miniZibaldone

But fear paralyzes us, it always paralyzes us; it makes us close in on ourselves, closed to God’s surprises. This detail speaks to us of a constant temptation for  the Church, that of closing in on herself in the face of danger. But we also see the small openings through which God can work. From the homily The reading from the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-11) shows us three examples of “closing”: Peter is cast into prison; the community gathers behind closed doors in  prayer; and – in the continuation of our reading – Peter knocks at the closed door of the house of Mary, the mother of John called Mark, after being set free.  In these three examples of “closing”, prayer appears as the main way out. It is a way out for the community, which risks closing in on itself out of persecution and  fear.  It is a way out for Peter who, at the very beginning of the mission given him by the Lord, is cast into prison by Herod and risks execution.  And while Peter...

Duterte’s Inaugural Speech June 30, 2016 President Fidel Ramos, sir, salamat po sa tulong mo making me President; President Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Senate President Franklin Drilon and the members of the Senate; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and the members of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court; His Excellency Guiseppe Pinto and the members of the Diplomatic Corps; incoming members of the Cabinet; fellow workers in government; my fellow countrymen. No leader, however strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance unless he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to lead and sworn to serve. It is the people from whom democratic governments draw strength and this administration is no exception. That is why we have to listen to the murmurings of the people, feel their pulse, supply their needs and fortify their faith and trust in us whom they elected to public office....

The Drama of Atheist Humanism Henri de Lubac gratis  Rudolf Voderholzer The Discovery of God Henri de Lubac  gratis  Rudolf Voderholzer The Paradoxes of the Faith Henri de Lubac gratis  Rudolf Voderholzer The Motherhood of the Church Henri de Lubac gratis  Rudolf Voderholzer Meet Henri de Lubac Rudolf Voderholzer   gratis  Rudolf Voderholzer At the Service of the Church by Henri de Lubac gratis Joseph Fessio The Mystery of the Supernatural by Henri de Lubac The Splendor of the Church by Henri de Lubac gratis Paul McPartlan The Eucharist Makes the Church by Paul McPartlan The Meaning of Tradition by Yves Congar 

Unity does not have to do with strategic advantages sought out of mutual self-interest.  From the homily Following Christ’s example, we are called to find the courage needed to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in the name of the love that bends low and bestows itself, in the name of the humble love that is the blessed oil of the Christian life, the precious spiritual balm that heals, strengthens and sanctifies....  Humble and generous love, not the calculation of benefits, attracts the mercy of the Father, the blessing of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. By praying and “loving one another deeply from the heart” (cf. 1 Pet 1:22), in humility and openness of spirit, we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gift of unity. Let us pursue our journey with determination; indeed, let us race towards our full communion!... Memory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of r...

From Notes Towards the Definition of Culture I said at the end of my second talk that I should want to make a little clearer what I mean when I use the term culture. Like "democracy," this is a term which needs to be, not only defined, but illustrated, almost every time we use it. And it is necessary to be clear about what we mean by "culture," so that we may be clear about the distinction between the material organisation of Europe, and the spiritual organism of Europe. If the latter dies, then what you organise will not be Europe, but merely a mass of human beings speaking several different languages. And there will be no longer any justification for their continuing to speak different languages, for they will no longer have anything to say which cannot be said equally well in any language: they will, in short, have no longer anything to say in poetry. I have already affirmed that there can be no "European" culture if the several countries are isolat...

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A Kentish Lad Frank Muir The Cloister Walk Kathleen Norris     The Da Vinci Hoax Carl Olson Advertising, The Uneasy Persuasion Michael Schudson Trowel and Error Alan Titchmarsh   Scott Fitzgerald Andrew Turnbull Meet Henri de Lubac Rudolf Voderholzer  

The Council and Reunion Hans Kung Who's Who in Shakespeare Robin May Memories of a Catholic Girlhood Mary McCarthy   Child of My Heart Alice McDermott     Enter Isabel: The Herman Melville Correspondence of Clare Spark and Paul Metcalf Paul Metcalf   T. S. Eliot Poet A. D. Moody  

Faith, however, is born and reborn from a life-giving encounter with Jesus, from experiencing how his mercy illumines every situation in our lives.   From the homily What is the Lord asking us to build today in our lives, and even more importantly, upon what is he calling us to build our lives? In seeking an answer to this  question, I would like to suggest three stable foundations upon which we can tirelessly build and rebuild the Christian life.  The first foundation is memory. One grace we can implore is that of being able to remember: to recall what the Lord has done in and for us, and to remind ourselves  that, as today’s Gospel says, he has not forgotten us but “remembered” us (Lk 1:72).  Faith is also hope for your future and a light for life’s journey. Faith is the second foundation I would like to mention. There is always a danger that can dim the  light of faith, and that is the temptation to reduce it to something from the past, somethin...

When we present ourselves to Jesus long speeches are not necessary. A few words suffice, though accompanied by full confidence in His omnipotence and in His  goodness. In fact, to entrust ourselves to the will of God means to submit to His infinite mercy.  From the audience I will also share something personal with you. In the evening, before going to bed, I pray this brief prayer: “Lord, if you will, you can cleanse me!” And I pray  five “Our Fathers,” one for each wound of Jesus, because Jesus has purified us with His wounds. But if I do this, you can also do it at home, and say: “Lord, if you  will, you can cleanse me!” –and think of Jesus’ wounds and say an “Our Father for each one of them. And Jesus always listens to us.  Against the dispositions of the Law of Moses, which prohibited coming close to a leper (cf. Leviticus 13:45-46), Jesus stretches His hand and even touches him. How  many times we meet a poor man who comes to us! We can even be ...

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition Tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time. —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self Reliance” The most common response I have received to The Road Less Traveled in letters from readers has been one of gratitude for my courage, not for saying anything new, but for writing about the kind of things they had been thinking and feeling all along, but were afraid to talk about. I am not clear about the matter of courage. A certain kind of congenital obliviousness might be a more proper term. A patient of mine during the book’s early days happened to be at a cocktail party where she overheard a conversation between my mother and another elderly woman. Referring to the book, the other woman said, “You certainly must be very proud of your son, Scotty.” To which my mother replied, in the sometimes tart way of the elderly, “Proud? No, not ...

The Friend and the Bridegroom by Sergius Bulgakov

In the library: http://bookslibrarycebu.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-sorted-health-and-medicine-library-Nagle-Sacks-Groopman-Whitehouse-Alzheimers-Hematology-neurology-cancer-Cooke-Folkman-Spiro-Mercer-pediatrics.html Vincent Nagle's slim book had and still has such a wide impact on me. It was reading it during my mother's illness and death that helped me "cope" as they say—but for me,  to face,  simply—the reality of a limit that is paradoxically crying for the unlimited. An interview excerpt: What does working with them mean for you? These patients continually remind you of our limitations. Technological medicine cannot accept this limitation, and always seeks to overcome it, but isn’t able to do so. Maybe it can nudge it a bit, but you get to a certain point and you can go no farther. Medicine can’t ignore these patients. It can’t propose death by dehydration as a solution to the problem they pose. It would be absolutely inhuman, and the next step would be r...

In the library: http://bookslibrarycebu.blogspot.com/2016/01/books-sorted-byon-library-CS-Lewis.html From Communio journal             [full text]

Human judgement lacks the mercy of the Lord’s judgment From the homily "Look in the mirror, but not to put on makeup to hide the wrinkles. No, no, no, that's not the advice! Look in the mirror to look at yourself as you are. 'Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye and do not notice the log that is in your own eye?'  Or, how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is still in your eye? And how does the Lord look at us then, when we do this? One word: 'hypocrite.’ First take the log out of your eye, and then you shall see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye'.” "Let us think today about what the Lord says to us: Do not judge, lest you be judged; the measure… by which we judge will be the same that will be used for us; and, third, let us look in the mirror before judging. 'But this fellow does this ... that fellow does that...' 'But, wait a minute ...'  ...

The testimony of this sinner has sowed restlessness in the heart of  the innkeeper. What happened to this innkeeper the Gospel does not say – and doesn’t even record his name. But surely this man’s curiosity grew, his restlessness has  been allowed to grow in his heart. From the address Pope Francis, Vatican Radio reports, gave a catechesis on Luke’s gospel passage of the Good Samaritan. There are many characters in this passage, he said, but who  qualifies as a neighbour? The robber, the poor man who was left for dead on the road, the priest, the doctor of the law, the lawyer? Or the innkeeper? Perhaps none  of these knew how to answer such a question. The priest was in a hurry, like all priests and no doubt he’s looking at his watch and saying to himself that he must  celebrate the Mass, or that he’s left the door of the church open and he must close it. The doctor of the law, a practical man, said “But if I meddle in this,  tomorrow I must go to c...

Philippine Star  "Who needs capital punishment?" There’s no need to restore capital punishment. Since May 10 when the outcome of the presidential race became known, police have gunned down 42 crime suspects all  over the country, with eight killed just over the weekend.  Not even during martial law has the country ever experienced such a state-sponsored killing spree targeting individuals suspected of criminal activities, mostly  peddling illegal drugs. The word “suspect” must be emphasized, as everyone in a free society is supposed to be entitled to due process.  Before capital punishment was abolished, it could be imposed for opium trafficking, dealing drugs within 100 meters of any school, or if the drugs caused death. A  life term or death was also possible for diplomats who engaged in drug smuggling, illegal drug manufacturers and financiers, those who employed minors and the  mentally impaired or sold drugs to them, maintainers of drug dens, an...