Pope’s Catechesis: St. Athanasius

I watched it live on EWTN this morning at 5:00 a.m., no translation, so it was like being there.

From the Vatican Information Service:

Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis during this morning’s general audience to the figure of St. Athanasius of Alexandria (circa 300-373), calling him a “column of the Church,” and a “model of orthodoxy in both East and West.” Before the audience, which was held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope visited the Vatican Basilica where he greeted faithful gathered there.

After noting how St. Athanasius’ statue was placed by Bernini, alongside statues of other doctors of the Church (St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine), around the cathedra of St. Peter in the apse of the Vatican Basilica, the Pope described the Alexandrian saint as a “passionate theologian of the incarnation of the ‘Logos,’ the Word of God,” and “the most important and tenacious adversary of the Arian heresy which then threatened faith in Christ by minimizing His divinity, in keeping with a recurring historical tendency which is also evident in various ways today.”

Athanasius participated in the Council of Nicaea, when bishops established “the symbol of faith … which has remained in the tradition of the various Christian confessions and in the liturgy as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.” There it is affirmed that “the Son is ‘of one substance’ with the Father, precisely in order to highlight His full divinity which was denied by the Arians. … The fundamental idea behind St. Athanasius theological labors was precisely that God is accessible, … and that though our communion with Christ we can truly unite ourselves to God.”

Nonetheless, the Arian crisis did not end with the Council of Nicaea “and on five occasions over a period of 30 years, … Athanasius [bishop of Alexandria from 328] was forced to abandon his city, spending 17 years in exile.” In this way, however, “he was able to support and defend in the West … the Nicene faith and the ideals of monasticism.”

This saint’s most famous work “is his treatise ‘On the Incantation of the Word’,” in which he affirms that the Word of God “was made man that we might be made God; and He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality.”

Athanasius is also the author of meditations upon the Psalms and, above all, of one of the most popular works of ancient Christian literature, “the ‘Life of St. Anthony,’ the biography of St. Anthony Abbot which … made a great contribution to the spread of monasticism in East and West.”

The life of Athanasius, like that of St. Anthony, the Pope concluded, “shows us that ‘those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them’.”

English Translation?

Hat tip to Father Z who wonders if they are doing these translations on Babelfish….

From “GUIDELINES FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF THE ROAD“:

PART FOUR
THE PASTORAL CARE OF THE HOMELESS (Tramps)

Priest Plows into Restaurant

From KVUE:

Smithville’s La Cabana restaurant hopes to attract drive-by traffic from Highway 71, but not drive-in traffic.

But Gina Chronis says that’s exactly what happened Monday night when a truck driven by a 61-year-old Smithville priest made an unexpected entrance.

“They were panicking, shocked. And they were telling me what happened and asked for direction,” said Chronis. “Instead of using the brakes, he used the accelerator as he was coming into the building.”

Chronis says of the 13 people inside the dining area 6 people in had to be transported to the hospital.

Meanwhile the driver of the crash, father Karel Fink, was arrested on DWI charges.

He is the priest at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Smithville, which serves some 280 families.

The church declined comment but Austin bishop Gregory Aymond released a statement.

“My heartfelt concern and prayers are extended to those hurt by this accident and I am sorry for the incident.”

It goes on to detail that father Karel “recently returned from treatment for alcoholism. Obviously he needs more treatment to continue his recovery,” said Aymond.

Cardinal Keeler up and Walking After Brain Surgery

From the Baltimore Sun:

He walked in his hospital room several times yesterday, said Sean Caine, an archdiocese spokesman. The 76-year-old prelate also celebrated Mass in his room.

Surgeons inserted a shunt Monday to release excess cerebrospinal fluid that had built up in his brain’s ventricles.

Bizare–Liturgical ‘go-go’ dancing?

From Matt C Abbot:

A reader sent me the following photos of three girls (I’ve omitted their faces) — dressed rather provocatively — who, er, danced at a recent Franciscan Jubilee Mass for a group of women religious at the cathedral in the Joliet, Ill., Catholic diocese.

Click on Matt’s name for the rest.

Vatican Releases 10 Commandments for Drivers

From “GUIDELINES FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF THE ROAD”:

Resorting to our Heavenly Intercessors should not make us forget the importance of the sign of the cross, to be made before setting out on a journey. With this sign we put ourselves directly under the protection of the Holy Trinity. Indeed, this directs us above all to the Father, as origin and destination. In this regard, we recall the words of the psalm: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalms 91 [90]:11).
The sign of the cross thus entrusts us to our guide, Jesus Christ (cf. John 8:12). The Emmaus encounter (cf. Luke 24:13-35) reassures us that the Lord meets everyone along the road, lodges in the houses of those who invite him, travels with us and sits beside us.
Finally, the sign of the cross takes us back to “the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and gives Life”[25]. To those who call on him, he illuminates the mind and grants the gift of prudence to reach one’s destination. This is confirmed by the hymn, Veni Creator: “Ductore sic te praevio, vitemus omne noxium” (“If you are the one who guides us, we will avoid anything that might harm us”).
60. During a journey it is also beneficial to pray vocally, especially taking turns with our fellow travellers in reciting the prayers, as when reciting the Rosary[26] which, due to its rhythm and gentle repetition, does not distract the driver’s attention. This will help to feel immersed in the presence of God, to stay under his protection, and may also give rise to a desire for communal or liturgical celebration, if possible at “spiritually strategic” points along the road or railway (shrines, churches and chapels, including mobile ones).
We have drawn up a special “decalogue” for them, in analogy with the Lord’s Ten Commandments. These are stated here below, as indications, considering that they may also be formulated differently.

I. You shall not kill.
II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
IV. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.
V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
VII. Support the families of accident victims.
VIII.Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
X. Feel responsible towards others.