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Why Eat Fish on Fridays? And Other Lenten Surprises
Growing up as a protestant, I never really understood why Catholics made such a fuss over seemingly normal things during Lent. One great example is the practice of not eating meat on Fridays during Lent. How does that help us or help God? We've written about Lent in general before. This post points out some of the Catholic practices during Lent and attempts to explain why Catholics do that.

Why Eat Fish on Fridays?
One of the most obvious Catholic practices involves giving up all meat on Fridays. Catholics only eat fish and vegetables on Fridays during Lent (and lots of Catholics do this year-round). To step back, one of the important things about being a Christian is integrating your Christian beliefs into every part of your life. It's easy to compartmentalize your religion to Sunday mornings only, but true Christianity means living your faith every day, all day.

So going back to Fish on Fridays, there are two good aspects to this. First, we make a sacrifice of something small to God. In other words, we give up something we like for Our Lord, whom we love. Yes, it's a small sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice given from Love and it is always positive to give up something good for something great. Second, it enables us to keep Jesus Christ in the front our minds during the day. You have to actively remember not to eat meat on Fridays and this practices forces you to keep thinking about God all day. This is always an excellent idea.

To Mimic Christ at Lent
Lent is forty day fast that starts with Ash Wednesday and goes for forty days (not counting Sundays) to Easter. During this time we prepare our souls for the coming of God. We make personal sacrifices to help us remember God all day and to actively show God our love. As St. Paul wrote:

Col 1:24-25. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christs afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known

Even the smallest sacrifice, when given up for love of God, has value. Our sacrifices also act as repentence for our sins and help us to realize our weakness outside of God. But we are called to do even more . . .

Confession and Lent
All Catholics are required to attend confession at least once during Lent. Why? To prepare our souls for Easter Sunday. We believe that Jesus Christ through the grace of the Sacrament of Confession actually forgives us our sins when we confess them "one to another" as Christ commanded us. This is just another way that Lent focuses us on the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and our mortality (in other words, why we should be preparing to meet God).

Other Lenten practices
There are many other practices that we are called to do during Lent. The three pillars of Lent are fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (giving to the poor). These three pieces help prepare our souls. Many Catholics also attend the "Stations of the Cross" at their local parish, which involves going step by step from Jesus' arrest through His Crucifixion and meditation on each step in the process. It really forces you to consider what Christ has done for you.

The blessings of Lent
The true value of Lenten practices becomes apparent on Easter Sunday morning when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and our salvation. Our little gifts of sacrifice to God help bring us closer to Our Lord as we prepare for this time.

God bless,
Jay
Was the Tomb of Jesus found by James Cameron?
Since the Titanic, James Cameron hasnt done much as a director. But this week he produces a new documentary that has stirred a ton of controversy: The Tomb of Jesus airs on the Discovery channel this weekend. The documentary claims that Jesus tomb was found with his family including his wife, Mary Magdalene and their son. Is this true? And what does it mean, if so?

Ramifications: Who Cares if the Tomb of Christ is found?
Before we examine the claims, its important to understand what the claim means. What are the ramifications if the tomb of Jesus has been found? Here are the big ones:
- The Bible is false. The central claim of the Bible is that Jesus was physically raised from the dead after three days, rather than entombed. If this claim is proven false, the Bible cannot be believed as a honest account of the events of Jesus life.
- The Catholic Church is false. For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has taught that Jesus rose bodily from the dead in accord with Scripture. If His tomb was found, she is wrong and her claim to infallibility is gone. In addition, her teachings on the Resurrection saving us are wrong, which means . . .
- All of Christianity is dead. The Christian faith claims that Jesus died for our sins as the perfect sacrifice and that this sacrifice is what allows us to go to heaven. If Jesus died like regular men, then He is not God and thus cannot save us from our sins.
Our faith is based upon the pillar of Christs death and resurrection. If His body is found, then He was not resurrected as we have been told. All of our faith would then be in vain.

Evidence: What does the Documentary Claim?
The documentary claims that a tomb found by Amos Kloner 27 years ago contains the remains of Jesus of Nazareth, Mary Magdalene, and their child, among others. They base much of their evidence on numbers: the statistical chances that a tomb would contain Jesus name along with other graves containing those believed to be Jesus family during that time.

The proof from Camerons point of view lies in possibilities: what is the possibility of a tomb containing a grave labeled Jesus from that time period. He extrapolates this to be proof of Jesus remains.

So did James Cameron find Jesus Tomb?
Since James Cameron is a movie director, lets look at what historians and archeologists tell us rather than what James Cameron tells us. One tell-tale sign from the start is that not one single respected archeologist from the region will support Mr. Camerons theory. Not one. And Amos Kloner, who found the original tomb, calls these claims both impossible and nonsense. Only the writer of the book (that the documentary is based on) named Simcha Jacobovici agrees with Mr. Cameron. Father Jonathan Morris on FoxNews writes what James Cameron should have said:

We really got scared when people like Joe Zias, who spent 25 years as an archeologist at Rockefeller University in Jerusalam, called into question our integrity. I think he said publicly Simcha has no credibility whatsoever. And even though the great archeologist, Amos Kloner, tried to rain on our party when he said, The claim that the burial site has been found is not based on any proof, and is only an attempt to sell.

But why? What is the evidence that this claim is not true? Lets start with the claims of the name. From US Today:

The claim rests on a statistical analysis of the inscribed names on the ossuaries in the tomb, which was first uncovered during construction in 1980, and a DNA analysis of the remains in ossuaries inscribed with the names "Jesus son of Joseph" and "Mariamene e Mara." The analysis suggests the two were not blood kin and thus perhaps married.
The statistical analysis set odds of about 600-to-1 that the combination of names on the ossuaries didn't belong to the family of Jesus.
Shimon Gibson of the Albright Institute in Jerusalem, one of the three archaeologists who first explored the "middle-class" tomb, appeared with Cameron at the announcement and pronounced himself "skeptical but open-minded" about the possibility that Jesus' family tomb has been found.
But others were less charitable.
"These were very widespread names at the time, and finding a family tomb with ossuaries inscribed with them proves nothing," says biblical scholar Robert Eisenman of California State University-Long Beach.
Burials show 21% of women in Jesus' era were named Mary, says Richard Bauckham of Scotland's University of St. Andrews.
Jesus, Joseph, Judah and Mara (Martha) were also among the top 10 names.

Several archeologists have also suggested that the names were translated incorrectly, since Hebrew is notoriously difficult to decipher in cases like this. The Wall Street Journal also points out some of the issues:

The "Jesus tomb" explorers trot out statistics on ancient Hebrew names, claiming that the ones in the tomb sound too much like known Jesus family members for the similarity to be a coincidence. But since we've only excavated a minority of archaeological and tomb sites even in Jerusalem, most ancient names are still buried in the earth, making meaningful statistical analysis difficult. What we can say for certain is that most of the names found in the Talpiot tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem have been seen in many places elsewhere--in texts, on potsherds, in inscriptions, in the Bible itself. They are not rare even by the standards of the limited evidence we do have.
Any good scientific theory must account for all the evidence--in this case, all the names we find in the Talpiot tomb and not just the ones that match the holy-family theory. For instance, we have a Matthew in the tomb, but Jesus had no brothers named Matthew. And where are brothers like Simon, or the sisters mentioned in Mark 6, and where especially is brother James? We actually know that James was buried within sight of the Temple Mount, and Talpiot is miles from there. Eusebius, the fourth-century church historian, saw the tomb and the standing inscribed slab in front of it.
You also have to ask yourself: Why would most of the holy family from Galilee be buried in a middle-class tomb several miles outside of Jerusalem in some sheep pasture? They were, in fact, poor and could not afford an ornamental tomb like this one. This family was from Nazareth, too, with connections in Bethlehem. Why wouldn't its members be buried in one of those places?
We also know that crucifixion was considered the most shameful and hideous way to die, a blow from which one's family honor did not soon recover, if ever. So shamefully did Jesus die that his first followers and even most of his family abandoned him: He was not buried by family members or by the Galilean disciples. He was put in a tomb near the old city that did not belong to any of them.

We live in a day and age that any claim against Christianity, no matter how ridiculous, is taken seriously. James Cameron can make up any stories he likes he even ignores much of the evidence in this case and the Discovery channel will run it. Not because it is scientifically valid (since when has the Discovery channel cared about science?), but because James Cameron has the money to widely publish his claims. If we but knew more as the Wall Street Journal also points out:

In a surreal moment on "Larry King Live" earlier this week, the film's producer, James Cameron (of "Titanic" fame), told us with a straight face that we should all be thankful that we now have tangible evidence that Jesus existed. Actually, no serious historian of biblical antiquity has ever doubted that there was a historical Jesus. Yet it tells us a lot about the state of our culture that Mr. Cameron's remark, backed by pseudo-science, could be seriously made on national television and that the film's companion book has already shot up to No. 5 on Amazon's rankings. We are a Jesus-haunted culture that is so historically illiterate that anything can now pass for knowledge of Jesus.

Our ignorance lines the pockets of those who, like Mr. Cameron, seek fortune over reality.

Is this real? No. Last year we had The Da Vinci Code and this year we have The Tomb of Christ. As long as our populance is so ignorant of history the will be money made with pseudo-science and rewritten history anything that trieds to contradict Christianity. And why not? After all, materialists can sleep easy if they find that there is no judgment after this world.

God bless,
Jay
The 108th Catholic Carnival
Go check out this week's Catholic Carnival. It is organized around Lenten themes, so there's something for everyone.

God bless,
Jay
Who died on the Cross? A Lenten Meditation
Lent is upon us. As Catholics, we focus on our mortality and our relationship with Jesus Christ during the forty days of Lent in preparation for Easter (just as Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before His public ministry). And this is a good Lenten meditation for that time.

Who died on the Cross?
At first, this question seems silly: it was Jesus Christ, of course! But it was actually more than just the person of Jesus Christ. As believers in the Trinity, we believe that God died on the cross at Calvary. Not just the person of Jesus, but the single God we follow actually died on the Cross.

This is a profound statement. God not only gave His Son so that we might have Life, He also gave His own life. Yes, He rose again, but He did die for you. Just meditating on this reality can change your life forever.

In Pope John Paul IIs biography, Witness to Hope, it is pointed out that Pope John Paul II was calm and confident even in bad times. The reason was that Pope John Paul II knew that the worst thing that could ever happen had already happened: our God came to earth and we killed Him. Nothing this bad (or even close) could ever happen again. So he proceeded with courage, faith, and confidence that no matter what happened, it would not be the worst possible thing.

How would you live your life differently if you didnt worry about the bad? If you were completely confident that the God who died for you would lead you forward to heaven (even if that meant through suffering)? How would you live your life differently if you realized that you had already done the worst thing you could do: you killed your Savior through your own sins. Jesus Christ, who is God, would have died if you were the only person on earth. He still would have needed to repair the damage done by your personal sins.

Each of us must live with the consequences of our sin, but we must realize that our sins did have real consequences: they killed God. And He died willingly to pay for them, despite the fact that we have never lived up to the love He gives us.

How would you live differently if you fully realized the ramifications of this?

God bless,
Jay
Another great Catholic Carnival
Go check out this week's Catholic Carnival here. As always it is excellent. I also find something a bit surprising in the Carnival.

God bless,
Jay
Presidential Election 2008: A Disaster for Life?
Its a little early, but the 2008 Presidential elections are getting started and I think its an appropriate time to take an initial look at the field. For the last six years, President Bush has done some good things for the pro-life movement, even if you dont agree with his other policies. But the 2008 elections arent starting off well for the pro-life movement (and for unborn babies everywhere).

Obviously the Democrats continue to kneel to the Sacrament of Abortion, which makes it impossible for a pro-lifer to vote in that direction. But this election is starting off even worse both of the leading candidates are vehemently anti-life:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Clinton is 100% pro-choice and clear on it. She regularly votes 100% of the time with NARAL and 0% of the time with the National Right to Life Committee. In fact, she even supported the horrific partial-birth abortion and opposes any limits on abortion. She is also strongly for embryonic stem cell research. And her health care reforms of years past (that has suggested will come back if she is president) suggest she at least implicitly would allow euthanasia.

Senator Barack Obama
Like his opponent in the primaries, Senator Obama is a disaster when it comes to pro-life issues. He is unequivocally pro-abortion and also supports partial-birth abortion. He votes against any limitations on the murder of unborn infants. In fact, he even voted against protecting infants that were born alive during an abortion (he wanted doctors to be able to kill them). NARAL Pro-Choice America gave him a perfect pro-abortion rating. Obama has also issued statements in support of more embryonic stem cell research. So far, I dont believe Senator Obama has issued statements on euthanasia .

John Edwards
Edwards recently fired the two anti-Catholic bloggers he had hired, but that doesnt make him pro-Catholic, does it? Unfortunately he isnt pro-life either. Perhaps a distant third from the other two candidates, Edwards still gets a lot of press as Kerrys vice presidential candidate. Edwards sums up his position well, I support a woman's right to choose and believe this that right is constitutionally protected. I also support funding for family planning. He also (like most Democrats, unfortunately) has a perfect rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America. He even voted against a bill that would make it a crime to harm an unborn child while committing another crime and voted against banning partial-birth abortion. He also voted in favor of expanding embryonic stem cell research, which the Catholic Church has been clear is very immoral (it requires destroying the unborn).

Unfortunately the Republicans arent looking good either. There are three main candidates at this point and two are pro-abortion, the third was until recently:

Rudi Giuliani
Former-mayor of New York, Rudi Giuliani, seems to be ahead in most polls of likely contenders. This alone should bother pro-lifers. Because of Giulianis actions in the wake of September 11th, some havent realized his position on abortion yet. On a recent CNN interview Giuliani stated, I am pro-choice, but I am also, as you know, against abortion. Hate abortion. Never liked it. Thats a far cry from being pro-life and suggests he would push legislation at least protecting the role of abortion in society, if not trying to repeal much of current President Bushs progress. Giuliani also supports embryonic stem cell research. It is not clear where Giuliani stands on issues like euthanasia.

Senator John McCain
McCain is perhaps close to Giuliani in terms of potential. However, McCain is also not a pro-lifer. He often either votes against pro-life legislation or does not vote at all (lately he seems to be backing off his hard-line pro-abortion stance, perhaps because of the planned White House run). McCain has also mocked voters who overemphasize the pro-life position on politicians apparently he doesnt understand that this issue is a clear indicator of a politicians morals in other areas. He also supports more embryonic stem cell research. McCain also hasnt been clear on Euthanasia, however his Reform Institute has accepted money from the liberal Educational Foundation of America, which supports euthanasia (among other things). This is far from evidence that he supports physician-assisted suicide, but I can find no evidence he opposes it, either.

Mitt Romney
Famous for being Morman, Romney has been a pro-abortion Republican since the 60s and ran on a pro-choice platform as recently as 2002 while running for Governor of Massachusetts. But now he is claiming to be fully pro-life due to a conversation with an embryonic stem cell researcher:

The comment was made that this really wasn't a moral issue, because the embryos were terminated or destroyed at 14 days. And it struck me very powerfully at that point, that the Roe v. Wade approach has so cheapened the value of human life that someone could think it's not a moral issue to destroy embryos that have been created solely for the purpose of research, and I said to my chief of staff, and that's been 2 1/2 years ago, I said to her, 'I want to make it very clear that I'm pro-life. -- Mitt Romney

There is still some controversy over the whole issue, but it appears that Romney will push a pro-life agenda. However, Romney still believes abortion is okay for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. And Romney is also for more embryonic stem cell research. He tries to mitigate the damage in his position by suggesting only excess unborn children be destroyed for this procedure, but he still supports it. As far as I can tell, Romney has not clarified his position on euthanasia.

Presidential Election 2008: A Disaster for Life?
At this point the next election isnt looking too good for the Culture of Life. There is not a single pure pro-life candidate on the ballot at this point, however remember that it is early and former President Clinton came out of nowhere in 1992. So there is time, but Im not sure who the strong candidate would be.

When pro-lifers vote for Democrats or pro-abortion candidates it mitigates the issue on a national scale and pro-life candidates are removed from office. Pro-abortion candidates these days believe they can get some of the religious votes, even with a perfect rating from NARAL. Remember, the biggest indicator of a candidates morality is his decision of whether or not to protect the unborn, which are the weakest members of our society.

God bless,
Jay
Is The Secret really the key to happiness?
The now well-known book and DVD series called The Secret has been on Oprah (which makes any book a blockbuster), Ellen DeGeneres and even on Larry King Live. Ultimately, The Secret claims to be a simple secret that can lead to happiness, wealth, and even good health for you and anyone else who knows it. What is The Secret? Ill let the author explain:

Author Rhonda Byrne says the secret is the law of attraction: If you think positively, you become a magnet that pulls everything you want toward you. - - USA Today

So is this simple plan real? Is it True?

The Secret is deceptively simple
I think one reason for the popularity of The Secret is its apparent simplicity. Just believe as Disney has told us over the years. But is this something new? Not really. The Secret in simple terms is another shot at New Age mysticism. On the Oprah show, Jack Canfield (co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul) explained it in terms of physics: thought is energy so positive thoughts are positive energy that attracts other positive energy. This is very theoretical, to say the least, but is it practical? Lets examine a couple of cases . . .

The Secret in practice
If something works, it must be true, correct? In other words, if the Law of Gravity is real then it affects everyone. On Oprah the practitioners (so to speak) of The Secret pointed out that if you are negative, you attract negative things. Just to take one disaster the New Orleans Hurricane and try to explain it using The Secret: those people were thinking too negatively. If they were positive, it would not have happened.

Okay thats a negative viewpoint, but you suggest it might work in the positive. Again referencing Oprah, they actually pointed out that someone who wants to be a great singer should just decide it was going to happen and think positive. It would then happen. That simple. But when I watch American Idol I notice that there are a lot of extremely bad singers that really believe they are good. Unfortunately they just dont have the talent. In other words, they have faith in their singing ability and are positive enough to believe that the American Idol judges will select them. But they arent selected because their faith is misplaced: despite the claims of The Secret you cant just wish to have a great singing voice (Lord knows Ive tried).

Reality versus The Secret
The Secret is great as a motivational tool. It does encourage positive thinking and outlook, which is excellent. But the reality is that we live in a fallen world and suffering is a regular part of our world. The biggest error of The Secret is that it doesnt reflect this reality and tries to suggest that suffering is somehow your fault:

Susan Folkman, a psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco, says she worries about The Secret's suggestion that "people can cure themselves and that if they don't, they are somehow to blame." - - USA Today

In fact, as Christians we believe that our suffering has value that cant simply be wished away. With St. Paul our sufferings make up what is lacking in Christs sufferings. No amount of positive or wishful thinking will remove pain, sickness, and suffering from our lives. And it should be this way: perfection can only be attained in heaven.

The real Secret
The real secret for all of us is that Jesus Christ could have stayed in heaven as God and enjoyed eternity. But instead He decided to come to earth and die in order to that we might live forever with Him. Despite our own little secrets hidden in closets everywhere. The real secret is that God loves you and cares when you suffer. Every hidden pain and injustices is felt by God who remembers and loves you for trying.

Positive thoughts? Good. The love of God? Much, much better. That secret is all too hidden today and provides a lot more value than any book, even if it were a secret.

God bless,
Jay
Anima Christi
The Anima Christi is one of my favorite prayers, so I thought I would add it in full. Many Catholics still pray it after receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is exceptionally poignant at that point of the mass:

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me

Body of Christ, save me

Blood of Christ, inebriate me

Water from Christ's side, wash me

Passion of Christ, strengthen me

O good Jesus, hear me

Within Thy wounds hide me

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee

From the malicious enemy defend me

In the hour of my death call me

And bid me come unto Thee

That I may praise Thee with Thy saints

and with Thy angels

Forever and ever, amen

God bless,
Jay
How Religions have Grown
I'm sure there's controversy within some of the assumptions here, but I though this was pretty interesting. In short it attempts to show how the major world religions have spread through the bulk of the earth (our country was too easy - all blue).

██ Christianity ██ Islam ██ Hinduism ██ Buddhism ██ Judaism

Thoughts? Let us pray that the blue grows during our time, since that is our responsibility. Who is the last person you spoke with about Jesus Christ?

God bless,
Jay

Hat tip to Jerry's Blog who found it at Wikipedia.
New C.S. Lewis Movie: The Screwtape Letters
It's good to see Christian movies becoming more mainstream - and I think it helps with our culture as long as the movies retain their Christian character. I just learned that The Screwtape Letters is going to become a movie. It's being made by the same guys who brought us The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so it could be very good. Although I must admit I'm curious as to how that book can be "adapted" to a live-action movie.

For more details, see this article. Kudos to Walden Media - and if you weren't aware, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is in theaters next year.

God bless,
Jay
Social Justice and the Family
Do you know the leading cause of poverty in the United States, according to the president of DePaul University? Last September I was at the National meeting for the St. Vincent de Paul Society where he was the keynote speaker, and his answer struck me: divorce.

Unfortunately, this was a minor side-note in his speech and he went on to say many other things, but my mind kept coming back to this fact. To me, it is obviously true that in this country of immense wealth, moral poverty often (not always) has a link with material poverty. Ironically, when many Catholic institutions talk about decreasing poverty, there is no mention of the moral link. For example, Catholic Charities (with St. Vincent de Paul Society) has set a goal of cutting poverty in half by 2020. The main means in their effort to reach this goal is changing government policy. To my knowledge, there is no mention of the moral poverty link.

The goal is a noble one, but I think a different approach would more successful. What if a huge effort was made to create healthy families? There would be fewer single mothers, and I know for a fact that single mothers are the main type of client that the St. Vincent de Paul Society serves. Children would grow up with more financial security, but more importantly, with more love, values, and emotional support. Many Christians know what most of secular society doesnt; that the family is under attack and it is wreaking havoc on society. The breakdown of the family is a much greater problem in this country than material need. The huge piles of free bread thrown away every other day at the St. Vincent de Paul Society proves that to me.

If we focused our efforts in this area, not only would we reduce poverty, but we would increase peoples dignity and happiness, even if they fell on hard economic times. This approach would help people holistically, by addressing their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs, not just their physical needs. Im sure many have seen the movie American Beauty. If we succeed in pulling thousands of families out of material poverty, but they are as dysfunctional as the ones in that movie are, have we succeeded in anything?

Sadly, many Catholics who are all about social justice do not see the intricate web of personal sin, corruption, and different kinds of poverty. They tend to put all the blame on what they see as black and white government economic policies. Let us pray for a deeper conversion to Christ in our pursuit of justice.

In Christ,
Daniel
A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
The following is a reflection written by Pope Benedict XVI on the "New Man". Enjoy!

The breakthrough to the new man takes place in Jesus Christ. In him the real future of man, what he can be and should be, has in fact begun. The inner self of Jesus, as it is portrayed throughout the whole of his life and finally in his self-sacrifice on the cross, offers a measure and prototype of future humanity. It's not for nothing that we talk of following Christ, of entering upon his way. It is a matter of inner identification with Christ - just as he identified himself with us. That is really what man is moving toward. It is in the great stories of discipleship, which extend across the centuries, that we see unfolding what is hidden in the figure of Jesus. It is not the case, then, that a schematic pattern is imposed, but that every potential development of true human existence is contained therein. We see how Therese of Lisieux or Saint Don Bosco, how Edith Stein, the apostle Paul, or Thomas Aquinas, has learned from Jesus how to go about being human. All these people have become truly like Jesus - and they are nonetheless different and original... The salvation that is offered us is no mechanical process or exterior matter. It has been entrusted to our freedom and has thereby also been rendered vulnerable to the fragility of human freedom and of the human character. Salvation begins anew in every man; it is not simply there. You cannot just cement it on externally or control it by the use of power, but always only enter into the freedom that opens up. But above all and in all is the One who comes to meet us and who gives us a hope that is stronger than all the devastation that men can bring to pass. - Taken from Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI

In Christ,
Joe
Pope Benedict XVI's concern for Matrimony
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI spoke to a group of judges, officials, lawyers and collaborators of the Roman Rota, the Church's central appellate court at the Vatican. During the address, Pope Benedict pointed to the fact that relativism is eroding the concept of marriage even in the minds of Catholics. He expressed concern about the use of annulments as a means of regulating the breaking up of marriages that, in truth, were authentic. He cautioned that marriage risks losing its "existential relevance in a cultural context marked by relativism and juridical positivism, which consider marriage as a mere social formalization of emotional bonds." He went on to say that "not only does it become contingent, as human sentiments can be, but is presented as a legal superstructure that human will might manipulate according to its pleasure, even depriving it of its heterosexual character".

Clearly the Pope's concerns are being made manifest in our society today. Let us pray that more will listen to God's call to faithful and loving marriages. And may those marriages be open to life and to the raising of children grounded in the Faith.

In Christ,
Joe
Catholic Carnival 103: A terrible anniversary and lots of hope
This weeks Catholic Carnival notes the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, marks the start of the next presidential race, and offers enough introspection to keep you thinking for weeks. Enjoy:

We start off with St. Margaret of Hungary from We Belong to the Lord. It explores the Saints life and how it applies to us today.

Next, were back to Rome with Italian Musing #4: Ecumenical Shop on Borgo Pio, and Christian Unity at Monastic Musings explores the meaning of ecumenism and unity in a gift shop.

Sarah had to do it after breaking her arm. We all do it at some point and she discusses it in Swallowing My Pride at just another day of Catholic pondering. Out of humility comes . . . joy? This is a post youll enjoy (because you can relate!)

Intentional Disciples offers us Parable of the Sower, which examines the parable and what it means for intentional discipleship. The blog is sponsored by the Catherine of Siena Institute.

Kicking Over My Traces explores Post-Secular America and Stephen King as they were discussed in First Things. Have we jettisoned reason?

Keeping us focused on the Liturgical year, HMS Blog offers us The Good News of the Law and Spirit based on the Mass readings for Sunday (21st). It reflects on why Gods Law and Spirit are good news; and it touches on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.

Back to ecumenism with Resources for the 2007 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at PhatCatholic Apologetics. This post explains the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and offers resources as well as a defense of the value of ecumenism.

50 Days After takes us international with Golden Statue in Madya Pradesh. Nebuchadnezzar is back in India and a Catholic Archbishop needs your support. Take a moment to look at this one.

The wisdom of a mother is obvious in The Legacy of Church Shoes at Catholic Matriarch in My Domestic Church. Its a reflection on the little things we do that teach our children the importance of Mass.

Controversy? In the south it doesnt get any more so than Indulgences. So Many Devotions . . . So Little Time explains indulgences and offers resources for going more indepth on your understanding.

Back to current events, Angry in the Great White North explores the possibility for A Catholic Monarch for England. How much would revoking the Act of Settlement of 1701 change things in England? Take a look.

Catholic Fire remains true to its name in Barak Obama and The Priest Who Sold His Soul to the Devil. Strong words? Take a look for yourself.

We continue with a little controversy in Let them be one . . . from A Catholic Life. Is ecumenism worthwhile? What should Catholics do about The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity?

Moving to the interior life, A Penitent Blogger gives us The ultimate strong man. It is a reflection especially for those of us who see ourselves as strong Christians.

The Kitchen Madonna keeps us on course with An Apron Manifesto or How to Get All Tied up with Apron Strings of Love. What does a woman in an apron really symbolize? Take a look and become part of the Apron Manifesto.

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Go here for more on the Catholic Carnival.

God bless,
Jay
Catholic Carnival for this week
Just wanted to mention this week's Catholic Carnival is up. It's growing every week it seems and you're guaranteed to enjoy one or two of the articles. Go see it here.

God bless,
Jay

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