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History (Religion)

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  • What are Beauty and Peace? The Ancient Philosophers Had Simple, Objective Definitions

    11/11/2015 7:02:19 AM PST · by Salvation · 2 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-10-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    What are Beauty and Peace? The Ancient Philosophers Had Simple, Objective Definitions Msgr. Charles Pope • November 10, 2015 • Every now and then we all run across a description or definition of something that captures its truth, yet at the same time respects its mystery. For indeed mere words can ever really be, or take the place of, the thing or person they describe. The reality is always richer than the descriptions we attempt with the grunts and scrawls we call "words."Such were my thoughts when I was rummaging through some old philosophy notes and came across two classic...
  • Pope Francis Explains Why He Won’t Sell the Church’s ‘Treasures’

    11/10/2015 2:42:53 PM PST · by NYer · 55 replies
    NC Register ^ | November 6, 2015
    VATICAN CITY — In a new interview ranging from fame to finances to childhood dreams, Pope Francis explained that, despite his strong concern for the poor, he will not sell the “riches of the Church.” Asked whether he has ever felt pressure to sell “the treasures of the Church,” the Pope responded, “This is an easy question. They are not the treasures of the Church, [but] the treasures of humanity.” “For example, if tomorrow I say that Michelangelo’s Pieta is going to be auctioned, it can’t be done, because it’s not the property of the Church. It’s inside a church,...
  • Love and Lament Alike -- A Brief Reflection for All Who Care About the Church

    11/10/2015 7:14:58 AM PST · by Salvation · 10 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-09-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    Love and Lament Alike – A Brief Reflection for All Who Care About the Church Msgr. Charles Pope • November 9, 2015 • As a priest and pastor I work very closely with others: clergy, religious, laity who work for the Church, and laity who volunteer. We all work for the Church because we love her and her people.But along with that love comes, at times, disappointment, hurt, or even disillusionment. Perhaps these feelings result from issues in the wider Church such as the betrayal of sexual abuse by clergy, the lack of courage and leadership from some bishops and...
  • St. John Lateran – A Celebration of Home

    11/09/2015 3:13:47 PM PST · by NYer · 5 replies
    Aletelia ^ | November 9, 2015 | KIRSTEN ANDERSEN
    As a convert, one of the things that attracted me to the Catholic Faith was its strong grounding in the physical world. Catholic teaching on the Real Presence, the Sacraments, and sacramental objects offered me a faith grounded in the real world, where Jesus wasn’t just a memory we commemorated through symbolism or a spiritual presence living invisibly in our hearts. No, for Catholics, he is flesh and blood, physically present all over the world in the Eucharist, and his grace is a tangible thing. Baptism, Confession, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, the Anointing of the Sick—these Sacraments are not...
  • Why Does Jesus Tell Us to Use "Dishonest Wealth”?"

    11/09/2015 7:11:42 AM PST · by Salvation · 17 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-08-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    Why Does Jesus Tell Us to Use "Dishonest Wealth"? Msgr. Charles Pope • November 8, 2015 • There was a puzzling reference in Saturday morning's Gospel (Saturday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time) in which Jesus says,I tell you, make friends for yourselves by your use of dishonest wealth, so that, when it fails, they will welcome you to eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9).What does He mean by "dishonest wealth"?The Greek expression μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας (mamona tes adikias) is more literally translated as “mammon of unrighteousness.” Mammon is a Hebrew and Aramaic word that has a wider meaning than just...
  • Still Controversial: Cardinal Danneels and the Conclave of 2005

    11/08/2015 10:39:30 AM PST · by marshmallow · 5 replies
    The National Catholic Register ^ | 11/5/15 | Edward Pentin
    German journalist Paul Badde recounts the actions of the Belgian cardinal - whose participation in the recent family synod drew criticism - at the time of Pope Benedict XVI's election.VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' choice of Cardinal Godfried Danneels to attend last month's Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family as one of his 45 papal delegates was heavily criticized on account of the Belgian cardinal's record. The archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels advised the king of Belgium to sign an abortion law in 1990, told a victim of clerical sex abuse to keep quiet and refused to forbid pornographic, "educational"...
  • After Nearly 500 Years, Our Lady of Guadalupe Still Has Something to Tell Us

    11/08/2015 10:24:00 AM PST · by marshmallow · 9 replies
    Catholic News Agency ^ | 11/6/15 | Hillary Mast
    Los Angeles, Calif., Nov 6, 2015 / 12:24 am (CNA).- The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is centuries old and her message to St. Juan Diego has been translated into numerous languages over the years. Countless books have been written about the apparition, and the tilma itself has been intensely scrutinized by scientists. So what more can we learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe and her message? Plenty, says Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, who along with postulator for St. Juan Diego's cause for canonization, Msgr. Eduardo Chavez Sanchez, has produced the new documentary, "Guadalupe: The Miracle and the...
  • The Paradox of Poverty – A Homily for the 32nd Sunday of the Year

    11/08/2015 6:49:11 AM PST · by Salvation · 14 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-07-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    Archdiocese of Washington The Paradox of Poverty -- A Homily for the 32nd Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • November 7, 2015 • The first reading in today's Mass, from 1st Kings, speaks to us of the paradox of poverty. And the paradox is this: it is often our poverty, our neediness, that provides a doorway for God to bless us with true riches. It is our emptiness that provides room for God to go to work.Yes, in our riches we have "too much to lose." To the rich and worldly minded, the Gospel seems too demanding. But...
  • Profound examples of holiness: The Royal Martyrs [Ecumenical]

    11/07/2015 7:30:21 PM PST · by NRx · 11 replies
    Pravoslavie ^ | 11-07-2015 | Ryan Hunter
    In 1905, twelve years before Emperor Nicholas II’s abdication and three years from his own repose, St. John of Kronstadt, who had served as confessor to Nicholas II’s father Emperor Alexander III (r. 1881-94, d. 1894), spoke these prophetic words: We have a Tsar of righteous and pious life. God has sent a heavy cross of sufferings to him as to His chosen one and beloved child, as the seer of the destinies of God said: ‘Whom I love, those I reproach and punish’ (Rev. 3.19). If there is no repentance in the Russian people, the end of the world...
  • A higher calling

    11/07/2015 9:23:52 AM PST · by Salvation · 6 replies
    OSV.com ^ | 11-04-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    A higher calling The Bible doesn’t denigrate marriage; it acknowledges marriage can’t compare to the joy of heaven Msgr. Charles Pope 11/4/2015 Question: I cannot escape the conclusion that the Bible denigrates marriage. We are told by Paul by that we should live as though we had no spouse (1 Cor 7:29), and Jesus says that in heaven there will be no marriage. The Church also calls priesthood and religious life “higher callings.” What am I to make of all this negativity?— Joseph Harris, Washington, D.C. Answer: The solution is to understand the statements you reference in their wider context....
  • A Centennial Celebration for Brooklyn’s Only Saint (Ecumenical)

    11/06/2015 9:44:28 PM PST · by NRx · 5 replies
    NY Times ^ | 11-05-2015 | ANDY NEWMAN
    Brooklyn has just one saint, and his name is Raphael Hawaweeny. Stories from Our Advertisers He was not Catholic. Or of European descent. He was Syrian, and at the turn of the 20th century he helped build the Eastern Orthodox Church in this country. He founded a cathedral in Brooklyn’s Little Syria and crisscrossed the country tending his scattered flock. To the Orthodox, he is St. Raphael of Brooklyn (not to be confused with St. Raphael of Lesbos, martyred by the Turks in 1463). And on Friday night, the saint’s icon will be adorned with red and white flowers and...
  • The Oldest Hymn to Mary (early christian worship)

    11/06/2015 11:30:07 AM PST · by NYer · 544 replies
    Patheos Standing on my head ^ | November 6, 2015 | Fr. Dwight Longenecker
    Papyrus in the Rylands Library, Manchester UK One of the things that maddens and amuses me about Protestants is something called “primitivism”. I’ve written about it here. “Primitivism” is the ambition to return the church to the simplest form as it was in the “early church”. The little fundamentalist church in which I grew up worked on this assumption. They were going back to basics and getting rid of all those “man made traditions”. They were cutting out the denominations and prayers read out of books and all that fancy stuff and it would be just the Bible. Their idea...
  • Parables Aren't Just Stories, Many Are Riddles -- Here Are Two

    11/06/2015 8:00:44 AM PST · by Salvation · 16 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-05-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    Parables Aren’t Just Stories, Many Are Riddles – Here Are Two Msgr. Charles Pope • November 5, 2015 • To most of us, parables are stories told by Jesus to illustrate and clarify what He teaches. We have read the parables in the context of two thousand years of a tradition that interprets them in a certain way. But in their original context, parables are really more like riddles. The apostles noted that while Jesus would speak to the crowds in parables, when He retreated into the house with the apostles He would explain the meaning (cf Mat 13:36). Plain...
  • The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God (Orthodox/Catholic Caucus)

    11/06/2015 4:31:36 AM PST · by rwa265 · 9 replies
    Orthodox Church of America (OCA) ^ | Undated | Unattributed
    The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary: After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeys She lived at the home of his parents, near the Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification both for the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, She told them about miraculous events: the Annunciation, the seedless and undefiled Conception of Christ born of Her, about His early childhood, and about His earthly life. Like the Apostles, She helped...
  • Saint Peter Damian, "Gomorrah", and Today's Moral Crisis

    11/05/2015 1:57:18 PM PST · by marshmallow · 5 replies
    Catholic World Report ^ | 11/1/15 | CWR Staff
    An interview with Matthew Cullinan Hoffman about his new translation of a treatise against sodomy, pederasty, and clerical corruption penned nearly a thousand years ago by a great reformer and Doctor of the ChurchPope Benedict XVI, in his September 9, 2009 general audience, noted that the Benedictine monk, cardinal, and Doctor of the Church, St. Peter Damian (1007-72), was "one of the most significant figures of the 11th century ... a monk, a lover of solitude and at the same time a fearless man of the Church, committed personally to the task of reform, initiated by the Popes of the...
  • Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass – God’s Plan to Save Us, ... in the Book of Malachi

    11/05/2015 7:43:49 AM PST · by Salvation · 3 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-04-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass – God’s Plan to Save Us, as Seen in the Book of Malachi Msgr. Charles Pope • November 4, 2015 • In the posts of the past two days, we’ve looked at the sins of the priests and those of all the people. Clearly, we all have a lot on which to reflect.The prophets do not write merely to denounce, but rather to draw people back to the Lord, who alone can save them. Malachi is no exception.God wants His people to be ready for the Day of Judgment. That day is coming...
  • The Sins of God’s People As Stated in the Prophet Malachi

    11/04/2015 8:35:23 AM PST · by Salvation · 8 replies
    Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-03-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope
    The Sins of God’s People As Stated in the Prophet Malachi Msgr. Charles Pope • November 3, 2015 • In yesterday’s post, we considered the sins of the priests (and they were numerous enough). Today we examine the sins of the people that the Lord sets forth in the Book of Malachi. Here, too, please understand that not everyone is guilty of all of these things. However, they are common human sins and sinful attitudes. So consider this inspired list (for it is from the Lord) and pray for conversion and repentance, for the picture here is all too familiar.I....
  • Fortress of Antiochus Epiphanes Uncovered in Jerusalem

    11/04/2015 8:29:09 AM PST · by dutchdingo · 5 replies
    thetrumpet.com ^ | November 3, 2015 | Brent Nagtegaal
    On Monday afternoon, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) sent a newsbrief to reporters in Jerusalem, calling for a press conference the following day to announce the “solution to one of the greatest questions in the history of Jerusalem.” Tuesday’s announcement did not disappoint: On site, in Jerusalem’s City of David, archaeologist Doron Ben-Ami announced that the famed Akra (citadel) of Antiochus Epiphanes had been discovered. Up until that announcement, little had been found testifying to the massive Hellenistic intrusion into the city early in the second century B.C. Yet here, at the northwestern portion of the City of David, a...
  • The Basilica of the Nativity: Restoration Reveals Beautiful Works of Art

    11/04/2015 8:25:05 AM PST · by marshmallow · 2 replies
    Bethlehem - for more than two years, one of the world's holiest churches has been undergoing restoration work. In this report, we would like to give a historical background about the wooden door and the mosaic covering the walls of the nave.The wooden doorsFrom the humility door, heads of believers and visitors bow down in reverence to the child in the manger. Just in front of the door, we face tall wooden doors that separate the narthex and the nave, covered through the centuries by layers of dust and smoke coming up from oil lamps. Now, the restoration comes and...
  • The “Other” Lost Scriptures (Beyond the Dead Sea Scrolls, Slavonic texts break all the rules)

    11/03/2015 2:52:20 PM PST · by NYer · 25 replies
    Aletelia ^ | November 3, 2015 | PHILIP JENKINS
    We all know where priceless ancient manuscripts should be found: somewhere remote, preferably a desert, and we need a good hiding place; caves are perfect. In terms of creating a stereotype, the Dead Sea Scrolls are the model case, followed by the ancient Christian and Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi, in Egypt, around the same time. Yet one of the greatest such discoveries in modern times broke all those rules, which might explain why it remains so thoroughly unknown outside quite a narrow specialist world. And we still are only beginning to come to terms with the implications.The...