Tag Archives: Catholic

Pope urges Muslim leaders to condemn violence – Europe – Al Jazeera English

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Pope urges Muslim leaders to condemn violence

Francis tells Turkish president attacks carried out in the name of Islam need condemnation from world’s Muslim leaders.

Pope Francis is the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics [Reuters]

Pope Francis has urged Muslim leaders to “clearly” condemn violent attacks carried out in the name of Islam after returning from a historic three-day visit to Turkey.

The Catholic pope made the remarks on Sunday during a press briefing on board a plane carrying him back to Rome after wrapping up a three-day visit to Turkey.

I told the president that it would be beautiful if all Islamic leaders, whether they are political, religious or academic leaders, would speak out clearly and condemn this because this would help the majority of Muslim people.

– Pope Francis

Francis said he had made the suggestion of a global condemnation of terrorism by Muslim leaders in talks on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Francis several times condemned the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group during his three-day trip.

“I told the president that it would be beautiful if all Islamic leaders, whether they are political, religious or academic leaders, would speak out clearly and condemn this because this would help the majority of Muslim people,” he said.

Francis also said on Sunday that equating Islam with violence was wrong and that he understood why Muslims were offended by many in the West who automatically equated their religion with terrorism.

The Argentine pope, who has been trying to foster cooperation with moderate Islam in order to work for peace and protect Christians in the Middle East, said it was wrong for anyone to react to terrorism by being “enraged” against Islam.

“You just can’t say that, just as you can’t say that all Christians are fundamentalists. We have our share of them [fundamentalists]. All religions have these little groups,” he said.

“They [Muslims] say: ‘No, we are not this, the Quran is a book of peace, it is a prophetic book of peace.'”

Improved relations

On the final day of his first visit to Turkey, the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics also called for an end to violence against Christians by ISIL.

In a joint statement with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leaders said they could not allow Christianity to be driven out of the region.

“We cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians, who have professed the name of Jesus there for two thousand years.”

They said the “terrible situation” of Christians calls “for an appropriate response on the part of the international community”.

via Pope urges Muslim leaders to condemn violence – Europe – Al Jazeera English.

The season of Advent

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From a pastoral letter by Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop
The season of Advent

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.

Each year, as the Church recalls this mystery, she urges us to renew the memory of the great love God has shown us. This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of his contemporaries; his power has still to be communicated to us all. We shall share his power, if, through holy faith and the sacraments, we willingly accept the grace Christ earned for us, and live by that grace and in obedience to Christ.

The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with him the riches of his grace.

In her concern for our salvation, our loving mother the Church uses this holy season to teach us through hymns, canticles and other forms of expression, of voice or ritual, used by the Holy Spirit. She shows us how grateful we should be for so great a blessing, and how to gain its benefit: our hearts should be as much prepared for the coming of Christ as if he were still to come into this world. The same lesson is given us for our imitation by the words and example of the holy men of the Old Testament

Via divineoffice.org

Prayer of St. Edmund of Canterbury – Prayer as We Begin the Day

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“O Lord, into Your hands, and into the hands of Your holy angels,
I commit and entrust this day, myself, my relatives, my
benefactors, my friends and enemies, and all Your Christian people.
By the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and all Your saints, keep us this day from all evil and unruly desires,
from all sins and temptations of the devil, from sudden and unprovided death, and from the pains of hell. Enlighten my heart with the grace
of Your Holy Spirit. Grant that I may ever be obedient to Your commandments and never let me be separated from You. Amen.”

For the Pro-Choice- a Thought to Ponder

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“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18: 10

Sunday Snippets–A Catholic Carnival

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It’ time for Sunday Snippets, Catholic bloggers sharing our posts.

To participate: from your blog, create a post with links to the posts from the last week that you want to share, entitle it, “Sunday Snippets – a Catholic Carnival”, link back to the Sunday Snippets post at RAnn’s site,  This, That and the Other Thing, there leave a link to your post with your week’s best.

About me, I am a wife, a mother, a Sinai Nurse. I do photography, paint, write and pray.

My Posts for the past week:

Ocean of Grace

Thanks Be to God

At Your Table

Advent Prayer in Waiting

Photo of boy hugging officer at Portland’s Ferguson protest goes viral | Fox News

Ocean of Grace

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1

By the gracious gift of God.
You, the Invited,
Receive His Peace.
Heartbeat by heartbeat,
Breath by breath,
In each instant,
His Will comes to you,
The Chosen,
To freely choose.

Remain His by faith.
Living in His favor,
A rain of blessing falls,
To water your being,
And penetrate the ground
On which, and in which,
You stand.

You give consent,
And desire in Love,
And as a plentiful valley,
Moment by moment.
Rooted in the holy,
Sanctified by the Sanctifier,
Life and abundance of fruit,
Are multiplied in you,
And grown up around you,

Grace upon grace,
Help, healing and holiness,
Flow in abundance.
From the springing up,
To the watering flow,
Then to rush,
As to the waiting arms a beloved,
Presuming bath and baptism,
To the ingathering of rivers,
In consecration and convergence,
Love returns to the Ocean
Of its Source.

As a homecoming,
Meandering streams
Cut courses through Time.
The many become seas
To, at long last, mingle
In the Mighty Mind,
And Minder of our souls.

copyright 2014 Joann Nelander

lionessblog.com