Resurrection: Historical Reality says B16

Here are some highlights from his Urbi et Orbi message for Easter 2009:

The resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of his “Passover”, his “passage”, that has opened a “new way” between heaven and earth (cf. Heb 10:20). It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, who at dusk on Friday was taken down from the Cross and buried, has victoriously left the tomb. In fact, at dawn on the first day after the Sabbath, Peter and John found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene and the other women encountered the risen Jesus. On the way to Emmaus the two disciples recognized him at the breaking of the bread. The Risen One appeared to the Apostles that evening in the Upper Room and then to many other disciples in Galilee.

The proclamation of the Lord’s Resurrection lightens up the dark regions of the world in which we live. I am referring particularly to materialism and nihilism, to a vision of the world that is unable to move beyond what is scientifically verifiable, and retreats cheerlessly into a sense of emptiness which is thought to be the definitive destiny of human life. It is a fact that if Christ had not risen, the “emptiness” would be set to prevail. If we take away Christ and his resurrection, there is no escape for man, and every one of his hopes remains an illusion. Yet today is the day when the proclamation of the Lord’s resurrection vigorously bursts forth, and it is the answer to the recurring question of the sceptics, that we also find in the book of Ecclesiastes: “Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’?” (Ec 1:10). We answer, yes: on Easter morning, everything was renewed. “Mors et vita, duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus – Death and life have come face to face in a tremendous duel: the Lord of life was dead, but now he lives triumphant.” This is what is new! A newness that changes the lives of those who accept it, as in the case of the saints. This, for example, is what happened to Saint Paul.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

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YOU'VE GOTTA LOVE THIS JUDGE.

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days.

The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge.

After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant." The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day.
Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.'
Thus, it is the opinion of this court that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.
Court is adjourned."

You gotta love a Judge who knows his Scripture!

IRONY, IRONY, THY NAME IS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

What a moving and profound vignette - a demonstration of what can happen by the Grace of God and man's determination.

What a pity that the same person who rose above hardship has chosen to become so grotesquely anti-life. President Obama has stated that he will appoint only pro-abortion judges, will reverse the ban on partial birth abortions (those who have the stomach for it, take a look at a depiction of a partial birth abortion) and has already reversed the courageous stand taken by President Bush - a decision to ban federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

We thank President Bush for his moral fibre and should pray that one day President Obama will come to respect the miracle of life at all stages and use his position to promote change for the better.

Imagine the Potential

One Year in 40 Seconds

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village

The child of a peasant woman.

He grew up in another obscure village

Where he worked in a carpenter shop

Until he was thirty

He never wrote a book

He never held an office

He never went to college

He never visited a big city

He never travelled more than two hundred miles

From the place where he was born

He did none of the things

Usually associated with greatness

He had no credentials but himself

He was only thirty three His friends ran away

One of them denied him

He was turned over to his enemies

And went through the mockery of a trial

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing

The only property he had on earth

When he was dead

He was laid in a borrowed grave

Through the pity of a friend

Nineteen centuries have come and gone

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race

And the leader of mankind's progress

All the armies that have ever marched

All the navies that have ever sailed

All the parliaments that have ever sat

All the kings that ever reigned put together

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth

As powerfully as that one solitary life

YES, WE HAVE NO BANANAS - AT LEAST NOT FOR TODAY

By proroguing Parliament, the Governor General, who probably never envisioned being called upon to perform such taxing duties, has given Canada a breather, temporary as it might be and has stopped it from joining the ranks of Banana republics - for now. The attempt, by the Big Three, to take over Canada, hot on the heels of an election, has been stalled.

It has been said we get the kind of government we deserve. However, even warm and fuzzy Canada does not deserve the attempted suburban coup we witnessed last week. In the ultimate display of brazen behaviour Jack Layton, Stephane Dion and Gilles Duceppe have thumbed their collective noses at Canadian voters and tax-payers, together with the electoral system.

They give no credit to the intelligence of we mere peons and rest happily in the delusion that they have convinced us that their real concern is the economy. What is annoying them is the fact that the gravy train - $30,000,000 - not earned but confiscated from the hapless taxpayers, just for voting, is under threat.

Giddy with the taste of success, the marshalls in the Liberal Party tried to pull a fast one in crowning a new leader through a polite little Caucus meeting. However it didn't quite work out. What a difference three hours makes. In a conference call which lasted three hours a decision was reached to allow MPs, Senators,m defeated candidates, group presidents to vote - a total of approximately 800. It appears that the hundreds of thousands of grateful slaves in the Liberal Party will be ignored via the coronation of one who has been described as an immigrant from the United States as the new leader. In theory we could have, within the next few weeks, a Prime Minister who has not been elected.. Wake up Liberals. Wake up Canada.

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

Today Catholics all over the world celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Once again, this does not mean that they worship Mary. They do acknowledge that she was conceived and born free from Original sin. Why? For Jesus - God the Son - to come into the world in His earthly form, a spotless womb was needed. It was divinely decided from the beginning of time that a sinless lowly maiden would become the mother of Jesus, the Christ.

Almighty God, nevertheless, gave Mary the opportunity to use His gift of free will, hence her words to the Archangel Gabriel who appeared to her "Be it done unto me according to Thy Word."

From that point, Mary resumed her life long role as a humble, obedient, lowly and loving maiden. Her strength cannot be denied as seen in the harrowing journey to Bethlehem, the Flight into Egypt, the unwavering acceptance of the Passion of Jesus and her presence at the Crucifixion. Inspite of her humility, she has remained the most well known, most powerful and most loved woman in history. O purest of creatures. O Mary conceived without sin.

Wise Words Are Wise Words In Any Faith

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

God help America

President-elect Obama has made it clear that it will be his policy and his policy alone. Sure, he'll talk about policy but the decisions will be his.

He has also stated that he will appoint pro-abortion judges and pro-abortion judges only. We already know what he plans for children in-utero - right up to the brutal end. No surprise since he has stated that he wouldn't want to punish his daughters with a baby if they made a mistake.

His proposed Cabinet makes one groan. Hillary comes to mind. I personally have trouble mustering confidence in a Secretary of State who can't tell the difference between an airstrip and a battleground.

Happy Advent

On this first day of Advent, let us consider the difference between Santa Claus(fiction) and St. Nicholas (fact).

Santa Claus belongs to childhood;

St. Nicholas models for all of life.
Santa Claus, as we know him, developed to boost Christmas sales—the commercial Christmas message;

St. Nicholas told the story of Christ and peace, goodwill toward all—the hope-filled Christmas message.
Santa Claus encourages consumption;

St. Nicholas encourages compassion.
Santa Claus appears each year to be seen and heard for a short time;

St. Nicholas is part of the communion of saints, surrounding us always with prayer and example.
Santa Claus flies through the air—from the North Pole;

St. Nicholas walked the earth—caring for those in need.
Santa Claus, for some, replaces the Babe of Bethlehem;

St. Nicholas, for all, points to the Babe of Bethlehem.
Santa Claus isn't bad;

St. Nicholas is just better.

Taken from: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=36

Not On the Menu

Do not eat meat from China, Vietnam or Thailand. Here is why.

Looking for a career change? Like the open spaces? Looking for lower gas consumption? Want the chance to see the world? If China appeals to you, the above might be the answer. All you would have to do is case the neighbourhood, knock on a few doors and ask if there are any dead chickens for sale. You don't have to ask what they died of, just collect the carcasses and transport them to the processing plant where they will be prepared for export to the gullible West.

Now if you are already in the West and, are happy with the status quo, just sit back and enjoy a repast prepared in the filthiest of conditions, on slave labour and don't let the fact that thousands of your fellow citizens are out of work stifle your gastric juices or interfere with your taste buds for a second. Once the herbs and spices are all in place, who will know the difference?

The Real China Syndrome

For decades the human carnage in China hasn't really meant much. Political prisoners bowing respectfully to their executioners, unknowing and unwilling donors of vital organs for the Party proletariat and for those who can pay, missionaries dragged naked through the streets, the hungry and the homeless, the pre-born, the female babies destined for the water bucket or the river. Who noticed?

It took a few sick pets to raise the alarm on the inherent disrespect for human life which is a natural consequence of Godlessness. It follows. The dismay when family pets died from melamine poisoning in the pet food produced in China made us stifle a yawn and wonder what else this substance was invading.

The answer came loud and clear when Chinese babies became sick from the baby formula. Melmine once again raised its ugly head. It makes the formula look richer etc. Tragically, it also causes kidney stones. This has resulted in the deaths of innocent little babies and the agony reserved for those who suffer from kidney stones for thousands of other babies. Don't forget the lion cub and the two cute little orangutans who got sick in the Shanghai zoo. The greed and avarice, which is another natural consequence of Godlessness, was the trigger. A little irony from the regime which despises capitalism isn't it?

In order to avoid the establishment of Poison without Borders, Canadian shopkeepers are removing certain food products from China from their store shelves. This prompted the announcement that a Canadian staple, Oreo Cookies, 0wned by Kraft which also owns tobacco companies, has closed its chief plant in Australia and set it up in - you guessed it - China. But, not to worry, the announcement was accompanied by the assurance that the milk products used in what makes the after school snack such an icon, are exported by Canada to China. Anyone seeing what's wrong with all of this yet? Anyone willing to do the math? Anyone willing to ask questions?

Let's move on to the economic and social carnage. When we persistently flood the market with Chinese junk which, incidentally, is not much cheaper than dear old Made in Canada, it figures that there is a price. This unbridled out sourcing has resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs. It must. Why do we out source? Easy. We don't pay the grateful slaves what they should be paid.

In the Niagara region pear growers are burning their trees because we are buying pears from China. Processing plants are closing for the same reason. The population does its bit though. It mutters the occasional outrage when plants like John Deere close - then tuck into a Chinese pear.

We might - and only might- pay a little more for home grown products, but we would have the comfort of knowing that our neighbour is working. Think about it.

WHERE DID YOU EAT THIS PAST WEEK?

Sarah Palin ate at a diner. No so for Barack Obama - maybe I should say he ate elsewhere. His friend Barbara Streisand threw a little supper for him. It raised nine million dollars I hear. The repast itself was a reported $28,500 and for those wanted a little night music, the cost jumped to a reported $30,500 plus. For whatever reason the diners may have wanted to hear the hostess sing, they were willing to pay just short of two thousand extra. Ho Hum. This is today's version of a man for all seasons. The man for the ordinary working public.

WHAT PART OF 'THE LADY IS THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB DOESN'T THE OPPOSITION UNDERSTAND?

I have to give it to those who are envious of, confounded by or who just plain hate Sarah Palin and what she stands for. They deserve "A" for effort when it comes to producing reasons for not voting for her or for why she shouldn't be allowed to run for office in the first place.

All she was, before ascending to her present position, was a wife and mother, a member of the PTA, a basketball coach, the Mayor of her town, then the Governor of her State. Not a bad little resume that. Of course, it was the opposition who thought the fact that she is a practising Christian and a Pro-Lifer was worth mentioning. Not necessarily in glowing terms mind.

It would appear that the fact that she was a Mayor is worthy of derision. Really? Try it some time. Of course, she might have aspired to the position of Community Organizer as Barack Obama did, but no one could come up with the job description. Being Governor didn't fare much better. After all, what good will come out of Alaska? When Middle Eastern dictatorships don't want to rip consumers off - by selling oil at very unpleasant prices - any more or when they think everyone is so desperate that we will pay anything for oil and we can't, let's decide if we want to freeze in the dark for half of the year or whether we want to change our minds about Alaska and its potential. Suddenly the Alaskan pipeline might not sound so bad. On the subject of Alaska, it comprises 20% of the United States land mass. Not a bad jurisdiction or stomping ground.

When the detractors say she has no experience in foreign affairs, do they mean she hasn't screwed up? What experience did her predecessors have? It was Cindy McCain who reminded us that Sarah Palin has, all her life, lived closer to Russia than most Americans and that has equipped her with considerable knowledge of foreign affairs - the naive who still believe that the Iron Curtain has truly fallen notwithstanding. Just ask the Georgians how benign Russia is. Sarah Palin figured it out.

In response to those who will continue to the bitter end, to paint her as an ambitious babe-in- the-woods, anyone who had the imagination to put a government jet on eBay seems, at least to me, to be pretty sharp. Anyone who has the guts to expose, oppose and fire parasites - even those in her own party - seems to be pretty courageous.

One broadside is the alleged failure to vet the lady. Questions were asked re the parentage of her beautiful little baby. Absurd allegations were made, her husband was asked to take a paternity test, she was asked when her amniotic fluid broke. Gee what else is left to ask?

The fact that Sarah Palin tolerates this garbage with grace, while finding time to say nice things about Hillary Clinton, says a lot for the lady's resolve. Good things are in store for the USA.

Your Vote Counts

ALL THE WAY WITH OPUS DEI.

Canadians went to bed last night with a shocking discovery hanging over them. The enterprising media in Quebec have exposed the entry into the election field of a PC candidate who is - I can hardly bring myself to write it - a member of Opus Dei. What next?
It's always a good idea to put one's brain into gear before letting one's tongue or pen loose. Do these people - including the Bloc Quebecois leader, Gilles Duceppe - know anything about Opus Dei - beyond the fact that it's Catholic and opposes abortion, contraception and same sex "marriage"? The esteemed leader is quoted as having serious concerns wth the threat of social conservatives entering the fray, citing the candidacy of Nicole Charbonneau Barron as evidence that the PC party is composed of right wing idealogues who would take away a woman' s right to choose. Does this translate into "No Catholic need apply to enter the Public Square"? Or are we going to be more democratic and ban anyone who defends all human life and opposes same sex get togethers?
One question. Is there going to be a roll call of candidates who are Freemasons?

ALL HAIL THE BIG BANG

I believe in the Big Bang Theory. I do. God spoke and bang, it happened.

SARAH, STRAIGHT AND TALL

A whole day has gone by and I haven't heard one vicious attack on Sarah Palin. Mind you I didn't tune in to CNN because we're doing such a good hatchet job here in Canada. I amuse myself wondering why there is such venom. Is it because she's not tied to the kitchen sink? Is it because she's smart and articulate? Could it be that she's pro-life? Tsk. Tsk. Is it because she's shown that she can raise a family and not fade away? Is it because she's shown that one can have it all? Is it the fact that she can be political and moral at the same time? Is it her stunning good looks which draw the claws? Is it because she's happy? Or is it just all of the above? She's already done great things. Just watch and she'll do even more. She's head and shoulders above the strident screamers. That's why I call her Sarah, straight and tall.