At left: a Mason caught in the act of manipulating the puppet Pope. (Image shamelessly pinched.) Hehehe. Just a little humor to open this week's potpourri of popery.Popery
- Eusebius of Caesarea was the subject of this morning's audience. He was a 4th century theologian who preserved the Church's history in his own library during a time of persecution. He himself wrote 10 books on Church history:
They are fundamental due to the sources in which they are grounded, “which saved the events, stories and works of the ancient Church from oblivion”. At the beginning of the first book in his historic series, he lists the arguments examining the times that have passed from Our Lord, through Apostolic Succession, “backbone of the Church”, the spreading of the Word, the errors, the persecutions and the “great witness of light which emerges from this story of the first 300 years of the Churches life”.
The Pope took the opportunity to ask the faithful what attitude they bring to Church history: openness to see the work of God, or mere curiosity and a search for sensation and scandal?
Last week's audience on St. Cyprian is available now, but not even Zenit has the pope's lovely homily for Corpus Christi translated yet. Ah well, at least Sunday's Angelus on the same topic is:
"No one eats this food," St. Augustine writes, "if he has not first worshipped it" (Commentary on Psalm 98:9; CCL XXXIX, 1385). Adoration outside holy Mass prolongs and intensifies what happened in the liturgical celebration and renders a true and profound reception of Christ possible.
The homily for the canonization mass June 3rd is here. And here's a 3-paragraph address to students taking part in the Vatican Observatory's summer school that concludes with a lovely turn of phrase:
In the days to come, may you find spiritual consolation in the study of the stars that "shine to delight their Creator" (Bar 3:34).
Potpourri:
- Australia: Catholic MPs defy Card. Pell.
- Mexico: same issue, Bishops demand free speech rights.
prelates say they are tired of being challenged over their every word."If the Mexican Constitution's articles six and seven guarantee the right of free speech to all individuals ... then any law that limits that speech is like making priests second-class citizens," Carlos Villa, a church spokesman in Mexico City, said Monday
- Iraq: Christians say the government's "Ninevah plains" initiative is a trap for them. And new details on Fr. Gani's murder reveal his killers wanted him to convert to Islam.
- China: the Vatican Sec. of State's new #2 is an expert on China & the Middle East.
- Pakistan: bishop says Christians will not give in to the Taliban.
- Philippines: bishops appeal for release of kidnapped missionary.
- Springfield, MA: someone stole the bishop's watch and pectoral cross. (People are weird.)
- Perhaps the bishop should pray, "Tony, Tony come around..." Round-up of St. Anthony posts for his feast day.
