“St. Isidore, who succeeded his brother St. Leander as Archbishop of Seville, 
was one of the great bishops of the seventh century. He was proficient in all brances of knowledge and was regarded as one of the most learned men of his time; with Cassiodorus and Boethius he was one of the thinkers whose writings were most studied in the Middle Ages, St. Isidore died in 636. Pope Innocent XIII canonized him in 1722 and proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church.”
Read more here.
St. Francis was born at Paula in Calabria; after living as a hermit for five 
years (from the age of fourteen to nineteen) he gathered around him some companions with whom he led the religious life. This was the origin of a new order, to which he gave the name of Minims, that is “the least” in the house of God. Pope Sixtus IV sent him to France to help Louis XI on his deathbed. He remained there and founded a house of his Minims at Tours.
Read more here.
A reflection”
Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13;Psalm 23:1-6;Ephesians 5:8-14;John 
9:1-41
Today the Church celebrates the second Scrutiny for those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil. We pray that the Elect will be able to see the light of Christ in a dark and hostile world. In Baptism they will die and rise in Christ. Like David the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon them. Confirmation will give them the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen them as they strive to be holy. Nourished by the Word of God in the Eucharist they will be sent, like Samuel in the first reading, into the world to bring the light of Christ to everyone that they meet.
Samuel was chosen by God to be a prophet. He heard God’s voice. Samuel was very close to God. Yet even Samuel had difficulty discerning who God was calling to be anointed as the new king of Israel. God does not choose the eldest of Jesse’s eight sons’. Instead he chose the youngest, David, who is a shepherd. God’s ways are mysterious; He does not see as we see. God sees by shining His light into our hearts to reveal who we really are.
In the psalm we are comforted by God who promises to lead the baptized through the darkness of sin into the light of Christ. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul, reminds the new Christians that by their baptism they have become children of God. They are called to live the rest of their earthly lives as “children of Light” and to reject sin.
The blind man is healed only after washing in the pool of Siloam which means the One Sent. Jesus is the one sent and the one who miraculously restored the man’s sight.
Pope Benedict tells us that “Jesus is the one through whom and in whom the blind man is cleansed so that he can gain his sight. The whole chapter turns out to be an interpretation of baptism, which enables us to see. Christ is the giver of light, and he opens our eyes through the mediation of the sacrament” (“Jesus of Nazareth,” Vol. 1).
The man whose eyes are now opened by the light of the world, is rejected by his neighbors. But now that he can see, he experiences the beginnings of faith in the one that is sent.
As the blind man learned, following Christ is not easy. We live in a world darkened by sin. There will always be those who will refuse to see the light of Christ. Discipleship has a cost. Christians who strive to be holy and live in the light of Christ face ridicule, rejection, and sometimes persecution. It takes diligence, prayer, studying scripture, and participating in the Eucharist.
Jesus shines his light into our hearts to give us the strength to persevere until we receive our crowns of glory in God’s kingdom..
FATHER/DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: ST. AMBROSE, BISHOP, (339-397In one instant we see both the power of his divinity and the strength of his holiness. As the divine light, he touched this man and enlightened him; as priest, by an action symbolizing baptism he wrought in him his work of redemption. The only reason for his mixing clay with the spittle and smearing it on the eyes of the blind man was to remind you that he who restored the man to health by anointing his eyes with clay is the very one who fashioned the first man out of clay, and that this clay that is our flesh can receive the light of eternal life through the sacrament of baptism. You, too, should come to Siloam, that is, to him who was sent by the Father (as he says in the gospel. My teaching is not my own, it comes from him who sent me). Let Christ wash you and you will then see. |
Deacon Bob Yerhot from up North. From his blog site, Catholic Faith and 
Reflections:
DEACON BOB YERHOT serves the diocese of Winona, Minnesota. He has dedicated his life to the service of his family and the Catholic Church. He has studied philosophy, classical humanities, theology and social work at St. Mary’s College (now University) Winona, Minnesota, the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
His blog is well worth a visit, and I am not just saying that because he had lovely things to say about a certain deacons wife. No really.
Inquiring Nuns wanted to know in 1968:
“Two young nuns explore Chicago, from a supermarket to the Art Institute and in front of churches on Sunday, confronting people with the crucial question, “Are you 
happy?” They meet a lonely girl, a happy mother, another nun, lovers, hippie musicians, a lady sociologist, a professor, and even actor Stepin Fetchit. The answers they get range in sincerity and depth: “Happiness is the absence of fear,” “Avoiding people,” “Raspberries,” “Joy in knowing Christ.”
The humor and sadness of these honest encounters lift the film beyond its interview format to a serious and moving inquiry into the concerns of contemporary man, and also into the circumstances in which men will actually express their concerns.”
Elizabeth Scalia, The Anchoress, asks, Are you happy? She points out that it can be a complicated question.
One of the elect (unbaptized) in our RCIA class, who is grieving the recent loss of her husband, mentioned that she was disturbed by the always joyful persona of one of our parishioners. She (the elect) could not believe that anyone could be that joyful, that happy.
But I know that the parishioners joy is very real. She has had a very hard life. Her day to day life is still a struggle. Yet she has a joy that comes from deep within her being. It comes from a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ.
Get though over to the Anchoress for an interesting read and to view the videos of the Inquiring Nuns.
I am shocked. Shocked I tell you! A Catholic Priest dares to teach Catholic doctrine to 
Catholic High School Students. How dare he teach that Homosexual activity is wrong! The videos of Fr. Hollowell teaching his Catholic students reveal that he is, oh the horror, anti gay.
Sigh. I was going to pass on this story. The whole homosexuality is wonderful and Catholics are bigots whine is getting old. Catholic teaching upholds the dignity of every human person.
Unconditional love does Not mean unconditional approval.
Anyway Terry Nelson over at Abbey Roads has a post up, Equality Matters: Gay watchdog group for media and communications goes after priest, where he points out that the group is distorting what the Priest actually taught.
Well Jesus never promised us a rose garden on earth.
Heh. It is a sad day indeed for the Catholic blogging community.
National Catholic Register. Friday April 1, 2011. The Catholic blogosphere is a buzz with 
the shocking announcement by the popular blogger and speaker Mark Shea that he is leaving the Catholic Faith.
His press release follows.
After Considerable Thought, I am Converting to the Jedi Faith
by Mark Shea Friday, April 01, 2011 12:00 AM
It is with great joy that I announce my conversion to that most ancient and mystical of religions: the Faith of the Jedi Warrior.
Many of you will ask me: “Mark, why? We thought you were a serious Catholic!”
All I can say is, it just feels right for me, and I like the Jedi ethos which teaches us all to trust our feelings. Because, after all, if you can’t trust your feelings, what *can* you trust?
Others ask, “But isn’t this just from a movie? Didn’t George Lucas just make it all up?”
To them I say, “Name one religion somebody didn’t just make up!” Ha! Got you there, didn’t I? You don’t even know how to answer, do you? That proves the Force is with me.
You see, it’s that kind of quick thinking theology that I most admire about the Jedi faith. That and being able to lift an entire spacecraft out of a swamp using only my brain. Also, being able to have a powerful influence on weak-minded storm troopers is useful.
You may ask when I’m going to be able to do that spacecraft-lifting thing. I reply that I will do it when I am ready and not before. These things take time, and I am only a young apprentice. But stay with me and you will see great things.
I’ve had a great run as a Catholic, and I appreciate all your support, Gentle Register Readers. But from here on in it’s Jedi for me!
So let me say to one and all, with all the sincerity this most special Day of Days deserves: “May the Force be with You!”
Oh well. Win one lose one.
Praise God! A Baptized Catholic is set to cross the Tiber. Bryan Kemper a member of 
the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is to begin the RCIA process in order to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. It was a difficult decision, and one that he fought against. There were three main Catholic doctrines that finally convinced him. Excerpt:
Church authority: There are simply thousands and thousands of denominations and every time someone disagrees with another teaching of their church they simply start a new one. The Catholic Church has had it’s teaching since the beginning of the Church in the scriptures. There is no way God can be happy with thousands of denominations or so-called non-denominational churches. It seems that when people disagree on doctrine it often results in another break off church. The fact is that current Christian teaching can differ so much between two churches that it really constitutes different religions and different Gods. There must be one established truth that God gave us, one that has remained from the time of Christ.
Pro-life and Contraception: There is only one church that has been consistent from the time of Christ to today on the teaching of pro—life and contraception. Before 1930 there was never a single Christian church in history to accept any form of contraception and today there is only one that absolutely has kept this Christian teaching and truth.
Communion or the Eucharist: I have always believed that communion was more that just a symbol and in looking back at early church teaching it is crystal clear that this was taught from day one. St Ignatius of Antioch a student of John the Apostle taught on this and clarified it well.
These are just a few of the things that drew me back into the Catholic Church; however there is so much more. I was baptized Catholic as a child so the process is not as complicated for me. I will be starting RCIA classes and working towards confirmation.
I am asking my friends to pray for my family’s journey and me as I truly seek to be closer to Christ. My relationship with Christ is the most important thing in my life and I hope my friends will stand by me, as I grow closer to Him.
As for the work of Stand True; it will remain focused on educating, activating and equipping young to stand up for life and Christ. We have always been an organization that reaches out to and works with all Christians and we will remain true to that.
For Christ I stand,
Bryan Kemper
Read the whole post here.
Although I have been involved in RCIA for about two decades, I am still in awe of the courage that it takes active Protestants to leave their church home for Catholicism. It is truly humbling. I have posted on this before.
But I must confess that I have been sitting on this story for several days. Stories of people coming home to Rome gives rise to great joy. But I do not want to descend into triumphalism.
It is too easy, especially with whole congregations of Anglicans and Lutherans converting, to treat it as a numbers game. People are treated as notches on a soldier for Christ’s trophy belt. The pain and struggle of those coming into the Church is often overlooked.
But then I noticed that Bryan Kemper was baptized Catholic, so I feel free to rejoice! Please keep Bryan and those involved with his church and ministry in your prayers.
The billboards are quite aggressive, and in very bad taste. 
CHICAGO, March 28, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Thirty pro-life billboards featuring the image of Barack Obama are going up in South Chicago, U.S. president Barack Obama’s adopted hometown, starting tomorrow.
“Every 21 minutes, our next possible LEADER is aborted,” states the ad, which features an artistic rendering of Obama’s profile with a caption directing viewers to “thatsabortion.com.”
“Our future leaders are being aborted at an alarming rate. These are babies who could grow to be the future Presidents of the United States, or the next Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington or Maya Angelou,” said Rev. Derek McCoy, a black pastor and board member of Life Always, which is responsible for the campaign.
According to official U.S. data, black Americans account for approximately 36.9 percent (2007) of the total U.S. abortion numbers, despite accounting for only 12.9 percent (in 2009) of the total U.S. population. Continue reading here.
I really do not like such in your face tactics. Aggressive tactics such as displaying pictures of aborted babies and similar billboards do more to galvanize the pro abortion stance. They more often than not harden hearts instead of changing hearts.
What do you think of aggressive tactics? Yea, Nay, Other?
H/T First Thoughts. From the BBC:
“A group of 70 or so “books”, each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was apparently discovered in a
remote arid valley in northern Jordan somewhere between 2005 and 2007.
A flash flood had exposed two niches inside the cave, one of them marked with a menorah or candlestick, the ancient Jewish religious symbol.
A Jordanian Bedouin opened these plugs, and what he found inside might constitute extremely rare relics of early Christianity.
That is certainly the view of the Jordanian government, which claims they were smuggled into Israel by another Bedouin.
Jordan says it will “exert all efforts at every level” to get the relics repatriated.
Incredible claims
The director of the Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, says the books might have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion.
“They will really match, and perhaps be more significant than, the Dead Sea Scrolls,” says Mr Saad.
“Maybe it will lead to further interpretation and authenticity checks of the material, but the initial information is very encouraging, and it seems that we are looking at a very important and significant discovery, maybe the most important discovery in the history of archaeology.”
One of the reasons that the relic is thought to be Christian and not Jewish is because early Christians wrote in book form rather than scroll form. Who knew? Read the fascinating article here..
A Deacon's Wife 