God Is No Longer Invisible, Says Pope

==================================================
ZENIT, The world seen from Rome
News Agency
==================================================

God Is No Longer Invisible, Says Pope

Affirms That Face of the Father Is Love

VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2011 (Zenit.org).- To believe in God and to believe in Jesus Christ are not two separate acts, but rather one act of faith, says Benedict.

The Pope affirmed this today in his address before praying the midday Regina Caeli with those gathered in St. Peter's Square, in which he reflected on Christ as the way, the truth and the life.

The New Testament put an end to the Father's invisibility, the Holy Father said. God has shown his face.

With his incarnation, death and resurrection, the Son of God has freed us from the slavery of sin to give us the freedom of the children of God and has shown us the face of God, which is love: God can be seen, he is visible in Christ, he added.

The Pontiff explained that only by believing in Christ, by remaining united to him, the disciples, among whom we also are, can continue their permanent action in history.

Benedict XVI encouraged the faithful to follow Christ daily, in the simple actions that make up our day, and recalled that the goal is the Father.

For Christians, for each one of us, hence, the way to the Father is to allow ourselves to the guided by Jesus, by his word of truth, and to receive the gift of his life, he explained.

He concluded by underlining that the main task of the Church is to proclaim Jesus Christ, 'the way, the truth and the life.'

Let us invoke the Virgin Mary, he said, so that she will always assist the pastors and those who in the different ministries to proclaim the happy message of salvation, so that the Word of God is diffused and the number of disciples multiplied.

--- --- ---

On ZENIT's Web page:

Full text: www.zenit.org/article-32641?l=english

IF YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND

SABBATH

The social networking site explosion has not only redefined relationships but has redefined certain words that we thought everyone in the world understood. Not anymore. Take the word friend. Parents who are friends with people in their own network are not necessarily “friends” with their teenage or young adult children. Members of the same religious congregation, who are meant to be “brothers” are not friends with one another in those sites. Sociologists now distinguish between “digital natives,” “digital migrants” and “digital refugees.” Digital natives take to cyber world like fish to water, while digital migrants like me, though enjoying some of the convenience of the newfound digital world, keep on pining for the good old times of the analog world, replete with vinyl records, magnetic tapes and the clunky but reliable phonographs. Some are left on the wayside of the digital highway and are hapless and sometimes Clueless “ digital refugees,” unwilling and unable to get back to the old, yet not completely at home or downright lost in the new. Friendship in social networking sites is as easy as pushing the “confirm” or “accept” button. In the same way, “unfriending” anyone is just as easy as pushing the “ignore,” or “reject” button (which, by the way, is not a button at all!). Being friends now is highly dependent on what technology you have or have not. Wireless G routers have given way to N or N+ routers that spell the difference between nimble, quick and super fast — or hopelessly slow. Today, friendship comes to the fore in our liturgical celebration. Analog or digital did not matter yet when the Lord taught us about friendship that is not the digital kind but one that is based on love that knows no limits. This love didn’t have to ride on any wi-fi contraption but was communicated, signed, sealed and delivered to us all. And yes, He declares us His friends, and friends we surely will be if we obey His commandments. Are we on “friend” status with Christ?Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   Reflection Question: If Jesus were on Facebook, would you accept His invite to be your friend?   Thank You, dear Lord, for Your friendship and love that knows no limits.   St. Melangell, pray for us.

AN APOLOGIST WANNA BE

 

“God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith.” – Acts 15:9

 

When Protestant friends realize I’m a devout Catholic, they pepper me with a barrage of preaching. While I do try to answer their relentless questions, I have to admit that my knowledge only goes so far.

My failure to answer convincingly burned a fierce desire in me to know more, to help me express my passion and defend the Church that propagated Jesus’ teachings from two millennia ago.

So I read. I asked questions. I prayed. But the more I learned, the more I realized that the knowledge may make me better at answering questions, but it doesn’t necessarily make me a better Christian.

No matter how much I studied, it is the message of God’s all encompassing love that moves me. It transformed my desire to defend and win debates into a yearning to show God’s love and mercy to others. It made me judge my brothers less and led me to see God’s image and likeness in everyone, even if they are of a different religion or opinion.

What a wonderful world it would be if we could all stop bickering and just remain in His love!Cecil Lim (cez_lim@yahoo.com)

 

REFLECTION:

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

 

Lord, may everything I do shine the light of Christ and decrease the darkness.

Gospel Reading of the day

ALLELUIA

R: Alleluia, alleluia

Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.

R: Alleluia, alleluia

 

John 15:1-8

1 Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. 3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

SABBATH

EVERY BRANCH THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT   More than two decades ago, a beautiful movie entitled Dead Poets Societycapitalized a whole lot on Henri David Thoreau’s extended essay “Walden Pond,” which reports his love affair with nature and his extended retreat to the countryside. A memorable and quotable line still rings clear in my ears: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front the essential facts of life… and to put to rout all that is not life.” All of us have things in our closet that we need to get rid of. All of us have bad habits to shed off and new habits to learn. Some of those items or habits drag or weigh us down, like smoking, drinking or the propensity to stock up on things that we really do not need. On the spiritual plane, all of us have what spiritual writers of old used to call the “predominant tendency” or the sin that we often fall into, repeatedly, predictably. My father, who was a farmer by interest and vocation, but an accountant by necessity, introduced me long ago to the idea of pruning. Back when coffee cultivation was still lucrative in my hometown, I learned early on that unless one knows how to prune the coffee trees, they could not be expected to bear much fruit. One needed to “take away every branch that does not bear fruit.” One needed to do away with what does not lead to life, to wholeness. If this is true of plant life and our earthly physical life, all the more so is this true with regard to our spiritual life. One curious thing in the world of nature is the fact that one sees no birds flying when it rains. Their wings get wet and soggy, and therefore heavy. They cannot afford to carry all that extra weight. They cannot soar when bogged down with all that weight. Pruning, giving up, cutting down, denying oneself… they all have to do with the same thing — putting to rout all that is not life and cutting away “every branch that does not bear fruit.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   Reflection Question: What habits or things weigh me down?   Lord, help me to cut off the habits, things and relationships that bog me down in my journey to You. Amen.

Going beyond disrespect

from a forwarded email

Abraham asked the Lord to spare 50 righteous people. God responded to Abraham's plea "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all ....Genesis 18:16-33 
 
The movie " Corpus Christi " is due to be released this June to August. A disgusting film set to appear in America later this year depicts Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals! As a play, this has already been in theatres for a while.  It's called " Corpus Christi " which means "The Body of Christ".  It's revolting mockery of our  Lord. But we can make a difference. 
 
That's why I am sending this e-mail to you. If you do send this around, we just might be able to prevent this film from showing in America .  Let's stand for what we believe in and stop the mockery of Jesus Christ our Savior. Where do we stand as Christians? At the risk of a bit of inconvenience, I'm forwarding this to all I think would appreciate it, too. 
Please help us prevent such offenses against our Lord. There is no petition to sign, no time limit, or minimum number of people to send this to.. It will take you less than 2 minutes! 
 
If you are not interested and do not have the 2 minutes it will take to do this, please don't complain when God does not have time for you because He is far busier than we are. Hey it's worth a shot! Apparently, some regions in Europe have already banned the film. All we need is a lot of prayer and a lot of e-mails. 
 
JUST GET THE WORD OUT


... will God be able to find at least 50 righteous people who are willing to express their concern and voice their opinion against this act of blasphemy?

Gospel Reading of the day

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14:1-6. 

Jesus said to his disciples: «Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. 

In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.

Where (I) am going you know the way."

Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" 

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

New Catholic endeavor promotes books, students

From the desk of William Fahey, Ph.D. President, Thomas More College Publisher, Sophia Institute Press Noah. Maybe, instead of "William," my folks should have named me "Noah." Because my work these days seems ever more like that of Noah, building an ark and stocking it with things we need to survive. When the rains began to fall, he gathered a small group, shut the doors, and bravely set out across the deep. Seven months he sailed that trackless sea before Mt. Ararat offered dry land to save his people. Today, not rain but a flood of words, words, words is drowning our Catholic culture: Netflix, YouTube, Facebook,print ads, email, blogs, posts, tweets, spam and — floating in on that vast verbal tide — one million new books that will be published this year alone! Yes, I said "one million." One million new books published this year alone! In this flood of words, will Christ be heard? The wisdom of His saints? The voice of His vicar, the Pope? To keep our Catholic culture from being swept away, I'm assembling a small group of people and organizations, and inviting the participation of good folks like you. Like Noah, we're boldly setting out into the deep, seeking not to find, but to provide dry land to save our Catholic people — and anyone else who yearns to know and love our God. * I began this work in earnest two years ago, when they named me President of Thomas More College here in New Hampshire. In the intervening 24 months, and with the assistance of its fine faculty and staff, I've significantly strengthened Thomas More's Catholic identity while bringing her the financial stability that so long eluded her. Then just four months ago, Sophia Institute Press asked me to become her President, too, and to marry her Catholic apostolic efforts to those of Thomas More and of our sister institution, Holy Spirit College in Atlanta. Back in February, Sophia was listing sharply to starboard, close to sinking. With God's help and yours — I raised half of the money we needed to restore her. We bailed her out, plugged her leaks, and righted her. Although still fragile, today she's sailing smartly across the sea. We reprinted 25 Sophia titles that had fallen out of print (see list below). Relying on God's Providence and your help to bring us funds we'll need next month, we've just ordered the reprinting of twelve more (also listed below). God willing, by this fall we will have rebuilt our clunky website, made most of our books available in electronic form, and released ten new titles, including: The Book of Miracles Christopher: A Novel The Bones of St. Peter The Truth about Thérèse The Most Beloved Woman Viper: A Catholic Mystery St. Thomas Aquinas and His Work The Catholic Church and the Bible The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin MaryThe Spanish Match: A Novel of Catholic Spain * Yes, in just four months, our ship has been righted and is now sailing smartly. Indeed, she reminds me somewhat of the 22 new bright new graduates on whom I conferred degrees last Saturday at Thomas More College: eager, energetic, yet untested, even fragile. Still, like the solid Catholic books we publish, each is a powerful new instrument that, working together, we have now placed in the hands of God so that His will may be done. You know, when I'm tempted to worry for the future of these new graduates (and even about Sophia), I recall what Flannery O'Connor once said about the books she wrote: "When a book leaves your hands, it belongs to God. He may use it to save a few souls or to try a few others, but I think that for the writer to worry is to take over God's business." Years ago, God commanded Noah to build an ark, and Noah did. God inspired Flannery O'Connor to write Catholic books, and she did. God inspired John Barger to build Sophia, and he did. Now God has called me to take the helm of Sophia, and I have. In each case, we built. And when the students we form or the books we publish leave our hands, we're confident that, regardless of the storms that may follow or the rains that come, God will use them — like the great Ark itself — to save a few souls. * So we built . . . but never alone. * Noah had sons and daughters to help him build the ark and tend its passengers; Flannery O'Connor had editors, publishers, and advertisers; our students have their parents and teachers. So, too, we here at Sophia rely on you to help us make known the truth of Jesus in our world that has been drowned in a flood of words, words, words. Your prayers we need, for sure, and I'm grateful for them: but we also need your contributions to pay the printer for the twenty-four books we must get into print these next few months: books that will bring to Sophia the stability we were able last year to bring to Thomas More College. Will you help? Will you use this Paypal button to donate $100 today to help us get into print the books listed below? Or $50? Even $25 would help enormously. You may remember that in the letter I sent you in March when things here were much more difficult, I quoted Mother Teresa: "Reach high," she urged us, "for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal." In March I reached high. Today I'm doing it again. Will you, like Noah,reach high with me! Dream deep! Do with us something beautiful for God! Will you use this Paypal button to keep our good ark sailing smoothly! And will you do it now? Thank you, and please pray for me, and for Sophia Institute Press. In Christ the King, William Edmund Fahey, Ph.D. President, Thomas More College New President and Publisher Sophia Institute Press Books we restored with your March contribution Awakening I Believe in Love The Good Galilean Spiritual Combat Islam at the Gates Victory Over Vice Angel in the Waters Christian Self-Mastery How to Read the Bible Patience and Humility Holiness for Housewives G.K. Chesterton, Theologian A Life of Our Lord for Children Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls The Temperament God Gave You A Biblical Defense of Catholicism How to Make a Good Confession True Devotion to the Holy Spirit What Jesus Saw from the Cross How to Raise Good Catholic Children More Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know Saintly Solutions to Life's Common Problems  Books on order for which we need funds now: Spiritual Life Heaven-Sense Saintly Solutions Thy Will Be Done Unearthing Your Ten Talents Bible Stories for Little Children Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls Please Don't Drink the Holy Water Inner Strength for Active Apostles The Prayer of the Presence of God The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur More Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls How to Get More out of Holy Communion Books scheduled for publication this summer: Viper: A Mystery The Book of Miracles Christopher: A Novel The Bones of St. Peter The Most Beloved Woman The Truth about Thérèse The Spanish Match: A Novel St. Thomas Aquinas and His Work The Catholic Church and the Bible The Read-Aloud Book of Bible Stories The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary

*If you would prefer not to use paypal, you can add a contribution
directly to your shopping cart at our on-line store.