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Monthly Archives: February 2006
Greed
I will post a bit less frequently during Lent. But it is still Tuesday, and it seems like I could do much worse than to meditate on greed. The following comes from a short book by the well-known writer Phyllis … Continue reading
Posted in Neil
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The Eve of Lent
Heading off to Des Moines for the day: meeting my brother Lynn for a hockey game, a nice meal, and some hanging out, in reverse order. It’s just about a 200-mile drive from the house. I’m looking forward to a … Continue reading
Posted in My Family, spirituality
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Gaudium et Spes 21
Gaudium et Spes 21 is a bit lengthy, but bear with it. It capsulizes a wise approach in dealing with atheism and some of the problems often thrown in the face of the Church. In her loyal devotion to God … Continue reading
Posted in Gaudium et Spes
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Melancholy
After I posted on confession and healing, Liam brought up the experiences of some of our brothers and sisters, “among them, the scrupulous, the manic, the addict, the anxious, the depressed and many others.” In some communities of which he … Continue reading
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Moon In Perspective
Mimas orbits over Saturn’s night side in this January image from Cassini. Two remarkable things …First is the size of Saturn’s moons in relation to the planet. Mimas is not a giant like our own moon, which ranks number … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
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Young Catholic Journalism
According to CNS, Horizons, the newspaper of the Byzantine Ruthenian Eparchy of Parma (Ohio) has opened up its children’s page to children’s input. Rita Basalla, principal of Cleveland’s St. Mary Elementary School: “The hope is that the students will see … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Commentary
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The Armchair Liturgist 8: Ashes Outside of Mass
A timely topic for the series: under what circumstances would you armchair liturgists permit or encourage the distribution of ashes outside of Mass. I had a specific request by e-mail this morning from a parishioner: I work at (a) hospital. … Continue reading
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The Armchair Liturgist part 5B
Okay. Here’s what we did with Stations and 24-Hour First Friday Adoration. Last Lent was the first year we did weekly adoration and weekly stations. They were not a favorite of our former pastor, so he alternated them in 2004 … Continue reading
Posted in The Armchair Liturgist
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More on the “Gay Takeover”
CNS reports from Rome on a seminar entitled “The Homosexual Question: Psychology, Rights and the Truth of Love.” It seems one-sided to me. And a bit paranoid. In a public conference Feb. 23, professors teaching the seminar spoke at length … Continue reading
Posted in Adoption, Commentary
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Pope Addresses Union: Three Fidelities
Zenit reports. Want to bet that fidelity to profit is not one of them? 1. Fidelity to workers The person is the “measure of the dignity of work” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, No. 271). For this … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Commentary, Politics
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Using and Knowing Your Bibles
There’s concern in the cafeteria that Americans are getting cheated on Bible translations. Well, no. No wonder EWTN uses the Ignatius (=RSV Catholic Edition) Bible instead of the bland NAB. Well, at least it goes with the equally bland, flawed … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Scripture
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St Basil on War and Repentance
I am sure that we are all praying for the Middle East, especially in the aftermath of the destruction of the Askariyah shrine in Samarra. During the past few years, I’ve posted a few times about reconsiderations of just war … Continue reading
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Jubilee!
Celebrate us! (At the risk of not sounding sufficiently theocentric.) My bishop columnizes about our diocese’s jubilee. It’s an unusual one, in that 1956 saw the merger of two 19th century sees, Kansas City and St Joseph. I pray that … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, spirituality
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Friday, Beer, and Beef
Rock on “Indult.” And no, it’s not what you think. Check out his web site–I go daily. His recent posts gently noting various inconsistencies and fumbles on the Catholic Right have him labelled as a “progressive” and a “liberal” in … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
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Catholic Sensibility 
Looking For It
I have to wonder about some of the St. Blogetariat. A bit of a furor over “nakedness” here. Aside from a deceptive post title, “Get naked this Lent with Richard Rohr,” the author seems to have forgotten a classic Pauline … Continue reading →