Judas a Tailor?

Gnostic gospel will be all the rage this weekend...Gospel of Judas, dating back to 300 A.D., probably mentioned (condemned) by Irenaeus in 182...

Judas was doing Jesus a favor by helping him get rid of his earthly cloak. In an age of "no one is bad" this is the gospel people want to hear. Unfortunately it's a false one.

Update: Watched a pre-release version last night and those who watch this will definitely need to be catechized. It paints a murky picture that if you aren't aware of early Church history you'd be easily misled by the tone and suspense of the documentary. Although if you are aware, you easily pick up on all the ways they phrase statements, etc. If you watch it, take it as an invitation to read a primer on the history of the early church.

Jesus--an Ice Surfer?

Don't have time to link the story, but this one really is stupid...from a prof at FSU no less.

Questions for the prof to ponder...

Were the Apostles in an ice breaking ship?

Did Peter slip off the ice?

Was Jesus wearing skates?

Spring Football in Williams Bryce Stadium

With the Ole Ball Coach and his SC Gamecocks:

Removing whatever curse that cost the Gator's a trip to the SEC championship last year:

Joseph at Five

Celebrating with five candles (day before his birthday):



Michael finds another way to celebrate:

The Church, Love and Division

Pope's Angelus which seems like his catechetical series will be based on 1 John, a sort of continuation on his Encyclical but dealing with the more difficult issues, like today's discussion on division, from Asia News Italy:

The Church is “love”, but it is also “truth”: faithfulness to these two features that have co-existed since the times of the Twelve mean that, faced with the danger of losing faith, there is the “clear duty of whoever believes the Church of love, and who wants to live within it, to interrupt communion with he who has distanced himself from the saving doctrine”.

Continuing with his reflection about the mystery of the Church, Benedict XVI addressed 30,000 people who attended the general audience in St Peter’s Square on this windy day. The weather brought forth a joke from Benedict XVI about “wind that could make one think of the Holy Spirit”, of the “service to communion”. Right from the time of the apostles, he said, the community of the disciples “was no stranger to trials, arising above all from clashes about truths of the faith, with subsequent divisions in communion. Just as fellowship in love has existed from the beginning (cfr 1 Jn 1:1ff), so has division taken over from that time: “They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us” (1 Jn 2:19). How great is the danger of losing one’s faith! It is a clear duty of those who believe the Church of love and who want to live within it, to interrupt communion with those who distance themselves from the saving doctrine (cfr 2 Jn 9-11)

The growing Church was “well aware of the possible tensions in the experience of communion”.

But “the Church of love is also the Church of truth, understood above all to be faithfulness to the Gospel entrusted to the Lord Jesus to his own. Christian brotherhood arises out of being made children of the same Father by the Spirit of truth: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (Rom. 8:14).

But to live in unity and peace, the family of children of God needs someone to watch over it in truth, and to lead it with wise and authoritative discernment: this is what makes the ministry of the Apostles”.

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New Bishop of Cleveland

The former rector of St. John's... From Vatican Information Service:

The Holy Father appointed Bishop Richard Gerard Lennon, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Boston, U.S.A., as bishop of Cleveland (area 8,842, population 2,853,155, Catholics 802,767, priests 583, permanent deacons 191, religious 1,446), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Anthony Michael Pilla, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

YIP-EEE!

FLORIDA GATORS ARE THE NATIONAL CHAMPS!

First Hand Account from Rome

From the Roamin Roman...nice picture of the tomb from Sunday as well.

Father's of the Church Blog

By one of my favorite authors, Mike Aquilina!

John Paul's Presence Remains Great

From English News from Korea:

Thousands gathered in Saint Peter's square on the first anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death to pay tribute to the man who led the world's Catholics for 26 years. During the day, many visited his tomb in the crypt underneath Saint Peter's basilica.

By early evening the square was filled with pilgrims holding candles and many waving red and white polish flags. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Italian bishops conference, led the evening vigil with prayers, hymns and selected readings from John Paul's writings: his poetry, books and homilies.

Pope Benedict XVI appeared at his study window and joined the pilgrims in the recitation of the rosary. It was a reminder of the solemn prayers of the faithful at the same time last year underneath John Paul II's apartments.

At 21.37, the exact time of Pope John Paul's death, pope Benedict addressed the faithful saying that a year has gone by since the death of his predecessor, but his memory continues to be very alive.

The pope said John Paul II continues to be present in our mind and in our heart, he continues to communicate his love for god and his love for man.

"Well done good and faithful servant."

From Pope Benedict today:

Towards the end, Benedict XVI recalled the last days of John Paul II, sick and in silence. The pope said the Lord “stripped him of everything to assimilate him with himself… His gestures and proclamations were reduced to the bare essential: to the gift of himself to the last”. The pope added: “His death was the fulfillment of a testimony of faith that touched many men of goodwill”.

Introducing the Angelus prayer, Benedict stressed that John Paul II died on Saturday, “the day dedicated to Mary”, to who we ask to “make ours that which this great pontiff showed and taught us”.

Pope Calls for Days of Prayer and Fasting for Iraq

For this Monday and Tuesday...

During the Angelus:

The pope launched an appeal for two days of prayer and fasting for peace in Iraq, on 3 and 4 April. The appeal, made by Benedict XVI, was the desire of the Patriarch of Baghdad, Emmanuel Delly and the Iraqi bishops, and it has been made to all believers, including Muslims.

#43. What does it mean to believe in only one God?

The Compendium is out...

From Poland Will Come the Spark

One year ago today...

"From Poland will Come the Spark that will prepare the world for my final coming"

I read these words back in 1978 from St. Faustina's diary that were spoken to her by Jesus. They were published before anyone had even thought of a Polish pope, but somehow one knew that Jesus was referring to this pope and twenty six years later the spark has spread it's fire throughout the world and the devotion to the Divine Mercy is one of the most popular.

I wrote to the pope back in those early days and received the standard reply from a Monsignor that the Holy Father had received my message and sent his blessings. Enclosed in the letter was a small crucifix. What I had written the pope was the following message from teh Gospel of John in Polish:

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young,
you girded yourself and walked where you would;
but when you are old,
you will stretch out your hands,
and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go."
(This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.)
And after this he said to him, "Follow me."
John 21:18-19

It is Our Lord's message to St. Peter. I was reminded of this today at Mass when the Gospel reading was from John and the verses immediately preceding this passage. When I sent it to the Holy Father those many years ago I did so because I thought of how his embracing of the Petrine office was taking him away from his beloved Poland. But in these last years it has seemed even more prophetic as he is wheeled out and put around.

If indeed he is the spark that was to prepare the world for the Lord's coming what awaits us after his entrance into the Father's Kingdom?

One Year later...2006:

In the middle of the night on February 24/25th on a plane somewhere over the west European cost as light broke through the darkness this passage from St. Faustina's diary entered my mind and the words "write and remind others about this message."

I forgot about it for the most part after the excitement of the days in Rome, but was reminded of it when I prayed at the tomb of Pope John Paul II and then this:



The beautiful Encyclical of Pope Benedict is yet another invitation from the God of Love...

Yet how many of us are mired in judgment--judging and being judged?

Picking up stones to cast at others, while worthy of being stoned?

Forgetful of the price paid for our salvation, forgetful of the gift being offered in the Confessional and the altar?

Lord have mercy on us!

Pope to China, Russia and Canada

One of these is not like the others...

All in the news.

Quebec in 2008?

China

Russia

Pope's General Audience

From Asia News Italy:

The Church, “in spite of all human frailties”, expresses the communion, the “participation in trinitary life”. It is a “gift that brings us out of our solitude and enables us to participate in the love that binds us to God and to one another.” We can understand its greatness “only if we consider the divisions and conflicts that afflict relations between individuals, groups and entire peoples.”

Today, on a true day of spring, Benedict XVI spoke of the gift of communion to 40,000 faithful gathered for the general audience in St Peter’s Square. Communion is a gift from which the Church stems and which the Church expresses, he said. Through its apostolic ministry, it “will live across time building and nourishing the communion in Christ and the Spirit”.

“The Twelve prepared their successors (cf 1 Clem 42, 4) so that their mission might continue after their death. In the course of time, the Church, organically structured under the guidance of its legitimate Pastors, has thus continued to exist in the world as the mystery of communion in which is somewhat reflected the trinitary communion itself”.

Archbiship Marini Hospitalized?

Rumor floating around Rome is that Papal Master of Ceremonies, Archbishop Piero Marini has suffered a heart attack and has been hospitalized.

Now if this is true, let me make one comment. I noticed at the Mass on Saturday that Marini kept rubbing his eyes during the Pope's homily. ..which struck me as strange as these papal attendants usually are very stoic. If there is someone with medical knowledge could rubbing of the eyes be a warning sign?

It might be that Marini is getting too old to handle the rigours of papal liturgies (three in the past three days)!

Btw, I wasn't the only one who noticed. Check out what Shouts has to say:

Just as Marini being passed over for cardinal doesn't necessarily mean
anything neither does his remaining on the job as M.C. As is always the case we
don't get to decide for him what the Pope's actions (or lack thereof) mean.
Besides, there's always next year for more red hats, right? Perhaps that's why
Piero seemed so out of it at yesterday's Consistory? Perhaps, the axe is about
to fall and he's bummed? Maybe the axe has already fallen and it just isn't
public yet so he's feeling whistful for the "old days" of the last millenium
when he had more control?

(emphasis mind)

Cardinal Masses' From on Site Bloggers

Cardinal O'Malley's mass at the North American College via Sister Bernadette

And...

Cardinal Leveda's Mass via Zadok

Yes, We Can!

Half a million protest immigration bill in LA...

From Access North Georgia:

More than 500,000 protesters - demanding that Congress abandon attempts to make
illegal immigration a felony and to build more walls along the border -
surprised police who estimated the crowd size using aerial photographs and other
techniques, police Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr. said.

Wearing white T-shirts to
symbolize peace, the demonstrators chanted "Mexico!" "USA!" and "Si se puede,"
an old Mexican-American civil rights shout that means "Yes, we can."