. Lire plus ici. Un pari pour la joie: l'Arche de
Jean Vanier. Vanier était personnellement frappé par les qualités
de ceux qu'il s'était senti appelé a aider. Il était frappé aussi de les
voir en transformer d'autres venus travailler avec lui. Il semble que
proportionnellement aux limites de leur capacité de raisonnement, ces
gens soient riches en dons de cœur. Ces dons du cœur sont précisément
ce dont a tant besoin une société technique qui devient de plus en plus
dure. La vision de Vanier est passée du souci de ce que la société pouvait
faire pour les handicapés au souci de ce que les handicapés peuvent faire
pour la société. 
La promesse de la resurrection!
NOUVEAUX DANGERS POUR
LA FOI. Question : En lien avec la perte de sens du christianisme
dans une société sécularisée, vous avez évoqué un tout nouveau danger
pour la foi encore totalement sous-estimé : la possibilité d'une
subtile dictature de l'opinion antichrétienne. Réponse : Je crois que
c'est un vrai danger. Ce n'est pas qu'on persécute publiquement les chrétiens
: ce serait vieux jeu et inconvénient. Non, on est tout a fait tolérant
et naturellement ouvert a tout. Mais il y a des choses sur lesquelles
on est d'autant plus catégorique et qui sont exclues, et qui sont alors
cataloguées de fondamentalistes même la ou il peut s'agir de foi
authentique. Je pense qu'on peut arriver a une situation ou la résistance
doit s'organiser, face a la dictature d'une tolérance qui n'est qu'apparente
et qui met hors circuit le scandale de la foi en la déclarant intolérante.
Ici apparaît vraiment au grand jour l'intolérance des " tolérants ". Le Petit Prince et le renard. Mes passages préférés du discours
du Pape à l'ONU: Les principes fondateurs de l'Organisation -
le désir de paix, le sens de la justice, le respect de la dignité de la
personne, la coopération et l'assistance humanitaires - sont l'expression
des justes aspirations de l'esprit humain et constituent les idéaux qui
devraient sous-tendre les relations internationales. Comme mes prédécesseurs
Paul VI et Jean-Paul II l'ont affirmé depuis cette même tribune, tout
cela fait partie de réalités que l'Église catholique et le Saint-Siège
considèrent avec attention et intérêt, voyant dans votre activité un exemple
de la manière dont les problèmes et les conflits qui concernent la communauté
mondiale peuvent bénéficier d'une régulation commune. Cela est d'autant
plus nécessaire dans le contexte actuel où l'on fait l'expérience du paradoxe
évident d'un consensus multilatéral qui continue à être en crise parce
qu'il est encore subordonné aux décisions d'un petit nombre … L'action
de la communauté internationale et de ses institutions, dans la mesure
où elle est respectueuse des principes qui fondent l'ordre international,
ne devrait jamais être interprétée comme une coercition injustifiée ou
comme une limitation de la souveraineté. À l'inverse, c'est l'indifférence
ou la non-intervention qui causent de réels dommages.… La promotion
des droits de l'homme demeure la stratégie la plus efficace quand il s'agit
de combler les inégalités entre des pays et des groupes sociaux, quand
il s'agit aussi de renforcer la sécurité. En effet les victimes de la
misère et du désespoir dont la dignité humaine est impunément violée,
deviennent des proies faciles pour les tenants du recours à la violence.
Acte
d'Esperance : Le référenceur des meilleurs sites catholiques francophones |
"Everyday" 
Easter is here! He is risen! "The
Christian message is basically nothing else than the transmission of the
testimony that love has managed to break through death here and thus has
transformed fundamentally the situation of all of us". See my own Easter
Bouquet and reflections on this most wonderful time of the year, the Triduum:
Holy Thursday evening service, the Passion and Death of the Lord on Good
Friday, the waiting of Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil and the glory of
Easter morning 
Last night, Mother Lillie spoke about counting our blessings and thanking
God, this most wondrous God who created us and love us, who put us here
for a very specific reason and do we know that reason? Or do we let ourselves
be distracted from our true vocation and spend so much time grumbling
and complaining… She spoke to great length about the children of Mount
Tabor, of the love and healing that they receive from the Sisters and
the joy and love that they give in return and of the true healing that
can only be accomplished by the love of Jesus, this most deep and complete
healing that will overcome any abuse or brokenness.
Because the common good of society is definitively
resting on our ability to desire and welcome children and to foster a positive
climate for putting families first. And that is what it is really about.
About having a vision of life that goes farther than our own belly button.
And to think that there were so many young people marching, so many beautiful young women,
it brings a smile to my face just to remember them. See my notes and my pictures
This is also the 100th anniversary of Blessed Francisco, one of the three
little shepherds from Fatima. 
Saints
Pierre et Paul, priez pour nous! 