Benedicto XVI, fe, razón e islam

Benedicto XVI, fe, razón e islam
El verdadero mensaje del Papa

Roma, sábado, 30 septiembre 2006 (ZENIT.org).- Mientras se apaga el furor contra Benedicto XVI, la gente comienza a darse cuenta de que el Papa ha sido víctima de frases sacadas de contexto y reacciones deliberadamente inflamadas. De hecho, esto ha sido lo que muchos hombres de Iglesia habían dicho desde el principio.

Más que un ataque al islam, «lo que emerge claramente de los discursos del Santo Padres es una advertencia, dirigida la cultura occidental, de evitar ‘el desprecio a Dios y el cinismo que considera la mofa de lo sagrado un ejercicio de libertad’», observaba el portavoz del Vaticano, el padre Federico Lombardi, el 14 de septiembre. El jesuita explicaba que el Papa ha criticado a la cultura moderna por intentar excluir la religión.

«Una razón que sea sorda a lo divino», concluía el Pontífice en su discurso del 12 de septiembre en la Universidad de Ratisbona, «y que relegue la religión al ámbito de las subculturas, es incapaz de entrar en el diálogo de las culturas».

Dado esto, los seguidores de la mentalidad moderna irreligiosa tendrían más razón para estar irritados con el Papa que cualquier otro grupo, un hecho que explique la extrema hostilidad de un editorial del New York Times publicado el 16 de septiembre contra el Santo Padre.

En una declaración publicada el mismo día, el Secretario de Estado del Vaticano, el cardenal Tarcisio Bertone, apuntaba que Benedicto XVI en su discurso de Ratisbona hablaba a un grupo de académicos y simplemente usó un texto del emperador bizantino Manuel II Paleólogo, que el Papa dejó claro que no era su propia opinión. La cita fue una forma de introducir una serie de reflexiones. Esta forma de actuar no ha sido entendida por muchos en una cultura de medios que confía en cortos de 5 segundos para transmitir sus mensajes.

Por esta razón, el cardenal Paul Poupard, presidente del Pontificio Consejo para el Diálogo Interreligioso, recomendaba que se «leyera bien» el texto del Papa. Entrevistado por el diario italiano Corriere della Sera, el 15 de septiembre, el cardenal explicaba que si los musulmanes leyeran y meditaran sobre el texto entenderían que, lejos de ser un ataque, es más bien «un estrechamiento de manos». Esto es así porque el Santo Padre defendió el valor de la religión para la humanidad, y el islam es una de las grandes religiones del mundo.

El cardenal Camillo Ruini, Vicario para la diócesis de Roma, también insistió en el valor del discurso del Papa. Así hablo el 18 de septiembre en su discurso de apertura del Consejo Permanente de la Conferencia Episcopal Italiana. Un punto central resaltado por el Papa durante su viaje a Baviera, explicaba el cardenal Ruini, ha sido que a través de la fe en Dios, la razón y la libertad del hombre encuentran su más alto y auténtico cumplimiento. En este contexto el Papa en su discurso en Ratisbona proponía un diálogo entre culturas y religiones – un diálogo que es cada vez más urgente.

Monseñor William Skylstad, presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal de Estados Unidos, también apoyaba este diálogo. «Dadas las circunstancias de la últimas semana», afirmaba en una declaración publicada el 20 de septiembre, «está claro que el diálogo entre cristianos y musulmanes es esencial, un diálogo en que respetemos, en palabras del Santo Padre, lo que es sagrado para otros».

Objetivo Occidente
En una entrevista el 17 de septiembre concedida al periódico italiano La Stampa, el cardenal Poupard comentaba que la principal preocupación del Pontifica no era el islam, sino la cultura occidental. Esto queda claro en la advertencia del entonces cardenal Joseph Ratzinger contra el relativismo poco antes del comienzo del cónclave en que sería elegido Papa.

Apoyando este punto, el cardenal Poupard citaba una parte de la homilía de Benedicto XVI en Munich el 10 de septiembre. El Papa decía: «Las poblaciones de África y de Asia ciertamente admiran las realizaciones técnicas de Occidente y nuestra ciencia, pero se asustan ante un tipo de razón que excluye totalmente a Dios de la visión del hombre, considerando que esta es la forma más sublime de la razón, la que conviene enseñar también a sus culturas».

«La verdadera amenaza para su identidad no la ven en la fe cristiana, sino en el desprecio de Dios y en el cinismo que considera la mofa de lo sagrado un derecho de la libertad y eleva la utilidad a criterio supremo para los futuros éxitos de la investigación».

Este aspecto del discurso del Papa fue subrayado el 18 de septiembre por el cardenal Antonio Rouco Varela. El arzobispo de Madrid entró en el debate en una entrevista de radio, según informó el servicio de internet Análisis Digital al día siguiente. El cardenal explicó que el propósito del discurso del Santo Padre era examinar la relación entre creer y saber.

Necesitamos tanto la fe como la razón, comentaba el cardenal Rouco, y es un error concebir un Dios que actúa contra la razón. Lejos de ser una provocación dirigida a los musulmanes, el discurso papal fue un llamamiento al diálogo respetuoso entre fe y razón, afirmaba el cardenal.

Manipulación
Sobre las relaciones entre el islam y la Iglesia católica, el Secretario de Estado del Vaticano, el cardenal Bertone, afirmó que confiaba en que las explicaciones ofrecidas tras el discurso del Papa en Ratisbona serían aceptadas. Entrevistado el 18 de septiembre por el Corriere della Sera, el Secretario de Estado también se quejó de la grave manipulación de las palabras de Benedicto XVI.

Observó, sin embargo, que la reacción al discurso papal de algunos líderes islámicos había sido favorable. Por ejemplo, Mohand Alili, rector de la mezquita de Marsella, Francia, había advertido sobre el sentirse ofendidos por lo que había dicho el Papa, puesto que el discurso era una invitación a meditar las palabras del profeta Mahoma. El problema, sin embargo, fue que estas y otras reacciones positivas no recibieron la atención de los medios, lamentaba el cardenal Bertone.

Desde Australia, el cardenal George Pell también criticó el 18 de septiembre la forma en que algunos habían manipulado las palabras del Papa. En una nota de prensa el cardenal expresaba su gratitud por las palabras de los musulmanes moderados.

Días antes, el 13 de septiembre, el arzobispo de Sydney habló sobre el tema del diálogo entre Occidente y el islam, tras el discurso del Papa en Ratisbona. Dirigiéndose al Union Club de Sydney, observó que las grandes religiones difieren de modo significativo en la doctrina y en las sociedades que producen. Y aunque las religiones pueden ser fuentes de belleza y bondad, también pueden caer en la corrupción y ser fuentes de veneno y destrucción, advertía el cardenal.

Pero para quienes ven la religión como fuente de violencia, el cardenal Pell advertía que «los peores males del siglo XX fueron provocados por hombres antirreligiosos: Hitler, Stalin, Mao y Pol Pot».

En una entrevista publicada el 18 de septiembre por Spiegel Online, el cardenal Walter Kasper, presidente del Pontificio Consejo para la Promoción de la Unidad entre los Cristianos, observaba que los conflictos con el islam son una parte de la historia de Europa, que era a lo que el Papa se refería en su discurso.

Pero hay una alternativa al conflicto – el diálogo – que es a lo que está a favor el Papa. Este diálogo no es fácil, reconocía el cardenal, porque es difícil bajo las actuales circunstancias «encontrar contrapartes representativas con las que hablar».

No debemos acercarnos a este diálogo ingenuamente, continuaba el cardenal Kasper, puesto que hay importantes diferencias entre las culturas cristiana e islámica. De hecho, la política de multiculturalismo favorecida por los países europeos no ha funcionado en las relaciones con las comunidades musulmanas.

«El tema fundamental, cuando se trata del futuro de Europa, será si trasladaremos, y cómo lo haremos, los ideales que una vez hicieron grande Europa – especialmente sus raíces cristianas – al mundo cambiante de hoy», concluía el cardenal. Una tarea que no será fácil, a la luz de Ratisbona.

ISLAMOFASCISTS TO POPE BENEDICT XVI: "APOLOGIZE -- OR ELSE"
By Larry Elder

Pope Benedict XVI, during a speech in Germany, at a university where he used to teach, quoted a 14th-century Byzantine Christian emperor: "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.' . . . Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. 'God,' the emperor says, 'is not pleased by blood -- and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats.'" And, the pontiff even condemned violent jihad, or "holy war."

Note that the pope, in a very lengthy speech critical of the growing secularization of the West, devoted only three paragraphs to the subject of jihad. Moreover, the pope repeatedly said that those words were not his own. And later, the Vatican said the pope intended only to spark dialogue, and that the emperor's words in no way reflected the thoughts of the pope himself.

How did some adherents to the religion of peace react?

Angry riots, death threats, burning of the pope in effigy, and demands for an apology.

Somali Muslims shot an Italian nun who worked in a Somali hospital. They shot her four times in the back as she left the hospital, and as she lay dying on the ground, she muttered in Italian to her killers, "I forgive, I forgive."

Firebombs were hurled at seven churches during one weekend in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. One group demanded a televised apology, or they would blow up all of Gaza's churches.

As usual, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a "moderate" pro-Arab organization, condemned the pope's words, but not the violent reaction to them.

The deputy leader of the Turkish prime minister's party said, "He is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini."

Al Qaeda in Iraq issued this death threat, "You infidels and despots, we will continue our jihad and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism when God's rule is established governing all people and nations. . . . [The cross-worshipper pope] and the West are doomed. . . . We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose the jizya [non-Muslim] tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion [to Islam] or [being killed by] the sword."

Following this violent reaction, the pope, at his weekly Angelus blessing this past Sunday, used the word "sorry." Sorry, that is, for the violent reaction to his words. Still, the pope refused to retract his statements. And why should he? After all, the violent reaction proved his point in ways the pope's words never could.

Now, what about stateside? Editorials in two major American newspapers criticized -- the pope! In an editorial chastising the pope for alleged insensitivity, the Los Angeles Times said, "The pope shouldn't be quoting people who call [Islam] 'evil.'" The editorial concluded, " . . . [P]opes need to watch their words when they have political consequences."

Calling the pope a "doctrinal conservative," The New York Times said, " . . . [H]is greatest fear appears to be the loss of a uniform Catholic identity, not exactly the best jumping-off point for tolerance or interfaith dialogue. The world listens carefully to the words of any pope. And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly."

So this is where we are. The people behind the publication of the "offensive" Danish cartoons fear being seen in public, lest they suffer the fate of filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh, a descendant of the painter Vincent van Gogh, made a film that criticized Islam's treatment of women. Authorities found him shot and stabbed to death, and a five-page manifesto declaring holy war pinned to his chest with the same knife used to stab him.

An Iranian newspaper recently sponsored a "contest" asking for submissions of anti-Semitic holocaust-denying cartoons. One showed the Statue of Liberty holding a book on the Holocaust in one hand and giving a Nazi-style salute with the other. The reaction? No Jews rioted, no Jews committed kidnappings, no Jews engaged in beheadings. Meanwhile, the web site TheReligionofPeace.com records deadly terror attacks committed by Islamofacists since 9/11/2001. The tally, as of this writing, stands at 5,870.

So there you have it. The West, says the pope, pursues reason without faith -- and Westerners failed to riot. But when the pope accuses Islam of pursuing faith without reason -- Islamofascists demand an apology . . . or else.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20060927/cm_uc_crlelx/larry_elder20060927

Papal Address to Muslim Leaders and Diplomats

Papal Address to Muslim Leaders and Diplomats
"Lessons of the Past Must Help Us to Seek Paths of Reconciliation"

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 25, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today in the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, to leaders of Muslim communities in Italy and ambassadors of Muslim countries accredited to the Holy See.

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Dear Cardinal Poupard,
Your Excellencies,
Dear Muslim Friends,

I am pleased to welcome you to this gathering that I wanted to arrange in order to strengthen the bonds of friendship and solidarity between the Holy See and Muslim communities throughout the world. I thank Cardinal Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, for the words that he has just addressed to me, and I thank all of you for responding to my invitation.

The circumstances which have given rise to our gathering are well known. I have already had occasion to dwell upon them in the course of the past week. In this particular context, I should like to reiterate today all the esteem and the profound respect that I have for Muslim believers, calling to mind the words of the Second Vatican Council which for the Catholic Church are the Magna Carta of Muslim-Christian dialogue: "The Church looks upon Muslims with respect. They worship the one God living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to humanity and to whose decrees, even the hidden ones, they seek to submit themselves wholeheartedly, just as Abraham, to whom the Islamic faith readily relates itself, submitted to God" (declaration "Nostra Aetate," No. 3).

Placing myself firmly within this perspective, I have had occasion, since the very beginning of my pontificate, to express my wish to continue establishing bridges of friendship with the adherents of all religions, showing particular appreciation for the growth of dialogue between Muslims and Christians (cf. Address to the Delegates of Other Churches and Ecclesial Communities and of Other Religious Traditions, April 25, 2005).

As I underlined at Cologne last year, "Interreligious and intercultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot be reduced to an optional extra. It is, in fact, a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends" (Meeting with Representatives of Some Muslim Communities, Cologne, Aug. 20, 2005). In a world marked by relativism and too often excluding the transcendence and universality of reason, we are in great need of an authentic dialogue between religions and between cultures, capable of assisting us, in a spirit of fruitful cooperation, to overcome all the tensions together.

Continuing, then, the work undertaken by my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, I sincerely pray that the relations of trust which have developed between Christians and Muslims over several years, will not only continue, but will develop further in a spirit of sincere and respectful dialogue, based on ever more authentic reciprocal knowledge which, with joy, recognizes the religious values that we have in common and, with loyalty, respects the differences.

Interreligious and intercultural dialogue is a necessity for building together this world of peace and fraternity ardently desired by all people of good will. In this area, our contemporaries expect from us an eloquent witness to show all people the value of the religious dimension of life. Likewise, faithful to the teachings of their own religious traditions, Christians and Muslims must learn to work together, as indeed they already do in many common undertakings, in order to guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence; as for us, religious authorities and political leaders, we must guide and encourage them in this direction.

Indeed, "although considerable dissensions and enmities between Christians and Muslims may have arisen in the course of the centuries, the Council urges all parties that, forgetting past things, they train themselves toward sincere mutual understanding and together maintain and promote social justice and moral values as well as peace and freedom for all people" (declaration "Nostra Aetate," No. 3).

The lessons of the past must therefore help us to seek paths of reconciliation, in order to live with respect for the identity and freedom of each individual, with a view to fruitful cooperation in the service of all humanity. As Pope John Paul II said in his memorable speech to young people at Casablanca in Morocco, "Respect and dialogue require reciprocity in all spheres, especially in that which concerns basic freedoms, more particularly religious freedom. They favor peace and agreement between peoples" (No. 5).

Dear friends, I am profoundly convinced that in the current world situation it is imperative that Christians and Muslims engage with one another in order to address the numerous challenges that present themselves to humanity, especially those concerning the defense and promotion of the dignity of the human person and of the rights ensuing from that dignity. When threats mount up against people and against peace, by recognizing the central character of the human person and by working with perseverance to see that human life is always respected, Christians and Muslims manifest their obedience to the Creator, who wishes all people to live in the dignity that he has bestowed upon them.

Dear friends, I pray with my whole heart that the merciful God will guide our steps along the paths of an ever more authentic mutual understanding. At this time when for Muslims the spiritual journey of the month of Ramadan is beginning, I address to all of them my cordial good wishes, praying that the Almighty may grant them serene and peaceful lives. May the God of peace fill you with the abundance of his blessings, together with the communities that you represent!

[Original text: French. Translation issued by the Holy See; adapted]

© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Extra ecclesia nulla salus

Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Some people lately have gotten the idea that the Church no longer really believes today's verse and that there are "many roads to God besides Jesus." But the fact remains that the Church still teaches (and must always teach) that "there is no other name under heaven [than Jesus Christ] given among men by which we must be saved." On the other hand, other Christians assume from this that it is only by knowing the name of Jesus that we can be saved. But this is also not Catholic teaching. It is the case that only Jesus can bring us to God since only Jesus is both God and Man. It is not the case that we must, in every case, be conscious of the fact that it is Jesus who is doing this in order for him to do it. This does not relieve us of the need to tell people about Jesus, any more than the fact that people sometimes miraculously recover from a deadly illness without medical help relieves us from the need to take sick people to the doctor. But neither does it give us the right to make prognostications about the eternal fate of non-Christians or non-Catholics. Rather it is a call to work in hope for the salvation of the world with the help of the Holy Spirit and to leave all the judging to God. He's the One in charge.

Roma and Palermo share top spot, AC Milan chip away at deficit
by Stefano Blin
September 17, 2006

ROME (AFP) - Roma and Palermo share top spot in Italy's Serie A after they both made it two wins in as many matches.

Title hopefuls Roma beat Siena 3-1, while Sicilian side Palermo defeated Lazio 2-1 in Rome where David Di Michele struck twice for the visitors.

AC Milan also chalked up their second consecutive win - a 2-0 victory away to Parma - to chip further away at the eight-point penalty given to them for their part in the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Messina came close to making it a three-way tie for first place, but they conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Ascoli where Ascoli keeper Gianluca Pagliuca set a new record for goalkeeping appearances in the top division.

Making his 570th appearance, the 39-year-old former Italy international overtook the previous record of 569 held by the legendary Dino Zoff.

Roma's passionate fans always have high expectations of their team, but coach Luciano Spalletti refused to get carried away with the club's strong start.

"We will try to do our best, but here you always have to keep your feet on the ground," he said.

"Paradoxically it can be difficult in this environment when the team is winning. But then again, it's tougher when the team is losing."

Fiorentina, facing a mammoth task to stay up after being handed a 19-point penalty for match-fixing, lost the Tuscany derby, going down 1-0 at Livorno. Cristiano Lucarelli headed the only goal 11 minutes into the second-half.

Goals from Antonio Di Natale and Brazilian Felipe gave Udinese a convincing 2-0 home win over Torino, while the battle of the newly-promoted clubs between Catania and Atalanta ended goalless. Chievo drew 1-1 at Empoli.

Roma's win at Siena never looked in doubt after the home side had Ezio Brevi sent off in the 27th minute, and the 2001 champions made their numerical supremacy count in a one-sided second half.

Brazilian Rodrigo Taddei prodded home from close range shortly after half time and Chilean playmaker David Pizarro made it 2-0, sliding home Taddei's cross in the 70th minute.

Mario Frick pulled one back three minutes from time with a fluky effort that bounced off his body, but a stoppage-time goal from Stefano Okaka restored Roma's two-goal cushion.

The timing of Roma's win was perfect given the 1-1 draw for championship rivals Inter Milan on Saturday, coupled with the fact that they face Inter in the capital on Wednesday.

Already reeling from an 11-point penalty for match-fixing, Lazio suffered another devastating blow with their second defeat in a row.

The excellent Di Michele did the damage with two superb and almost identical lobbed goals, before Tommaso Rocchi reduced the deficit for the home side.

Clarence Seedorf's curling free-kick from outside the box gave AC Milan a first-half lead at Parma and Kaka's late penalty - awarded after he was brought down by keeper Alfonso De Lucia - wrapped up the three points.

Champions Inter, awarded last season's title after the match-fixing furore, salvaged a point at home to Sampdoria on Saturday.

Francesco Flachi put the visitors ahead with a penalty shortly after half time, before an own goal from Massimo Bonanni levelled the score.

In Saturday's early match, Rolando Bianchi scored a stoppage-time winner to give Reggina, docked 15 points for their match-fixing involvement, a 2-1 home win against Cagliari.

Link

No Greek tragedy as AC Milan crush AEK

No Greek tragedy as AC Milan crush AEK

by Stefano Blin
September 13, 2006

MILAN, Italy (AFP) - AC Milan began their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Greek side AEK Athens.

Headed goals in the first half from Filippo Inzaghi and Yoann Gourcuff put Milan in control, before Kaka's 77th-minute penalty wrapped up the three points from their Group H opener.

AEK had their moments, but a home victory never looked in doubt as the six-time European champions came to terms with life in Europe's premier club competition without Andriy Shevchenko, who left for Chelsea in the summer.

Milan, whose Serie A title hopes have been severely dented by an eight-point penalty for match-fixing, next face French side Lille in a fortnight.

Ricardo Oliveira, who Milan signed from Real Betis this summer as a replacement for Shevchenko, was preferred to Alberto Gilardino as a strike partner for Inzaghi.

Playmaker Andrea Pirlo, a key figure in Italy's triumphant World Cup campaign, and centre-back Alessandro Nesta were both rested by Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti and not even named among the substitutes. Pirlo's place went to Cristian Brocchi, a more defensive midfielder, and Dario Simic stepped in for Nesta.

Milan went close to taking the lead in the 12th minute.

Promising French midfielder Gourcuff spotted an overlapping run from Gennaro Gattuso and played in the tough-tackling Italy international whose diagonal shot was saved by Stefano Sorrentino in the AEK goal.

Andrija Delibasic should have done better for AEK when presented with a free header, but his tame effort went straight into Nelson Dida's grateful hands.

Oliveira headed wide before Milan got their noses in front in the 17th minute.

Paolo Maldini, still going strong at the age of 38, crossed from the left to the back post and Inzaghi planted a firm, angled header into the top corner.

Milan doubled their advantage four minutes from half time.

Kaka broke down the right and whipped in a superb cross for Gourcuff whose bullet header gave Sorrentino no chance.

AEK came close to pulling a goal back almost immediately, but Julio Cesar's rasping drive was beaten away by Dida.

The tall Brazilian's palms were stung again shortly after half time by Nikos Liberopoulos' long-range shot, and at the other end Kaka's scissor kick was punched over the bar by Sorrentino.

Vladimir fluffed an easy header in the 73rd minute that would have reopened the tie, before Evangelos Moras brought down Inzaghi in the box to give away a spot-kick which Kaka slammed home.

Link

Thinking About Heaven

Thinking About Heaven
Interview With Father Z. Kijas, Author and Dean

ROME, SEPT. 3, 2006 (ZENIT.org).- The dean of the Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure has written a book on heaven, inviting readers to have a fresh vision of a central mystery of the faith.

Polish Father Zdzislaw Kijas, dean of the Seraphicum, wrote "Il Cielo, Luogo del Desiderio di Dio" (Heaven the Place of the Desire for God), published by Città Nuova and now available in Italian bookstores.

ZENIT spoke with Father Kijas, a Franciscan Conventual -- who has been professor of systematic and ecumenical theology at Krakow's Pontifical Academy of Theology -- to understand how heaven appears today to the eyes of the believer.

Q: Let's begin with the central question: What is heaven?

Father Kijas: First of all, as seen with the eyes of faith, heaven exists as union with God, a union that must be seen from the point of view of the sacred texts, specifically, with the help of the Old and New Testament.

However, heaven is something more profound than this union. Its characteristics can be deduced from the biblical data and also from our experience, from the special moments of life, when we experience tranquility, serenity, [and] absence of evil desires and fear.

Heaven is not a material or geographic place, it is more than a state of spirit, it is our interiority, our spirit which is at peace with itself; it is to experience authentic peace, to live the joy of the richness of life with peace of heart.

Q: Are you saying that every one has his heaven?

Father Kijas: Every man has his personal heaven because he is like a microcosm; he has been created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus died and resurrected for each man; each man has his own richness, his own desires.

Believers should tend to personal enrichment, in the search to fulfill their own lives, plans which are essential in the life of each one, of each couple, of the consecrated and of communities.

Basing oneself on the biblical data and on one's own vocation, on the universal call to holiness, with the help of God and of his grace, each one is called to this optimum state of his life, to a more perfect, personal union with God.

Here is heaven itself: the holiness of God personalized, embodied in one's life. A personal union that leads to full development of the likeness with him.

Every age has its challenges, its appeals. Art, music and literature as expressions of one's state of life; they reflect in visible and figurative language one's state of spirit and the characteristics of one's union with God. So the way of expressing oneself, of making art, becomes a mirror of the relationship between the artist and God.

Q: How can one respond to this "desire" for heaven?

Father Kijas: In my book I speak of responding to the desire for heaven, of reviving it -- not by limiting oneself to look for heaven on earth in relationships we experience in the world even if they are fundamental.

These relationships are important, as it is important to make an effort to read the seeds of the paradisiacal state now here in this life. But what counts is to understand that here on earth there are only pale reflections of those to which we are really called.

The strength to change the everyday, the courage to face problems, the desire to live more profoundly our human vocation, our work, human relationships, does not come only from the freshness of the desire of union with God which for us, believers, is heaven.

Herein lies daily creativity in relation to paradise. Without being separated from the earthly reality, efforts must be made to change everything with the force of the desire for heaven, to shape our daily reality in view of paradise, transforming the earth with the desire for heaven.

Q: What is your idea of heaven?

Father Kijas: Heaven is not something static; even our own imagination does not understand it as something static. It is a continuous happening, a growth that advances with our call, our desires, our deficiencies themselves.

The idea I have, common to many, is that of a reciprocity made up of dialogue, a never feeling well alone but in dialogue, a reflection of the life of the Trinity, a communion of people who love one another and give themselves abundantly.

This is the paradisiacal state, never to possess, but to be open to the other's need, to his good -- a response of love to someone else's request for love.

Heaven and paradise are as synonyms, a being well together, a consequence of being well with God, convinced that he alone makes us be well in community. Heaven is communion of friends, never a boring reality, a richness enriched by others. The Church invites us to open to this dialogue that gives a foretaste on earth of the taste of the joy of heaven.

AC Milan wins season opener!!

Yesterday, AC Milan defeated Lazio, 2-1. Filippo Inzaghi opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Inzaghi netted one goal this summer in the World Cup. Milan then went up 2-0 with a goal in the 70th minute by new acquisition, Ricardo Olveira, who was recently signed from Real Betis in Sevilla. Lazio came back with a goal 3 minutes later, but that was it for them. Milan held on to win!

Cardinal Kasper: "War Does Not Lead to Peace"

Naive? or the only Hope? I don't know. My faith is weak here... but I really cannot argue with the Cardinal's points, from a Christian perspective...

War Does Not Lead to Peace

Cardinal Kasper Closes Meeting of Religious Leaders in Assisi

ASSISI, Italy, SEPT. 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address delivered Tuesday by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, to close the two-day meeting of various religious leaders.

The meeting in Assisi commemorated the interreligious meeting convoked by Pope John Paul II in 1986. The theme on this occasion was "For a World of Peace -- Religions and Cultures in Dialogue.

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Prayer for Peace

Psalm 122:6-9

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you!
Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!"
For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!"
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." How many times this invocation of prayer echoed from the psalms of the holy Bible throughout the centuries, or even, the millennia. How many times Jerusalem, city of peace, was besieged and destroyed: by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, by the Romans and the crusaders. How many times Jerusalem was contended, as it happens also today, by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

In Jerusalem, the three religions venerate their holy places. All three love Jerusalem and therefore want to be there. All three have the right to dwell there in peace, but they can be there only together, and in a peaceful manner. All three pray to the one God, who is not a God of violence, but a "God of peace," as he is often named as such in the Bible.

How many times have we prayed for peace in Jerusalem in the last weeks. How many times have we prayed for peace between Jews and Muslims in that region, affected by conflict, in which, again and again, innocent people from all sides -- women and children, sick, elderly and youth -- suffer and die, live in fear and terror. To us, they are not an unknown humanity, they are, as the Psalm says -- our brothers and friends: What else can we wish them but peace? What else, in fact, do they long for? What else do men and women of good will everywhere in the world long for, but peace within their walls and security within their towers?

We are not naive. We are aware of the existing political, economic and religious constraints; we are aware of the remote origin of this bloody conflict. We are aware of the mounting frustration, of the desperation, of the fear, of the injustice and even of the hatred. We are aware that good words alone cannot solve problems.

Today a solution seems beyond human capacity. For this reason, we are not so naive to think that we can solve problems through missiles, bombs or grenades. Missiles, bombs and grenades do not solve anything; they only bring about destruction and death. War does not lead to peace. War is often the mother of other wars. These wars create more terrorists than the ones that are eliminated. War is always a defeat; it is the defeat of humanity, the downfall of hope and of peace expectations.

When I was young, during the terrible years of World War II, a poem circulated in the anti-aircraft shelters and in the trenches. That poem began with the following words: "Only prayer can free us from the sword looming over our head." The words of this poem recall an ancient belief of religious humanity, which we also found in the psalm we read. Decisions about war and peace are taken not predominantly, or not only, by governments, military people or diplomats.

War and peace have a deeper origin; they spring from the hearts and minds of men and women. Evil or good intentions of individuals and peoples stem from the heart. And it is in the hearts and minds that conversion and renewal must begin. The heart is the breeding place of the will of reconciliation and peace, which is possible only if justice will include all.

Only God and his Holy Spirit can reach the heart of man. Only God can grant us a new heart, not a heart of stone but a heart of flesh and blood, a compassionate heart. No one but God can inspire in us feelings of peace. For this reason, the prayer for peace is a weapon which is definitely more powerful than missiles, bombs or grenades; prayer is the real superpower of this world. Jesus teaches us that faith can move mountains. Why should God, while listening to our common prayer, not unlock the complications, and solve the unsolvable -- from a human point of view -- quandary of the Middle East?

The psalm contains a promise for Jerusalem. It is the promise of God who wants peace. He promised the establishment of peace for Jerusalem. We are before the starting point of peace: Jerusalem will engender a universal peace for humankind, for the entire world. We build on this promise, we rely on this promise. For this reason we will pray -- tirelessly -- for the peace of Jerusalem, for the peace of the land that is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims; the land of promise and peace. For this reason, pray assiduously for reconciliation and peace.

Can this work? Can prayer soften the minds and hearts of hardened terrorists? Isn't war what they want anyway? What creates terrorists.... horrible upbringing, ideology of hate, both?

So many unanswerable questions here. I don't know. What would Kasper say about combatting the rise of Hitler. The British prayed as London got bombed. I don't know, this is a tough one. I suppose the question line is, where is the line where aggressive war becomes necessary self-defense? When are bombs justified?

Only God knows, really. And until we have the direct order from Him... we have to make our best judgements. Meanwhile, no one ever agrees on this sort of thing. But if everyone remembered that one day, they would have to face God and account for every word spoken, every action committed... then there would not be so much disagreement.

Unless of course your idea of God is someone who rewards suicide bombers....

God, come quickly..........

New World Health Organization Report Cites Global Promotion of Abortion

Douglas Sylva


One of the most interminable and vociferous debates at the United Nations is over the meaning and application of the phrase "reproductive health." Abortion opponents have charged that its meaning includes the use of abortion. And in fact, one UN document, the Cairo Programme of Action, says so. But, Cairo was nonbinding on states and was a very long time ago -- 1994 -- and it has never been repeated. For all intents and purposes, as far as the UN General Assembly is concerned, "reproductive health" does not include abortion.


Still the fuss continues. Why? Primarily because UN committees charged with enforcing UN documents have gone against the wishes of the General Assembly and actually interpret "reproductive health" as including abortion. And even worse, large UN agencies do it, too. The latest example shows that while pro-lifers have largely won the debate about abortion at the General Assembly, they are losing terribly in the field.


Recently the World Health Organization's Department of Reproductive Health and Research(RHR)issued a new report called “Sexual and reproductive health – laying the foundation for a more just world through research and action.” RHR claims it to be the first ever “consolidated report” of its programs, and it illustrates a truly breathtaking scope of activities across the world. If you have ever wondered whether the United Nations operates with energy and commitment, here it is – here is what can only be called the United Nations’ true missionary zeal.


Abortion. WHO has lost patience waiting for the creation of an international right to abortion from the UN General Assembly, and instead promotes the practice worldwide as a matter of public health. WHO’s abortion program has four main components: “(i) generating evidence on the prevalence of unsafe abortion and practices; (ii) developing improved techniques and interventions for safe abortion; (iii) translating evidence into norms, tools, and guidelines; and (iv) assisting countries to develop programmes and policies aimed at reducing unsafe abortions and increasing access to safe abortions.” In other words: prove the need for legal abortion, continue to expand the means and methods of abortion, then change cultures and national laws. For instance, the report claims that WHO’s “work over the past three decades has contributed significantly to the emergence and wide acceptance of the current recommended regimen” for chemical abortions. WHO tests various abortion procedures, sets acceptable safety standards, experiments with new abortion techniques, and trains doctors and nurses to perform abortions. WHO proudly asserts that it has already trained a third of all obstetricians (100 out of 300) how to perform abortions in the nation of Mongolia (one of the most sparsely populated spots on earth.


Contraception. A central goal of WHO is to ensure that every person over ten years of age has access to a complete range of contraceptives, and an unfettered ability to choose them. To this end, WHO works to counter “an individual’s lack of knowledge” about the benefits of contraceptives, as well as unspecified “religious and gender barriers.” RHR even asserts that women should be given “family planning advice…at the time of delivery.” Once any personal, religious and cultural hurdles are crossed, the World Health Organization must be able to deliver the goods: “Despite tremendous developments in contraceptive technology over the past 50 years, the choice of methods is still relatively limited.” Thus, WHO “continues to invest in research aimed at broadening the range of technologies available.” Here are some of the ones WHO is developing: new emergency contraceptive pills, male birth control pills (WHO is “supporting a study in Italy to pilot-test instruments to assess the acceptability of male hormonal methods of contraception, as well as their effect on mood and behaviour”), and long-term “implantable” contraceptives. WHO also conducts numerous studies to prove the safety of existing methods. Not surprisingly, the benefits always seem to outweigh the risks. WHO is even petitioning the US Food and Drug Administration concerning the use of copper-bearing intra-uterine devices, “with a view to extending the registered lifespan of the device beyond the current 10 years.”


Influence. WHO is proud of the fact that it has “an unrivalled ability to bring together experts in sexual and reproductive health from around the world to establish norms and guidelines and provide authoritative advice.” It does gather such experts, from some of the most prestigious European and American Universities, hospitals, foundations and other multi-national agencies. But, in the developing world, WHO actually creates the experts who will implement its “authoritative advice” in the field. WHO studies the beliefs and behaviors of such doctors, themselves, in order to learn where there may be resistance to the WHO agenda. For example, WHO conducts research “on physicians’ knowledge of, and attitudes towards, emergency contraception.” WHO actually trains doctors and medical researchers, providing them with comprehensive guides of “best practices.” WHO pays for their research on sexual and reproductive health, by collaborating with – even funding – the research institutes where these experts work. WHO has a “network of over 120 institutions in 59 developing countries,” some of which receive “long-term institutional development grants or resource maintenance grants.” This ability to bring Western medical and sexual information to the rest of the world, the ability to develop “consensus statements on controversial issues” is unrivaled. WHO can use this power to counter any challenges to its revolution. For instance, WHO admits that, “Since contraception and abortion are two means of regulating fertility, it seems self-evident that increased use of contraception will lead to a decrease in induced abortion. However, in some countries, rising levels of contraceptive prevalence have been accompanied by a rise in the number of abortions.” Not to worry, WHO has performed a “review of the evidence,” and can assert confidently that, “as fertility rates stabilize, however, increased contraceptive use will result in fewer abortions.”


Funding. WHO included funding tables at the end of its report. What do we learn? The nations of northern Europe, such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, lavishly fund these enterprises (as does the United States). Foundations also donate heavily, most notably the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (about $2 million dollars a year) and the Rockefeller Foundation. We also learn that the United Nations Population Fund (which is supposed to be neutral on abortion) has donated $70 million over the years, and that, only last year, even UNICEF gave this Department of Reproductive Health and Research $30,000.


Holistic Approach. According to WHO, those who want a reduction in things such as maternal mortality and morbidity, and infant mortality, must accept the good with the bad. Or, even more radically, the good can only come with the bad: to reduce maternal mortality, the public health sector must increase access to contraceptives and to safe (legal) abortion services. These are testable premises. But where are the pro-life institutions with the requisite funding, reach, and legitimacy to counter the “consensus statements on controversial issues” emerging from WHO?


This public health challenge to the culture of life – that the consistent antithesis to this culture is actually morally superior to it, based upon large-scale public health outcomes – will prove extremely difficult to counter in the coming years. The RHR report illustrates that this viewpoint is expanding and being applied all over the world, as far away as, quite literally, outer-Mongolia. While the pro-life side – the Holy See, the Bush administration, pro-life lobbyists – has often won the rhetorical battles, especially by keeping the notion of “reproductive rights” out of binding UN documents, what this report makes clear is that it is losing, and losing badly, on the ground – where it counts.

Source

And imagine if the situation were reversed. UN votes to make abortion a human right. (As if that can be determined by vote anyway). Some Catholic charity refuses to provide abortions. Accused of "imposing their viewpoints" on others. Shut down, de-funded, etc. That would definitely happen. Yet, for liberals, of course, they can do whatever they want.

This whole liberal nonsense about "the man" and "the machine," that is a bunch of crap. Organizations like WHO are "the man." Not George Bush, not big business. But these parapolitical organizations that go around killing babies. That is the real enemy.

La tentación de ser como dioses

La tentación de la bioética, ser como dioses, advierte el profesor Edmund Pellegino
Presidente del Consejo de Bioética de Estados Unidos

RIMINI, domingo, 3 septiembre 2006 (ZENIT.org).- El martes 22 de agosto en el Meeting por la Amistad entre los Pueblos organizado en Rímini, Italia, por el Movimiento Comunión y Liberación, el profesor Edmund Pellegrino, profesor emérito de Medicina de la Universidad de Georgetown y presidente del Consejo de Bioética de Estados Unidos, afrontó el tema: «La Bioética y la búsqueda de la felicidad».

Para el profesor Pellegrino, «la felicidad es nuestro destino», porque, como decía santo Tomás de Aquino «todas las ciencias y el arte están dirigidos en modo ordenado hacia la felicidad», aunque «nuestra felicidad será plena sólo tras la muerte, cuando estaremos cara a cara con Dios».

La vía hedonística que busca la felicidad en los centros comerciales, en la cirugía plástica, en los gurús televisivos, en las píldoras, es vana --explicó Pellegrino-- porque «ningún placer es totalmente satisfactorio».

En cuanto al uso de las nuevas técnicas médicas, el presidente del Consejo de Bioética estadounidense afirmó que no todo es defendible desde un punto de vista ético: «Hay cosas en medicina que no deberíamos hacer nunca, como por ejemplo el empleo de las células madre embrionarias» (estaminales).

El profesor advirtió ante el riesgo de hacer de la medicina un modo para «llegar a una nueva creación del género humano, pensando mejorar lo que Dios ha hecho», y denunció comportamientos como los de practicar las diagnosis en el útero para luego suprimir «al niño que no correspondiera a la idea de lo que debería ser un niño perfecto».

Según el profesor estadounidense, «la tecnología ofrece muchas puertas a la investigación de la felicidad humana, pero se trata de ver cuáles de estas puertas no deberían ser abiertas nunca y cuáles vueltas a cerrar enseguida».

«El deseo de saber --sostuvo Pellegrino-- es deseo de conocer a Dios, pero debemos saber cómo usar el conocimiento del bien y del mal para no acabar todos como Adán y Eva» y para esto «no hay que alimentar falsas esperanzas como la de la inmortalidad».

Al final de su intervención, el profesor norteamericano afrontó el problema de cómo deben situarse los cristianos ante las nuevas técnicas médicas.

En este sentido, Pellegrino citó a Juan Pablo II, quien escribió que «hay que afirmar la preeminencia de la ética sobre la técnica y de la persona sobre las cosas» para luego concluir que «la felicidad en la tierra es anticipar la visión de Dios en la eternidad», porque «sólo en Dios podemos encontrar el infinito».

Euro 2008 Qualifier Roundup: Italy dissapoints

Italy held to tie in Euro 2008 qualifying
By ROBERT MILLWARD, AP Soccer Writer
September 2, 2006

World Cup champion Italy was held to a 1-1 tie by Lithuania on Saturday during qualifying for the 2008 European Championship while Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands struggled to beat underdog opponents.

The World Cup trophy was paraded around the field in Naples before Italy's first official game since winning the title.

Lithuania captain Tomas Danilevicius gave his team the lead in the 21st minute. The hosts, who won the World Cup less than two months ago, needed Filippo Inzaghi's 30th-minute goal to salvage a point in Group B.

A deflected shot from Lukas Podolski enabled Germany to edge Ireland 1-0 in Stuttgart. The Czech Republic needed a last-minute winner for a 2-1 victory over Wales, and a goal by Joris Mathijsen helped the Netherlands down Luxembourg 1-0.

Italy's surprising tie means it's in fourth place in behind Scotland, Georgia and France, who all have three points.

There were no scares for World Cup runner-up France, England or Spain while defending champion Greece began with a 1-0 victory at Moldova.

The French cruised to a 3-0 victory at Georgia while England outplayed Andorra 5-0, with Peter Crouch taking his scoring record to 10 goals in his last nine games. Spain brushed aside Liechtenstein 4-0 behind David Villa's two goals.

The games were among 19 qualifiers for Euro 2008, which takes place in Austria and Switzerland in two years. Two teams advance from each of the eight groups.

England's comfortable victory was another positive step for coach Steve McClaren, who took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson after the country's disappointing World Cup performance. England beat Greece 4-0 in an exhibition game last month and now has nine goals in two shutouts.

"You play Andorra and you do what you have to do, and the players did that," McClaren said.

France coach Raymond Domenech feared the World Cup runners-up might falter in Tblisi against Georgia. But after Florent Malouda and Louis Saha had put his team ahead 1-0 in the first 16 minutes, Domenech had no need to worry. An own-goal by Malkhaz Asatiani in the 46th completed the victory.

"We did not take this match lightly," Domenech said. "The fact we played well in the first half shows how much we respected the team in front of us."

Also in Group B, Kris Boyd scored two goals to help Scotland to a 5-0 lead by the 38th minute on the way to a 6-0 victory over the Faeroe Islands.

Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given was unlucky when Podolski's shot following a free kick took a wild deflection off Robbie Keane and flew inside the opposite post for the only goal.

The Czech Republic was struggling against Wales in Teplice until substitute David Lafata came on with 15 minutes to go and scored within a minute. Wales tied it with an own-goal by Martin Jiranek in the 85th, but Lafata struck again with a minute to go.

Serbia beat Azerbaijan 1-0 in its first official game as a nation since its political split from Montenegro. The game was played without spectators at Red Star stadium in Belgrade because of a one-game UEFA ban for fan riots during Serbia's World Cup qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina last year.

In other results, it was: Finland 3, Poland 1; Norway 4, Hungary 1; Bosnia-Herzegovina 5, Malta 2; Slovakia 6, Cyprus 1; Israel 1, Estonia 0; Sweden 1, Latvia 0; Iceland 3, Northern Ireland 0; Belarus 2, Albania 2; and Romania 2, Bulgaria 2.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-euro2008rdp&prov=ap&type=lgns

Warning: Disturbing

Staging events...




...this is despicable.

Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.


--------------------
In this verse, we have encapsulated the entire Catholic teaching concerning the idea of "merit." Many people think that when the Church speaks of "merit" she means "extra good deeds you do to make up for Jesus' inadequate efforts at atonement for sin." But this is to completely misunderstand the Church's teaching.

In reality, everything that we do that contributes to our salvation is the result of the grace of Christ, not a supplement to or a cause of grace. And such "things we do" are exactly what St. Paul means by "sowing to the Spirit".

Such "sowing to the Spirit" (for example, seeking God consistently in prayer, or doing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, or faithfully approaching the sacraments) is not a thing we do to put God in our debt.

It is a thing we do because God is at work in us already and inspiring us to obey him. When we do obey him (of our own free will) we mysteriously discover that we have gotten "bigger inside" and have a greater capacity for his grace. That is, we "from the Spirit reap eternal life".

And so the process continues throughout our lives, growing in grace, responding to grace, receiving more grace till we are fully conformed to the image of Christ. Today, sow to the Spirit. You will reap eternal life.

~ Jeff Cavins & Mark Shea

If Milan wins Thursday.... we could be in for a treat!

Progress for AC Milan in Europe will lead to Ronaldo bid

August 21, 2006
ROME (AFP) - AC Milan will officially bid for Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Ronaldo if they reach the group stages of the Champions League.

According to Monday's Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan officials will fly directly to Madrid from Serbia to start negotiations for the 29-year-old former Inter Milan forward if the club overcome Red Star Belgrade in Tuesday's third round qualifier.

Milan, who have been allowed to participate in European competition despite being found guilty last month of match-fixing, lead the Serbs 1-0 after the first leg at the San Siro a fortnight ago.

The Gazzetta reports that the 10 million euro (13 million dollar) windfall that Milan will receive if they qualify for the Champions League's first phase will help finance the move for Ronaldo.

Real Madrid have made no secret of the fact they would like to sign Kaka from Milan, but Ronaldo's Brazil international team-mate is unlikely to be part of any eventual deal, the paper said.

Kaka is one of Milan's most prized assets and the club have repeatedly stated that the player is staying put.

Ronaldo, who joined Real Madrid from Inter Milan four years ago, was a World Cup winner with Brazil in 1994 and 2002.

In 1994 he was a non-playing squad member, but he scored both goals in the 2002 final victory over Germany.

Ronaldo has won three FIFA World Player of the Year award three times, in 1996, 1997 and 2002).

LINK

More liberal nonsense at the U.N.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Roils UN Conference on the Disabled

By Susan Yoshihara PhD

(NEW YORK — C-FAM) The government of Nicaragua led a charge of 23 nations at UN headquarters this week objecting to the inclusion of “sexual and reproductive health services” in what will become a treaty on the rights of the disabled. Nicaragua’s UN Ambassador objected to the phrase because he said it was vague and undefined. He also called the phrase too controversial to include in the document.

Negotiators are meeting in New York for what they hope will be the final two weeks of a multi-year negotiation that will lead to a hard-law treaty protecting the rights of the disabled. Following Nicaragua’s objection was a wide range of governments including United States, Honduras, Egypt, Costa Rica, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Tunisia, Qatar, Kenya, and the Philippines. In a move that surprised everyone in the room even usually liberal Norway joined in the objection to including “sexual and reproductive health services” into the document.

The controversial nature of the phrase is that though the UN has never defined the phrase, it has been used by radical non-governmental organizations and by some UN committees to get governments to legalize abortion. “Reproductive health” has only ever been defined once as including abortion and that was in the non-binding document produced by the Cairo Conference on Population and Development. It has never been defined in a hard-law treaty which would be binding on nations that ratify.

Despite the overwhelming opposition, the committee chair, Ambassador Donald McKay of New Zealand, insisted that nations continue to negotiate the matter. Peter Smith, UN representative of the London based Society for the Protection of Unborn Children remarked “even the chairman seems to be negotiating.” Traditionally in UN meetings if even a few countries object to certain language it is removed since the UN works by consensus. It was clear as the afternoon progressed that the chairman wanted to retain the controversial language even though so many countries objected. At one point he was even admonished by the Egyptian delegate for not remaining impartial.

A number of governments spoke in favor of the language, including the European Union, Canada, Peru, Cuba, and Brazil.

Another surprising development at this negotiation was the active participation of non-governmental organizations in the actual governmental negotiation. Traditionally, NGOs are allowed into the room and are allowed to press their case with delegates between sessions. In this meeting, however, the chairman is allowing NGOs to speak during negotiations on the specific paragraph being negotiated, just like governments.

The other controversial language the negotiators have to decide by the end of next week is whether the disabled have to the right to “experience their sexuality.” Though one knows what this phrase really means, it is being supported by the European Union and other liberal governments. In negotiations Thursday afternoon, 21 countries objected to this phrase.

It is likely that the debate on these phrases will continue into next week and will likely not be decided until the wee hours on the final day.

The common denominator of Soteriology

Something to think about..

You know, Catholics and Protestants, in many respects, are not as different as one might suppose. In other respects, they are worlds apart. But this is one of those similarities.

Coming from an evangelical Protestant background I have come to see this on a practical level in this way; God can be trusted to keep up His end, and so if at anytime I find myself away from God, it was me who moved, not God. Thus I have an absolute assurance with respect to God. He will always be there. This same principle applies with respect to the grace of the sacraments. The grace is always available but our disposition to receive determines the grace that we do receive.

Balthasar's concept of the dynamic relationship is very useful as well in avoiding the problem Luther had, ie. scrupulosity. It may be truthful and accurate to say that no Catholic knows absolutely that he is in a state of grace, such that if he died this moment he would be saved, but practically speaking, if one dwells on that too much, one could go as crazy as Luther.

That doctrine is really saying that only God truly knows the heart and when push comes to shove even a Protestant proponent of eternal security will avoid being cornered by giving God the ultimate judgement as to someone's salvation, if only to explain some high profile apostates and those who have lived a sinful life after conversion.

That being said, it is the uncertainty that motivates us to re-examine our conscience regularly, seek the graces available to us through Holy Mother Church, make every effort to live a holy life of charity. And we usually know, if we are spending any time in prayer and meditation, if we have crossed the line into sin that can jeopardize our salvation.

Posted on IgnatiusInsight Blog by "Les" Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 12:42 AM

Racial profiling

Great statement I read from a British writer, discussing the idiocy of banning all forms of profiling when protecting planes from terrorism.

The anti-profiling argument is like saying if the police keep pulling in fat, shaven-headed, white troglodytes covered in tattoos, England’s football hooligans will cleverly start recruiting from the ranks of hip, urbane black people who are all itching to get hopelessly pissed, sing “No surrender to the IRA” and be tear-gassed by the Carabinieri. Nonsense. In the event of racial profiling, there will be no Mid-Surrey Branch of al-Qaeda forming on the hoof. As for cunning disguises, we know them. There are two looks: beard on and beard off. Call me fanciful, but when Mohammed Atta imagined his meeting with the Almighty and his many virgins, he did not picture himself done up like Mrs Doubtfire. The quicker we can get the white matrons through, the more thoroughly we can check those that by age, race, behaviour or appearance fit what is becoming not so much a profile as a cliché.

~ Martin Samuels www.timesonline.co.uk

Squadra Azzurra

Update on the world's best players!

Italy's World Cup players still enjoying summer break

By ANDREW ROBERTS, Associated Press Writer
August 16, 2006

LIVORNO, Italy (AP) -- Summer break probably never felt so good for Italy's World Cup players, and it isn't over yet.

Despite international soccer's return this week, almost all the players who helped Italy win its fourth World Cup title will still be enjoying the warm weather before rejoining the squad for 2008 European Championship qualifying early next month.

"It was an incredible year, but also tiresome," Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro said. "The joy of winning the World Cup certainly made the dedication worthwhile, though."

Several players, including Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo and Fabio Grosso, spent some of their vacation on the island of Sardinia, the haunt of many of Italy's rich and famous.

Marcello Lippi, who stepped down as coach after the tournament in Germany, went to Valencia, Spain, to mull over his next challenge. He spent most of his time fishing on the Mediterranean, however.

Others traveled around the globe, some to Australia, others to French Polynesia. Mauro Camoranesi, born in Argentina, returned to the South American country to spend his free time.

One player, defender Marco Materazzi, traveled to the Maldives, his usual vacation spot. But the man who was on the receiving end of Zinedine Zidane's head butt won't have to worry about returning to Italy's camp soon -- he's been suspended for the first two matches of the qualifying campaign for what he said to Zidane.

While most of the players had time to relish their run to the title in Germany just a few weeks ago, they also had to worry about their professional future.

A match-fixing scandal in Italy forced the demotion of Juventus, and penalties to AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina. Only Milan will be allowed to play in European competitions this season.

All four teams will start the season with negative points.

Cannavaro and Juventus teammate Gianluca Zambrotta both decided to leave Italy for Spain. Cannavaro will play for Real Madrid under former Juventus coach Fabio Capello, while Zambrotta will take the field for FC Barcelona.

Cannavaro is already ready to hoist another cup: the Champions League.

"I'm 33 years old and I've only gone so far as the semifinals," Cannavaro said. "My goal is to play the final with Real Madrid and win the cup."

Camoranesi called his agent to say he didn't want to play in Serie B, but he apparently changed his mind.

Both Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon committed themselves to Juventus before the team was demoted. Del Piero, mostly used as a substitute last season, should get more playing time this year.

Fiorentina striker Luca Toni, the league's leading scorer last season, also considered leaving his team, but decided to stay in Florence after speaking to team owner Diego Della Valle on his return from Thailand.

Lazio also managed to hold on to goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi and defender Massimo Oddo.

AC Milan, playing in the Champions League and docked only eight points for next season, kept Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso, Alberto Gilardino and Filippo Inzaghi.

Grosso moved from Palermo to Inter Milan before the World Cup started.

Link

Milan fans, are you kidding me?

OK, I am not a longtime tifoso di Milano, ma non lo capisco.... Sheva plays on a different team now. He is part of that team and no longer Milan. And they are "offended" and demand an apology? I think that is absurd, and THIS Milan fan wishes Shevchenko the best with his new team.

Shevchenko sorry he offended Milan fans
By Timothy Collings

LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Chelsea striker Andrei Shevchenko said on Monday he had no intention of upsetting AC Milan fans when he kissed his new club's badge after scoring against Liverpool in Sunday's Community Shield fixture.

The Ukrainian told reporters at a news conference that he had no idea of what he was doing when he celebrated after equalising in the match Chelsea lost 2-1. Milan fans were reported to have been offended by his gesture.

"Really, I am telling you the truth that the only shirt I kiss is the one of my country," he said. "That is the one that matters for me.

"I don't know what I am doing when I celebrate a goal. It was not my intention to upset anyone at all.

"In Milan, it was like my family. I won over the supporters with the quality of my game, my football, and I was there for seven years.

"I won them over not with my celebrations or with any gestures at all, but with hard work and my ability on the pitch and I want to do the same thing at Chelsea," he said at a Reebok sponsorship event.

Shevchenko, who will be 30 next month, joined Chelsea from Milan in a 30 million pound ($56.65 million) transfer before the World Cup in Germany where he was captain of Ukraine in their first appearance in the finals.

He said he was delighted to score in Sunday's match.

"I am relieved to have scored my first (Chelsea) goal, but I am sorry it was not enough for Chelsea to win," he said.

He said he was impressed with the crowd. "The fans here showed great respect for the players and the atmosphere was really great."

Link

Tutti i goal italia!

tutti i goal italia

Best video ever!

Italian triumph rekindles love affair
14 July 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com

Over the last few days, while Italy has been recovering from its collective FIFA World Cup™ hangover, an advert has been running on Italian TV with the slogan 'The World Cup is like meeting someone special: it happens once every four years'.
In fact, Germany 2006 was rather like the renewal of a friendship with an old flame which quite unexpectedly became a love affair all over again. For Italians everywhere, after 24 years the butterflies of an unforgettable Spanish summer returned.

On the eve of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Nazionale unwittingly found itself the subject of worldwide attention for all the wrong reasons. Four of Italy's leading clubs were implicated in the calciopoli scandal, which was rocking the domestic game to its core. Captain Fabio Cannavaro, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and even coach Marcello Lippi were brought in for questioning by the authorities in relation to the ever-widening investigation into corruption in the game.

These events prompted the Azzurri squad to close ranks. Lippi, strengthened by his seasons of top-class experience with Juventus, had laid the foundations of a strong squad during his two years in charge, and the unfortunate off-field developments only served to strengthen the group further.

His Italy team was built on a superb goalkeeper and defence, complemented by a well-organised midfield and an attack which despite lacking one out-and-out star boasted six very good players. Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Filippo Inzaghi all scored once during the course of the campaign, with Luca Toni finding the net twice.

There were various turning points in the tournament, the most important of which, in Lippi’s view, was finishing top of a difficult Group E, thanks to the win against the Czech Republic in Hamburg. The victory came late on in a game which began badly for Italy.
Pavel Nedved caused them all sorts of problems early on and Buffon was called upon to perform miracles in goal before Alessandro Nesta was forced off injured (he would play no further part in the tournament). But his replacement Marco Materazzi proved to be the difference, scoring the opening goal which paved the way for an all-important win.

Having earned four points from their first two group matches against Ghana in Hannover and the USA in Kaiserslautern, the Italians now progressed to the knockout phase aware that reaching the Final was not beyond them. The slow-starting French had finished second behind Switzerland in their section, leaving an undaunting-looking path to the latter stages.

The Round of 16 match against Australia at Kaiserslautern was a dramatic affair decided by a last-gasp penalty won by Fabio Grosso. Totti provided the cool finish in the 93rd minute of a game that had seen Italy reduced to ten men 40 minutes earlier. Fortunately for the Azzurri, the quarter-final against Ukraine in Hamburg was a much more comfortable ride, ending 3-0 to Lippi’s men.

The stage was thus set for the semi-final against Germany in Dortmund, and what would turn out to be one of the most memorable matches in recent FIFA World Cup history. Italy played well in the first half, but the Germans got back into the game after the break. The tie moved into extra time with both sides moving like heavyweight boxers no longer able to think clearly enough to keep their guard up.
Whoever could land the first punch would win, and Grosso was the one to deliver the knockout blow. The dashing wing-back found space inside the area and after Andrea Pirlo had cleverly played him in, he curled the ball home. Del Piero then ended the contest by finishing off a superb counterattack.

France had been avoided at the quarter-final stage but had to be faced in the Final. Zinedine Zidane scored almost straight away from the penalty spot but Italy dominated the first half and deservedly equalised through Materazzi. The second half and then extra time were a real test of Italian resolve but Gennaro Gattuso worked relentlessly to keep his side in the game.

Their attack was showing little sign of life, so it was up to the defence to resist the impressive French and hold out for penalties. And so it was that everything came down to those very spot-kicks that had shattered Italian dreams so many times in the past.

For once, each of Italy’s penalties was perfectly dispatched. Even Daniele De Rossi, returning to the side after a four-match suspension, made no mistake. Pirlo and Materazzi both scored, while Del Piero kept his nerve for the fourth. Then it was Grosso’s turn and somehow you could just tell he was going to score. It is always easy to say in hindsight but by now it was obvious that, after all this time, it was time for Italy to embrace football again. It was clear, as Cannavaro lifted that famous Trophy flanked by his team-mates, that Italy’s love affair with football had been rekindled.

After the celebrations at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Lippi decided to hand over his legacy and the Italian Football Federation chose Roberto Donadoni as his successor. A former Azzurri midfielder himself and veteran of the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups, Donadoni has a hard act to live up to.

Pope Benedict XVI on Beauty

An excerpt from The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty, his 2002 Message to the Communion and Liberation community, back when he was known as Cardinal Ratzinger:

The experience of the beautiful has received new depth and new realism. The One who is the Beauty itself let himself be slapped in the face, spat upon, crowned with thorns; the Shroud of Turin can help us imagine this in a realistic way. However, in his Face that is so disfigured, there appears the genuine, extreme beauty: the beauty of love that goes "to the very end"; for this reason it is revealed as greater than falsehood and violence. Whoever has perceived this beauty knows that truth, and not falsehood, is the real aspiration of the world. It is not the false that is "true," but indeed, the Truth.

It is, as it were, a new trick of what is false to present itself as "truth" and to say to us: over and above me there is basically nothing, stop seeking or even loving the truth; in doing so you are on the wrong track. The icon of the crucified Christ sets us free from this deception that is so widespread today. However it imposes a condition: that we let ourselves be wounded by him, and that we believe in the Love who can risk setting aside his external beauty to proclaim, in this way, the truth of the beautiful.

Falsehood however has another strategem. A beauty that is deceptive and false, a dazzling beauty that does not bring human beings out of themselves to open them to the ecstasy of rising to the heights, but indeed locks them entirely into themselves. Such beauty does not reawaken a longing for the Ineffable, readiness for sacrifice, the abandonment of self, but instead stirs up the desire, the will for power, possession and pleasure. It is that type of experience of beauty of which Genesis speaks in the account of the Original Sin. Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was "beautiful" to eat and was "delightful to the eyes."

The beautiful, as she experienced it, aroused in her a desire for possession, making her, as it were, turn in upon herself. Who would not recognize, for example, in advertising, the images made with supreme skill that are created to tempt the human being irresistibly, to make him want to grab everything and seek the passing satisfaction rather than be open to others.

So it is that Christian art today is caught between two fires (as perhaps it always has been): It must oppose the cult of the ugly, which says that everything beautiful is a deception and only the representation of what is crude, low and vulgar is the truth, the true illumination of knowledge. Or it has to counter the deceptive beauty that makes the human being seem diminished instead of making him great, and for this reason is false.

Is there anyone who does not know Dostoyevsky's often-quoted sentence: "The Beautiful will save us"? However, people usually forget that Dostoyevsky is referring here to the redeeming Beauty of Christ. We must learn to see him. If we know him, not only in words, but if we are struck by the arrow of his paradoxical beauty, then we will truly know him, and know him not only because we have heard others speak about him. Then we will have found the beauty of Truth, of the Truth that redeems. Nothing can bring us into close contact with the beauty of Christ himself other than the world of beauty created by faith and light that shines out from the faces of the saints, through whom his own light becomes visible.

New UN Human Rights Treaty Threatens to Include Abortion

As always, the culture of death of modern liberalism is trying to legislate it's own morality through euphemismtic "rights." (Like, right to kill your children). This time though, it is at the international treaty level, which is DANGEROUS.

New UN Human Rights Treaty Threatens to Include Abortion

By Susan Yoshihara PhD

(NEW YORK - C-FAM) United Nations delegates will assemble in New York on Monday to finalize a new human rights treaty. The International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be “hard” international law, joining other human rights instruments which are binding on the countries that ratify them. Most documents negotiated at the UN are non-binding. Treaties, such as this one, require governments to change their domestic laws based on the treaty.

Conservative legal experts have complained that the draft text contains ambiguous and undefined language – such as “reproductive health,” the right to “experience sexuality,” and the right to “have sexual and other intimate relationships” -- that has never before appeared in a treaty-level document. They note that the current text provides virtually no protection for the disabled from euthanasia due to a perceived diminishment in their quality of life. These experts caution that if delegates do not challenge the current text, there will be no safeguards against the worst outcomes – including the creation of new and enforceable rights such as the right to death and an unrestricted right to abortion.

The UN meeting from August 14-25 will be the eighth session in a process that began in December 2001 when the UN General Assembly established an ad hoc committee for the convention. The Chairman of the meeting, former UN ambassador Donald McKay of New Zealand, has announced that it may be the last session. Even though many of the most contentious issues in the convention have been left unresolved.

Some delegations have questioned why the meeting should rush to make a law in the 8th session out of something, in this case "reproductive health", that has not yet been defined. They argue that it is dangerous to include poorly defined or undefined language that will become international human rights law, and the phrase therefore should be defined as excluding abortion or deleted all together.

One governmental delegate told the Friday Fax that delegates have gotten so used to seeing these undefined terms in lower level documents that they have come to ascribe their own meaning to the terms in accordance with their national laws or personal understanding. For that reason, there are various interpretations of the terms – some that include abortion and others that do not.

In the past, nations have gotten around the issue by making reservations when the term appeared in the non-binding declarations, such as the Cairo and Beijing conferences on population and women or their follow-up sessions. Because the treaty will be binding upon states parties, however, there is no reason to expect that national definitions will provide protection for nations who disagree with interpretations that run counter to their own when the treaty enters the compliance and implementation phase.

Red Star out to settle score with AC Milan

The Rossineri better watch out in Belgrade!

Red Star out to settle score with AC Milan

By Zoran Milosavljevic

BELGRADE, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Club president Dragan Stojkovic believes Red Star Belgrade can knock AC Milan out of the Champions League qualifiers when the Italians face the "inferno" of the Serbians' Marakana ground.

Stojkovic, who scored both Red Star's goals against Milan in a 1988 European Cup tie, was upbeat despite his side losing Wednesday's third round, first leg 1-0 at San Siro.

"We have every reason to hope we can defy the odds and qualify for the Champions League," he was quoted as telling popular daily Sportski Zurnal on Thursday.

"Milan know very well that an inferno awaits them at our Marakana ground, they've been there before."

Stojkovic, whose 1988 side were knocked out on penalties by future trophy winners Milan after two 1-1 draws, was not the only one relishing the second leg in Belgrade on Aug. 22.

Right back Dusan Basta said it was "payback time" for the Serbian club, adding: "I wasn't at all impressed by the six-times European champions although they had more chances.

"We have a good result for the return leg in Belgrade and I am confident our fans will be the extra man we need to achieve our dream of knocking Milan out.

"No one gave us a chance in hell when we were drawn against this European giant, but we showed a lot of heart."

Only a string of superb saves by goalkeeper keeper Ivan Randjelovic kept Red Star's hopes alive on Wednesday after Filippo Inzaghi hit a 22nd minute winner on his 33rd birthday.

Coach Dusan Bajevic was more cautious, saying: "Milan will be even stronger and much more dangerous in two weeks' time because they have just started preparing for the new season and this will make our job very difficult.

"On the other hand, we have two weeks to get some rest and brace ourselves for another titanic clash with them. We'll do our best to get the result we want."

Red Star, who won the European Cup in 1991, have never qualified for the lucrative group stage of Europe's premier club competition.

Link

AC Milan defeats Red Star Belgrade

After going crazy for Italia in WC 2006 (for the record, I've been a fan since 1994, but this was the best one, as I actually had the time and discipline to watch all of the games), I have decided to follow a team in Serie A, the premier Italian league where most Italians play.

Deciding on a team was pretty tough. I had a Juventus shirt from when I was 15, but they got demoted to Serie B, so, no. Also there is Inter Milan, who has cool uniforms. And AS Roma, who is not as good, but if I go to Rome next year, it would be cool to root for the home team. Also, there was AC Milan. This team has awesome players in their lineup, especially a few who I really got to like in WC 2006: Gilardino, Nesta, Pirlo and Gattuso from Italia. They also have Inzaghi, Maldini, and Costacurta who I remembered from past world cups. And then, 3 amazing Brazilians: Dida in goal, Cafu on defense, and Kaka in midfield.

The deal was cemented when I was down at Bush Gardens in VA a few weeks ago, and found them selling Italian Soccer Jerseys (how random?!), which I really wanted. They had Inter, Juve, and Milan. The only XXL (Euro sizes) jersey with an Italian player (others were Adriano, Ibrahimovic, Schevchenko, etc) was that of Gilardino, #11 on AC Milan. I bought the jersey and the team got a new tifoso.

So, I'll be keeping my site updated with AC Milan's progress. Right now they are qualifyign for the Champion's League tourney in Europe, and they won their first game. Filippo Inzaghi scored the game's only goal, and it was his 33rd birthday! How cool! :)


Anyway, to the recap:

Inzaghi birthday strike gives Milan narrow lead
By Simon Evans

MILAN, Aug 9 (Reuters) - AC Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi celebrated his 33rd birthday with the goal that secured a 1-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in their Champions League third qualifying round, first leg match on Wednesday.

Despite Inzaghi's 22nd minute strike the six-times European champions still have a lot of work to do in the return match in two weeks' time in the Serbian capital.

Milan, who originally finished runners-up in Serie A last season, found themselves in the Champions League qualifying round after being demoted to third place by an Italian sports tribunal that examined a match-rigging scandal.

UEFA cleared Milan to face Red Star due to a lack of legal grounds to exclude them but European soccer's governing body scolded the Italian club in a statement that spoke of the damage they had "already caused to European football".

Red Star gave the home side an early scare when Blagoj Georgiev was picked out unmarked inside the area but Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida saved well.

Brazilian Kaka then went close for Milan before providing the pass that allowed Inzaghi to confidently strike home from inside the area to put Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead.

Milan had chances after the break but Red Star keeper Ivan Randjelovic was in top form as he twice foiled Alberto Gilardino and kept out an effort from Dutchman Clarence Seedorf to ensure the Serbians have everything to play for in the second leg.

Link

Early Christian view on abortion

The view of Abortion being wrong, stems not from the bible, but from Western Philosophy during the time of the enlightenment.

~Some misguided soul on a message board

Not so. These early Christian writings make it clear that since the inception of the Christian faith, abortion has always been considered a sin.

The Didache(1st/2nd century AD)
Thou shall not slay thy child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten; for everything that is shaped, and has received a soul from God, if it be slain, shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed.
Link

Epistle of Barnabas (dated 70-138 AD) :
Thou shalt not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shalt thou destroy it after it is born.
Link


Tertullian(155-230), Treatise on the Soul, Chapter XXXVII.
The embryo therefore becomes a human being in the womb from the moment that its form is completed. The law of Moses, indeed, punishes with due penalties the man who shall cause abortion, inasmuch as there exists already the rudiment of a human being.
Link

Athenagoras the Athenian, 2nd Century:
What man of sound mind, therefore, will affirm, while such is our character, that we are murderers?.... For when they know that we cannot endure even to see a man put to death, though justly; who of them can accuse us of murder or cannibalism? Who does not reckon among the things of greatest interest the contests of gladiators and wild beasts, especially those which are given by you? But we, deeming that to see a man put to death is much the same as killing him, have abjured such spectacles. How, then, when we do not even look on, lest we should contract guilt and pollution, can we put people to death? And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very foetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God's care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it; and not to expose an infant, because those who expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and on the other hand, when it has been reared to destroy it. But we are in all things always alike and the same, submitting ourselves to reason, and not ruling over it.
Link

St. Augustine, On Marriage and Concupiscence Ch. 17:
This infliction of cruelty on their offspring so reluctantly begotten, unmasks the sin which they had practised in darkness, and drags it clearly into the light of day. The open cruelty reproves the concealed sin. Sometimes, indeed, this lustful cruelty, or; if you please, cruel lust, resorts to such extravagant methods as to use poisonous drugs to secure barrenness; or else, if unsuccessful in this, to destroy the conceived seed by some means previous to birth, preferring that its offspring should rather perish than receive vitality; or if it was advancing to life within the womb, should be slain before it was born. Well, if both parties alike are so flagitious, they are not husband and wife; and if such were their character from the beginning, they have not come together by wedlock but by debauchery. But if the two are not alike in such sin, I boldly declare either that the woman is, so to say, the husband's harlot; or the man the wife's adulterer.
Link

St. Jerome, Letter to Eustochium, (384 AD) Some, when they find themselves with child through their sin, use drugs to procure abortion, and when (as often happens) they die with their offspring, they enter the lower world laden with the guilt not only of adultery against Christ but also of suicide and child murder.
Online: Link

Reuters makes a boo-boo....

Lebanese photo doctoring

Is there a photo editor?

If so, does he care about the quality of photos, or is he just incompetent?

This is pathetic.

Check this out: http://www.aish.com/movies/PhotoFraud.asp

CT Senate race prediction

If Joe Lieberman wins on Tuesday, I guarantee that Ned Lamont's campaign team will demand a recount!

But I really hope Lieberman wins because he is a principled man who follows his conscience, not some millionaire exec whose extremism sets people's emotions aflame and shuts down their rational faculties.

Extreme, I know, but I am in a poetic mood tonight!

The original name of the city of Los Angeles

This is awesome:

El pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula

Why does mankind need saving?

Nice. Next question – this is one I never get.

Why did mankind need saving?

It’s totally acceptable to say that this is partially a mystery.

The basic answer is: We are created good, in general. But each one of us has a bad streak inside us that rebels against, and consequently alienates us from, God - the source of all good, love, truth.

The Creator is perfect, yet we are imperfect. Saving means making us perfect.

Perfection cannot abide imperfection (there is no sin in Heaven) and in order to wipe out that sinful streak that we all have... that is where God comes in and helps us.

If the will of God is perfect, and imperfection cannot exist in Heaven, then for us to get to Heaven, our wills must be made in line with that of the source of all that is good and perfect. That is "saving."

This bad streak is called original sin. No matter what you call it, or how you think it came to be like that, no one can deny that people have problems. Everyone idealizes about a world where people love and respect each other, one where people are not selfish, and one with peace always. But all the systems that try and accomplish this inevitably fail. Because a part of human nature is selfish, it gets a rush out of doing illegal or forbidden, that type of stuff. That doesn't fly in Heaven, but Heaven is where God is. God, being the Creator, loves all of His creation, and desires to have a mutual relationship of love with all creation. And to do that He needs to “save” us.

I hope that is a decent explanation.

Psalm 111:10

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it.


--------------------
"The fear of the Lord" is one of those phrases that get tossed around quite a bit. To Christians it is often almost content-free. It is one of those "religious things" we are supposed to say. To non-believers, it is Exhibit A in the claim that belief in God is really just a sort of bargain for sucking up to the universe with flattery in the superstitious hope that, if we cringe and scrape enough, the Great and Terrible Oz in the Sky will have his vanity appeased sufficiently to let us pass another day of miserable existence before he capriciously smashes us for his sport. In fact, however, the phrase is neither a buzzword, nor a squeak of servile terror. Rather, it is the sane assessment of a man or a woman standing in the presence of the Love that hurled all the galaxies. Before such love, we say, with Rat in _The Wind and Willows_, "Afraid? Of him? Oh no! Never! And yet… Oh I am afraid!" Indeed, a God who did not inspire something like fear in us is no God. But a God who inspired only fear is no God either. That is why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom—-but not the end.

~ Just a 'Word of Encouragement' from Mark Shea & Jeff Cavins

The fruit of relativism

G.K. Chesterton once observed that tolerance is the one virtue we have left when we have abandoned all our principles. That diagnosis goes rather far in explaining what is wrong with our culture at the present hour. Where God calls us to hate evil and love good, we have opted to make the insane attempt at calling good and evil pretty much the same thing. Hey! Who's to judge? The difficulty with this attempt is that what inevitably follows is not a world free of guilt and judgment, but merely world that insanely fixates on certain minor no-no's like smoking as mortal sins, that persecutes and condemns the innocent (like people attempting speak out on behalf of the unborn) and that turns a blind eye to real evil ("Dr. Kevorkian is a 'nice man'". "'Piss Christ' is 'daring art'. An unborn child having its brain sucked out in the very moment of birth is 'fetal material'".) The call of the Christian is to make real judgments, not of a person's eternal standing before God, but of the goodness or evil, truth or falsehood, of the things said and done in the world and to exercise our office as prophets, priests and kings in Christ to mend the world and preserve what is of him in it. "It may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious" to us yet. But for that to happen we must receive his gracious gift of the Spirit, of truth, and of love to exercise our birthright as children of God in this fallen world. ~ Mark Shea and Jeff Cavins

"Changes" ~ by me.

When I was young and naive,
A curious little boy
I loved to run and play
When once I found this coin.

It was old and tarnished
But an image could be made out
It was a stoic Indian chief
Full of pride and clout.

I looked at him and said
“I wonder who this is?”
So I looked him up in a book
And this is what it said:

“The noble savage roams about
well trained in the arts of war,
He knows his plants and animals
and is versed in ancient lore.”

This person peaked my interest,
I desperately wanted to be like him.
I told my friends and they agreed;
We formed our tribe upon this whim.

Each day as the clock stroked three,
We’d run off in the woods.
Decked out in our regalia
We’d do everything we could

We practiced with arrows every day
Till our fingers became quite numb.
We mapped the woods of Mother Earth
And knew the time had come.

A warrior cannot exist
If he cannot make war.
So, we found an enemy to play against,,
We beat them and our spirits soared.

When the enemy had been subdued
We could do nothing but pretend.
Little did we warriors know
This beginning was our very end.

We’d make up games and run around,
We played in the woods till it was cold.
When spring came and the sun shined through,
Our routine quickly became old.

For here was a new enemy,
Whom we’d never encountered before.
They liked us but they thought our life
Was a wee bit immature

We took off the feathers and dropped our axe,
We washed paint off our face.
These beings, these women, these beautiful creatures,
Had put us in our place.

We were young boys but not for long,
Each day we were becoming men.
The girls transformed us into adults,
We could never play like Indians again.

As I grew up into a man,
I forgot my days near the streams.
But now, more mature, I often look back
On my boyish desires and dreams.