Monthly Archives: December 2008

“I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me….”

Posted on December 17, 2008 by Deacon Bob

A former classmate and friend of mine from my Roman days is now the bishop of Little Rock, Bishop Tony Taylor.  Bishop Tony has always been an advocate for the poor, even as he and I worked in the Trastevere … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

Dignitas Personae – conclusion

Posted on December 16, 2008 by Deacon Bob

Dignitas Personae concludes with several “quotable quotes”: Section 36:  “There are those who say that the moral teaching of the Church contains too many prohibitions…..human history shows, however, how man has abused and can continue to abuse the power and … Continue reading →

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Cardinal Avery Dulles

Posted on December 14, 2008 by Deacon Bob

As you may have heard, Avery Dulles, SJ died this past week.  Fr. Dulles was a Cardinal of the Church, made so by Pope John Paul II in 2001.  He was a Cardinal, yet not a bishop as are nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest | 2 Comments

John the Voice, Jesus the Word

Posted on December 14, 2008 by Deacon Bob

St. Augustine had some wonderful thoughts about John the Baptist and Jesus.  (My translation from the Italian.) “John is the voice.  However, we say of the Lord: ‘In the beginning was the Word’ (John 1,1).   John is the voice … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest, Saints and Prophets | 1 Comment

Dignitas Personae – continued

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Deacon Bob

Toward the end of the introduction of Dignitas Personae, there is a great quote from John Paul II. I am quoting section 3: “Life will triumph:  this is a sure hope for us.  Yes, life will triumph because truth, goodness, joy and … Continue reading →

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AIDS Prevention, continued

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Deacon Bob

I have read the article by Potts, et. al. in Science mentioned in my previous post on this subject.  It points out that some assumptions that underlie current HIV prevention strategies are unsupported by evidence.  Current strategies include condom distribution, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics and Morality, General Interest | 5 Comments

Dignitas Personae

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Deacon Bob

I would encourage all of you to log on to www.usccb.org/comm/Dignitaspersonae/index.shtml and read Dignitas Personae, the Church’s recent document on the bioethics of procreation and medical research.  A great document that I hope will get a fair catechesis among the Catholic faithful … Continue reading →

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Ad Ecclesiam Aeternam

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Deacon Bob

If you want to view a short memorial on the popes since Pius XII, with rather stirring background music, log on to www.youtube.com  and search for “ad ecclesiam aeternam”.  You will see a five minute video listed about the popes. By … Continue reading →

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More on Papa Luciani

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Deacon Bob

Here is a quote, attributed to John Paul I prior to his election as pope, as cited on www.albino-luciani.com: “Progress with men who love one another, considering themselves brothers and sons of the one God and Father, can be a … Continue reading →

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AIDS prevention

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Deacon Bob

The most recent Ethics and Medics, (Vol. 33, N. 12)  a publication of the National Catholic Bioethics Center on Health Care and the Life Sciences, had some interesting and surprising comments.  It cited research that has been published in Science by Malcom Potts et … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics and Morality, General Interest | 4 Comments

Alone at St. Peter’s

Posted on December 8, 2008 by Deacon Bob

  If you ever get to Rome, take the opportunity to go to St. Peter’s square at night and stand in the middle of the piazza near the obelisk.  Take in what will be an experience you cannot have during … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Posted on December 8, 2008 by Deacon Bob

The following is from Saint Anselm’s Discourses: “God created every creature and Mary gave birth to God;  God, who had created everything made himself a creature of Mary, and recreated thus all that he had created.  And while he had … Continue reading →

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Second Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 7, 2008 by Deacon Bob

Pope Benedict mentioned today in his weekly Angelus message those fleeing persecution and violation of their human rights.   My translation of the Italian:  “To all peoples exhausted by misery and hunger, to the throngs of refugees, who suffer grave … Continue reading →

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Jesus of History — Jesus of Apostolic Witness

Posted on December 5, 2008 by Deacon Bob

I wrote a post a few days ago about the historical-critical method in Christology, specifically Hans Kung’s work.  I have been writing, too, about Pope John Paul I in recent posts.  I was re-reading Papa Luciani’s homily from his installation … Continue reading →

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Time

Posted on December 4, 2008 by Deacon Bob

Perhaps you have read Pope Benedict’s Angelus reflection last week.  He centered it around “time”, in the context of salvation history in the Christian tradition.  Here is a quote:  “…we all say that we do not have enough time, because … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest, Prayer and Meditation | Comments Off on Time