What Did Augustine Really Say?

About Abortion? Thanks to Father Z:
Abortion: Augustine, in common with most other ecclesiastical writers of his period, vigorously condemned the practice of induced abortion. Procreation was one of the goods of marriage; abortion figured as a means, along with drugs which cause sterility, of frustrating this good. It lay along a continuum [...]

Pope Benedict on Saint Paul

From today’s general audience, from Asia News Italy:

Today, he sketched a biography of the apostle to the gentiles, leaving the subject of his conversion, “the fundamental turning point of his life”, until next Wednesday.
Benedict XVI first highlighted that Paul – born in Tarsus, probably in the year 8 – “spoke Greek, even though he had [...]

Bishop Baker on Reading Saint Paul

Bishops Respond to House Speaker

From the USCCB, Pro-Life Activities:
All persons, not just Catholics, can know from the scientific and medical evidence that what grows in a mother’s womb is a new, distinct human being. All persons can understand that each human being — without discrimination — merits respect. At the very least, respecting human life excludes the deliberate and [...]

A Response to Nancy Pelosi

From Archbishop Chaput:
ON THE SEPARATION OF SENSE AND STATE:
A CLARIFICATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH
IN NORTHERN COLORADO

To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:
Catholic public leaders inconvenienced by the abortion debate tend to take a hard line in talking about
the “separation of Church and state.” But their idea of separation often seems to work one [...]

Saint Paul’s Simple Guide to Daily Living

The title of a talk that I’m giving twice in September. Btw…it is simple, but it’s not easy…
September 28th:

Our Lady of Sorrows, Birmingham AL at 10:00 a.m.
Holy Spirit Parish, Huntsville, AL at 6:00 p.m.

Perhaps this could appear as “A Pocket Guide” similar to two that I’ve written already: A Pocket Guide to the Mass and [...]

Pope Benedict on Today’s Gospel

From Asia News Italy:
“Even today we want to proclaim this with innermost conviction,” said the Pontiff. “Yes, Jesus, you are Christ, the Son of the Living God! We are aware that Christ is the true ‘treasure’ for whom it is worth sacrificing all. He is the friend who never abandons us for he knows the [...]

Parents of St. Therese to be Beatified

On October 19th:
- LOUIS MARTIN E ZÉLIE MARIE GUÉRIN, laici, sposi e genitori: Domenica 19 ottobre 2008, a Lisieux (Francia), nella Basilica di Santa Teresa del Bambino Gesù, alle ore 10.

Pope: Set the Example when you Drive

Something to think about this Sunday, from Asia News Italy:

In his reflection before the Angelus, he commented on the liturgy of the 20th Sunday in ordinary time, in which “the universality of salvation” is emphasized in various ways: “The Word of God thus offers us the opportunity to reflect on the universality of the mission [...]

No More “Yahweh” Songs

In Catholic worship, from CNS:
WASHINGTON (CNS) — In the not-too-distant future, songs such as “You Are Near,” “I Will Bless Yahweh” and “Rise, O Yahweh” will no longer be part of the Catholic worship experience in the United States.
At the very least, the songs will be edited to remove the word “Yahweh” — a name [...]

Lunch with the Pope

“He’s a good listener.”
From the LA TIMES:
The lunch took place July 18 at Pell’s residence in Sydney. Cervantes and the others were led into a room with a circular table. Place cards directed them where to sit. Security guards swept through the room, then the group was told to wait: The Holy Father would be [...]

Pope Prays for Those who Ask

From Asia News Italy:
The Pope prays for all of those, “and they are many”, who write to him about their difficulties: Benedict XVI reminds them, and all Christians, that “those who pray never lose hope, not even in difficult situations, even situations that are desperate in human terms. This is what the Church’s history teaches [...]

Pope’s Questions and Answers

Past Q and A here: Questions and Answers
Most recent from Sandro Magister:
1. “All great works of art are an epiphany of God”
Q: Holy Father, my name is Willibald Hopfgartner, and I am a Franciscan. In your address in Regensburg, you emphasized the substantial connection between the divine Spirit and human reason. On the other hand, [...]

Incense

Science uncovers some interesting facts–its good for you!
From Science Daily:
Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning [...]

Pope Benedict on Vacation

With brother George…