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Liturgical Resources for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – December 12 December 6th, 2013
December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, also called the Patroness of the Americas. Catholics are invited to celebrate this feast and use it as an opportunity to pray, reflect and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. Resources for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe are available here…
Save Honeybees Now! December 3rd, 2013
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The Pope Speaks out on the Economy December 3rd, 2013
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI was interviewed today by The Lay Catholic on the Pope’s recent exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel.
“…Father Finn said the last two decades in the United States have witnessed a “growth in wealth in assets for the top 1 percent and stagnation of wages and assets for the middle class,” resulting in “widening gaps between a very, very small number of people at the top, a middle class that’s holding its own, and an impoverished sector that is barely hanging on and very dependent on the charity of others.”
“Father Finn said Pope Francis’ portrayal of the ideological struggle over state intervention in the economy is realistic, as exemplified by current debates in the U.S.”
“We have a whole number of folks who are saying, let’s shrink the size of government, let’s let the market and the private sector come up with and propose solutions,” particularly in the education and health care sectors, he said. “And we’ve got lots of other people saying, that’s leaving a lot of collateral damage out there. Who’s responsible for it?”
Texas-Mexico Border Bishops Publish Pastoral Letter on Family Immigration December 3rd, 2013
In a new pastoral letter “Families Beyond Borders,” the Catholic bishops of the border region of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico humanize the immigration debate by placing it in a moral context with specific illustrations of struggling children and families.
“One of the Archbishops spoke emotionally about undocumented immigrant children, some as young as 5 years old, who brave the dangers of the desert and coyotes and hide from authorities as well as human traffickers in an attempt to reach the safety of a new home of hope.”
Video (link) and Pastoral letter available here…
The bishops who worked on “Families Beyond Borders” represented the leadership of these dioceses and archdiocese: (From Texas) Amarillo, Brownsville, El Paso, Lubbock, San Angelo, and San Antonio (From New Mexico) The Diocese of Las Cruces. (From Mexico) Chihuaha, Ciudad Juárez, Cuahteoc-Madera, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Nuevo Laredo, Piedras Negras-Catedral Mártir, and Saltillo.
Patriarch Bartholomew Calls for “a spiritual worldview” on Climate November 27th, 2013
Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, in a message to climate negotiators at the recently concluded conference in Warsaw, urged “prompt, practical results” to address the growing escalation of climate change. The meeting was disappointing in this regard, making his challenge – particularly to people of faith – particularly important.
“The sensitivity with which we handle the natural environment clearly mirrors the sacredness that we reserve for the divine,” the Patriarch stated.
Citing the Gospel of Matthew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople stated that at the Final Judgment, we will be taken to task not for our “religious observance but on whether we fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, comforted the sick, and cared for captives.” The reckless consumption of world’s resources, he continued, contributes to environmental changes that ultimately affect those who are most vulnerable.
Patriarch Bartholomew expressed the need for “a spiritual worldview” on the subject of climate that will assist in making aware the impact on all creation. The focus should be directed to the planet’s needs rather than the wants of the world.
“In our efforts, to contain global warming, we are ultimately admitting just how prepared we are to sacrifice some of our selfish and greedy lifestyles. When will we learn to say: “Enough!” he stated.
“When will we understand how important it is to leave as light a footprint as possible on this planet for the sake of future generations?”
