Św. Piotrze Damianie, któryś nigdy swojej chwały nie szukał, ale zawsze boskiej, uproś nam u Boga tę łaskę, abyśmy unikali honorów i zaszczytów, a w cichości i pokorze pracowali nad zbawieniem swej duszy. Amen.
O Boże, który grzechem bywasz obrażony a pokutą przebłagać się dopuszasz, racz wejrzyć litościwie na prośbę ludu Twego, a za wstawieniem się św. Wilchelma, racz odwrócić od nas karę zapalczywości Twojej, na którąśmy dla grzechów naszych zasłużyli. Amen.
If I hear ‘Great Firewall of China’ one more time…
China wants to suppress freedom in religion, ideas, words, actions, and so much more. The Chinese government is run by dictators who label themselves communist. They could give themselves any label. It really doesn’t matter. They are in power and that’s the way it will remain. Ideas and freedom threaten their precarious hold on over 1 billion people.
Why does their need for control and American industry’s acquiescence surprise anyone?
Why are we sorrowed at our industrial and technological giants who are looking at the potential of a vast market (yeah, 1 billion people living at subsistence level are going to on-line purchase through Google —“ hahahahahaha)?
Do you think that ideals and freedom are what these companies are all about? The only thing a company stands for is its bottom line. Actually they stand and bow to it.
Saud is in our gas tanks and ports, China is in our technology, all because someone got rich. We wouldn’t let China have a petroleum company. Why? I guess that hit to close to home for America’s ruling elite.
If there were a motivation to support the good and just, or even to do what is right for this country, we would have to get on board with annihilating these dictators and converting their followers (think natural implications here).
As it is, the teacup firewall is only as strong as our willingness to reinforce it by trading strength for weakness.
I highly recommend that you read Turkey and the Ecumenical Patriarch posted at Pontifications. I also urge you to write your elected representatives in the House and Senate.
Turkey’s outright persecution of the Ecumenical Patriarch and of Orthodoxy in general is repulsive. This persecution extends to the Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Roman Catholics, and evangelical Christians.
Please express to them the need to hold Turkey’s allegedly democratic feet to the fire and to hold them accountable for their outright persecution of Christians.
Based on the events of the last several months alone, the EU should be running from Turkey as fast as it can.
Let’s hope Greece, Poland, Denmark and other EU countries that have dealt with Islamofascists for a thousand plus years would work to veto any inclusion of Turkey.
The ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatí¼rk have been destroyed in less than 100 years. Atatí¼rk said: “The major challenge facing us is to elevate our national life to the highest level of civilization and prosperity.”
While Atatí¼rk was a nationalist and while his ideas led to the participation in the wholesale slaughter of Armenians in the genocide and the expulsion of Greeks and Christians in general is reprehensible, the parts of Atatí¼rk’s philosophies that took a generally progressive and socialist attitude toward modernizing Turkish life had some value. The Ottoman state, against which he fought, was as outmoded as the rest of Arabia. Atatí¼rk resolved to lead his country out of the crumbling Islamic past into the future.
Ostensibly his program of modernization, secular government and education were positives. He, at least on paper, made religious faith a matter of individual conscience. His secular system could have allowed all in Turkey the freedom to practice their faith.
I always found the elimination of the fez to be interestingly symbolic. Since Atatí¼rk’s democratic ideals and western tendencies are generally summarized by his elimination of the fez, I hereby decree that all Turks are to begin wearing the fez once again.
If you’re going to throw off ‘democracy’ why not look the part.
Part II of my decree will include the elimination of the fez in favor of the bomb hat.
Check out online retailer Hats in the Belfry for all your fez needs. The fez is also available from VillageHatShop.com
Wszechmogący Boże, panie nieba i ziemi, udziel wszystkim małżonkom tej łaski, aby obowiązki swego stanu według przepisów twej świętej religji wypełniali, przykrości cierpliwie znosili, dziatki zaś swoje pobożnie wychowywali. Amen.
From LifeSiteNews: Supreme Court’s Ginsburg Offended by “Outrageously Anti-Abortion” Homily at Mass
WASHINGTON, February 9, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The February edition of the Jewish bimonthly magazine, Moment, carries an excerpt from a book by Abigail Pogrebin, Stars of David; the book details conversations Pogrebin had with 62 famous Jews. The excerpt features Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of Pogrebin’s subjects. What Ginsburg had to say about Christianity was noted by Catholic League president Bill Donohue:
“In the January 30 edition of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, Abigail Pogrebin was asked which Jewish persons have left a ‘profound impression’ on her. She answered, ‘I will never forget Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg saying, ‘Don’t put a [Christmas] wreath on this door.’ Indeed, Ginsburg admits to putting a gold mezuzah on her office door’s frame as a way of saying, ‘This is my space, and please don’t put a wreath on this door.’ To observant Jews, the mezuzah reminds them of their connection to God. To Ginsburg, who is not observant, it is a symbol of protest.
So Ms. Ginsburg has equated herself to God? I guess being on the Supreme Court makes you the source of all justice —“ equal to God.
For those who do not know, the mezuzah is a sort of metal tube containing scripture that is placed on the doorpost of Jewish homes in accordance with scripture. It is a mitzvah (blessing) to place mezuzot on the doorposts of Jewish homes in accordance with Deut. 6:4-9, a passage commonly known as the Shema (Hear, from the first word of the passage). In that passage, G-d commands the Jewish people to keep His words constantly in their minds and hearts.
The words of the Shema are written on a tiny scroll of parchment, along with the words of a companion passage, Deut. 11:13-21. On the back of the scroll, a name of G-d is written. The scroll is then rolled up placed in the case, so that the first letter of the Name (the letter Shin) is visible (or, more commonly, the letter Shin is written on the outside of the case).
By this action the Jewish person recalls God before all and dedicates his home to God.
So Ginsburg placed the mezuzah on her door to state —This is my space—. How nice, she recalls her own name and her dedication to herself.
“Ginsburg used to attend the annual Red Mass, a Catholic Mass that honors lawyers, but then she had a bad experience: ‘I went one year and I will never go again, because this sermon was outrageously anti-abortion.’ So much for respect for diversity. Just imagine how it would go down in the Jewish community if a Catholic Supreme Court Justice were to say that he would never again attend a particular Jewish event because he had to endure a talk that was ‘outrageously pro-abortion.’
…
And you expected? Just because Ms. Ginsburg has washed God out of her life does she expect the rest of us to do the same? The answer to that is an unequivocal yes.
She must have been looking for some good symbolism for her door. Unfortunately she could not use the ever popoular Hebrew symbol Chai on her door. That would be impossible because Chai stands for life.
Judaism as a religion is very focused on life, and the word chai has great significance. The typical Jewish toast is l’chayim (to life). Gifts to charity are routinely given in multiples of 18 (the numeric value of the word Chai).
By the way, רשע transliterated is rasha —“ meaning the guilty as in an evil or wicked (wo)man. In Jewish thought this is the most extreme type of sinner.
Ms. Ginsburg, every sin against man is a sin against God. Go, see a Rabbi and pray:
“O may it be Thy will, O Lord my God, and God of my fathers, that I may sin no more; and as to the sins I have committed, purge them away in Thine abounding mercy.”
Special thanks to Judaism 101 for info on the mezuzah and the Chai symbol.
Św. Paulo, pokorna Oblubienico Chrystusowa, uproś nam u Niego tę łaskę, abyśmy porzucili złość, przewrotność i lekkomyślność, a odmieniwszy swe życie zasłużyli sobie na zbawienie duszy. Amen.
Wszechmogący wieczny Boże, użycz nam swej łaski, abyśmy naśladując św. Konrada, pokutą obmyli błędy lekkomyślności młodzieńczej, a umartwiając swe ciało na ziemi, zasłużyli sobie na wieczną nadgrodę w niebie. Amen.
Dramatic, amazing, extraordinary, and yeah, ok.
Our readings today contain a very important line. The line is on our sign outside the church.
Let’s reflect on what Isaiah proclaims:
It is I, I, who wipe out,
for my own sake, your offenses;
your sins I remember no more.
The line on the sign is, —your sins I remember no more.—
How many of us can say something like that.
I have a difficult enough time forgiving myself for letting God down. I have a really hard time letting go of the stupid and dangerous things I’ve done in my life. So how truly amazing that God can say, —your sins I remember no more.— God Who is perfect has chosen to forgive my sins.
But there is more to the story than that.
We know that only God in His infinite mercy can abrogate our sin. He alone can wipe the slate clean. He can change us in an instant, from the corrupt beings we are, into something truly beautiful.
As we enter into this second week of the season of Septuagesima lets us reflect on God’s forgiveness.
My brothers and sisters,
We might ask ourselves why. Why does God choose to forgive us? Why did Jesus publicly demonstrate forgiveness?
The Jewish people were incredulous. Only God could forgive sins. Forgiveness only came on the High Holy Days when the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the lamb on the people and washed the altar with blood.
When Jesus came all but a few failed to recognize God in their midst. All but a few failed to see the High Priest and the sacrificial lamb in their midst.
And here come the faithful. The ones who see clearly:
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
Absolutely dramatic.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
—Child, your sins are forgiven.—
Absolutely extraordinary.
Then the naysayers took over.
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
—Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?—
They missed God in their midst, didn’t they?
Jesus immediately knew in his mind
what they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, —Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk?’
Now for the anticlimactic ending:
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth—
—”he said to the paralytic,
—I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.—
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
The people were amazed. They were beside themselves. We think of this moment as dramatic, but it is not. It is wonderful for that man, but very sad for those naysayers.
They could only believe what they saw. They saw a cure, destruction becoming wholeness. They missed the main event. They missed the real cure.
—Child, your sins are forgiven.—
So here we are on Sexagesima Sunday. About sixty days before Easter. We are called to pay very close attention to the cure for our broken hearts.
Jesus gave the Church a powerful gift; the gift of forgiveness of sins. Interestingly, He repeated this gift several times.
Before His death He told His Apostles:
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18).
After His resurrection he told the Apostles:
“‘As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'” (John 20:21—“23)
Whenever Christ cured the sick He addressed their faithfulness first, and if needed, the requirement of repentance. By doing so He gave His Church not just a powerful commission but a powerful example.
We are called in faith to come here each week. We are called to trust that if we ask, God will forgive us. That God will forgive us through the power of His Holy Church.
When Father holds out his hand and pronounces absolution for our sins we are indeed washed clean.
It is not just Father Andrew holding out his hand. It is Jesus Christ. Jesus is absolving your sins and father is acting as Jesus commissioned him to act. He is also acting on behalf of the whole Church. Jesus forgives your sins and the Christian community forgives you.
God the Father forgives us because He sees us washed in the blood of His Son. God forgives us so that His love and mercy may be magnified.
Do not be like the naysayers. Rather, ask and be forgiven. Repent and be washed clean. Do not miss the main event. Each week we should be like the people in that house in Capernaum:
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, —We have never seen anything like this.—
My blog must be getting popular. For about a day I moved up one notch in the TTLB Blog Ecosystem. I will forever long for that day as a wiggly worm.
After taking a day to visit my in-laws I came back to find that I received 121 items of comment spam. Somebody must really, really like me…