Fr. Anthony DeMello was jesuit priest who wrote a lot of spiritual books before his unexpected death at an early age. Most of his spiritual insights were focused on the mystical traditions of the East. One of his books is entitled "One Minute Wisdom" which he wrote back in 1985. Here are a few excerpts that are thought provoking. Destiny: To a woman who complained about her destiny as a woman, the master said, "It is you who make your destiny. " But…
I have often expressed my objection and concern about the involvement of religion in our political American system. I have been vocal about my objection to the American bishops attempt to dictate political outcomes in America by religious influence and intimidation. I have suggested that those bishops and other Christian religions who fail to observe separation of church and state should have their tax exemption removed. See for example, https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2012/10/more-un-christ-like-bishops.html.html Columnist Leonard Pitts has expressed his viewpoint on this general subject…
I've written about Dorothy Day here in the past. See: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2011/11/dorothy-day-a-modern-undeclared-saint.html She has recently been in the religious news because the U.S. Bishops, at their semiannual meeting in Baltimore,voted unanimously to support the cause of sainthood for Dorothy. Dorothy was born in Brooklyn in 1897, where she was baptized in the Episcopal church. She attended college in Illinois but left to return to New York where she got involved in women's suffrage, issues of war and the labor movement. She…
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." John 17:20 This passage has been interpreted by different religions in different ways. Some seeing it as a call for conversion into one "true" religion and others as a general call for unity of belief of Christians. So what is the real meaning of…
As a cradle Catholic born before World War II I am greatly disturbed by the changes in my church since Vatican II and John 23rd. I am chiefly bothered by the positions taken by Church leadership starting with Rome and the apparent effort to return the Church to the pre Vatican II status. Here are some examples of leadership action which is very troubling. In some European countries like Germany, traditionally there is no separation between church and state. In these countries, in addition to paying a…
Commonweal Magazine in its June 15th issue had a discussion by several Catholic theologians on the Bishop’s lawsuit over the health care act provisions relating to birth control contraceptives and their position paper the Bishops entitled "Our first, most cherished liberty." Here are excerpts from the articles. One point the writers made is that unlike the apparent belief of the Bishops, religious freedom is not an absolute freedom. Here are some observations made about that fact. While freedom of religion…
In Vienna, Austria, it's reported that at the parish church near Innsbruck a first communion mass was held on April 22. The church was full of parents and relatives and the first Communion children. The parish priest, father Patrick Busskamp, announced that only Catholics who were in a state of grace should come forward for communion. He told them that Catholics who are divorced and remarried and Catholics who do not attend mass every week were not worthy to receive…
This entry is entirely based upon my reading of the National Catholic reporter for April 2012. Acknowledging a large amount of plagiarism, I think several subjects are worthy of thought. At the risk of offending my fellow Catholics once again, here they are with my thoughts: One article dealt with retired Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson who was an invited speaker in Chicago. During his talk he said the major fault of the church regarding the clergy sex abuse scandal is…
Barbara Johnson was one of four children raised as Catholics and sent to Catholic schools. She had been in a committed relationship with another woman for 19 years when her elderly mother became ill. It was Barbara who was with her praying when her mother, Loetta Johnson, 85, died.The funeral mass was arranged at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Maryland. Before the funeral service was held Barbara introduced her lesbian partner to the priest, father Marcel Guarnizo. After the…
One of the guests at next Sunday's Academy Awards will be a Benedictine nun. Fifty years ago she left a Hollywood movie career to join a cloistered convent. Dolores Hart, 73, is featured in an HBO documentary, God is the Bigger Elvis, which has been nominated for best documentary short category. It is scheduled to be shown on HBO in April 20 12th. The documentary covers her background involving being the star in dozens of Hollywood films and ending up…
