Tuesday, June 25
Well, here's an article that's interesting, and would be even more so if I knew what it was talking about:
Tasmanian-based website to publish sacred texts despite opposition of US Bishops.
The site has gained the blessing of the Vatican, signifying once more the Pope's vision of utilising the internet to spread the gospel.
US bishops had originally opposed the publishing of sacred texts, but werewon over by heavy lobbying by an Australian minister, Father Michael Tate, a former senator and federal minister.
"The whole idea excited some of the key figures, which enabled us to foresee the possibilities," Father Tate told The Australian newspaper.
"Now the Vatican has given us permission to publish the Latin texts of the mass, which is the core edition from which all translations are made."
Until now, these fixed sacred texts have been available only in print in many separate editions. But Father Tate said that the website would provide a central pool of resources for worshippers.
Actually, this is pretty fascinating. I wonder why the US Bishops disapprove - because they don't want people to be able to get out their Latin dictionaries, figure out what the Latin says and actually see for themselves what a wreck the English translations have made of the original? Or is money the issue? The US Bishops are pretty stingy about availability of their documents (for the few that might want them) - hardly anything is online, they charge for everything, and you can only quote so much of either the Catechism or the New American translation of the Bible in a published work without paying a fairly hefty fee.
Any more information on this out there?
From Publisher's Weekly Religion Newsline:
Heather Mercer's publisher not thrilled about her PR
Is, as the old saw would have it, any publicity good publicity? That might be a question coming up these days at Doubleday and its sister
imprint WaterBrook Press. A June 11 "Dateline" segment focused on Heather Mercer, one of the authors of "Prisoners of Hope," the story
of the two American aid workers imprisoned by the Taliban and freed by U.S. forces. (Doubleday and WaterBrook jointly published the June
hardcover.) The segment criticized Mercer and coauthor Dayna Curry for going into Afghanistan under false pretenses--as aid workers--when
their primary role was as missionaries. It also pointed out that their evangelistic activities there placed others at risk, particularly the
Afghans they proselytized, who faced severe penalties from the Taliban simply for hearing the two proclaim the Christian message. Central to
the piece was interview material with Mercer's mother, who expressed regret for not having done more to stop her daughter from going to
Afghanistan the first time and anxiety about her planned return.
Michelle Rapkin, who came on board as publisher at Doubleday Religious just over a week before the segment aired, told BookLine she had not
expected the negative tone of the piece. "Initially I was surprised, but if I was her mother I don't know how I would have reacted. But I
have to say we weren't thrilled."
Thanks to a reader who sent this story along about pseudo-Catholic political candidates in Texas
The Roman Catholic diocese where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez was raised has banned him from speaking at its churches because of his support for abortion rights.
The Corpus Christi Diocese ban also applies to John Sharp, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.
Both Sanchez and Sharp are Catholics who say they personally oppose abortion but support a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy.
"That's being schizophrenic about it," Bishop Carmody said Monday. "That's saying, 'In my own home, I respect life, but when I'm in public office, I'm going to go with the pack.' "
Here's a more in-depth piece from another news service in which you can hear political candidates tell unborn children, "Hey, kid...you're on your own!"
Here's a wonderful passage on repentance from a letter by Cyprian of Carthage
Considering His love and mercy, we ought not to be so bitter, nor cruel, nor inhuman in cherishing the brethren, but to mourn with those that mourn, and to weep with them that weep, and to raise them up as much as we can by the help and comfort of our love; neither being too ungentle and pertinacious in repelling their repentance; nor, again, being too lax and easy in rashly yielding communion. Lo! a wounded brother lies stricken by the enemy in the field of battle. There the devil is striving to slay him whom he has wounded; here Christ is exhorting that he whom He has redeemed may not wholly perish. Whether of the two do we assist? On whose side do we stand? Whether do we favour the devil, that he may destroy, and pass by our prostrate lifeless brother, as in the Gospel did the priest and Levite; or rather, as priests of God and Christ, do we imitate what Christ both taught and did, and snatch the wounded man from the jaws of the enemy, that we may preserve him cured for God the judge?
Still in progress - I'm thinking of switching the colors of these two columns, and I still need to do some font work, and I'm still going to put better pics up there. But right now, I'm working on my parables book, so there.
By the way, would you like to hear my conclusion about the central "theme" or point of Jesus' parables?
No? Yes? Well, here 'tis:
God can do whatever He wants to do.
Most of the time, we tend to think Jesus' parables are all about US, because, well, that's the way we think about everything. But when we shine the spotlight on whoever we think represents US in the parables, we usually end up with a "message" that's indistinguishable from the finest ethics secularism has to offer: help others, be nice, be humble, be sorry for bad stuff...
I have to wonder, though, if that was really what Jesus was after most of the time. Read a parable today - any one of them. And instead of thinking, "What does this tell me about ME?", consider.."What does this tell me about GOD?" ...and see if you agree with me.
God can do whatever the heck He wants to do. And does. No matter how it shocks or confounds us, God is still God.
Well, it's done..my husband has posted the news that Dolan has, indeed been named the new Archbishop of Milwaukee.
Did you think that lists of bestselling books are...what they say they are?
Think again.
Here's a good piece from Salon than lays out some of the tricks of various lists and the threat that BookScan, a new, more accurate system based on....actual sales...poses.
Speaking of bestseller's lists, there's one for "Catholic books" sold, I believe through specifically Catholic bookstores. Here it is. I'm holding my own down there on the kids' list.
The New Republic's Michael Sean Winters evaluates Dallas.
The problem in Dallas was not the bishops' treatment of priests; it was their treatment of themselves. It is obvious to the average Catholic why a priest who is psychosexually ill can never be permitted to serve as a priest again. But by the same logic, why should the bishops who protected the pedophiles be permitted to continue in their offices? We can forgive Bernard Cardinal Law, as we can forgive John Geoghan; this was never a crisis about God's mercy. But just as we do not want John Geoghan near children, we are not sure we want Cardinal Law near power.
Remember the St. Sebastian's Angels website? Here's an article describing how a priest and a bishop involved are trying to explain their involvement.
What happens on Tuesdays?
New CD's and DVD's are released.
And? And?
Oh yes - the Vatican generally names new bishops on Tuesdays, as well. And, as you know, we have...er..a few openings in this country.
The Milwaukee papers are reporting that they might get theirs today - and it might be Auxiliary Bishop Dolan from St. Louis, former rector of the North American College of the Gregorian seminary in Rome, who surprised my husband last time they met by asking about both me and Joseph,even knowing how many months old Joseph was.
I don't think we'll hear about "missing paperwork" and "we didn't know" with this guy, eh?
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