Sunday, February 27, 2011

Deficiences in catechesis today

The following is a list of deficiences found in catechetical material published by Catholic publishers and used in Catholic classrooms according to Archbishop Buechlein. How many of them do you recognize from material that you have used?



1. Insufficient attention to the Trinity and the Trinitarian structure of Catholic beliefs and teachings.

2. An obscured presentation of the centrality of Christ in salvation history and insufficient emphasis on the divinity of Christ

3. An indistinct treatment of the ecclesial context of Catholic beliefs and magisterial teachings

4. An inadequate sense of a distinctively Christian anthropology

5. Insufficient emphasis on God's initiative in the world, with a corresponding overemphasis on human action

6. Insufficient recognition of the transformation effects of grace

7. Inadequate presentation of the sacraments

8. Deficiency in the teaching of original sin and sin in general

9. Meager exposition on the Christian moral life

10. Inadequate presentation of eschatology

11. Avoidance of personal pronouns in reference to God

12. Use of the term "Hebrew Scriptures" when referring to the Old Testament

13. Common use of BCE and BC instead of AD.

14. Order of the reception of the sacraments of initiation does not correspond to the CCC

15. Influence of relativism is apparent

16. Continuing need for a balanced Christianity

17. Does not differentiate between the ordained ministry and the ministry of the baptized.

18. Gives into pressure to be politically correct and sensitive in language.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Can I have a tantrum, Please?

My husband and I are the parents of 3 wonderful children, well one is grown, married, and on his own, so he isn’t a child anymore. But the two remaining at home are daughters and in their teens. You got it, in their teens. I swore that when they reached their teen aged years, we would not label them the dreaded “teenager” in a negative way. Yep, well here we are and this label is unavoidable. Mood-swings, temper-tantrums, and sullen eyes have been the norm around the house lately, all from me!

It all started a few years ago when sweaters were not fitting nicely on our eldest daughter, until I realized that she needed a bra. What a different THAT made! Shocked as I drove home to report that new development to my husband, who couldn’t believe it either. “I’m not ready for this!” I told him, he just nodded in agreement.

Our son was fairly even-keeled, the only annoyance he brought to the teen aged table was his phrase, “I can handle it, Mom, I am 16 now!” Driving infractions were peculiar at best; the funniest one was “Over-acceleration at stop sign”. He was learning a stick shift and was still in the bunny-hopping stage. When he got his first job, I remember walking in the store during his shift and being so pleased at how nice he was to customers and knowledgeable. Beaming, I sipped the sampling of coffee he fixed me as he trotted off to his work; Cost Plus World Market was a better store because of my son, I thought.

Girls, I have been told, are completely different with their own particular set of rules. With having only one boy, I didn’t know whether we just lucked out, or if it was true that boys were easier. We have two daughters, both are very different and I am beginning to agree with the above statement. I love them both dearly, but there are days when I say to the youngest, “You, my dear, are a box of chocolates, I never know what I’m going to get!” Was that fair of me to say? I’ll never know until she grows up if it traumatized her or just made her laugh at herself. My husband still isn’t able to laugh yet. “She treats me like dirt!” I found him moping one morning. “Well, she treats me like dirt, too, but you still have to say goodbye to her when she goes off to school in the morning!” Be the bigger, I would say. Easier said than done; most days I just try to love them as God does and leave the human emotions aside. I realized that having a tantrum, getting sucked into their moods is counter-productive. Do you know how hard that is?

OK, so is there a patron saint for parents with teenagers?  I'm hoping the newest  and youngest Chiara will be.

The Roman Missal Revisions: The Gloria

With one of our lovely daughters' having a birthday this past Monday and a service project on Tuesday that I, the school bus driver, was needed, blogging didn't happen on my newly organized schedule, so here I am on Wednesday doing what I had planned on doing on Sunday night, for Monday morning!!  Wow!

ANyway, with the Revisions to the Roman Missal coming in a few shorts months (November will be here before we know it) I am going to get you guys ready for these changes now if I can help it.

This week, the Gloria is what we are covering. 

One of the biggest changes in the Revised Roman Missal will be the Gloria. The Gloria rules of use is not going to be revised, just some of the words. Sung or recited during each Sunday of the year except Advent, Lent, and the occasional year when “All Soul’s day falls on a Sunday. The words are:  (those words in bold are the changes)




Current Translation


Glory to God in the highest
And peace to his people on earth








Lord God, heavenly King,
Almighty God and Father,
   We worship you, we give you thanks,
   We praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of
   The father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
You take away the sins of the world;
    Have mercy on us;


Your are seated
    At the right hand of the Father,
    Receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
   Jesus Christ,
   With the Holy Spirit,
   In the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

New Translation


Glory to God in the highest
And on earth peace to people
     Of good will.

We praise you,
We bless you,
We adore you,
We glorify you,
We give you thanks for your
   Great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.


Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of
    The Father,
You take away the sins of the world,
  Have mercy on us;
You take away the sins of the world,
   Receive our prayer;
Your are seated
    At the right hand of the Father,
Have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
   Jesus Christ,
   With the Holy Spirit,
   In the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

The English is made to more literally express the sentiments of the Latin.  As I have been saying all along, these changes are well thought out, researched, and approved by many deliberations and discussions.  None of this work has been done without the believers in mind.

In our modern culture, we have lost our sense of divinity, reverence, and sin.  God our Father only knows how Vatican II got so misconstrued in the vernacular translations of our sacraments and spirituality.  Prior to Vatican II, veils, hats, and Sunday clothes had their places all due to the respect of the Mass.  Today, veils are looked at with almost disdain and as odd, one parishioner dressing up will be sitting next to one that looks like their next stop is a picnic!  Partly due to newly discovered translations and the need for a renewed evangelization, we are being lead by the Holy See back to the basics of love for the Mass and the need for healing, forgiveness, and our Father's love.

With open hearts and minds, we need to embrace these revisions. Prayer and devotion to our Savior Jesus Christ will help us all along the way.

We will be talking about the Creed next week.  See you then!

In His mercy,
Ebeth

Monday, February 21, 2011

Study: Women Who Attend Church Are Happier

Also Show More Immunity to Negative Events

ARLINGTON, Virginia, FEB. 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- A recent study shows that women who are regular church attendees are more immune to the ups and downs of life, and are happier overall.

Alexander Ross of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences authored the study that examined a phenomenon of decreased self-reported happiness in American women over the past 36 years.

Ross found that church attendance was a significant factor in the reported happiness of women.

In general, a drop in church attendance in the time period from 1972 to 2008 was seen to directly affect the happiness of the women in the study.

Ross noted that "the shift over time to lower attendance, a behavior that is associated with decreased general happiness, explains in part the decline in women's happiness."

Societal changes

As well, the women who reported regular church attendance were shown to be more immune to the elements that produced the general decline in happiness among their other contemporaries.

"If one supposes that the changes that our society has experienced over the past few decades have had a net detrimental impact on women's happiness," Ross observed, "the analysis supports the conclusion that it is women who attend church who have been less susceptible to that impact."

The study, published in the most recent volume of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, noted that church attendance declined for men as well during this period, but there was no significant drop in overall happiness for males.

Ross explained that this could be due to the fact that women changed their churchgoing habits over the years more drastically than men, with females reporting a greater drop in attendance than males.

As well, he noted that "although role expectations for both men and women have changed over the past few decades, it could be argued that they have changed more dramatically for women."

"In the context of a greater sense of social disruption," Ross explained, "perhaps women benefited more than men from the stabilizing influence of regular church attendance."

"To the extent to which it provides a transcendent meaning to life and opportunities to form close personal ties," Ross theorized, "regular church attendance ought to increase a person's sense of well-being and satisfaction with life."

He concluded, "St. Augustine would not be surprised at our findings, for he taught that mankind's chief good is God, and the happy life exists when that which is man's chief good is both loved and possessed."
************

HT:  Zenit.org

A Birthday, a deathday, and bluegrass for both

Celebrating our daughter's 16th birthday today, I wanted to share the story I wrote a few years ago about my father-in-law on a very special day that happened 3 years ago today.
__________________________________________________________

Rebecca’s first year of life was spent in the doting arms of her paternal grandparents as I went back to work. The many pictures of Rebecca with her papaw playing, cooing, and smiling from ear to ear on his lap are immeasurable. She talked more about her papaw than anybody else, he even taught her how to write her name when she was three.


When Rebecca was four some cousins, fiddling everything bluegrass, introduced her to the violin and the music. Soon she was mastering her own fiddle, playing everything from "Turkey in the Straw” to "Orange Blossom Special". Her grandparents loved her concerts.  Being country dancers, square dancers, and "Grand Marchers" from way back, having their granddaughter playing these songs was a real treat for them.

A few years later, papaw suffered a stroke. When he was in the hospital, Rebecca, five, would sweetly butter his roll for him, hold his hand, and covered all the walls of his room with her artwork. So, when the time came for his passing, it was on Rebecca’s birthday.

Many told Rebecca how sad that her grandfather died on her birthday. I heard someone say to her, "That sure wasn't fair, was it?" She didn't say much. I thought about this and remembered how impressed I was when Norman Vincent Peale, the great author/speaker of "The power of positive thinking" and "Expect a Miracle" died on Christmas Eve, some years ago. Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, fathers of our country, died on the same day hours apart on the 4th of July, and my great uncle, Fr. Samuel Haughton, died celebrating Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Countless other death date coincidences that are only known by those touched by their timing prove that there is something to my theory.

At her papaw’s funeral, Rebecca played "Lover's Waltz" by Jay Ungar. At the graveside service, she played "Tennessee Waltz" and as the veterans' flag was folded and presented to her grandmother,” Faded Love”. She played perfectly despite the events and her young age of 13. As she bowed the last note of Faded Love, I saw her quickly and quietly fall apart. Large "crocodile tears" streamed down her face without a sound. There had been no time to weep before.

Explaining to my daughter that this was not a sad coincidence, I told her that soon after she was born, I went back to work and her grandparents volunteered to baby-sit. What joy and love they had for her, so when it came time for Pawpa to go to be with Jesus, her special day was the best pick. A glimmer of brightness came over her face as she realized what I had said.


Rebecca’s papaw deeply loved family and his special bond with his granddaughter will stay with them both forever. As our daughter celebrated her 13th year of life, her grandfather celebrated his first day in eternity.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

The "Pillars" is 4 years old today!

As all anniversaries go, one thinks about the accomplishments, friends found, happy and the sad times.  My knight and I just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary last week, boy a lot has happened during those years!

During the past four years I think instead of teaching the world what I know and love about the Catholic Church, I have learned more about what I love and know about the Catholic Church!!   This is what I wrote:

What I hope to do with my blog.
For the past several months, I have been wondering about starting a blog. What would I talk about, share? I know!! My faith and my desire to help other mothers in their Catholic faith. I come from a family of 5, three kids and our parents. Today, I am the only practicing/devout Catholic child, my two brothers are either not practicing, or not Catholic all together. Too many times, I have heard parents day that they don't know enough about their faith to share it and live it within their own families. The next generation depends on the parents of today to pass down the Catholic faith. Our beautiful Catholic faith is a heritage that should be cherished and lived, and shared and utilized!! We have the fullness of what Christ gave the 12 apostles, the sacraments of forgiveness, spiritual food, the Word, the Holy Spirit, prayer. Every Sunday, folks walk into Church to attend Mass and looking at them, they neither have the proper reverence, knowledge, and/or reasons for being there. I want to help. I want to share what I know and read. I want the holy Catholic Church to flourish and be the wellspring for our beings, families, marriages, and society.

Dear Father, I pray that this is the purpose of my blog, that I may share the love and devotion that you have given me to others. Especially, I want to reach the mothers of Catholic families and even those who are not Catholic, but interested in knowing more about our faith and give them the courage and resources they need to pass the Catholic faith down to their children. I ask this in Christ Jesus' name, who lives and reigns with you in the union of the holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Remembering how I felt that first day of decision to write a blog, I was very nervous about being 'out there' in cyberspace, alone and wide-open in my faith.  I remember that, for longer than the months I mentioned, the desires of my heart to help others was very strong, but not very sure-footed in the execution.  Studying in the master catechist certification program online through the diocese, I was learning a great deal, but not having a supportive pastor or parish for encouragement was disheartening.  It was a lonely journey these past four plus years; it still is and I still have no real clue as to why.  "Why me, Lord!?"

So, I reached out to the Catholic cyberspace and never looked back.  It has been a wonderful experience of meeting friends from England all the way to Hawaii and everywhere in between.  The encouragement and friendships are life-changing and it continues to this day!  The Pope encouraged us that we need to grasp the internet and use it for good, learning about our faith and other faiths, and passing on the faith.  That we can have friendships online that are good and fruitful, I know that we shouldn't replace these friendships with real friends in our own communities, but I have friends online that I've either talked to on the phone several times and or met in person.  How amazing that is!  With these new online friends, I have learned so much and feel so encouraged.

With each passing year working on the "Pillars" new things are learned, new opportunities are presented, and personal growth continues.  This is a good thing, a true blessing.

Thanks to all who have stopped by to comment, say hello, and add new insight.  I appreciate you so much!

Friday, February 18, 2011

CATHOLIC LANE IS HERE!!!!!

Catholic Lane is here!  There is a new path to follow to learn more about the Catholic faith, to fellowship with other Catholics, and to ask questions about the Catholic faith.  In fact, this new site will be your resource for all your Catholic needs!  From travel, food, books, apologetics, family culture, and education, Catholic Lane will be your new go-to website!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Prayer for the Unemployed

Jean, Catholic Fire, has this posted on her blog and I came across it at a time when our family is deeply concerned for our son, who is unemployed. I am praying this prayer for our son, Marshall, and the many others that have found themselves without a job. Thanks, Jean.


Dear Father in Heaven, and all the Saints who are known to help those in most need, especially Saint Joseph, Saint Jude, Saint Anthony, Saint Therese, and Saint Josemaria, we humbly beg you to hear our cries for help to provide work and income for those among us who need just those things, patience and loving trust in your Divine Providence for those who must wait for these things to come, and strength, creativity, inspiration, guidance, and energy for those who must search and struggle to find these things. We trust in Your desire to answer our prayers as quickly as possible; we believe in Your holy promise to provide daily bread, and we ask you to respond mercifully to so many prayers, from so many of us, for our brothers and sisters in need. Thank you. We love you. Amen.

~ Via Catholic City.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Open Mic Wednesday:

Father James Farfaglia: Marriage Is Forever!

Specialist Warns Against Dangers of Internet Use:  Discourages Placing Computers in Youth Bedrooms

Monday, February 14, 2011

Revised Roman Missal Monday: Penitential Rite

A few years ago, our pastor back in Texas talked to us during homily about receiving the Eucharist reverently.  He noticed that more and more receive communion than ever before with very few being conscience of the sin in their lives.  Fewer are coming to confession, he said, yet are coming up for communion.  Sin has taken a hiatus of sorts.  Here the revised Roman Missal translation brings us closer to remorsefulness at the sins of a fallen people and the desire for forgiveness in preparation for receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.

Current Translation

I confess to almighty God
And to you, my brothers and sisters,
That I have sinned through
     My own fault
In my thoughts and in my words,
In what I have done,
And in what I have failed to do;
And I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
All the angels and saints,
And you, my brothers and sisters,
To pray for me to the Lord, our God.
New Translation

I confess to almighty God
And to you, my brothers and sisters,
That I have greatly sinned
In my thoughts and in my words,
In what I have done and in what I have
      Failed to do,
Through my fault, through my fault,
Through my most grievous fault;
Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
All the Angels and Saints,
And you, my brothers and sisters,
To pray for me to the Lord our God.
We strike our breast as we repeat these words, "through my fault, through......fault;"  Yes, it accentuates our sinfulness, but the translation is meant to be closer to the words in Latin, which actually prepares us to humbly continue to the Eucharistic prayer and reception of Christ in communion.

Another option of the Penitential Act

 Current Translation:

Priest:  Lord, we have sinned against you:
             Lord, have mercy.

All:  Lord, have mercy.

Priest:  Lord, show us your mercy and love.

All: And grant us your salvation.
 New Translation:

Priest:  Have mercy on us, O Lord.

All:   For we have sinned against you.

Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.

All: And grant us your salvation.

The first phrase comes from Baruch 3:2 "Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned before you.
and the second comes from Psalm 85:8  Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His faithful, to those who turn to Him in their hearts."

For now, I think once a week, we should all start to memorize these new responses and prayers.  We cannot use them during Mass until November, but it is important that we become aware, understand, and know what to do when these new changes begin. 

There are several places that you can find more information about these new revisions, one is Our Sunday Visitor, and USCCB.

Until next time.....God be with you!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Avon Calling!

Visit my e-store and support this starving writer/mom/wife!!  www.youravon.com/eweidner

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Sunday Snippets

Again, thanks to RAnn and her wonderful book reviewing, Sunday snippets blog, "This, that, and the other thing"

Sunday Reading Saturday: How many "How-to" books have you read?

How many 'How-to" books have your read so far in your life?  Have you considered the Bible a "How-to" book?  Why or why not?  In the Christian world, the Bible is considered the teaching manual for living a good life.  So, why don't we rely on it on a daily basis, or when a situation comes up that needs more reflection and guidance?  When the family auto begins to run rough, the manual is consulted, when we can't get the computer to boot up, the manual is consulted, when assembling a new bookshelf or other new project, the instructions are consulted.  So, why when life happens, the manual not consulted?  Recently, my knight decided to get out the book, "How to raise a daughter" after having given up on making sense of our lovely 14 year old.  I'll be checking into the Bible today on this one!

In Sunday's reading the message is clear cut, life is good if lived righteously.  What came to my mind immediately, however, is how easy it is to slip into a wayward life in simple, but detrimental ways.  Speaking unkindly about someone (even if there is some truth) to others.  Complaining about a teacher, another parent, your children, or your spouse.  When doing this, we can literally talk ourselves into or out of love and kindness for another!  Now you don't want to that to your children or your spouse, do you?  If we don't speak badly of other, if we look through Christ's eyes in difficult situations, we have no worries.  Malicious speech comes in many forms, I repeat, malicious speech comes in MANY forms.  Gossip, is anything that is spoken in secret about another, good, bad, or indifferent.  A false accusation is anything that is said to another about someone else from hearsay, right or wrong, it's an accusation that can cause harm.

Taking care of what goes out of our mouths is more important in the long run that what goes into it. Jesus said in Mark 7:14 ..."Listen to me, all of you, and understand:  there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."  Shakespeare said, "Give thy thoughts no tongue."  Our mouths get us in trouble more times than not, with guidance and prayerfulness this can be overcome.  Schools seem to breed the most problematic oral poison, so if you are a school parent, stop, think, and pray before speaking, agreeing, or repeating things you hear.  Being a homeschooling family for over 7 years and recently reentering the formal school arena, I am reminded of why we left this situation in the first place!

Reading the manual of life, the Bible, is clear cut on every part of life, parenting, business, entertainment, difficult people, unemployment, marriage, children, charities, etc. So, basically when we open our hearts and minds to God's Word we are rewarded in kind. There is no 'rocket science' to life, but there is a 'how-to' manual for it.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Theology of the Body Thursday: Guest contributor, my daughter!

This has been my rant for at least a year now, that all high school and youth groups teach the beauty of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body.  Not happening...yet, but it was hilarious that studying the late pope, my oldest daughter's religion teacher assigned her this topic.  Well, I am proud to have the permission by her to share her report here on the Pillars.  Take a look:



Theology of the Body
Pope John Paul II gave 129 Wednesday audiences, which were given between the years 1979 and 1984. These speeches were to become the Theology of the body. His reflections are based on Scripture (especially the Gospels, St. Paul and the Book of Genesis), and contain a vision of the human person. John Paul II discusses who man was in the beginning, who he is now, after original sin, and who he will be in the age to come. This subject was very close to PJPII’s heart.


As I read and studied the Theology of the Body, I realized just how well PJPII really did relate to young people and lay people in general. People may have said things like he was old or he was a priest and therefore can’t relate to the youth, but he really did. People who say things like that don’t really understand the person who was PJPII. PJPII did not write the Theology of the Body to be a bunch of rules and regulations, but to answer questions we all have about why things like sexuality and marriage are rules in our faith.

The first part of the T.O.B. is based on the creation stories; this is the little bit of the T.O.B. that I will explain to you. Through the T.O.B. PJPII explains mans purpose by exploring the two creation stories and how original sin altered how we experience life. One of the major things that PJPII discovered in his study of the creation stories was that there were actually 3 original experiences other than the one we all know. Ask what the first original that comes to mind is. The other three originals are Original Solitude, Original Unity, and Original Nakedness.

The experience of Original Solitude happened when Adam realized his difference from the rest of creation. Adam realized that he was the only creature in God’s creation that had a spirit and he was the only one who knew of God. As humans we all have a special relationship with God. This showed Adam that humans where created by God to hold a special position in creation. The more negative side of Original Solitude is that he was alone. This side of Original Solitude ties in with the next original because he realizes that that he is alone and he feels that there is something missing in his life.

The next experience is Original Unity. Original Unity means that Adam realized he wasn’t whole, he knew there needed to be more in his life. When God created gave Eve to Adam he felt whole. God created us to have relationships and he also created men and women to compliment and complete each other. Adam realized that Eve was perfect for him and she completed him.

The last experience is Original Nakedness. In this context nakedness really means freedom. When God first created men, he created us to be able to trust each other. God wanted us to never have to hide anything from one another.

Original sin changed our ability to experience all of these experiences. Since original sin happened people find it harder to feel God in their life and have a good relationship with him. Original Sin also changed our ability to have good and pure relationships. Also we now cannot trust each other enough to be totally open to each other without worrying about being used or lied to.

The theology of the body also covers many other topics that young people have questions about such as healthy relationships, marriage, and contraception.

~Becca

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Spiritual Direction REVISITED from 2007...ReVISITED from 2009...

This is something that I have needed and wanted for years and have never found help on this. I have asked my parish priest, the DRE (RIP), the diocese, and several friends who seem to be more comfortable in their spiritual skin that I am. No avail. There are two retired nuns in the area that have said that they would be more than happy to listen to me and my rantings and questions, but they are not spiritual directors. Lovely ladies, Edna and Rita.

You know my questions are these:

  1. What do I do with this unrelenting desire to continue to read, learn, and share my faith to anyone who will listen to me?
  2. Is there something I need to be doing along with reading and learning?
  3. The voice inside me is saying to preach, teach, and share.....but I am too afraid that I don't know enough to stand up and say: "Here I am....I'll teach and share to a crowd!
  4. When will I know I am finally ready to be an evangelist, apologist, or Catechist?
  5. Where should I go? Should I write a book? What stories to I have to tell?
  6. Or should I just continue doing nothing....but reading, learning, and hunting a SD?
Then, when I find a Spiritual Director, how will I know they are the right person for me and vice versa?
Oh well, nobody reads my blog anyway, so I still won't get any answers......

Kneeling, bowing, and genuflection, what gives?

We see in the first place genuflection, which is done "by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as for the Holy Cross from the solemn adoration during the liturgical celebration on Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vigil." (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 274). The bowing of the head instead means reverence and honor. In the Creed -- except in the solemnity of Christmas and of the Annunciation (Incarnation), in which it is replaced with genuflection -- we carry out this gesture pronouncing the wonderful words: "By the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man."

Finally, we would light to highlight the gesture of kneeling at the moment of the consecration and, where this use is kept, at Communion. They are strong signs, which manifest the awareness of being before someone special. It is Christ, the Son of the living God, and before him we fall on our knees.
In kneeling, the spiritual and physical meaning form a unity, because the bodily gesture implies a spiritual meaning and vice versa, the spiritual act calls for a manifestation, an external translation. To kneel before God is not something that "is not very modern"; on the contrary, it corresponds to the truth of our being itself.
"One who learns to believe, also learns to kneel, and a faith and a liturgy that no longer knows about kneeling would be unhealthy in a central point. Where this gesture has been lost, we must learn it again, to remain with our prayer in the communion of the Apostles and martyrs, in the communion of the whole cosmos, in the unity with Jesus Christ himself" (J. Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy [Opera Omnia 11]. LEV, Vatican City 2010, p. 183).

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

About.com Readers' Choice award....shameful begging

Just wondering if you'd vote for me......thanks!