via Principium et Finis: Fr. Ratzinger’s Prophecy, 45 Years Later.
“I have often heard mention of a remark by Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, anticipating a “smaller, purer church”. I was reminded of the this remark last week as I was wrapping up my post on St. Julia of Corsica [here], and reflecting on the fact that we seem to need to suffer many smaller defeats on the way to enjoying Christ’s final victory over sin and death. I was curious to find out exactly what the future Pope said, and when and where he said it.
I found that the original statement came as the last of a series of radio addresses that Fr. Ratzinger, at that time a professor of Theology, delivered over the radio in Germany in 1969 [full text here]. His prophetic vision of a “smaller, purer Church” (someone else’s paraphrase, I think, because I don’t see that wording in the original text) was broadcast on Christmas day. It makes interesting reading 45 years later.
Fr. Ratzinger starts out saying that “The future of the Church can and will issue from those whose roots are deep and live from the pure fullness of their faith.” Ah yes, personal holiness: that sounds good. “It will not issue from those who accommodate themselves merely to the passing moment or from those who merely criticize others and assume that they themselves are infallible measuring rods . . .” Hmmm, sounds like time for some self-examination. “nor will it issue”, he says
from those who take the easier road, who sidestep the passion of faith, declaring false and obsolete, tyrannous and legalistic, all that makes demands upon men, that hurts them and compels them to sacrifice themselves. To put this more positively: The future of the Church, once again as always, will be reshaped by saints, by men, that is, whose minds probe deeper than the slogans of the day, who see more than others see, because their lives embrace a wider reality.”
READ MORE via Principium et Finis: Fr. Ratzinger’s Prophecy, 45 Years Later.
Tag Archives: Faith
Jesus, Haven of My Heart
Jesus, I place myself
In the holy confines
Of Your Sacred Heart.
Heart of my heart,
Draw heaven to me.
Surround me with friends
Of Your choosing,
That my mind might be full
Of the conversation of saints.
The world is so much with me.
It is temptress and shallow.
I long for the deep
Of Your thoughts,
To speak peace and refuge
In my wilderness.
You are the haven of my soul,
The Paradise once lost,
But now given
With My daily Bread.
Exile holds no fear
For You surround me.
You are my consolation
And marrow of my bones,
Strength of my strength.
Your Holy Spirit comes to me
And turns my tears to laughter.
In a valley of vanity and pride,
Your Humanity and Humility
Take me by the hand and heart
To dwell within and be my home.
©2012 Joann Nelander
All rights reserved
I Thirst
You showed the way
To live each day,
One cup of water at a time.
You satisfy Man’s thirst,
By thirsting first.
We come,
One cup of water at a time.
I live anew to give
As I have received,
One cup of water at a time.
Living water ,
Abundant stream,
Channel Your Life through me,
One cup of water at a time.
©2012 Joann Nelander
Arm in Arm
Imagine a human sea,
Throng upon throng,
Gathered across Europe,
Arm in arm.
Regard the multitudes,
Witness of flesh,
Standing tall,
Staring down terror and the terrible,
Arm in arm.
A proclamation for peace,
For life, for freedom,
In the aftermath of death,
To face the future,
Arm in arm.
A call to arms:
Arms to embrace,
Arms to hold dear,
Arms to forge,
Arm in arm.
Draw from tragedy’s furnace,
Amidst the sweat and blood,
Humanity’s last hope,
(For need of each other),
Arm in arm.
Joann Nelander
Image a human sea,
Throng upon throng,
Gathered across Europe,
Arm in arm.
Regard the multitudes,
Witness of flesh,
Standing tall,
Staring down terror and the terrible,
Arm in arm.
A proclamation for peace,
For life, for freedom,
In the aftermath of death,
To face the future,
Arm in arm.
A call to arms:
Arms to embrace,
Arms to hold dear,
Arms to forge, in heart-felt resolve,
In the furnace of trial, tears and tragedy,
An alliance of hope,
Arm in arm.
Joann Nelander
Inside the Confessional: What Is It Like for a Priest? – Aleteia
Inside the Confessional: What Is It Like for a Priest? – Aleteia.
I was once riding in a shuttle-bus with a number of older folks on the way from an airport. They noticed that I was a priest and started asking questions about it.“Do you do all of the priest stuff?”“Yep.”“Even the Confession thing?”“Yeah. All the time.”One older lady gasped, “Well, I think that that would be the worst. It would be so depressing; hearing all about people’s sins.”
I told them that it was the exact opposite. There is almost no greater place to be than with someone when they are coming back to God. I said, “It would depressing if I had to watch someone leave God; I get to be with them when they come back to Him.” The Confessional is a place where people let God’s love win. The Confessional is the most joyful, humbling, and inspiring place in the world.What do I see during Confession?I think there are three things. First, I see the costly mercy of God in action. I get to regularly come face to face with the overwhelming, life-transforming power of God’s love. I get to see God’s love up-close and it reminds me of how good God is.Not many folks get to see the way in which God’s sacrifice on the Cross is constantly breaking into people’s lives and melting the hardest hearts. Jesus consoles those who are grieving their sins . . . and strengthens those who find themselves wanting to give up on God or on life.As a priest, I get to see this thing happen every day.I see a saint in the making.The second thing I see is a person who is still trying – a saint in the making. I don’t care if this is the person’s third confession this week; if they are seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it means that they are trying. That’s all that I care about. This thought is worth considering: going to Confession is a sign that you haven’t given up on Jesus.This is one of the reasons why pride is so deadly. I have talked with people who tell me that they don’t want to go to Confession to their priest because their priest really likes them and “thinks that they are a good kid.”I have two things to say to this.1. He will not be disappointed! What your priest will see is a person who is trying! I dare you to find a saint who didn’t need to God’s mercy! (Even Mary needed God’s mercy; she received the mercy of God in a dramatic and powerful way at her conception. Boom. Lawyered.)2. So what if the priest is disappointed? We try to be so impressive with so much of our lives. Confession is a place where we don’t get to be impressive. Confession is a place where the desire to impress goes to die. Think about it: all other sins have the potential to cause us to race to the confessional, but pride is the one that causes us to hide from the God who could heal us.Do I remember your sins? No!
Read more via Inside the Confessional: What Is It Like for a Priest? – Aleteia.
Imam Choudary: Obama Is ‘Lying’ About The True Nature Of Islam | Truth Revolt
Imam Choudary: Obama Is ‘Lying’ About The True Nature Of Islam | Truth Revolt.”
Choudary argued that what we’re witnessing is a “clash of two civilizations,” with al-Baghdadi leading on one side and Barack Obama leading on the other, leading Shapiro to ask about Obama’s portrayal of Islam:
Shapiro: President Obama has repeatedly attempted to what he has characterized as “defend” Islam, saying that ISIS is not Islamic. He has said that “the future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam” […] But the way he characterizes Islam is not the way you characterize Islam […] How many people do you represent versus how many people does President Obama represent when it comes to Islam? Are you in fact representative of a “tiny minority” within Islam or are you representative of something larger?
President Obama, Choudary said, is “lying” about Islam, along with other Western leaders. The Koran itself shows that “Barack Obama is a liar” about the religion’s true nature:
Choudary: Islam for them is whatever they think Islam is in terms of their own interests. Islam is in accordance to the Koran, of the sayings and actions of the Prophet. That’s it. […] I say to you, look at the Koran, look at the sayings of the Prophet, and check for yourself. Is Barack Obama a liar or am I lying? I think that you will find that he’s a liar. He’s only inventing Islam according to what his own foreign policy is.
Shapiro asked Choudary if he took offense to being called a “radical” by the Western media, to which he responded that in Scripture “every prophet of Islam was demonized,” adding that he simply teaches Sharia Law as it truly is.”
Be Holy! 