Blogposts

453. How does one keep Sunday holy? Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health. (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)

In Exodus 20.2 God reveals his name to Moses: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt". The word translated with “the Lord” is the famous Tetragrammaton (Greek for “four-letter”) that the Jews cannot even pronounce and Christians should reverence: “YHWH“, vocalized in various ways including “Yahweh“. The four Hebrew letters that compose it are these: “יהוה “, yod-he-waw-he. Remember that Hebrew is read from right to left.

You probably know Edgar Allen Poe’s dark poetry The Raven and short stories The Tell-Tale Heart, but did you know that he wrote a hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary?

The 12-line hymn to Our Lady was first published in 1835 within his short story Morella, sung by the title character. Ten years later it was published as a stand-alone poem with the title A Catholic Hymn.

We remember the atrocity of the genocide and persecution of Armenian Christians in 1915 by Turkey. It had antecedents in 1895 with the martyrdom of Father Salvatore Lilli and many Armenian Christians, Catholic and Orthodox We continue to remember Cardinal Zen and faithful bishops, clergy, and people,being persecuted by the communist government of China who are seeking to turn the Church into a puppet of the regime. Click this link to find out more about the persecution of the faithful and the meaning of Red Week.

As far as I can see, the souls in purgatory can have no choice but to be there; this God has most justly ordained by his divine decree. ...They retain no memory of either good or evil respecting themselves or others which would increase their pain. They are so contented with the divine dispositions in their regard; and with doing all that is pleasing to God in that way which he chooses, that they cannot think of themselves, though they may strive to do so.

Another priest has been kidnapped in Nigeria. Go here for more information: churchinneed.org.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to commit genocide and engage in the systemic rape and torture of Muslim Ugyhurs.In addition, the CCP has been tramping the rights of faithful Catholics. Leaders like Cardinal Zen, the 90-year-old retired Bishop of Hong Kong, and seven other Catholic Bishops are imprisoned in China right now. Cardinal Zen will soon be on trial for being a Christian and standing in solidarity with the vulnerable and human rights protestors in Hong Kong.

Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the most famous appearances of the Blessed Virgin.  She told St. Bernadette when asked her name: I am the Immaculate Conception.  Millions of pilgrims visit Lourdes  and many have been cured in the waters provided for by the Blessed Virgin.  Go to the link below to send your intentions or light a candle or both.  Our Lady of Lourdes pray for us. St. Bernadette pray for us. 

www.lourdes-france.org/en

*Note: This editorial is for general information and instruction and NOT because these abuses occur in our parish.

A Letter from Our Cathedral Rector

Dear Parishioners,

I want to thank all of you who have recently started receiving Holy Communion on the tongue, not to mention those of you who already had been. This subject has generated a lot of buzz over the past few weeks, the vast majority of which has been overwhelmingly positive. While my main objective in encouraging reception on the tongue is to deepen appreciation for the Eucharist, I also have a pastoral responsibility to eliminate abuses common to receiving in the hand. Such abuses are no doubt unintentional. Nevertheless, what I witness troubles me. And I’m not alone. In 2004, responding to the problem of Eucharistic profanation, the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament released an official instruction entitled REDEMPTIONIS SACRAMENTUM: On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist.

It’s not uncommon to hear people including unfortunately Catholics who approach morality from a strictly personal viewpoint: “I’ll decide what’s right and wrong for me” Or “The Church can’t tell me what to do. I decide according to my own conscience.” The Irish Conference of Catholic Bishops years ago published a masterful summary of Catholic teaching about telling right from wrong. These principles of Catholic teaching follow below:

These virtues are called theological because they tie us directly to God.

Before applying a particular examination to my own spiritual life, it is well to first ask myself, "What are the virtues that I know from experience I most need to develop?" The reason why this question should first be answered is that no two of us are equally prone to commit the same kind of sins. Nor are we personally always tempted in the same direction. There is wisdom in first knowing enough about myself, to be able to get to the root of my own moral weakness. Otherwise, I may be ignoring what really needs attention in my spiritual life and concentrating on what is not so necessary for me at this time in my service of God.

The two meanings of sexuality are procreation and rearing of children and the union of man and woman in lifelong marriage. This is rooted in human nature as God created it and is the teaching of the Church defending the natural order.

A generation ago, American politicians debated about the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict, the problems of poverty and racism, and the challenges of the space program. But back in 1968, did anyone forecast that we would soon be talking about a general breakdown in ordinary family life? Yes, someone did. Some 30 years ago, Pope Paul VI issued Humanae Vitae an encyclical letter which upheld the time-tested Christian teaching that artificial contraception is morally wrong.