[Note: my parish is celebrating a special “high” mass Saturday to mark the first Feast of Blessed John Paul II.] [Click here for the readings] By a happy coincidence, this gospel touches on a theme that was so vital to Pope John Paul. In the parable, a tree is given one more chance to bring forth good fruit. The gardener gives it that chance; he offers it the gift of mercy. John Paul, you’ll remember, was beatified on the Feast... Read more
Jesus was a carpenter — but not like this. From the posting on YouTube: Carpenter Sintayehu Tishale, 42, hammers in a nail using his feet in his workshop in Welete Suk, on the edge of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A man who lost the use of his arms after being born with debilitating polio has defied expectations by becoming a carpenter. Sintayehu Tishale, 42, uses his feet to saw, chap, hammer and lathe wood into furniture, which he then sells in... Read more
I SO want this. (That sound you hear is my wife sighing and rolling her eyes…) Read more
“The so-called ‘Arab Spring’ sweeping the Middle East holds much promise, yet we must remain vigilant. The Church abhors the use of violence to meet any goal. Violence can never be justified. We want to see a Middle East renewed in its respect of human rights and dignity, especially for her minorities. We want to see people electing democratic governments and holding them accountable. It is important to point out the role the Christians played in upholding democratic principles, freedoms... Read more
Details: Calls for Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Finn to resign started even before last week, when he became the highest-ranking church leader in the sex abuse scandal criminally charged with sheltering an accused priest. The bishop of Kansas City, Mo., had acknowledged in May that he waited five months to tell police about the hundreds of images of alleged child pornography found on the Rev. Shawn Ratigan’s computer. Ratigan had taken some of the photos of girls months ago at... Read more
Marcel LeJeune over at Aggie Catholics compiles his list, with a h/t to Stephen Covey. For starters: Habit #1 – Participate in the Sacraments Regularly. Sunday Mass is a given. To be effective you must also participate in a regular habit of Confession (once a month is a good start) and regular daily Mass, when possible. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament can be tagged on to this as well. **“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship,... Read more
You can find one answer in the impressive and absorbing final episode of the ambitious DVD series, “John Paul II: The Man, The Pope and His Message,” released earlier this month to coincide with the newly beatified pontiff’s feast day, October 22. The producers asked me to take a look at one episode of this 10-part documentary, and invited me to write about the final segment, “Visiting the Pope: A Day with John Paul II.” So: what’s it like to... Read more
From Iowa, a story of endless love. Details: Family said the story of Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, is a real-life love story. On the day she graduated from high school, Norma Stock said yes to Gordon Yeager’s marriage proposal. The couple got married on May 26, 1939 in State Center. “They’re very old-fashioned. They believed in marriage til death do you part,” said son Dennis Yeager. Dennis Yeager was the youngest of four children born to the couple.... Read more
A popular holiday is gaining a foothold in the United States. Details: Growing up in South Texas, Kiko Torres saw the Day of the Dead as an obscure holiday celebrated in southern Mexico. Few people dared to discuss it in his small but strong Catholic, Mexican-American community. Still, Torres said he became fascinated by Day of the Dead folk art and ceremonies he saw during his father’s research trips to Mexico. Those images of dancing skeleton figurines and the event’s... Read more
Sent to me this afternoon by a friend: Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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