An important lesson which we all have to learn in our lifetime:
Breakfast at McDonald's
Please read until the end.This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!):I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.
The last class I had to take was Sociology.The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.Her last project of the term was called "Smile."The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning.It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling".His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them.The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you."I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope."
I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope."We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.We are not church goers, but we are believers.That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it.Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?"I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.
In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.
Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how toLOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.
If you think this story has touched you in any way, please send this to everyone you know.There is an Angel sent to watch over you.In order for her to work, you must pass this on to the people you want watched over.
An Angel wrote:Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.To handle yourself, use your head.To handle others, use your heart.God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into its nest.
Amen.
Paul
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Pius XII Closing In On Sainthood
My father met Pope Pius XII in April of 1958, just six months before he died. And this meeting had a profound impact upon him. It is tragic that so many have slandered Pius XII in their hate-filled attacks on the Mystical Body of Christ. But then, any true disciple of Christ will often encounter such attacks. The enemies of Christ and His Church cannot fight a battle on solid ground. Therefore they rely on gossip and slander which may be done in secret. And in the darkness.
Paul
Friday, April 28, 2006
Anyone who would like a copy of attorney Daniel Shea's hateful emails regarding the Catholic Church may obtain one by writing me at: cleghornboy@juno.com
Paul M.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Anti-Catholic for District Attorney?
Attorney Daniel J. Shea, who has referred to the Catholic Church as "a criminal institution," announces bid for District Attorney position:
Attorney Daniel J. Shea, an attorney who represented clergy abuse victims within the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts and who has referred to the Catholic Church as "a criminal institution," while asserting that "Ratzinger and Co" have engaged in an "international conspiracy to obstruct justice," has announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination to the position of District Attorney for the Middle District, which encompasses Worcester County/Central Massachusetts.
On one occasion, attorney Shea wrote me an email in which he said that the Church, "..is a criminal institution and those who contribute to it any longer are aiding and abetting this criminal conduct called obstruction of justice." On another occasion, he asserted that I "..seem to be blinded by the ability of Ratzinger and Co. to engage in an international conspiracy to obstruct justice."
Please take the time to read my two articles on attorney Daniel J. Shea, the links to which are below. Note how attorney Shea has been involved with the transgender movement. Attorney Shea's anti-Catholic remarks are a cause for serious concern. Do we really want to see this man elected to the District Attorney's Office of the Middle District? How will Catholics fare under Daniel Shea as a District Attorney? Will Catholics be able to receive justice from a man who has said that Catholics who contribute to the Catholic Church are 'aiding and abetting" a "criminal institution"?
What do you think?
The articles:
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2005/06/attorney-daniel-shea-and-co-liberal.html
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2005/06/attorney-daniel-shea-and-co-liberal_23.html
God love you,
Paul
attorney daniel shea
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
A Prayer for Parish Priests on Divine Mercy Sunday
A Prayer for Parish Priests on Divine Mercy Sunday
Lord Jesus,
You have entrusted to me the care of my brothers and sisters gathered together in this parish family. My mission in life is to get to Heaven and bring my brothers and sisters with me. But, you know how sinful and weak I am. Nevertheless, I know that I can do all things in you. Grant me any suffering in this life so that I may offer that suffering up for the conversion of all of my brothers and sisters who refuse to approach the sacrament of mercy. Do not let anyone who has been entrusted to my pastoral care be lost because of my negligence or my lack of holiness. Never let me be departed from you. Jesus, I trust in you! Amen.
Lord Jesus,
You have entrusted to me the care of my brothers and sisters gathered together in this parish family. My mission in life is to get to Heaven and bring my brothers and sisters with me. But, you know how sinful and weak I am. Nevertheless, I know that I can do all things in you. Grant me any suffering in this life so that I may offer that suffering up for the conversion of all of my brothers and sisters who refuse to approach the sacrament of mercy. Do not let anyone who has been entrusted to my pastoral care be lost because of my negligence or my lack of holiness. Never let me be departed from you. Jesus, I trust in you! Amen.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Psychiatry & Faith
Psychiatry & Faith
The Struggle for Chastity and Purity
by Bruce W. Walters, M.D.
Read this important article here:
http://www.latinmassmagazine.com/articles_2001_FA_Walters.html
The Struggle for Chastity and Purity
by Bruce W. Walters, M.D.
Read this important article here:
http://www.latinmassmagazine.com/articles_2001_FA_Walters.html
More Education in Immodesty
Last year, this Blog exposed the fact that Transfiguration Parish in Manchester, New Hampshire had inappropriate website links for teens at its website. After the Diocese of Manchester was notified, these links were removed. Some of these website links may now be found at the website for NH Catholic Youth: http://www.nhcatholicyouth.net/
Among these website links:
http://www.nomoho.org A website whose name is a clear reference to the words "No more whore" and which discusses matters of sexuality. Although this website is temporarily down, a little message from an individual named Matt Smith reads, "NOMOHO.com will be back up soon. I have a lot of coding to do. When the site is back up, you'll be able to purchase the most durable chastity belts on the planet."
I'll bet. I wonder if Mr. Smith plans on offering condoms and abortifacient drugs as well?
http://www.pamstenzel.com A website which has a banner reading "No screwin around," and an introduction which states that, "Pam Stenzel travels the world talking to teens and their parents about sex. Scott Gardner works every day with teen girls who are suffering the consequences of poor choices. Kyle and Abby have been married for a couple of years. Eric is getting ready for college. Jasmine is waiting for the right guy. Cassandra is getting over a bad relationship. Alisha is trying to make good choices in her life. She made bad ones in the past. Nate likes to skate.
They talk about their experiences, they talk about character, they talk about STD’s, pregnancy, boundaries, friends, respect, body parts, good relationships and bad ones, boys and girls. It’s all real, it’s all true. Sex is a big deal, it is a topic we all deal with at some point, and we are all a result of the act… whether we like it or not."
In other words, immodesty must reign since "we are all a result" of the sex act. So, let's talk about body parts and hold what should remain a sacred sphere to be treated with modesty under a laboratory microscope.
http://www.xxxchurch.com/ This one speaks for itself.
The Diocese of Manchester did the right thing when it had Transfiguration Parish remove these morally offensive and inappropriate website links from its website. One has to wonder why these links remain at the website for New Hampshire Catholic Youth.
Read the following:
The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, in an Instruction entitled "Educational Guidance in Human Love - Outlines for sex education," had this to say about the importance and role of modesty in sex education:
EDUCATION FOR MODESTY AND FRIENDSHIP
90. Modesty, a fundamental component of the personality, may be considered - on the ethical level - as the vigilant knowledge which defends the dignity of man, woman and authentic love. It tends to react to certain attitudes and to curb behaviour which stains the dignity of the person. It is a necessary and effective means of controlling the instincts, making authentic love flower, integrating the affective-sexual life in the harmonions picture of the person. Modesty has great pedagogic weight and must therefore be respected. Children and young people will thus learn to respect the body itself as a gift from God, member of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit; they will learn to resist the evil which surrounds them and to have a vision and clear imagination to seek to express a truly human love with all its spiritual components when they meet people in friendship.
91. To such an end, concrete and attractive models of virtue are to be presented, the aesthetic sense be developed, inspiring a taste for the beauty present in nature, in art and in moral life; the young are to be educated to assimilate a system of sensible and spiritual values in an unselfish impetus of faith and love.
92. Friendship is the height of affective maturation and differs from mere cameraderie by its interior dimension, by communication which allows and fosters true communion, by its reciprocal generosity and its stability. Education for friendship can become a factor of extraordinary importance in the making of the personality in its individual and social dimensions.
93. The bonds of friendship which unite the young of both sexes contribute both to understanding and to reciprocal respect when they are maintained within the limits of normal affective expression. If however they become or tend to become manifestations of a genital character, they lose the authentic meaning of mature friendship, prejudice the relationships involved and the future prospects with regard to an eventual marriage, and render the individuals concerned less attentive to a possible call to the consecrated life.
This teaching on modesty is echoed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For example, No. 2521 says that: "Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity."
And No. 2522 says that: "Modesty protects the mysteryof persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships...Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet."
Bearing this Magisterial teaching in mind, can we honestly suggest that the website for New Hampshire Catholic Youth is respecting modesty of persons when it features links to websites such as the ones mentioned above?
I submit that the Diocese of Manchester is not yet fully committed toward promoting an authentic sex education for its youth. One which recognizes the importance and role of modesty.
Paul Anthony Melanson
Among these website links:
http://www.nomoho.org A website whose name is a clear reference to the words "No more whore" and which discusses matters of sexuality. Although this website is temporarily down, a little message from an individual named Matt Smith reads, "NOMOHO.com will be back up soon. I have a lot of coding to do. When the site is back up, you'll be able to purchase the most durable chastity belts on the planet."
I'll bet. I wonder if Mr. Smith plans on offering condoms and abortifacient drugs as well?
http://www.pamstenzel.com A website which has a banner reading "No screwin around," and an introduction which states that, "Pam Stenzel travels the world talking to teens and their parents about sex. Scott Gardner works every day with teen girls who are suffering the consequences of poor choices. Kyle and Abby have been married for a couple of years. Eric is getting ready for college. Jasmine is waiting for the right guy. Cassandra is getting over a bad relationship. Alisha is trying to make good choices in her life. She made bad ones in the past. Nate likes to skate.
They talk about their experiences, they talk about character, they talk about STD’s, pregnancy, boundaries, friends, respect, body parts, good relationships and bad ones, boys and girls. It’s all real, it’s all true. Sex is a big deal, it is a topic we all deal with at some point, and we are all a result of the act… whether we like it or not."
In other words, immodesty must reign since "we are all a result" of the sex act. So, let's talk about body parts and hold what should remain a sacred sphere to be treated with modesty under a laboratory microscope.
http://www.xxxchurch.com/ This one speaks for itself.
The Diocese of Manchester did the right thing when it had Transfiguration Parish remove these morally offensive and inappropriate website links from its website. One has to wonder why these links remain at the website for New Hampshire Catholic Youth.
Read the following:
The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, in an Instruction entitled "Educational Guidance in Human Love - Outlines for sex education," had this to say about the importance and role of modesty in sex education:
EDUCATION FOR MODESTY AND FRIENDSHIP
90. Modesty, a fundamental component of the personality, may be considered - on the ethical level - as the vigilant knowledge which defends the dignity of man, woman and authentic love. It tends to react to certain attitudes and to curb behaviour which stains the dignity of the person. It is a necessary and effective means of controlling the instincts, making authentic love flower, integrating the affective-sexual life in the harmonions picture of the person. Modesty has great pedagogic weight and must therefore be respected. Children and young people will thus learn to respect the body itself as a gift from God, member of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit; they will learn to resist the evil which surrounds them and to have a vision and clear imagination to seek to express a truly human love with all its spiritual components when they meet people in friendship.
91. To such an end, concrete and attractive models of virtue are to be presented, the aesthetic sense be developed, inspiring a taste for the beauty present in nature, in art and in moral life; the young are to be educated to assimilate a system of sensible and spiritual values in an unselfish impetus of faith and love.
92. Friendship is the height of affective maturation and differs from mere cameraderie by its interior dimension, by communication which allows and fosters true communion, by its reciprocal generosity and its stability. Education for friendship can become a factor of extraordinary importance in the making of the personality in its individual and social dimensions.
93. The bonds of friendship which unite the young of both sexes contribute both to understanding and to reciprocal respect when they are maintained within the limits of normal affective expression. If however they become or tend to become manifestations of a genital character, they lose the authentic meaning of mature friendship, prejudice the relationships involved and the future prospects with regard to an eventual marriage, and render the individuals concerned less attentive to a possible call to the consecrated life.
This teaching on modesty is echoed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For example, No. 2521 says that: "Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity."
And No. 2522 says that: "Modesty protects the mysteryof persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships...Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet."
Bearing this Magisterial teaching in mind, can we honestly suggest that the website for New Hampshire Catholic Youth is respecting modesty of persons when it features links to websites such as the ones mentioned above?
I submit that the Diocese of Manchester is not yet fully committed toward promoting an authentic sex education for its youth. One which recognizes the importance and role of modesty.
Paul Anthony Melanson
From the La Salette Journey Archives
Interficere errorem, diligere errantem
This basic principle, taught by St. Augustine in his classic work entitled "The City of God" (Book 14, ch.6), translates thusly into English: "kill the error, love the one who errs." Unfortunately, there are many Catholics today who believe that one cannot accomplish both of these actions at the same time. Such people fail to understand that love actually requires the killing of error.
Why do these individuals remain silent when faced with the grave evils of our day? And why are they critical of those Catholics who actually do condemn these evils? The answer is simple, they wrongly interpret Sacred Scripture as teaching that it is never permissible to judge. Yes, our Lord tells us, "Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7: 1-2).
And we also read in James 4: 12-13, "There is one lawgiver and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver. But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?"
Vatican II, specifically Gaudium et Spes, No. 28, also reminds us of this prohibition against judging others: "God alone is the judge and searcher of hearts; for that reason he forbids us to make judgments about the internal guilt of anyone." But this norm does not preclude us from rendering judgments on words, ideas and actions. On the contrary, the words of the great St. Augustine (Bishop of Hippo and Father and Doctor of the Church) "kill the error, love the one who errs," says it all.
We have a responsibility as Catholics to admonish others at times. And this responsibility is grounded in love of neighbor. When we truly love our neighbor, we will for them to abide in God's love and not to be separated from His love by sin. Recall the Church's definition of charity as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1822. The responsibility we have as Catholics to admonish others at times and to engage in fraternal correction is clearly taught in Sacred Scripture: Luke 17:3, 1 Corinthians 6: 1-6, Galatians 6:1, 1 Thessalonians 5: 14, 2 Thessalonians 3: 14-15, James 5: 19-20.
There are two different meanings to the word "judge" in Sacred Scripture then. God alone may judge a person's interior dispositions. God alone may judge a person's soul. Scripture is clear on this. However, the same Scripture is clear when it teaches us that we may judge actions, words and ideas which fail to live up to Gospel demands. Recall what the Holy Spirit tells us through St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 5: 12, "..Do not you judge them that are within?"
It is possible to judge that what others are doing (or saying) is wrong and to accomplish this without judging the person's internal guilt. While killing the error, we continue to love the one who errs. And our love is shown by the very fact that we admonish the person because we don't want them to be separated from God's love by sin.
Until next time,
God love you
Paul Anthony Melanson
This basic principle, taught by St. Augustine in his classic work entitled "The City of God" (Book 14, ch.6), translates thusly into English: "kill the error, love the one who errs." Unfortunately, there are many Catholics today who believe that one cannot accomplish both of these actions at the same time. Such people fail to understand that love actually requires the killing of error.
Why do these individuals remain silent when faced with the grave evils of our day? And why are they critical of those Catholics who actually do condemn these evils? The answer is simple, they wrongly interpret Sacred Scripture as teaching that it is never permissible to judge. Yes, our Lord tells us, "Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7: 1-2).
And we also read in James 4: 12-13, "There is one lawgiver and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver. But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?"
Vatican II, specifically Gaudium et Spes, No. 28, also reminds us of this prohibition against judging others: "God alone is the judge and searcher of hearts; for that reason he forbids us to make judgments about the internal guilt of anyone." But this norm does not preclude us from rendering judgments on words, ideas and actions. On the contrary, the words of the great St. Augustine (Bishop of Hippo and Father and Doctor of the Church) "kill the error, love the one who errs," says it all.
We have a responsibility as Catholics to admonish others at times. And this responsibility is grounded in love of neighbor. When we truly love our neighbor, we will for them to abide in God's love and not to be separated from His love by sin. Recall the Church's definition of charity as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1822. The responsibility we have as Catholics to admonish others at times and to engage in fraternal correction is clearly taught in Sacred Scripture: Luke 17:3, 1 Corinthians 6: 1-6, Galatians 6:1, 1 Thessalonians 5: 14, 2 Thessalonians 3: 14-15, James 5: 19-20.
There are two different meanings to the word "judge" in Sacred Scripture then. God alone may judge a person's interior dispositions. God alone may judge a person's soul. Scripture is clear on this. However, the same Scripture is clear when it teaches us that we may judge actions, words and ideas which fail to live up to Gospel demands. Recall what the Holy Spirit tells us through St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 5: 12, "..Do not you judge them that are within?"
It is possible to judge that what others are doing (or saying) is wrong and to accomplish this without judging the person's internal guilt. While killing the error, we continue to love the one who errs. And our love is shown by the very fact that we admonish the person because we don't want them to be separated from God's love by sin.
Until next time,
God love you
Paul Anthony Melanson
I shall extol Thee
"I shall extol Thee, O God my king: and I shall bless Thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.
"Exaltabo Te, Deus meus rex; et benedicam nomini Tuo in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.
2 Every day shall I bless Thee: and I will praise Thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.
per singulos dies benedicam Tibi, et laudabo nomen Tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of His greatness there is no end." (Ps. 144, 1-3)
Magnus Dominus, et laudabilis nimis; et magnitudinis Ejus non est finis." (Ps. 144, 1-3)
"Exaltabo Te, Deus meus rex; et benedicam nomini Tuo in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.
2 Every day shall I bless Thee: and I will praise Thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.
per singulos dies benedicam Tibi, et laudabo nomen Tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of His greatness there is no end." (Ps. 144, 1-3)
Magnus Dominus, et laudabilis nimis; et magnitudinis Ejus non est finis." (Ps. 144, 1-3)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
This Word Was Hid From Them
"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man.
"Ecce ascendimus Jerosolymam, et consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt per prophetas de Filio hominis.
32 For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon.
Tradetur enim gentibus, et illudetur, et flagellabitur, et conspuetur;
33 And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death. And the third day He shall rise again.
et postquam flagellaverint, occident Eum, et tertia die resurget.
34 And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them: and they understood not the things that were said." (Lk. 18, 31-34)
Et ipsi nihil horum intellexerunt, et erat verbum istud absconditum ab eis, et non intelligebant quae dicebantur." (Lc. 18, 31-34)
"Ecce ascendimus Jerosolymam, et consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt per prophetas de Filio hominis.
32 For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon.
Tradetur enim gentibus, et illudetur, et flagellabitur, et conspuetur;
33 And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death. And the third day He shall rise again.
et postquam flagellaverint, occident Eum, et tertia die resurget.
34 And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them: and they understood not the things that were said." (Lk. 18, 31-34)
Et ipsi nihil horum intellexerunt, et erat verbum istud absconditum ab eis, et non intelligebant quae dicebantur." (Lc. 18, 31-34)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Friday, April 07, 2006
For military history buffs
I have just published a new 12-month calendar entitled "Camille Melanson's Memories of Korea." While Korea is known as "The forgotten war," the sacrifices of the brave men and women who served there will never be forgotten.
Order your copy today by visiting this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/260503
Thank you,
Paul
Order your copy today by visiting this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/260503
Thank you,
Paul
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Magisterial fidelity?
Over at "Magisterial Fidelity," here is what's being said about His Eminence Sean O'Malley, who was just made a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI:
"Well - we're finally at the point where we can get more truth out on what's going down in Sean's schism than we can in the Pilot!O'Malley readies a team of His Own All the schismatics he has in place are looking forward to more of the same."
The Cardinal is in schism? And this woman referred to Mr. John Ansley as a "local lunatic"? There is a real prayer need here.
Paul
Fidélité magistrale ?
Par-dessus à « la Fidélité Magistrale, » est ici ce qu'est dit de Son Eminence Sean O'Malley, qui était juste a fait un Cardinal par le Pape Benoît XVI :« Bien - nous sommes finalement au point où nous pouvons obtenir plus de vérité hors sur ce que descend dans le schisme de Sean que nous pouvons dans le Pilote ! O'Malley prêt une équipe à lui Tout le schismatique il a à sa place regardent en avant à plus de pareil. »Le Cardinal est dans le schisme ? Et cette femme s'est référée à M. John Ansley comme un « le personne déséquilibrée local » ? Il y a un vrai besoin de prière ici.
Paul
"Well - we're finally at the point where we can get more truth out on what's going down in Sean's schism than we can in the Pilot!O'Malley readies a team of His Own All the schismatics he has in place are looking forward to more of the same."
The Cardinal is in schism? And this woman referred to Mr. John Ansley as a "local lunatic"? There is a real prayer need here.
Paul
Fidélité magistrale ?
Par-dessus à « la Fidélité Magistrale, » est ici ce qu'est dit de Son Eminence Sean O'Malley, qui était juste a fait un Cardinal par le Pape Benoît XVI :« Bien - nous sommes finalement au point où nous pouvons obtenir plus de vérité hors sur ce que descend dans le schisme de Sean que nous pouvons dans le Pilote ! O'Malley prêt une équipe à lui Tout le schismatique il a à sa place regardent en avant à plus de pareil. »Le Cardinal est dans le schisme ? Et cette femme s'est référée à M. John Ansley comme un « le personne déséquilibrée local » ? Il y a un vrai besoin de prière ici.
Paul
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger on Cardinal Newman
16 years ago, Pope Benedict XVI had this to say about the great Cardinal Newman:
1990 Presentation: The Theology of Cardinal Newman
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
One of the 'great teachers of the Church'
On 15 May 1879, Pope Leo XIII raised John Henry Newman to the dignity of Cardinal and thus recognized his extraordinary merits, not only for the faithful in England, but also for the universal Church.
To commemorate this event, we publish this Presentation in which Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI — revealed his personal approach to Newman, while underscoring the relevance of this great teacher for the Church of our time.
The Presentation was given in the centenary year of Newman's death (1990) during a Symposium organized by the International Centre of Newman Friends, run by members of the Spiritual Family, "The Work".
I do not feel competent to speak on Newman's figure or work, but perhaps it is meaningful if I tell a little about my own way to Newman, in which indeed something is reflected of the presence of this great English theologian in the intellectual and spiritual struggle of our time.
In January 1946, when I began my study of theology in the Seminary in Freising which had finally reopened after the confusion of the war, an older student was assigned as prefect to our group, who had begun to work on a dissertation on Newman's theology of conscience, even before the beginning of the war. In all the years of his military service he had not lost sight of this theme, which he now turned to with new enthusiasm and energy.
We were soon bonded by a personal friendship, wholly centred on the great problems of philosophy and theology. Of course, Newman was always present. Alfred Läpple — the name of the abovementioned prefect — published his dissertation in 1952 with the title: Der Einzelne in der Kirche (The Individual in the Church).
For us at that time, Newman's teaching on conscience became an important foundation for theological personalism, which was drawing us all in its sway. Our image of the human being as well as our image of the Church was permeated by this point of departure.
We had experienced the claim of a totalitarian party, which understood itself as the fulfilment of history and which negated the conscience of the individual. One of its leaders had said: "I have no conscience. My conscience is Adolf Hitler". The appalling devastation of humanity that followed was before our eyes.
So it was liberating and essential for us to know that the "we" of the Church does not rest on a cancellation of conscience, but that, exactly the opposite, it can only develop from conscience.
Precisely because Newman interpreted the existence of the human being from conscience, that is, from the relationship between God and the soul, was it clear that this personalism is not individualism, and that being bound by conscience does not mean being free tomake random choices — the exact opposite is the case.
It was from Newman that we learned to understand the primacy of the Pope. Freedom of conscience, Newman told us, is not identical with the right "to dispense with conscience, to ignore a Lawgiver and Judge, to be independent of unseen obligations".
Thus, conscience in its true sense is the bedrock of Papal authority; its power comes from revelation that completes natural conscience, which is imperfectly enlightened, and "the championship of the Moral Law and of conscience is its raison d'être".
Doctrine on conscience
I certainly need not explicitly mention that this teaching on conscience has become ever more important for me in the continued development of the Church and the world. Ever more I see how it first opens in the context of the biography of the Cardinal, which is only to be understood in connection with the drama of his century and so speaks to us.
Newman had become a convert as a man of conscience; it was his conscience that led him out of the old ties and securities into the world of Catholicism, which was difficult and strange for him. But this way of conscience is everything except a way of self-sufficient subjectivity: it is a way of obedience to objective truth.
The second step in Newman's lifelong journey of conversion was overcoming the subjective evangelical position in favour of an understanding of Christendom based on the objectivity of dogma. In this connection I find a formulation from one of his early sermons to be especially significant today:
"True Christendom is shown... in obedience and not through a state of consciousness. Thus, the whole duty and work of a Christian is made up of these two parts, Faith and Obedience; 'looking unto Jesus' (Heb 2:9)... and acting according to His will.... I conceive that we are in danger, in this day, of insisting on neither of these as we ought; regarding all true and careful consideration of the Object of faith as barren orthodoxy, technical subtlety... and... making the test of our being religious to consist in our having what is called a spiritual state of heart...".
In this context some sentences from The Arians of the Fourth Century, which may sound rather astonishing at first, seem important to me: "...to detect and to approve the principle on which... peace is grounded in Scripture; to submit to the dictation of truth, as such, as a primary authority in matters of political and private conduct; to understand... zeal to be prior in the succession of Christian graces to benevolence".
For me it is always fascinating to see and consider how in just this way and only in this way, through commitment to the truth, to God, conscience receives its rank, dignity and strength.I would like in this context to add but one sentence from the Apologia, which shows the realism in this idea of person and Church: "Living movements do not come of committees".
Recognize identity of faith
Very briefly I would like to return to the autobiographical thread. When I continued my studies in Munich in 1947, I found a well read and enthusiastic follower of Newman in the fundamental theologian, Gottlieb Söhngen, who was my true teacher in theology. He opened up the Grammar of Assent to us and in doing so, the special manner and form of certainty in religious knowledge.
Even deeper for me was the contribution which Heinrich Fries published in connection with the Jubilee of Chalcedon. Here I found access to Newman's teaching on the development of doctrine, which I regard along with his doctrine on conscience as his decisive contribution to the renewal of theology.
With this he had placed the key in our hand to build historical thought into theology, or much more, he taught us to think historically in theology and so to recognize the identity of faith in all developments.
Here I have to refrain from deepening these ideas further. It seems to me that Newman's starting point, also in modern theology, has not yet been fully evaluated. Fruitful possibilities awaiting development are still hidden in it.
At this point I would only like to refer again to the biographical background of this concept.
It is known how Newman's insight into the ideas of development influenced his way to Catholicism. But it is not just a matter of an unfolding of ideas. In the concept of development, Newman's own life plays a role. That seems to become visible to me in his well-known words: "...to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often".Throughout his entire life, Newman was a person converting, a person being transformed, and thus he always remained and became ever more himself.
St Augustine and Newman
Here the figure of St Augustine comes to my mind, with whom Newman was so associated. When Augustine was converted in the garden at Cassiciacum he understood conversion according to the system of the revered master Plotin and the Neo-Platonic philosophers. He thought that his past sinful life would now be definitively cast off; from now on the convert would be someone wholly new and different, and his further journey would be a steady climb to the ever purer heights of closeness to God.
It was something like that which Gregory of Nyssa described in his Ascent of Moses: "Just as bodies, after having received the first push downwards, fall effortlessly into the depths with ever greater speed, so, on the contrary, the soul which has loosed itself from earthly passion rises up in a rapid upward movement... constantly overcoming itself in a steady upward flight".
Augustine's actual experience was a different one. He had to learn that being a Christian is always a difficult journey with all its heights and depths.
The image of ascensus is exchanged for that of iter, whose tiring weight is lightened and borne up by moments of light which we may receive now and then. Conversion is the iter — the roadway of a whole lifetime. And faith is always "development", and precisely in this manner it is the maturation of the soul to truth, to God, who is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.
In the idea of "development" Newman had written his own experience of a never finished conversion and interpreted for us, not only the way of Christian doctrine, but that of the Christian life.
The characteristic of the great Doctor of the Church, it seems to me, is that he teaches not only through his thought and speech but also by his life, because within him, thought and life are interpenetrated and defined. If this is so, then Newman belongs to the great teachers of the Church, because he both touches our hearts and enlightens our thinking.
Taken from:L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English1 June 2005, page 9
L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:
The Cathedral FoundationL'Osservatore Romano English Edition320 Cathedral St.Baltimore, MD 21201Subscriptions: (410) 547-5315Fax: (410) 332-1069.
1990 Presentation: The Theology of Cardinal Newman
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
One of the 'great teachers of the Church'
On 15 May 1879, Pope Leo XIII raised John Henry Newman to the dignity of Cardinal and thus recognized his extraordinary merits, not only for the faithful in England, but also for the universal Church.
To commemorate this event, we publish this Presentation in which Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI — revealed his personal approach to Newman, while underscoring the relevance of this great teacher for the Church of our time.
The Presentation was given in the centenary year of Newman's death (1990) during a Symposium organized by the International Centre of Newman Friends, run by members of the Spiritual Family, "The Work".
I do not feel competent to speak on Newman's figure or work, but perhaps it is meaningful if I tell a little about my own way to Newman, in which indeed something is reflected of the presence of this great English theologian in the intellectual and spiritual struggle of our time.
In January 1946, when I began my study of theology in the Seminary in Freising which had finally reopened after the confusion of the war, an older student was assigned as prefect to our group, who had begun to work on a dissertation on Newman's theology of conscience, even before the beginning of the war. In all the years of his military service he had not lost sight of this theme, which he now turned to with new enthusiasm and energy.
We were soon bonded by a personal friendship, wholly centred on the great problems of philosophy and theology. Of course, Newman was always present. Alfred Läpple — the name of the abovementioned prefect — published his dissertation in 1952 with the title: Der Einzelne in der Kirche (The Individual in the Church).
For us at that time, Newman's teaching on conscience became an important foundation for theological personalism, which was drawing us all in its sway. Our image of the human being as well as our image of the Church was permeated by this point of departure.
We had experienced the claim of a totalitarian party, which understood itself as the fulfilment of history and which negated the conscience of the individual. One of its leaders had said: "I have no conscience. My conscience is Adolf Hitler". The appalling devastation of humanity that followed was before our eyes.
So it was liberating and essential for us to know that the "we" of the Church does not rest on a cancellation of conscience, but that, exactly the opposite, it can only develop from conscience.
Precisely because Newman interpreted the existence of the human being from conscience, that is, from the relationship between God and the soul, was it clear that this personalism is not individualism, and that being bound by conscience does not mean being free tomake random choices — the exact opposite is the case.
It was from Newman that we learned to understand the primacy of the Pope. Freedom of conscience, Newman told us, is not identical with the right "to dispense with conscience, to ignore a Lawgiver and Judge, to be independent of unseen obligations".
Thus, conscience in its true sense is the bedrock of Papal authority; its power comes from revelation that completes natural conscience, which is imperfectly enlightened, and "the championship of the Moral Law and of conscience is its raison d'être".
Doctrine on conscience
I certainly need not explicitly mention that this teaching on conscience has become ever more important for me in the continued development of the Church and the world. Ever more I see how it first opens in the context of the biography of the Cardinal, which is only to be understood in connection with the drama of his century and so speaks to us.
Newman had become a convert as a man of conscience; it was his conscience that led him out of the old ties and securities into the world of Catholicism, which was difficult and strange for him. But this way of conscience is everything except a way of self-sufficient subjectivity: it is a way of obedience to objective truth.
The second step in Newman's lifelong journey of conversion was overcoming the subjective evangelical position in favour of an understanding of Christendom based on the objectivity of dogma. In this connection I find a formulation from one of his early sermons to be especially significant today:
"True Christendom is shown... in obedience and not through a state of consciousness. Thus, the whole duty and work of a Christian is made up of these two parts, Faith and Obedience; 'looking unto Jesus' (Heb 2:9)... and acting according to His will.... I conceive that we are in danger, in this day, of insisting on neither of these as we ought; regarding all true and careful consideration of the Object of faith as barren orthodoxy, technical subtlety... and... making the test of our being religious to consist in our having what is called a spiritual state of heart...".
In this context some sentences from The Arians of the Fourth Century, which may sound rather astonishing at first, seem important to me: "...to detect and to approve the principle on which... peace is grounded in Scripture; to submit to the dictation of truth, as such, as a primary authority in matters of political and private conduct; to understand... zeal to be prior in the succession of Christian graces to benevolence".
For me it is always fascinating to see and consider how in just this way and only in this way, through commitment to the truth, to God, conscience receives its rank, dignity and strength.I would like in this context to add but one sentence from the Apologia, which shows the realism in this idea of person and Church: "Living movements do not come of committees".
Recognize identity of faith
Very briefly I would like to return to the autobiographical thread. When I continued my studies in Munich in 1947, I found a well read and enthusiastic follower of Newman in the fundamental theologian, Gottlieb Söhngen, who was my true teacher in theology. He opened up the Grammar of Assent to us and in doing so, the special manner and form of certainty in religious knowledge.
Even deeper for me was the contribution which Heinrich Fries published in connection with the Jubilee of Chalcedon. Here I found access to Newman's teaching on the development of doctrine, which I regard along with his doctrine on conscience as his decisive contribution to the renewal of theology.
With this he had placed the key in our hand to build historical thought into theology, or much more, he taught us to think historically in theology and so to recognize the identity of faith in all developments.
Here I have to refrain from deepening these ideas further. It seems to me that Newman's starting point, also in modern theology, has not yet been fully evaluated. Fruitful possibilities awaiting development are still hidden in it.
At this point I would only like to refer again to the biographical background of this concept.
It is known how Newman's insight into the ideas of development influenced his way to Catholicism. But it is not just a matter of an unfolding of ideas. In the concept of development, Newman's own life plays a role. That seems to become visible to me in his well-known words: "...to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often".Throughout his entire life, Newman was a person converting, a person being transformed, and thus he always remained and became ever more himself.
St Augustine and Newman
Here the figure of St Augustine comes to my mind, with whom Newman was so associated. When Augustine was converted in the garden at Cassiciacum he understood conversion according to the system of the revered master Plotin and the Neo-Platonic philosophers. He thought that his past sinful life would now be definitively cast off; from now on the convert would be someone wholly new and different, and his further journey would be a steady climb to the ever purer heights of closeness to God.
It was something like that which Gregory of Nyssa described in his Ascent of Moses: "Just as bodies, after having received the first push downwards, fall effortlessly into the depths with ever greater speed, so, on the contrary, the soul which has loosed itself from earthly passion rises up in a rapid upward movement... constantly overcoming itself in a steady upward flight".
Augustine's actual experience was a different one. He had to learn that being a Christian is always a difficult journey with all its heights and depths.
The image of ascensus is exchanged for that of iter, whose tiring weight is lightened and borne up by moments of light which we may receive now and then. Conversion is the iter — the roadway of a whole lifetime. And faith is always "development", and precisely in this manner it is the maturation of the soul to truth, to God, who is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.
In the idea of "development" Newman had written his own experience of a never finished conversion and interpreted for us, not only the way of Christian doctrine, but that of the Christian life.
The characteristic of the great Doctor of the Church, it seems to me, is that he teaches not only through his thought and speech but also by his life, because within him, thought and life are interpenetrated and defined. If this is so, then Newman belongs to the great teachers of the Church, because he both touches our hearts and enlightens our thinking.
Taken from:L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English1 June 2005, page 9
L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:
The Cathedral FoundationL'Osservatore Romano English Edition320 Cathedral St.Baltimore, MD 21201Subscriptions: (410) 547-5315Fax: (410) 332-1069.