The Pope and Prayer

Prayer is so important to our lives; it should be the center of our daily activities.

http://youtu.be/bAUmxMkwzIo

I've written on prayer earlier:

http://metaphysicalperegrine.blogspot.com/2011/11/call-to-prayer.html

http://metaphysicalperegrine.blogspot.com/2011/11/call-to-prayer-ii.html

My Best of / Favs of 2011

Movies:

Best: "True Grit" ****Jeff Bridges, directed by the Cohen Brothers. Superb acting, incredible dialog.

Runner up: "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"****

Books Fiction:

Best: "Shantarum" ***** Gregory David Roberts ~~ Masterpiece, Autobiographical novel, hardcore convict escapes max security prison in Australia, goes to Bombay. An amazing well crafted read. Thoughtful, passionate, intriguing.

Runner up: "The Shadow of the Wind" ***** Carlos Ruiz Zafron-- The poetic prose, descriptions, characters, story, emotion...a literary symphony perfectly scored. Wow wow wow

Books Non Fiction:

"At Home" **** Bill Bryson -- Wonderful, informative history of all the things in our homes; the architecture, chairs, sofas, paint, pillows, kitchens... just the most amazing things. Highly recommended!

Runner up: "Jesus of Nazareth, From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" *** Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI -- Sublime theology, superbly helpful understanding Jesus both historically and as the transcendent Son of Man

News Source:

Best: Drudge Report

Runner up: Hot Air

Blog:

Best: Windrose Hotel

Vids:

Rocky Roberts "Sono Tremendo" (1968):  (red ad can be closed)

http://youtu.be/h3KbdEI2CEQ

Runner up: Look At Me Now - Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes (Cover by @KarminMusic)

http://youtu.be/khCokQt--l4

Pope Benedict- "Love in Truth", The Great Commission, Government and the Church

Recently Pope Benedict published an encyclical and there was much furor over a part of it suggesting there be a world governing body, a “Global Authority”, to balance economics and charity; for a more equitable distribution of wealth globally. It set every conservative’s and capitalist’s mind on edge. Governmental authority with the best of intentions always corrupts and oppresses and has the force of law, man’s, not God’s. I would rather we live according to God's law, natural law, based on a foundation of prayer. Governments have secularized themselves, denounced God, and theirs' is a more dangerous greed than that of capitalist as a result. They have the force of secular man made law we are forced to obey. God at least gives us free will; we ignore it at our own peril.    

The Catholic Church, like the Episcopal Church has, in the West, found itself in a minority. The largest numbers of members are in the southern hemisphere, in “developing” countries, seeing the West as decadent, uncharitable, oppressive and greedy. Protestants, my tradition, has embraced that liberal notion while at the same time often not living up to the giving and sacrifice they espouse; let someone else, like governments, do it by confiscating money from producers. Not so far from what the encyclical was stating.  

I watch to struggle in the Catholic and Episcopal churches between members in Asia and Africa and the Western church. Non-Western churches embrace the traditions about divorce and contraception (Catholic view), homosexuality, female priests and ministers and the rest. Western churches, both Catholic and Protestant are ignoring or jettisoning those traditions. The Episcopal church is on the verge of splitting in two. Demographics show nearly two thirds of Catholics are in developing countries, and I suspect the encyclical was for that audience. Mainstream Protestant denominations have been toying with these Marxist views for awhile, diluting the “Great Commission”. If Protestants would practice the Great Commission they wouldn’t need to be compromising and diluting their Christianity by letting the State do, with much failure, corruption and damage, what they themselves should be doing.

I’ve written on being “radical” in our practicing the Great Commission here. I do have my own personal challenges with walking the Great Commission confessed here. 

Here’s Fr Barron on this latest encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” 

  

http://youtu.be/LhlwPgUkwWE

What's so disturbing about this discussion is Christians are turning to secular, often anti-Semitic, anti-Christian governments to do the work of charity and care that should flow from their own love and hearts. 

Cardinal John Henry Newman, Jurassic Press, The Catholic Church, The Pope

On the last day of his recent trip to the UK, Pope Benedict beatified Cardinal Newman. If you’re not Catholic, this is a step toward sainthood. The Pope has strong theological and intellectual ties to Newman; both are profound intellects. The Pope’s trip and the event regarding Newman were of course dismissed by the atheistic secular Jurassic Press, but was hugely important. Because this post isn’t so much about Newman, you can learn a bit about him here at the Windrose Hotel Blog.

The inanity of even religion reporters in the media never ceases to amaze. National Public Radio (NPR) is tax payer funded Leftist radio, but even for them this was a bit over the top. Their religion reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty, with absolutely no evidence, speculated that Newman was gay. This was because he was a close friend of Ambrose St. John. The actual headline to the story is “Was Cardinal John Henry Newman Gay?” Truly? This is what's most important?

A historic trip by the Pope, the Beatification of Newman, the conjunction of two of the most important theologians ever, and that’s what Hagerty comes up with? Good grief.

Their friendship lasted 32 years, and Newman wanted to be buried in the same grave as Ambrose St. John, which wasn’t an uncommon practice at the time. From that and lots of letters (people actually wrote extensively to one another at the time, Hagerty), she feels compelled to make sex her focus? She’s a religion writer why?

History should be viewed through the eyes of the time, not redefining it through the uber sexualized, bigoted, intolerant, uninformed, perverted ignorance of most of the current pseudo intelligencia and self appointed elites. 

The Pope and the Queen

The Pope goes to Britain, and not too many have much to say about it, missing what is noteworthy. The Jurassic Press has the predictable response; more about that later.

What’s noteworthy is the Queen of England, who came of age during the WWII era, and Pope Benedict XVI, rooted in that time, meet in Scotland. The last Papal visit, not an official one, happened thirty years ago. The last official visit was about 500 years ago. There’s been a bit of dissention between the Catholic and Anglican churches, and it’s lasted a while. Things are on the mend now.

Both of these extraordinary people come from an age with values and beliefs that have been turned upside down. When Joseph Ratzinger was a teenager, the Nazi’s took his disabled cousin and killed him as part of their eugenics campaign. Ratzinger was conscripted by the Nazi’s to serve in the Hitler Youth. When it disbanded he fled and was captured by Americans and put in prison.

Queen Elizabeth served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a driver and mechanic in WWII. The real deal, on the front.

These two bring together a wisdom brought on by the horrible experience of war and its aftermath. They know first hand the face of evil, the terrible things that war brings on, especially one founded in race hatred and religious hatred. They come together with this great knowledge and wisdom; a return and coming together after 500 years. We see the reaching out to each other of the Church of England and the Catholic Church at this time in history. Queen Elizabeth II is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and is meeting the Vicar of Christ, the descendant of Peter. To me, the historical and religious import of this visit is profound.

What the Jurassic Press sees is a chance to attack the Catholic Church with its usual dribble of pedophilia and the rest of that mess, as if Pope Benedict was there and egged the perverts on, and more dribble about how out of touch the Pope and Catholic Church is with modernity, and of course saying Ratzinger was a Nazi without telling the true story. As if heterosexual marriage, the sanctity of life, loving one another, charity and the accomplishments of Christianity and the Church is of no merit.

Of course, coming from a mindset that there are many truths or no truth, there is no God, morality is situational and selective, this is expected. Being rude and boorish is expected also. The Pope is a great man deserving of respect, and these sad sacs are incapable of honoring these extraordinary people and their history of truth and honor.

Novelist Günter Grass (at the time proud Nazi and later a Communist) met Ratzinger in a prison camp in WWII. In his memoirs, Grass wrote of a conversation with Ratzinger: “I said, there are many truths.” “He said, there is only one.”

This visit, to one of the most secular of nations, brings that one truth. Let’s pray that some hear it.