Archbishop Rigalli of St. Louis has Cancer
From News Tribune - St. Louis archbishop has prostate cancer:
St. Louis Roman Catholic Archbishop Justin Rigali will undergo surgery next week for prostate cancer, officials at the Archdiocese of St. Louis said Tuesday.
Rigali, 67, informed St. Louis area priests of the cancer in a letter on Tuesday. Surgery is scheduled for March 19 at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis.
"So often people ask me for my prayers. At this time I count so much on theirs. " Rigali wrote. "I ask also for a renewed remembrance in prayer for all those who suffer from cancer and various illnesses."
Please remember him in your prayers.
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
What Difference Does Christ Make?
"Men, women, children, deeply divided as to race, nation, language, way of life, work, education, status, wealth . . . -- all are restored by the Church in the Spirit . . . All receive from her one nature which is beyond corruption -- the nature that is not affected by the numerous and profound differences by which people differ from one another . . . In her, no one is at all separated from the common, as everyone is as if dissolved in one another by the simple and indivisible power of faith" (St. Maxim the Confessor).
During this season of Lent it might be a good time to think about what a difference Christ makes in our lives. Are we any different from unbelievers? What is it that we truly trust in? Do we believe that no matter what God ultimately is Lord of Lords?
It strikes me that Christians have always taken one passage of Scripture and gone in two directions with it. When Jesus faces Pontius Pilate He tells Pilate that Pilate has no power over Him that was not given to Him by God.
One view of this is to stand by and to see whoever is in power in any particular country as God-ordained. The other and this has often been expressed in the Catholic Church is to see that the Church has a role in determining who is in power because the church has a divine mandate here on earth.
So it is natural for Catholics to stand back and criticize political powers and unnatural for Christians of other ilks. In the end though both sides will view whatever the outcome is as some form of judgment of God.
The same Jesus who said "let him who does not have a sword go out and buy one," and was told by the apostles that they had two swords--later told Peter when he pulled out the sword to put it away, "for those who 'live' by the sword die by the sword." What do we live by?
Only you and I can answer these questions individually and honestly. Only we can decide during this Lenten season to Christ as the answer to all of the ills that plague society and the world. We can make a choice to pray for the coming of God's Kingdom or to try to build our own kingdoms without God. It is our choice, it is the choice of everyone on the face of the earth regardless of what situation they find themselves in.
St. Paul tells us that "in Christ there is neither east or west, Greek or Jew, male or female," that all believers make up one body of Christ--the Church. We live in the days of a separated body of Christ and our world is the sadder for this. The body of Christ does not act with uniformity, in fact it often punishes itself. Let us seek to be a unified member of Christ's body this Lent!
"Men, women, children, deeply divided as to race, nation, language, way of life, work, education, status, wealth . . . -- all are restored by the Church in the Spirit . . . All receive from her one nature which is beyond corruption -- the nature that is not affected by the numerous and profound differences by which people differ from one another . . . In her, no one is at all separated from the common, as everyone is as if dissolved in one another by the simple and indivisible power of faith" (St. Maxim the Confessor).
During this season of Lent it might be a good time to think about what a difference Christ makes in our lives. Are we any different from unbelievers? What is it that we truly trust in? Do we believe that no matter what God ultimately is Lord of Lords?
It strikes me that Christians have always taken one passage of Scripture and gone in two directions with it. When Jesus faces Pontius Pilate He tells Pilate that Pilate has no power over Him that was not given to Him by God.
One view of this is to stand by and to see whoever is in power in any particular country as God-ordained. The other and this has often been expressed in the Catholic Church is to see that the Church has a role in determining who is in power because the church has a divine mandate here on earth.
So it is natural for Catholics to stand back and criticize political powers and unnatural for Christians of other ilks. In the end though both sides will view whatever the outcome is as some form of judgment of God.
The same Jesus who said "let him who does not have a sword go out and buy one," and was told by the apostles that they had two swords--later told Peter when he pulled out the sword to put it away, "for those who 'live' by the sword die by the sword." What do we live by?
Only you and I can answer these questions individually and honestly. Only we can decide during this Lenten season to Christ as the answer to all of the ills that plague society and the world. We can make a choice to pray for the coming of God's Kingdom or to try to build our own kingdoms without God. It is our choice, it is the choice of everyone on the face of the earth regardless of what situation they find themselves in.
St. Paul tells us that "in Christ there is neither east or west, Greek or Jew, male or female," that all believers make up one body of Christ--the Church. We live in the days of a separated body of Christ and our world is the sadder for this. The body of Christ does not act with uniformity, in fact it often punishes itself. Let us seek to be a unified member of Christ's body this Lent!
Testing of Largest Conventional Bomb Ever Today in Florida
From Tampa Bay Online:
A conventional bomb so big that it's first name is "massive" is set to be tested for the first time at this Florida Panhandle base Tuesday.
Air Force officials Monday warned residents of communities surrounding the western half Eglin's 724-square-mile military reservation to be prepared to hear an explosion that sounds like thunder or a slamming door between noon and 5 p.m. CST although the blast will be miles away.
The U.S. hopes this will put the fear of God into the Iraqis and convince them to overthrow Saddam Hussein or even to convince him to go into exile. Hopefully it will do just that, because I doubt it will have any positive affect on the current world oppinion of the United States on waging war against a country that has "weapons of mass destruction." This weapon is supposed capable of mass destruction at a level only seen in the use of a nuclear weapon.
From Tampa Bay Online:
A conventional bomb so big that it's first name is "massive" is set to be tested for the first time at this Florida Panhandle base Tuesday.
Air Force officials Monday warned residents of communities surrounding the western half Eglin's 724-square-mile military reservation to be prepared to hear an explosion that sounds like thunder or a slamming door between noon and 5 p.m. CST although the blast will be miles away.
The U.S. hopes this will put the fear of God into the Iraqis and convince them to overthrow Saddam Hussein or even to convince him to go into exile. Hopefully it will do just that, because I doubt it will have any positive affect on the current world oppinion of the United States on waging war against a country that has "weapons of mass destruction." This weapon is supposed capable of mass destruction at a level only seen in the use of a nuclear weapon.
Bobby Knight Won't Take Salary
From iWon - Sports News:
Bob Knight's income tax return next year is bound to look a little odd.
He told Texas Tech to keep his salary - all $250,000 of it - because he didn't do a very good job, and neither did his team.
"I'm just not at all satisfied with what transpired with our team in terms of our fundamental execution. I don't think it's anybody's fault but mine," the Red Raiders coach told The Dallas Morning News for Tuesday's editions.
He probably can live pretty well without it but still it is refreshing to see that he's not resting on his laurels.
From iWon - Sports News:
Bob Knight's income tax return next year is bound to look a little odd.
He told Texas Tech to keep his salary - all $250,000 of it - because he didn't do a very good job, and neither did his team.
"I'm just not at all satisfied with what transpired with our team in terms of our fundamental execution. I don't think it's anybody's fault but mine," the Red Raiders coach told The Dallas Morning News for Tuesday's editions.
He probably can live pretty well without it but still it is refreshing to see that he's not resting on his laurels.
Monday, March 10, 2003
Pope Suspends All Audiences to Pray for Peace
From Zenit News Agency:
John Paul II will suspend his audiences this week to go on retreat and dedicate himself especially to prayer for peace in Iraq and the Holy Land.
The Pope made this announcement today when greeting several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square for the midday Angelus.
The Holy Father asked the faithful to pray for him and his closest aides in the Roman Curia, who will be on retreat until next Saturday.
"During this week of silence and prayer, I will have present the needs of the Church and the concern of the whole of humanity, especially in regard to peace in Iraq and the Holy Land," he said.
From Zenit News Agency:
John Paul II will suspend his audiences this week to go on retreat and dedicate himself especially to prayer for peace in Iraq and the Holy Land.
The Pope made this announcement today when greeting several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square for the midday Angelus.
The Holy Father asked the faithful to pray for him and his closest aides in the Roman Curia, who will be on retreat until next Saturday.
"During this week of silence and prayer, I will have present the needs of the Church and the concern of the whole of humanity, especially in regard to peace in Iraq and the Holy Land," he said.
Talk About Threats!
From smh.com.au: Pyongyang: We'll put a torch to New York -
North Korea would launch a ballistic missile attack on the United States if Washington made a pre-emptive strike against the communist state's nuclear facility, the man described as Pyongyang's "unofficial spokesman" claimed yesterday.
Kim Myong-chol, who has links to the Stalinist regime, told reporters in Tokyo that a US strike on the nuclear facility at Yongbyon "means nuclear war".
"If American forces carry out a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon facility, North Korea will immediately target, carry the war to the US mainland," he said, adding that New York, Washington and Chicago would be "aflame".
From smh.com.au: Pyongyang: We'll put a torch to New York -
North Korea would launch a ballistic missile attack on the United States if Washington made a pre-emptive strike against the communist state's nuclear facility, the man described as Pyongyang's "unofficial spokesman" claimed yesterday.
Kim Myong-chol, who has links to the Stalinist regime, told reporters in Tokyo that a US strike on the nuclear facility at Yongbyon "means nuclear war".
"If American forces carry out a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon facility, North Korea will immediately target, carry the war to the US mainland," he said, adding that New York, Washington and Chicago would be "aflame".
Sunday, March 9, 2003
The Humanitarian Costs of War
From Zenit:
A leaked U.N. report calculated up to a half-million people could require medical attention in case of a military conflict, the British daily Guardian reported Jan. 29. The World Health Organization estimated that about 100,000 civilians could be wounded, and another 400,000 would be hit by disease due to the bombing of water and sanitation services and the lack of food.
The U.N. Children's Fund calculated that around 3 million people, 80% of them children under age 5, would be in a dire situation regarding a lack of food. The U.N. report noted that some 16 million Iraqis depend on the monthly food basket of basic goods supplied by the government. In the event of war these supplies likely would be disrupted.
On Jan. 28 a group of U.K. aid organizations -- Oxfam, CAFOD, Christian Aid, ActionAid and Save the Children -- published a joint press release warning that military action could trigger a major humanitarian disaster. "Military action against Iraq could devastate the lives of millions of people," Oxfam director Barbara Stocking was quoted as saying. "The humanitarian situation in Iraq is now more fragile than it was on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War."
The declaration also commented that under the Geneva Conventions it is against international humanitarian law for "any objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population" to be targeted during military action. In the case of Iraq, these objects include infrastructure such as ports, railways and roads vital for the distribution of food aid across the country as well, as the water and sanitation system, powered by the main electricity supply.
From Zenit:
A leaked U.N. report calculated up to a half-million people could require medical attention in case of a military conflict, the British daily Guardian reported Jan. 29. The World Health Organization estimated that about 100,000 civilians could be wounded, and another 400,000 would be hit by disease due to the bombing of water and sanitation services and the lack of food.
The U.N. Children's Fund calculated that around 3 million people, 80% of them children under age 5, would be in a dire situation regarding a lack of food. The U.N. report noted that some 16 million Iraqis depend on the monthly food basket of basic goods supplied by the government. In the event of war these supplies likely would be disrupted.
On Jan. 28 a group of U.K. aid organizations -- Oxfam, CAFOD, Christian Aid, ActionAid and Save the Children -- published a joint press release warning that military action could trigger a major humanitarian disaster. "Military action against Iraq could devastate the lives of millions of people," Oxfam director Barbara Stocking was quoted as saying. "The humanitarian situation in Iraq is now more fragile than it was on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War."
The declaration also commented that under the Geneva Conventions it is against international humanitarian law for "any objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population" to be targeted during military action. In the case of Iraq, these objects include infrastructure such as ports, railways and roads vital for the distribution of food aid across the country as well, as the water and sanitation system, powered by the main electricity supply.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)