History

We are only 4 years away from the centennial of the beginning of Word War I. I have started reading some history of that war. It really is the beginning of a new world. Large scale war combined with advancements in technology. All this led to the development of international politics. Bad things always come from war, not just the terror and destruction, but the political mechanisms that are created as a result of war.

Brothers and sisters:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,
but only a new creation.
Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule
and to the Israel of God.

From now on, let no one make troubles for me;
for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.

"Speaking of the sacraments [in the third part of the Summa], St. Thomas pauses particularly on the mystery of the Eucharist, for which he had a very great devotion, to the point that, according to the ancient biographers, he used to lean his head on the tabernacle, almost as if to hear the beating of the divine and human Heart of Jesus," the Pope recalled.

He cited one of the saint's explanations of the Eucharist: "The Eucharist being the sacrament of the passion of our Lord, is also an effect of this sacrament, it not being other than the application in us of the passion of the Lord."

And in this light, the Pope reflected, "Let us understand well why St. Thomas and other saints celebrated the Holy Mass shedding tears of compassion for the Lord, who offers himself in sacrifice for us, tears of joy and of gratitude."

He continued: "Dear brothers and sisters, in the school of the saints, let us be enamored of this sacrament! Let us participate in the Holy Mass with recollection to obtain its spiritual fruits, let us nourish ourselves on the Body and Blood of the Lord, to be incessantly nourished by divine grace!

St. Germiane Cousin

Go here for an inspiring story of a little known saint.

Paul calls Christ by many other titles too numerous to recall here. Their cumulative force will give some conception of the marvelous content of the name "Christ," revealing to us his inexpressible majesty, insofar as our minds and thoughts can comprehend it. Since, by the goodness of God, we who are called "Christians" have been granted the honor of sharing this name, the greatest, the highest, the most sublime of all names, it follows that each of the titles that express its meaning should be clearly reflected in us. If we are not to lie when we call ourselves "Christians," we must bear witness to it by our way of living.

THEOLOGY ON TAP
Friday, June 18 – 7:00 p.m.
School Cafeteria.
Presenter: Fr. John Lanzrath.
Topic: Deciding to follow Christ in your daily life.
Refreshments provided.

Fr. John is a great and inspiring speaker. Take advantage of this great opportunity to grow in your faith.

St. Thomas says

The lowest degree of loving God consists in:
1. not loving anything more than God
2. not loving anything contrary to God
3. not loving anything as much as God

Top 15 Ways To Mess Up A Marriage

1. Have Premarital Sex - This can be with your future spouse or not. Regardless, the statistics show that it means a much higher chance of a failed marriage.
2. Cohabitate - This doubles your chance of divorcing your spouse well over 60%! Go with this one if you almost certainly want to mess up a marriage.
3. Cheat on your spouse - This can be with a real person or with porn. Either messes up a marriage.
4. Drink too much or use drugs - This one is a great way to love a thing more than your spouse.
5. Marry a non-Christian - Now, there are certainly marriages that succeed between believers and non-believers, but at the least you are putting a big strain on a relationship.
6. Marry for the wrong reasons - Marrying someone because you have strong emotions about them (which will eventually go away) or because they are good looking (which won't last) is a great way to eventually ruin a marriage.
7. Never Work on Communication - talking is over-rated. You should just learn to tolerate one another, not really communicate.
8. Be a Workaholic - being rich and successful is the most important thing on earth. Right?
9. Be selfish - expect your spouse to serve your every need and never expect to return the favor.
10. Have Different expectations about money or debt - Spend too much, live beyond your means, and then pay the price. Money is the #1 reason that couples argue.
11. Don't tithe - The money is your own, do what you want with it.
12. Use contraception - kids are a burden that make life miserable. Why take the risk? Of course couples that use NFP are happier, have better sex-lives, and stay married more than 95% of the time.
13. Talk negatively about your spouse - who needs to be built up anyway?
14. Make big purchases without talking about it first - want that new car? Go get it!
15. Spend more time with your friends than your spouse - they are probably more fun anyway.

This list is not exhaustive. You could be inventive and come up with another way to mess up a marriage. If you have one, let me know. We did this previously and got some additional ideas I posted here.

a few norms

I suggest a few norms and I hope you’ll supply your own as well:

1. Men should wear formal shoes to Church. We used to call these hard shoes (because they were) but today many formal shoes are actually quite comfortable.
2. Men should wear trousers (not jeans).
3. Men should never wear shorts to Church.
4. Men should wear a decent shirt, preferably a button down shirt. If it is a pullover shirt it should include a collar. Wearing a plain t-shirt without a collar is too informal.
5. Men should consider wearing a tie to Church and in cooler weather, a suit coat. Some may consider this a bit too stuffy and formal but who knows, you might be a trend setter!
6. Now as I talk about women I know I’ll get in some trouble!
7. Women should wear decent shoes to Church. Flip flops, beach sandals etc. seem inappropriate.
8. Women should not wear shorts to Church.
9. Women, if they wear pants, should never wear jeans to Church. Some nice slacks that are not too tight can be fine.
10. Women should consider wearing a dress or at least a skirt in preference to pants. It just looks a bit more formal than pants.
11. Women should wear a nice blouse (if they are not wearing a full dress). The blouse or shirt they wear should not be too tight.
12. Sleeveless garments are pushing it a bit but can be acceptable.
13. Women should never wear tank tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, or bare midriffs to Church.
14. Well, you may have at this list. Add or subtract as you will.

On May 31, 2010, the Holy See announced Pope Benedict’s prayer intentions for June, which include the following prayer for life:

English: “That every national and trans-national institution may strive to guarantee respect for human life from conception to natural death.”