Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Even Conservative Evangelicals are Joining the Call to Fast for Peace



From Fast and Pray for Saddam Hussein -- Beliefnet.com:



But Christians should never talk about war with bravado—only with reluctance, weeping, and with prayer and fasting.



We know from 2 Chronicles that King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a great warrior with a large, seasoned army. But when Jehoshaphat was confronted with an invasion, instead of riding out to meet the invaders, he led the people in prayer. "We do not know what to do," he prayed, "but our eyes are on you." And God’s deliverance came in a thoroughly unexpected way. Jehoshaphat’s army didn’t fire a shot.
Catholic Just War



The facts and myths about a war with Iraq. Includes a Catholic petition to either support or express reservations about a possible war.



Personally, I'm for peace. I believe that with prayer and faith Saddam Hussein can be overthrown without a bullet ever being fired. I am one of those traditional Catholics who prayed the rosary for years for the conversion of Russia. I would say that Russia was a bigger threat to the world in those years that Iraq is today. I firmly believe that it was prayer that knocked down the Berlin wall and crumbled the Eastern Bloc aliance to the Soviet Union.



We have to launch a spiritual war on Iraq. Pick up a rosary, fast for peace, get on your knees and pray to God! Believe that with God all things are possible.



Too many of us show that in reality we are nothing but materialist when we conceive of how all situations can be handled. I stand firmly with the Pope on this issue!
Mark Shea Provides an Update on Al Kresta's Condition



Please continue to pray for his recovery!
It Does Snow in the Holy Land



There are those who think that Jesus could never have experienced a white birthday. Well of course they are wrong. For those who don't know Bethlehem is a few miles from Jerusalem.



From Article Static:



Heavy snow in Jerusalem brought the capital to a halt Tuesday, with schools shut in the city and the surrounding area after some 20 cm fell overnight.



The Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway was closed in both directions from the Beit Shemesh interchange up to the capital, but has now reopened for 4x4 vehicles only.
Muslim Med Students Refuse to Perform Abortions



There was a day when Catholics of all professions believed enough in the tenets of their faith to make a difference in what they would and would not do.



From News, 17 February 2003:



It is reported that British medical schools have started to restrict the number of Muslim students because they refuse to learn about abortion. The proportion of medical students from ethnic minorities in Britain has risen from 10 percent to 33 percent over the last 20 years, and the Council of Heads of Medical Schools has expressed concern that tutors are now unable to teach the full syllabus on account of the refusal of Muslim students to participate in certain courses which run counter to their faith.

Monday, February 24, 2003

Pope Says Internet Great Means for Evangelization



From Zenit News:



The growth of the Internet in recent years provides an unprecedented opportunity for expanding the Church's missionary outreach, since it has become a primary source of information and communication for so many of our contemporaries, especially the young," the Pope said Friday.



"It is my hope that the new pontifical mission societies' Web site will awaken in the Catholics of the United States a deeper appreciation of the Church's universal missionary mandate, and a greater awareness of the rich variety of cultures and peoples in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to take root in our time," he continued.



"I trust," he added, "that the new site will draw many people to a deeper faith in Christ, lead to an increase of missionary vocations, and call forth a greater commitment to the proclamation of the Gospel 'ad gentes' and the new evangelization of traditionally Christian countries."
Pope Calls on Catholics to Dedicate Ash Wednesday Fast to Peace



From Yahoo! News - Pope Calls for Fast Against War in Iraq:



"We Christians in particular are called upon to be sentinels of peace," John Paul said, calling on Catholics to dedicate their fasting on Ash Wednesday, March 5, for the cause of peace.



On that day, the pope said, faithful will pray for "the conversion of hearts and the long-range vision of just decisions to resolve disputes with adequate and peaceful means."

He said that the fast, which Catholics traditionally conduct at the start of Lent to prepare themselves for Easter, is an "expression of penitence for the hate and violence which pollute human relations."