Okay, so I just read a Tweet from @Sr_Lisa where the news is that Fr. Corapi has shut down The Black SheepDog website. Remember, that is the one he created after not complying with the directives of SOLT (Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity), the order of priest he is affiliated with in Texas.

Everything seems to have just disappeared; The Blacksheepdog.wordpress blogsite is no more, the FB page I cannot find and of course the website is DOWN. So the ‘New Era’ is now the old era. The new journey The Black Sheep Dog invited all to join him on has lead to a dead end.

What does/can this mean? On Sr. Lisa’s blog site there were a few options introduced as speculation. In summation:

1. He is hanging it up after not making enough profits to continue his new venture.
2. He’s decided to reset his ‘spiritual compass’ (my words) and head back to SOLT after a few months of deliberation.
3. He’s complying with a directive from The Holy See.

At the very beginning of his news worthy defection in 2011 I supported prayer for Fr. Corapi and those following him– today I still do.

I cannot presume to know what he is up to these days but God’s spirit in me desires that all roads lead to Jesus. You know as part of his story, Corapi gave our Blessed Mother credit for bringing him home once. Is it possible she is still guiding him home?

I ask for your prayer for myself, for Fr. Corapi and for all still on the journey in 2012.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the spanking brand new Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter has been established today by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.  This Personal Ordinariate will house the Anglican patrimony in all its glory here in the great city of Houston!

Fr. Jeffrey Steenson, a professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary’s Seminary, will be the Ordinary of this Ordinariate.  Which means since he is married, he can’t be bishop but he can lead the Ordinariate, ie, as an Ordinary.

Here is the the press release by Papa Bene:

In response to numerous requests, Pope Benedict XVI has established an ordinariate for Anglican groups and clergy across the United States who wish to become Catholic. This is only the second structure like this in the world. The Pope also has named a Houston professor and former Episcopal bishop, Reverend Jeffrey N. Steenson, to lead the ordinariate.

Continue reading →

Can the birthday of Jesus Christ be celebrated in just one day? I read some where that it cannot and it really made me think.

In the Catholic Church the party goes on because we celebrate Christmas until the baptism of Christ; it is known as the Epiphany.

Though celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany originated in the East, in Western culture the Catholic Church celebrate it as the end of  (12 days) the Christmas season.  The Epiphany, or the revelation of our Lord,  marks for us the Baptism of Jesus Christ. On the Church’s calendar The Twelve Days of Christmas are the days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany (January 6th; the 12 days count from December 25th until January 6th). On the updated calendar — since Ephiphany is celebrated on a Sunday it may or may not actually be ‘twelve’ days.

In keeping with the ‘real’ meaning of Christmas do not let Christmas 2011 end with simply returning or exchanging of gifts that do not fit or are not to your liking. Allow these days after be spent by learning more about what we believe as Catholics. Allow a deepening of faith to transcend what the world says Christmas should mean. Allow the celebration to continue.

The internet offers plenty of information available to study. In keeping with our Holy Father’s request to use modern media as a means of evangelization or spreading the good news of the birth of Christ, here are a few websites to visit for further information.

Make no mistake about it, the impact of your enlightenment will touch those around you. God bless.

http://www.catholicculture.org

http://www.newadvent.org

http://www.catholic.org

With love unlimited, God our Father in heaven shared with us His son. On this day we celebrate the most precious gifts of all Christmas gifts–Jesus Christ, born as man with blood, bones and flesh just like us. I celebrate with you and wish you all a heart-warmed blessed and merry, merry Christmas day.

So much in the secular world would have us accept and perpetuate a simple spirit of spend, spend, spend. Our Heavenly Father nonetheless, paid a price much more dear than money and we should seek to understand that.  As this day dwindles by the hour remember the price we are willing to pay to follow Christ as the bridge between earth and heaven.

This can be both simple and complex in light of all that the world has to offer. How many of us will have spent more time in line to make purchases this week

of the latest shoe, game, perfume or whatever than in church or prayer today? How many of us will spend more time watching sports than we will with our loved ones in meaningful conversation? How many of us will make sure that our children and grandchildren know the true meaning of Christmas? How many will see to it that someone we know without much to eat will eat better today and tomorrow?

Systematic thought should be given by each Christian on the subject of what it means to have a ‘Merry” Christmas. What will make it ‘Merry’ for you? When you answer this question answer also the question of, “Does it line up with the sacrificial gift of Jesus becoming man for the good of the world?” If not, then maybe given another year by God’s grace, we’ll figure it out and get it right by next Christmas day.

Give, expecting nothing in return, that you may receive.

I have not written for some time. The past couple of months have been lived with sorrow and heartache for my family. My father passed from this earth to everlasting life the day after Thanksgiving, 2011. Today I pause to reflect heavily on the eventual end of Advent and the coming of the celebration of Christmas 2011. One marks an ending and the other a brand new beginning.

Given all of the emotions and subsequent displays of them experienced recently, I seek the peace of God our Father in heaven more than ever. Today my mind and heart dance together to the rhythmic verses of Holy Scripture and prayers of my Catholic faith. I am reminded of the comfort of my late mother when as a child I felt pain for one reason or another. ..it was sure and effective.  So too do I rely on the comfort of my Father in heaven.

One of my favorite Catholic authors and advocate of our faith, Immaculee reminded me this week in her latest letter that, “…there is a reward for those who wait for God’s power patiently in obedience! With God, nothing is impossible, not only with Mary or Elizabeth, but with us, His children, through His mercy.”  This message is very relevant in my present personal life and I think also, in the present liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas. There are so many of us suffering economically, emotionally or physically that we need to be reminded of the reward of waiting on the Lord. (See Isaiah 40:31)

At Christmas time we are given the gift of a love so large it took God becoming man to show us. God’s power to heal, love and comfort is dramatically different from that of you and me. It is precisely why waiting for Him to show up in the midst of our troubled lives that the certain reward is worth the wait. The reward of a peace the world cannot give, the reward of a promise of eternal life for those who follow Him and the reward of no more pain in that life is worth the wait.

Faith in a Risen God is what being Christian is all about; it gives birth to a hope powerful enough to overshadow our problems.  Faith in God’s grace and mercy gives us a spirit of thanksgiving powerful enough to encourage us to think of others before ourselves.  That is the reward of waiting for God.

Pray with me that all who suffer know the reward of waiting for God. Pray that those who anticipate with eager breath the celebration of the birth of Christ may know unprecedented peace in whatever struggles they may be experiencing.

Be assured that God has a love so huge it can conquer all ills temporarily imposed upon us as we live out this earthly life–it is His ultimate gift to all of us.

Thank you Lord. Amen.

I could answer the question of this article’s title by simply advocating “Because that is what the Catholic Church teaches.” However, I will not do that. The reason I will not do that is because the action of this belief means so much more to me than just being something to believe.

Once in a Scripture Sharing class at my parish where at the time, I facilitated the class, I was asked by a Protestant why we prayed to the dead?” My answer to her was, “They are not dead!”

I believe all saints and angels in heaven praising God at His throne 24/7 are alive and well. They remain immediately available at The Lord’s discretion to be dispatched to earth for my or anyone’s good.

I believe that. I believe what the Church teaches: CCC 962 ”We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers” (Paul VI, CPG § 30).

Further, the Catechism says,

CCC 956 “The intercession of the saints. “Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . . They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . . . . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped.” ^{(1 Tim 2:5)}

Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.^{(St. Dominic, dying, to his brothers)}

I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth. ^(Eph.4:1-6)

My spiritual consolation comes from knowing those who have been called  to unending praise of our Lord in heaven intercede for us earthlings. It is a most welcomed thought in my day.

Today is The Feast of All Saints, a celebration by the Church of the lives of the Saints. “We, as a Catholic community, understand that the saints are both our companions for our journey of faith in Christ and our special intercessors to help us navigate life’s difficult paths.”  Texas Catholic Herald News, ‘Echoing the Word:Understanding’ by Mark Ciesielski, Associate Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Continuing Christian Education, Houston, Texas 10-25-2011

May we all be comforted in knowing the heavenly saints are actively our intercessors. May we dedicate our prayers to God our Father seeking  mercy and grace to live this life forever bound spiritually with those in heaven.

“Dear Friends and Supporters of the Menil Collection:

“After more than two decades in Houston, the beloved Byzantine frescoes will go back to Cyprus in 2012. While this moment is bittersweet, the story of these frescoes—from their rescue, to their long-term loan to us, and now to their return—very much reflects the essence of the Menil Collection, its focus on the aesthetic and the spiritual, and our responsible stewardship of works from other nations and cultures.

“In 1983, Dominique de Menil, founder of the Menil Collection, was presented with an extraordinary prospect: to acquire two 13th century frescoes from Cyprus. Mrs. de Menil was struck by their beauty and understood immediately their art historical significance. However, after further research Mrs. de Menil learned that the frescoes had been stolen from their home in a small votive chapel in Lysi, Cyprus.

“That knowledge led to an act of extraordinary generosity—in fact, a series of generous actions that eventually engaged many other people. First, the frescoes were acquired by the Menil Collection on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. Then, the Menil Foundation supervised the restoration of the frescoes, which had been cut into more than 30 pieces when they were stolen. In gratitude, the Church lent the frescoes to the Menil on a long-term basis, for presentation in a consecrated chapel in Houston. The Byzantine Fresco Chapel opened to the public in 1997, with support for its construction provided by donors in Houston and across the country.

“Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have seen the frescoes and experienced the majesty of Cypriot Byzantine art and religion. Moreover, the frescoes’ installation in the Byzantine Fresco Chapel—a consecrated space that simultaneously honors their sacred origins and the tragic history of their looting from their true home church in Lysi—includes a profound, sacred dimension and is therefore different from traditional museum presentations of antiquities.

“While the loan of the frescoes formally concludes in February 2012, this will not be the end of their story—or the story of the building. We are exploring how best to use it in the future, in ways that carry forward our mission. We will also be organizing a number of public programs focused on the frescoes over the next few months, and I hope you will join us for these events.

“Thank you for your interest and support.  We look forward to seeing you at the Menil Collection soon.” – Josef Helfenstein, Director, Menil Collection. 

The press in Cyprus has indicated great joy on the part of the Church of Cyprus (Orthodox) about the return of this treasure after February 2012. It is, however, unclear how these frescoes will be cared for and secured once repatriated to the region. It is also unclear what setting they will find themselves in next. 

 It is highly doubtful that they will be replaced in the original chapel in the northern part of the island now considered to be within the bounds of the Turkish Cypriot administered region. Will they instead go into a separate chapel on the Greek Cypriot side of the island under the Orthodox Church there to continue aiding in Divine Worship? Or will they go into a museum  to be seen predominantly by tourists and school groups?