DOMINUS DEUS TUUS

Ye must loveth the Lord thy God with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy heart. Surrender before His Majestic throne all thy burdens and iniquities, and ye shall be deemed sanctified by His Spirit.

The Wrath of the Lord of Hosts

"And my eye shall not spare, neither will I shew mercy: but I will lay thy ways upon thee, and thy abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and you shall know that I am the Lord that strike." ~ The Prophecy of Ezechiel, Chapter 7, Verse 9

"If ye cry to heaven for venegance by thine abominations, ye shall know how terrible the Lord be, for the Lord doth smiteth." ~ Thomas Patrick Keep

A Short Reflection

Passive aggressive behavior is possibly the most sickening of any demeanor. It deceives the other party and causes a bitter line to be drawn from which only an evil fruit is born. Anyone who displays such conduct deserves neither friendship nor pleasantries in daily life, but merits only to be shunned by those he has assaulted with his own malice that he ever so loves.

Vatican cardinal: Abortion an atrocity unprecedented in human history

Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, blasted Spain’s abortion laws during a July 20 lecture in Madrid. Referring to the 47 million surgicial abortions that take place annually, Cardinal Cañizares called abortion “something unprecedented in the history of humanity.” Emphasizing the penalty of “immediate excommunication,” the cardinal added, “This practice is a crime, the killing of a human life, an innocent, weak and defenseless human being. Is there any other greater atrocity?”

Abortion is a “very grave” problem, he said, and humanity needs to be aware that the greatest crisis we are suffering is the “47 million legal abortions” that, according to the World Organization of Health, take place each year. “This is something unprecedented in the history of humanity,” the cardinal noted.

Regarding the question of the excommunication of health care workers who perform abortions, Cardinal Canizares reminded that there is such a thing as “immediate excommunication.” “This practice is a crime, the killing of a human life, an innocent, weak and defenseless human being. Is there any other greater atrocity?” he asked.

Vatican newspaper praises French Protestant John Calvin

VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The Vatican newspaper Friday praised influential French Protestant John Calvin, a critic of the Roman Catholic Church, hailing him an "extraordinary" figure. The Osservatore Romano, on the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, said it recognised the theologian as a Christian who had a major impact on European life.

"Considering the strength of arguments against him, we think it necessary to point out that Calvin is a Christian," the daily paper said of the man who played a major role in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The paper ranked Calvin alongside 18th century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau for his influence on modern European life. The pair were the "only two men who influenced some Europeans to change course and were strong enough to lead them in a new direction," it wrote. The "mark left by the reformer was deep," the Osservatore Romano continued, praising Calvinism as a "ingenious creation" which resisted "all the changes or revolutions of modern life."

Calvin, who lived in the 16th century, broke with the Roman Catholic Church and became one of its most ardent critics and helped the Reformation to take root across Europe. He was a contemporary of the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. Calvin's major work is The Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536) which advocates a strict form of Protestantism.

Pope alone will make final decision on Pius XII cause, Fr. Lombardi states

Vatican City, Jun 22, 2009 / 10:35 am (CNA).- Comments made last week by the priest charged with heading up Pope Pius XII's cause for beatification have caused the Vatican's press director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, to issue a statement refuting the idea that the Church is holding back the process because of Jewish concerns.

Fr. Peter Gumpel S.J., the priest leading Pius XII's beatification process, said at a conference in Rome last week that Pope Benedict XVI was "impressed" by concerns that Jewish relations could be marred by a declaration of the World War II era Pope as a Servant of God.

According to ANSA, Fr. Gumpel said that Jewish leaders had told Benedict XVI recently that "relations between the Catholic church and Jews would be definitively and permanently compromised" by moving forward with Pius' cause.

Fr. Lombardi reacted quickly to the comments by emphasizing that “the signing of decrees concerning causes of beatification is the exclusive prerogative of the Pope, who must be left completely free in his evaluations and decisions.”

The director of the Vatican press office also warned against interference in the Pope's decision making process, saying, "If the Pope believes that study and reflection upon the cause of Pius XII are to be further prolonged, his position must be respected without unjustified and inappropriate interventions."

Accusations have been made that Pope Pius XII did not do enough to save Jews who were being killed and persecuted by the Nazis. Despite evidence to the contrary, some Jews and historians claim that the late Pope was silent in the face of the Holocaust.

Meanwhile, Jewish leaders have asked that Pope Benedict open the Vatican's secret archives from the time period of Pius XII before any move is made on the late Pontiff's cause. Archivists responded by saying that it will take more time to catalog the 16 million documents from Pius' pontificate.

Abstinence of Meat on Fridays

Most Catholics think that Vatican II did away with the requirement of not eating meat on any Friday of the year. Most think it is now just Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent that we cannot eat meat.

This is what the new Code of Canon Law brought out in 1983 says about the matter:

Canon 1251
"Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday."

Canon Law still requires that Catholics not eat meat on Fridays!

Of course, most Episcopal Conferences have determined that, instead of abstaining from meat, Catholics may perform an act of penance of their choosing. But, do you ever remember to abstain from a particular food or do some other penance on Fridays? And, at any rate, the main rule is still to abstain from meat on Fridays.

It's very interesting to note that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (the United States' Episcopal Conference) is currently debating whether to rescind the determination and require all Catholics to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. The Bishops are considering that a return to meatless Fridays for all Catholics would be of benefit because:

• It is an expression of one's Catholicity; and
  
• In reparation for the grave sin of abortion.