KatyA

Thursday, 16. October 2008, 13:39

it is a pain.

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Pope Benedict chose this Sunday for the beatification because it is World Mission Sunday – and St. Therese is the patroness of the missions. As most of you know, she lived a very short, very sheltered life. But her great dream was to be a missionary. She had hoped to join the Carmelites in Vietnam, but her failing health prevented her. Near the end of her life, at the urging of her mother superior, Therese struck up a correspondence with a young seminarian, who eventually became a missionary in Africa and who also died very young. She once wrote to him of her parents: “The good God gave me a mother and father more worthy of heaven than of earth.”
What a beautiful testimony from a daughter – and from a saint.

The simple fact is that the missionary work of the church doesn’t begin in the jungles of Africa, or the slums of India. It isn’t launched in far off countries among pagans.
It begins here. It begins now.
It begins in the domestic church: the home.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
After the solemn Eucharistic celebration and the traditional Supplication of the Madonna of Pompeii, following our customary Sunday practice, we once again turn our gaze to Mary with recitation of the Angelus, and we entrust to her the great petitions of the Church and of humanity.
We especially pray for the ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops that is taking place in Rome and that has “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” as its theme, that it might bear the fruit of authentic renewal in every Christian community.
Another special prayer intention is offered to us by World Mission Day, which in this Pauline Year proposes for our meditation these celebrated words of the Apostle of the Gentiles: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).
In this month of October, the month of missions and of the rosary, how many faithful and how many communities offer the holy rosary for missionaries and for evangelization! For this reason I am very glad to find myself today here in Pompeii, in the most important shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary. This gives me the opportunity to emphasize with greater insistence that prayer is the first missionary duty of each one of us. It is first of all through prayer that the way for the Gospel is prepared; it is through prayer that hearts are opened to the mystery of God and that souls are disposed to receive his Word of salvation.
On this day there is yet another happy coincidence to mention. Today in Lisieux, France, Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin are being beatified, the parents of Thérèse of the Child Jesus, whom Pius XI declared patroness of the missions. Through their prayer and their evangelical witness St. Thérèse’s parents accompanied and shared the journey of their daughter, who was called by the Lord to unconditionally consecrate herself to him within the walls of Carmel. It was there, in the obscurity of the cloister, that St. Thérèse realized her vocation “to be love in the heart of the Church” ("Manuscrits autobiographiques," Lisieux 1957, 229).
With the beatification of the Martins in mind, I would like to recall another intention that is close to my heart: the family, whose role is fundamental in nurturing in their children a universal spirit, open and responsive to the world and its problems, and in forming vocations to missionary life. And so, following in our heart the pilgrimage that so many families made a month ago to this shrine, we call upon the maternal protection of the Madonna of Pompeii for all the families of the world, already looking forward to the 4th World Family Meeting that is being planned for Mexico City in January 2009.
[The Pope continued in French]
On this World Mission Day, we especially join with the pilgrims gathered in Lisieux for the beatification of Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, patroness of the missions.
They proclaimed the Gospel of Christ through their exemplary married life. They lived their faith ardently and transmitted it to their family and all around them. May their prayers be a source of joy and hope for all parents and all families.

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The best pastoral approach is always to tell the truth, so please, forget the notion that "to be pastoral" is somehow opposed to "telling the truth" or "teaching the faith."

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Appeal for Real Parents

Dr Oliver James, psychologist, sends us this appeal:
Dear Readers,
International Volunteering Day (5 December 2008) gives us the opportunity to celebrate the contribution that is made around the world by people who selflessly give their time in support of a cause they believe in.
I personally would like to celebrate the many thousands of parents and grandparents in the UK who volunteer for Home-Start and help struggling families cope during a difficult time in the upbringing of a young child or children.
Home-Start understands the fundamental importance of meeting the needs of children. It's a simple idea that really works ­ parent volunteers matched with other parents who are struggling with issues such as post-natal depression, multiple births, isolation and disability.
The current credit crisis means that families everywhere who already face difficulties will be under additional pressure. Yet, freedom from money worries is not the solution. Evidence shows that once a family earns enough to meet its basic material needs (about £15,000 a year), it makes no difference to levels of happiness or mental health how much more they have. What matters is the relationship you have with your parents in the early years.
That's why I am appealing to ICN readers to support Home-Start's Real Parents campaign, which is encouraging parents to volunteer their time to help other parents who are finding it hard to cope. They're not looking for super nannies ­ just ordinary parents who can offer some support.
By volunteering just a couple of hours a week you'll not only be making a difference to child's life but will also reap the huge personal benefits that come from helping others. To find out more about the Real Parents campaign and how to become a Home-Start volunteer see: http://www.realparents.org.uk or call 0800 068 63
Yours faithfully,
Dr Oliver James
© Independent Catholic News 2008

Scientific American

 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - And then there was light -- and it was powered by the sun. The Vatican on Wednesday activated a new solar energy system and announced an ambitious plan that could one day make it an alternative energy exporter.

The massive roof of the "Nervi Hall" where popes hold general audiences and concerts are performed, has been covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels to provide energy for lighting, heat and air conditioning.

After weeks of tests, the system went on line at full throttle hours before Pope Benedict held what officials called the "first ecological general audience in the Vatican."

The new system on the 5,000 square meter roof will produce 300 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy a year for the audience hall and surrounding buildings.

The 1.2 million euro ($1.6 million) system, devised and donated by German companies SolarWorld and SMA Solar Technology, will allow the 108-acre city-state to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by about 225 tons and save the equivalent of 80 tons of oil each year.

tomais

Tuesday, 2. December 2008, 19:28

So insider dealing to one side,( temporarily)- where now the investments ?
Hmmm- another mystery.