Monthly Archives: January 2006

Going on a retreat… Don’t expect any blogging for almost 2 weeks.

It’s possible to watch some shows from Salt and Light Catholic TV online. Select the numbers on this page. Certainly much different from EWTN. Better? Worse? I like the higher quality production.  The content can be more scattered, though.  The teen show is quite scattered, although they have good intentions and decent hosts.

Listen to a computer read the Pope’s latest encyclical.  It’s not half bad.

My translation from the Italian:

O Father, we give you thanks
for the Christian testimony of Chiara Badano
Animated by your Spirit and intimately united with Jesus,
she revealed that the ideal of life is love
and in love she joyfully offered her youth
for the mission of the Church.
If it is your will, grant that Chiara be
recognized as "venerable"
for the building up of the faithful.
We ask this of you through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The prayer was expanded, and now here’s the new translation given on the website:

O Father, beginning of all good,
Who for the merits of your Son Jesus
Bring wonders of goodness
To those who confide in your love,
we give you thanks
for the Christian testimony of Chiara Badano.
Animated by your Spirit,
in her union with Jesus, she found the light
to recognize that love is the ideal of life,
and the strength to carry out,
in total abandonment to your will
the offering her youth
for the mission of the Church.
If it is your will, grant that Chiara be
recognized as "venerable"
for the building up of the faithful,
we ask you the grace …
for the elevation of your Fatherly goodness.
We ask this of you through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Update: She is now a “Venerable Servant of God.” Change “Venerable” to “Blessed.”

I commented on this great Catholic novel in some of my "lost entries."  It’s quite an obscure work, although occasionally a used copy may show up on Amazon.com or bookfinder.com (at present, I see 7 copies available there).

The novel was often compared to Ben Hur.  In this case, the novel deals with Roman gentiles for the most part, rather than Jews, and tells a story from the time of Christ with a number of familiar characters–particularly in Roman government.  Dion is Dionysius the Areopagite, who receives a mention in St. Paul’s letters.

There are some great scenes in the book of daring adventure.  The end seemed a bit rushed to me, trying to tie up loose ends too quickly.  While most of the book is carefully researched, the end doesn’t seem to work quite as well.  Nonetheless, the overall story is worth the read.

An abridged form of the book can be read online, but it isn’t exactly reader-friendly.  A collection of books and journals online called Making of America from the University of Michigan has the book from the magazine Catholic World in serial form, but you have to go to each issue and view the pages.  If you search for the title "Dion and the Sibyls" on the page linked to above, you pull up a number of articles that refer to it.  The Catholic World articles that are part of it are the ones to look at.  It’s best to just get the Journal articles (on the left side of the screen you can click a reference to the journal articles only).  Searches for such things as "Lourdes" or "Holy Father" will net many articles from Catholic World also.  This is quite a service the U. of Michigan has provided for those who want to read a Catholic magainze from the 1800s.

As a teenager, I listened to U2’s Joshua Tree album innumerable times. However, I never really grasped what most of the songs are about. Thanks to the FAQs of the Internet, here are answers for two.

2.3.2 What’s the story behind "Where the Streets Have No Name"?
[SW] Back during the time of the whole Ethiopia starvation crisis, Bono and his wife Ali did a 6 week deal over there as volunteer relief workers or something of the such. The tent cities that were set up for the people were just lined up in rows, and that was how these people lived, hence there were streets without names. ‘high on a desert plain’ would be referring to Ethiopia, as well as the mentions of being ‘blown by the wind’ and ‘trampled in dust’, as it was a drought and I’d imagine, awfully dusty. Also, I would assume that ‘and when I go there, I go there with you…’ would be referring to Ali. IMO, the beginning lines are written in frustration at the misery and hopelessness of the situation and his inability to make very much of a difference.

from this page

And then…

11. Who are the "Mothers of the Disappeared"?

In 1976, a military coup brought Argentina under the violence and terror of a dictatorship. Approximately 30,000 citizens were kidnapped by military death squads and disappeared. The mothers of those kidnapped united in a search for their missing children, and courageously stood up in a lone resistance against the dictatorship. They demanded the "re-appearance alive" of their families then and to this very day, in which Argentina is again democratic, but those responsible for the genocide go unpunished.

At U2’s first PopMart show in Buenos Aires on February 5, 1998, the Mothers of the Disappeared came on stage holding signs and pictures of their missing loved ones, and after the performance of the song put their white scarves around Bono’s neck. The crowd began to sing their national anthem. [AC]

from this page

Today is the Feast Day of Blessed George Matulaitis, MIC, the renovator of the Marian Congregation.

In other words, it’s party time!

Since I live with 3 priests, 2 in their 70s and 1 in his 80s, the party will be subdued.

[[image:marian_crest.jpg::center:0]]

Well, Ignatius has done it.  They are about to release the second (and better) movie staring Sydney Penny as St. Bernadette.  The Passion of Bernadette.

My comments on the movie from the IMDB.

After getting severly hacked, my site, along with some other Cybercatholics blogs, is back up and running. A number of entries were lost, including the famous "Matt Maher new CD" entry. It seems my blog has gone through a purification of sorts.

Sic transit gloria mundi.  Or should I say "Sic transit gloria blogi"? 

I’m in the process of preparation for ordination to priesthood, which is scheduled for February. Blogging will be occasional.

Fr. Benson’s Lord of the World was excellent.  I recommend it, as long as you are not easily depressed.  It seems Benedict XVI has read it, since he referred to it in a talk years ago.

Expect further developments soon.