Carl E. Olson's Blog, page 248
January 11, 2012
"The Screwtape Letters" being staged in San Francisco
Wish I could see it!
DATE: Sat., Jan. 21 at 4pm & 8pm, Sun., Jan. 22 at 3pm
PLACE: Herbst Theatre, San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Ave.
Benedict XVI reflects on Jesus' prayer during the Last Supper
From Vatican Information Service:
VATICAN CITY, 11 JAN 2012 (VIS) - Jesus' prayer during the Last Supper was the theme of Benedict XVI's catechesis during his general audience, which was held this morning in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 4,000 faithful.
The Pope explained how the emotional backdrop to the Last Supper, in which Jesus bade farewell to His friends, was the immanence of His approaching death. Moreover, in the days in which He was preparing to leave His disciples, the life of the Jewish people was marked by the approaching Passover, the commemoration of the liberation of Israel from Egypt.
"It was in this context that the Last Supper took place", the Holy Father said, "but with an important novelty". Jesus "wanted the Supper with His disciples to be something special, different from other gatherings. It was His Supper, in which He gave something completely new: Himself. Thus Jesus celebrated the Passover as an anticipation of His Cross and Resurrection".
The essence of the Last Supper lay in "the gestures of breaking and distributing the bread, and sharing the cup of wine, with the words that accompanied them and the context of prayer in which they took place. This was the institution of the Eucharist: the great prayer of Jesus and the Church". The words the Evangelists use to describe that moment "recall the Jewish 'berakha'; that is, the great prayer of thanksgiving and blessing which, in the tradition of Israel, is used to inaugurate important ceremonies. ... That prayer of praise and thanks rises up to God and returns as a blessing. ... The words of the institution of the Eucharist were pronounced in this context of prayer. The praise and thanksgiving of the 'berakha' became blessing and transformed the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus".
Jesus' gestures were the traditional gestures of hospitality which a host would extend to his guests, but in the Last Supper they acquired a more profound significance, Pope Benedict explained. Christ provided "a visible sign of welcome to the table upon which God gives Himself. In the bread and the wine, Jesus offered and communicated His own Self". Aware of His approaching death, "He offered in advance the life that would shortly be taken from Him, thus transforming His violent death into a free act of the giving of Self, for others and to others. The violence He suffered became an active, free and redemptive sacrifice".
"In contemplating Jesus' words and gestures that night, we can clearly see that it was in His intimate and constant relationship with the Father that He accomplished the gesture of leaving to His followers, and to all of us, the Sacrament of love", said the Pope. During the Last Supper Jesus also prayed for His disciples, who likewise had to suffer harsh trials. With that prayer "He supported them in their weakness, their difficulty in understanding that the way of God had to pass through the Paschal mystery of death and resurrection, which was anticipated in the offer of bread and wine. The Eucharist is the food of pilgrims, a source of strength also for those who are tired, weary and disoriented".
Benedict XVI went on: "By participating in the Eucharist we have an extraordinary experience of the prayer which Jesus made, and continues to make for us all, that the evil we encounter in our lives may not triumph, and that the transforming power of Christ's death and resurrection may act within each of us. In the Eucharist the Church responds to Jesus' command to 'do this in remembrance of me', she repeats the prayer of thanksgiving and blessing and, therewith, the words of transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord. Our Eucharistic celebrations draw us into that moment of prayer, uniting us ever and anew to the prayer of Jesus".
"Let us ask the Lord that, after due preparation also with the Sacrament of Penance, our participation in the Eucharist, which is indispensable for Christian life, may always remain the apex of all our prayers", the Pope concluded. "Let us ask that, profoundly united in His offering to the Father, we too can transform our crosses into a free and responsible sacrifice of love, for God and for our fellows".
At the end of his catechesis the Holy Father delivered greetings in a number of languages to the pilgrims present in the Paul VI Hall, inviting them to participate with "faith and devotion" in the Eucharist which, he said, is indispensable for Christian life as well as being the school and culmination of prayer. Addressing young people, the sick and newlyweds, he pointed our that last Sunday's Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is an occasion to reflect upon our own Baptism. "Dear young people", the Pope exclaimed, "live your membership of the Church, the family of Christ, joyfully. Dear sick people, may the grace of Baptism ease your sufferings and encourage you to offer them to Christ for the salvation of humanity. And you, dear newlyweds, ... base your marriage on the faith which you received as a gift on the day of your Baptism".
Related on Ignatius Insight:
• For "Many" or For "All"? | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger | An excerpt from God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life
• Benedict and the Eucharist: On the Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis | Carl E. Olson
• The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Spirituality | Mark Brumley
• The Meaning and Purpose of the Year of the Eucharist | Carl E. Olson
• The Doctrine (and the Defense) of the Eucharist | Carl E. Olson
Becoming Men of Christ
Becoming Men of Christ | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report
Profiles of seven men who have dedicated themselves to challenging other men to grow in faith and holiness
Catholic conferences and apostolates for men were once few and far between. But in just the last five or six years, the movement has caught fire, with more and more Catholic men being inspired to pray, live lives of virtue and to root out sin in their lives. In short, they want to become the men Christ wants them to be.
Fr. Larry Richards, a popular speaker at men's conferences, declared, "It's the biggest movement in the Church. We're realizing that men are different than women—not better, but different—and need to be ministered to in a different way."
One of the first such men's conferences Fr. Richards addressed was in Boston in 2005. It was an effort to promote healing in the aftermath of the sex scandals that rocked the Archdiocese, and was held with the support of Boston Archbishop (now Cardinal) Sean O'Malley, who celebrated the closing Mass. Fr. Richards was joined on the speakers' roster with such prominent Catholics as Jim Caviezel and Tom Monaghan.
Organizers were hoping to attract 500; 2,200 attended. Eighty priests turned out to hear confessions. A survey was taken of participants; nearly all said they wanted to return for the next conference the following year.
Fr. Richards remarked, "Men need to be challenged to be the best. When you challenge men to be men, they respond."
January 10, 2012
Now available, "Everything Changes", by Marie Bellet
From the recently released press piece:
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 6, 2012 – After nine children, an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore and an MBA from Vanderbilt, what's a mother to do? For Elm Street Records recording artist Marie Bellet, the answer involved returning to the studio with a new batch of original songs.
Her fifth CD, 
Everything Changes, captures in 14 tracks the role that Faith plays in the joys, sorrows and challenges of marriage and motherhood. It is available now from Ignatius Press. Her other albums include What I Wanted to Say (1997), Ordinary Time (2000), Lighten Up (2003) and A New Springtime (2006).
"The songs on this album reflect my experiences of the past five years – sending my first three sons off to college, starting over with a brand new baby boy and discovering that we do not really have that much control over how things turn out," Bellet said. "I found that I kept saying to myself, 'Whenever I think that I know what I am doing, everything changes!'"
Everything Changes includes songs that relate to all different phases of motherhood. Those familiar with Bellet's earlier work will see this collection as a progression into a new understanding of what love requires of people. They will not, however, hear divergence from the foundation of her music.
"All I have to do is show up with my kids at the grocery store," she said. "That is where the culture war is fought, surrounded by glossy magazines that promise happiness if you shed pounds and obligations. My songs offer a different vision of what it means to be a fulfilled woman."
To schedule an interview with Marie Bellet and/or to request a review copy of Everything Changes, contact Tim Lilley (TLilley@MaximusMG.com) or Tim Pigulski (TPigulski@MaximusMG.com) of The Maximus Group at 678-990-9032, or at the email addresses above.
Clips from the new CD can be heard on www.Ignatius.com.
"Catholic Imagination and Contemporary Culture"
The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) in Berkeley, California, is presenting its Third Annual Convocation of the College of Fellows on Saturday, January 28, 2012, titled, "Catholic Imagination and Contemporary Culture".
There will be four public presentations on the theme of "Catholic Imagination and Contemporary Culture", delivered by Congressman Dan Lungren, Fmr. Ambassador Ray Flynn, Barbara Elliott and Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. Other DSPT Fellows participating in this year's convocation include Gil Bailie, Velma Richmond, André Delbecq, Bob Flint, Ron Austin, Dana Gioia, and Kevin Starr.
Visit the DSPT website for details.
Videos of MIchael O'Brien interviewed by Fr. Fessio and giving talk on Catholic fiction
January 9, 2012
The illogical creed of Charles Krauthammer's ...
... hopeless, agnostic conservatism, examined, re-examined, and found lacking, by yours truly.
"Experts" are finally waking up to Hollywood's pedophile problem
A recent Los Angeles Times piece states that predators "exploit the glittery lure of Hollywood to prey on aspiring actors or models." What a shock. Some remarks, on the Catholic World Report blog.
Should the POTUS be "Gay Love Counselor"?
Mark Brumley seriously doubts the wisdom of such a role:
"Given that you oppose gay marriage," asked an internet questioner during Saturday night's Republican Presidential Debate, "what do you want gay people to do who want to form loving, committed long-term relationships? What is your solution?"
Mr. Gingrich took the question as an example of media bias, because it essentially judged the question of same-sex relationships to be more significant than the attacks on Catholic agencies that refuse to place adoptive children in same-sex situations. Those agencies have been effectively shut out of the adoption business simply because of their commitment to natural marriage, a commitment that is as much a part of their faith as the dignity of the human person.
Some of the other candidates also had thoughtful replies yet in a sense the question doesn't merit a response. Why not? Because it's not the business of presidential candidates, as candidates, to take stances on things citizens do in their purely personal relationships.
"On hearing clearly the Church's teaching": The Holy Father speaks to US bishops
by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | Catholic World Report | January 09, 2012
"Young people have a right to hear clearly the Church's teaching and, more importantly, to be inspired by the coherence and beauty of the Christian message, so that they in turn can instill in their peers a deep love of Christ and his Church."
—Benedict XVI to Bishops of the State of New York, November 26, 2011.
I.
Every five years, the bishops of a given country are to make a formal visit of account to the Holy Father. They are not simply free agents or executives who run their dioceses as if these were their private property. In November, Benedict began his reception of American bishops. As there are quite a few US bishops (283), they go in groups according to the region of the country from which they originate. Archbishop Dolan of New York was the spokesman for the New York State bishops, who made their visit in late November. L'Osservatore Romano carried a brief interview with the archbishop.
As might be expected, the Pope began his meeting with the American bishops with a reference to his 2008 visit to the United States. He mentioned the "conscientious efforts" to deal with clerical scandals. But, he added—showing how alert he is—"Just as the Church is rightly held to exacting standards in this regard, all other institutions, without exception, should be held to the same standards." The key phrase is "the same standards." It has long been obvious that abuse cases which have been pursued with such relish against Catholic culprits have not been pursued in the same way in the case of public schools or of government, military, business, athletic, and other institutions.
Bishops talk to the Pope. He listens. "Many of you have shared with me your concern about the grave challenges to a consistent Christian witness presented by an increasingly secularized society." The Pope, with his experience of talking to many world figures, adds that this unsettlement is shared by others. Indeed, many wonder about the "future of democratic societies." Such societies need firm and constant principles and virtuous practices to survive. Such things must arise from within the souls of free citizens. But they can choose, as often seems to be the case, not to live reasonably.
Read the entire essay on www.CatholicWorldReport.com...
Carl E. Olson's Blog
- Carl E. Olson's profile
- 20 followers
