Still Running Off at the Keyboard

DISPOSINY

and "Original Christianity."

The Disposiny were the Jewish relatives of Jesus who thought they should have the leading roles in Christianity. They were rejected and then disappeared. Piero Scaruffi and many others are resurrecting them.

Yes, I know...Amy and Carl and Sandra.

Take a look at what Scaruffi writes, but before you do, take a look at his bio.

He says in part:

Eventually the Roman empire forced "its" version of Christianity on the whole world. The disposiny migrated south, the only place where they could avoid the persecution, and eventually settled in Arabia. Centuries later, their culture would originate Islam, and one of Islam's tenets would be that "evil people changed the books".

If you weren't a Christian, would you believe him?

GURDJIEFFIAN "SAYINGS OF SUBSTANCE"

A new saying is posted twice a month on the Gurdjieff Legacy website. The current posted saying is:

While we were descending on to the surface of this planet of yours, the process of reciprocal destruction which had been proceeding in Afghanistan finished; but all the same, I remained to exist near this Afghanistan, as it was just on that part of the continent Asia that at that period these processes of theirs most frequently proceeded.
Beelzebub's Last Sojourn on The Earth

Now don't you feel better...?

If the consecration of Russia has been done, we are in the period of peace foretold to follow. During this period of peace there has been the "process of reciprocal destruction" in Afghanistan. There has been the chaos in Bosnia. And now there is Iraq.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

CARDINAL KASPER AND ECUMENISM

It would seem that the ecumenical drive came first from Germany and then spread to Vatican II, and thus around the Catholic world. Consequently I never expected to agree with a German theologian on the topic. Perhaps German theology has come full circle. Cardinal Kasper lodges ecumenism squarely in the Tradition with this statement quoted in "The Word from Rome":

In his homily, Kasper picked up on the “one foundation” theme, arguing that Christians can achieve unity only on the basis of a clear and strong Christology, unambiguously proclaiming Christ as the lone savior of all humanity. In that regard, Kasper criticized “liberal” Christologies that would style Christ as one among many prophets or saving figures.

“Aren’t we in a situation in which our primary duty, our major challenge, is to remember and reinforce our common foundation, and to make sure that it isn’t undercut by so-called ‘liberal’ interpretations, which define themselves as progressive, but which are really subversive?” he asked. “Precisely today, in a post-modern society in which everything becomes relative and arbitrary, and everyone creates his or her own religion à la carte, we need a solid foundation and a trustworthy common point of reference for our personal life, and our ecumenical work.”

Therein lies the difficulty with Traditionalism. While there is a lot to agree with in Guenon's philosophy, his blending at the mystical level of all the gods into one simply doesn't fit Catholic theology. The system Guenon sets up places the elites at the esoteric level where there is pluriform truth. It should come as no surprise since Guenon never gave up Freemasonry, though he did give up his Catholic roots. "Mysticism" is a syncretistic faith.

As Pike tells it:

...all truths are Truths of Period, and not truths for eternity; that whatever great fact has had strength and vitality enough to make itself real, whether of religion, morals, government, or of whatever else, and to find place in this world, has been a truth for the time, and as good as men were capable of receiving. (MORALS AND DOGMA, p. 37)

A Catholic cannot back away from the difficulty presented by multiple religions and cults by simply saying all gods are in union in some ethereal nirvana. Christ is the Savior not just of Catholics, but of everyone else as well. If salvation is possible, Christ is the source, just as Cardinal Kasper says it. There is nowhere else to look.

The more I think about Guenon's methodology, though, the more his "inversion" theory makes sense. He concluded from his experience with the occult that there is such a thing as counterinitiation, and that is what occultists pursue.

As Traditional religions look up, occultists look down. Blavatsky states:

Their prince is called in the Kabala Samael, the Angel of Death, who is also the seducing serpent Satan; but that Satan is also Lucifer, the bright angel of Light... (THE SECRET DOCTRINE, Bk II, p. 111)

According to Gershom Scholem, a change took place in Jewish mysticism. Where once it looked up to God in the heavens, a new focus developed:

Only when the soul has stripped itself of all limitation and, in mystical language, has descended into the depths of Nothing does it encounter the Divine. (MORAL TRENDS IN JEWISH MYSTICISM, p. 25)

And further:

"Out of the depths I have called unto Thee"; which, according to the Zohar, means not "I have called unto Thee from the depths [where I am]" but "from the depths [in which Thou art] I call Thee up." (ibid, p. 33-34)

Scholem explains further:

The "Lesser Hekhaloth" emphasize this "ascent", and the same term recurs in a few out-of-the-way passages of the "Greater Hekhaloth," and in the introduction to the "Book of Enoch". But for reasons which have become obscure, the whole terminology had in the meantime undergone a change--it is difficult to say exactly when, probably around 400. In the "Greater Hekhaloth," which are of such importance for our analysis, and from then on in almost all of the later writings, the visionary journey of the soul to heaven is always referred to as the "descent to the Merkabah."` (ibid. p. 46-47)

This seems to be the reason for the change in focus:

It was Gnosticism, one of the last great manifestations of mythology in religious thought, and definitely conceived in the struggle against Judaism as the conqueror of mythology, which lent figures of speech to the Jewish mystic.

The importance of this paradox can hardly be exaggerated; it must be kept in mind that the whole meaning and purpose of those ancient myths and metaphors whose remainders the editors of the book BAHIR, and therefore the whole Kabbalah, inherited from the Gnostics, was simply the subversion of the law which had, at one time, disturbed and broken the order of the mystical world. (ibid. p. 35)

If Gnosticism disturbs order and subverts the law, it can't be of God. Thus as Blavatsky explains, it comes from the Angel of Light.

It is that Angel of Light that is being pursued by the revival of Gnosticism which is so evident on the web today.

In the Akron Beacon Journal this morning there is an article titled "How to rid your poltergeists" on the first page of the Home section, describing a house cleansing ritual, complete with color photo of a woman "smuging" to eliminate negative energies in the home of Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Dhani Jones' livingroom. These negative energies are rid with a smoking tightly wound bundle of sage and cedar, while no god is invoked. This is an example of inversion, gone mainstream in this case...a take-off on a Catholic blessing. It brought to mind a similar ceremony that has taken place at a papal Mass.

Without dogma and doctrine, there is no way to define what is occuring. We can't see the spiritual world. We must rely on a Tradition to define our actions.

Guenon's Traditionalism claims to provide the explanation. It takes little effort to discover, though, that all religions claim a "Tradition" if this is going to be the prevailing jargon, and Guenon has no means of distinction. Pluriform truth gets us into trouble. Either there is absolute truth or there is no truth at all. Either we have Christ, or we have chaos, and chaos seems to be the ascending god of choice. First Europe, then the world.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

LIFE ACROSS THE POND

Altar servers camp 2004 in Holland, linked at Novus Ordo Watch.

Vampire Catholic.

And friends.

Catholic Witch.

Maybe it was near Halloween. Yeah, that must be it.

? ? ? ?

Must be ROOTbeer.

They do things differently over there.

Not rootbeer.

Austrian seminary lesson.

Sleeping arrangements.

Now that she has their attention...

Appears to be the priest. And here, too.

And then there was the entertainment.

"HB,HG" PUBLISHER TO BE SUED

From a link at CruxNews comes this story:

New Zealand-born author Michael Baigent and his American co-author Richard Leigh have filed a copyright suit against Random House Group in Great Britain, claiming Brown used a “substantial” portion of their book and research without their permission.

IT ADVERTISES "INDIGO"...I THINK

A reader sent this one in. She must be spending too much time keeping company with Google and needs to lay eyes on reality for a while! ;) [I hope she's laughing...!]

They're coming to take us away....AHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

KIRSTEN AT BLOGCRITICS

expounds on the fine art of foul language in Quebec, and muses as to the possible reasons why "tabernacle" is a French Canadian swear word.

HAVE WE GONE TOO FAR ?

The Second Look Project of the USCCB provides abortion statistics:

Women who have had abortions cite the following reasons:

21% can't afford a baby
21% are unready for responsibility
16% concerned about how having a baby could change their lives
12% have problems with relationship or want to avoid single parenthood
11% are not mature enough/are too young to have children
8% have all the children they want/have all grown-up children
3% possible fetal health problem
3% maternal health problem
1% pregnancy resulted from rape or incest
1% husband/partner wants them to have abortion
1% don't want others to know they had sex or are pregnant

Sources for these statistics are given in the footnotes at the website.

Only 7% of the reasons for abortion--health of the child, health of the mother, rape and incest--fall into the categories that leaps to the minds of most people when they defend keeping abortion legal. In the interests of the 7% of hard cases, 93% of healthy and potentially problem-free pregnancies are aborted. In other words, abortion is primarily used as birth control--murdering a baby in the name of convenience.

OH GLORIOUS FREEDOM !

A reader sent in this link to a LifeSite report:

NEW YORK, January 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The United Nations Committee that oversees compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) pressured Italy Tuesday to halt discrimination against immigrant women. The UN committee felt immigrant women in Italy were unfairly restricted from entering into prostitution.

Aldo Mantovani, Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, presented his country's actions to fight prostitution as a positive development for women in the country. However, as pro-life and pro-family lobbyists have frequently experienced, UN ‘experts’ often have a radically different view of reality that is alien to most humans on the planet.

Is it still legal to call the UN a hothouse of brainless idiots, or have they already established a ban on uncomplimentary speech?

JEWISH GROUP TO SUE VATICAN

A reader sent in the link to this Catholic League story:

“On January 9, the New York Times published a news story maintaining that an Italian newspaper recently disclosed a Vatican document implicating the Holy See in a scheme not to return baptized Jewish children to their families after the war. What has not received as much attention is what has been learned subsequently: this document was an unsigned summary, did not appear on Vatican stationery, was written in French, and bore the seal of a Catholic official working in France. More important, another Italian newspaper has disclosed that the original document has now been obtained, and it proves just the opposite of what has been alleged!

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY & GURDJIEFF

Check it out!

Also this one.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

SR. GRAMICK

So sad for the dissident nuns around the world today, for one of their own has been denied use of a Catholic Church in Detroit, Michigan. Sister Jeannine Gramick was to be a guest speaker at a reception in her honor after the showing of a film documentary about her life.

Check out the post and link to the story at Threshing Grain.

ROSICRUCIAN CHRISTIANITY

"Indigo" is being promoted by The Beloved Community of James Twyman, and is being shown in Unity Churches. "The Beloved Community" has a central focus on peace and has posted peace prayers on their website...prayers taken from several faiths.

The movie is being screened (Click the calendar link on the left to see their parish calendar.) at St. Joan of Arc Catholic parish in Minneapolis (Click the "Directions" link on the left to see their address.), on the 29th. St. Joan of Arc parish, too, has many varities of peace prayers (Click the link under liturgy on the left.) on their website, the first of which is a "Unity" prayer which mentions "The Beloved Community." Where both websites are using the prayer of the same faith, the prayers are identical.

Lex Orandi, lex credendi--as you pray, so you believe. Yet James Twyman openly admits his Beloved Community pursues the Catharist heresy. What then, does this say about St. Joan of Arc? Their website indicates these prayers are being spoken during Sunday Masses.

Their Spiritual Ministries page is interesting. There are no Catholic images on this webpage. What faith do these drawings represent? The "perennial philosophy" is transmitted in symbols rather than words. Doctrine is anathema, and interpretation of symbols is subject to the whim of the interpreter.

There are a lot of ministries at St. Joan. I thought it would be interesting to see what jargon is being used. Is it Catholic? I've plugged into the "find" window a few choice words representing Catholicism and The Beloved Community/Unity faith, and counted the number of times they appear.

God - 14 (God is used in both The Beloved Community and Catholicism.)
Jesus - 0
Holy Spirit - 1
Blessed Virgin - 0
Mary - 1 (Refers to a parishioner not Christ's mother)
Saint - 1 (Refers to the College of St. Catherine)
Grace - 0
Sacrament - 0
Humility - 0
Good Works - 0
Mercy - 0
Sin - 0

Those are some of the Catholic words I would expect to see on a website about Catholic spirituality. Now for the Rosicrucian terminology:

Energy - 45
Chakras - 1 (mispelled)
Balancing - 3
Healing Touch - 10
Power/Empowerment/Empowering - 10
Reiki - 11
Holistic - 4
Spirit/Spirituality/Spiritual - 134 (Arguably some of these are appropriate to both Catholicism and Rosicrucian Christianity. The absence of other Catholic terms must be taken into consideration, however.)

The parish claims to be Catholic. Its terminology is not Catholic.

There are 29 entries under the "Spiritual Ministries" category. I did not see a single man's name. One of the ministries concerns "Coaching and guiding people into the world of skating as a means of spiritual-life enrichment." This is a "Catholic" parish?? Excuse me!???

It is unlikely that the parish pays all of these ministers. What is more likely is that they charge a rate per hour, which means that the parish is advertising a counseling service, not providing a religious outreach. In fact some of them list their rate per hour. It is not unusual to see a money-making business of one sort or another attached to websites that promote this new spirituality. I'm always reminded when I do that you can't serve God and Mammon.

I submit that this parish is not Catholic. This parish is openly practicing heresy and advertising it. Apparently with the approval of the bishop who does not seem to be objecting, or the parish would not be so bold in their presentation of what they have to offer. Where is their bishop?

Here he is.

MINNEAPOLIS- ST. PAUL, December 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While Bishop Harry Flynn's welcoming of militant homosexual activists into his cathedral continues to embarrass the Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul has gone one step further and issued a letter banning priests faithful to the teaching of the Church from working in the archdiocese.

In a letter to parishes, Flynn banned the activities of the Legionaries of Christ, a group of priests with full Vatican approval, dedicated to implementing Pope John Paul II's call for a 'new evangelization'. Flynn wrote, "The Legionaries of Christ are not to be active in any way in the diocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul."

What was most interesting in the LifeSite report, however, was the closing paragraph:

In Flynn's letter to Fr. Bannon, he said, "I feel very strongly that any group that ministers within this local Church needs to do so in a way that promotes unity and cooperation. Rather than experiencing such a spirit, our pastors continue to sense that 'a parallel Church' is being encouraged."

I read that to mean that the bishop considers Catholicism to be a "parallel church." So what is the main church that Catholicism is parallel to? Judging by the above look at St. Joan of Arc, it is the same "The Beloved Community" of the Cathars that James Twyman sponsors.

Here is what his website says about his community:

The Beloved Community is an extension of and claims its lineage from the first century group known as “The Community of the Beloved Disciple,” founded by St. John the Apostle shortly after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. This ancient community has its roots in many other groups throughout history, including the Cathars (Also called the “Church of Love”), and the Knights Templar, as well as several other modern manifestations. Our goal is to fulfill the commission Jesus gave to St. John, asking him to reunite the feminine and masculine aspects of the Christ. Special emphasis is given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. The Community of the Beloved Disciple has always believed that Divine Revelation is a personal experience that occurs between the individual and God, and is not contingent upon an intermediary priesthood or church. The Beloved Community, though it has its roots in esoteric Christianity, strives to honor all paths to God, especially as they relate to inner and world peace.

Our priesthood is being destroyed before our very eyes. Those who dissent are in the vanguard of this destruction. They have supporters within the hierarchy, such as Bishop Flynn. St. Joan of Arc is the kind of parish Bishop Flynn apparently approves.

If the word "Community" is attached to the name of a parish, enter the church doors with caution! Catharism lives!

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

A WORD FROM THE DESERT

via a reader's email:

I give You thanks,
to me You are a light that knows no evening,
a sun that never sets.
You cannot remain hidden,
for You fill all things with your glory.
You never hide Yourself from anyone,
but we are always hiding from You,
not wishing to come near You.
For where could You hide Yourself,
since You have no place
in which to take Your rest?
Or why should You hide,
since You turn away from no one
and are afraid of none?

Pitch Your tent within me,
gracious Master;
Take up Your dwelling in me now
and remain in Your servant unceasingly,
inseparably, to the end.
At my departure from this life
and afterwards, may I be found in You and reign with You,
who are God over all.

Stay with me, Master, do not leave me alone.
When they find You dwelling within me,
my enemies who seek always to devour my soul,
will be put to flight;
They will have no more power against me,
when they see You,
who are more powerful than all,
lodging in the house of my humble soul.

You did not forget me, Master,
when I was in the world
and sunk in ignorance,
but You chose me
and separated me from the world
and set me up in the presence of Your glory.
Keep me constant and unshaken
in the interior dwelling-place
that You have made within me.

Though dead,
I live when I gaze on You;
Possessing You, though poor,
I am forever rich,
More wealthy than any ruler.

Eating and drinking You,
clothing myself in You from day to day,
I shall be filled with blessings and delight
beyond all telling.

For You are every blessing
and all splendor and joy,
and to You is due glory,
to the Holy, Consubstantial and Life-giving Trinity,
worshipped and confessed by all the faithful
and adored in Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.

A prayer of St. Symeon the New Theologian
11th century

NCR VIEWPOINT - WAS THE TSUMANI AN ACT OF GOD ?

Here is the crux of the argument:

Like many philosophers through the ages, I believe that if God could have stopped the tsunami and did not, then God is not all-good and so does not exist. However, if God is all-good, then God must not be all-powerful. I cannot believe in a God who could have stopped this tragedy but did nothing. I can believe in a God who did not have the power to stop this tragedy. In a contest between a God of infinite power and a God of infinite goodness, I choose goodness over power.

If we choose a God who is all good but not all powerful, just what is He good for, anyway? If He couldn't stop a tsunami, can he stop a thunderstorm? But thunderstorms sometimes harm people, too. They bring a lot of water that can flood places. And sometimes people die.

What is the value of one single life compared to thousands? Can we exempt God from responsibility for the tsunami but not the thunderstorm since the loss of life is disproportional? A sort of "He can kill one and still be good, but He can't kill thousands and be good"? Or must we conclude He is good but He cannot control the thunderstorm? If He can't control the weather, what can He control?

Life is full of happiness and tragedy. If we reject the thought that God is in control, what reason is there to be happy? What hope is there for tomorrow? Without a God in control, the universe is spinning at random, and we with it. There is no reason to be certain of anything. If the environment can produce one tsunami, it can produce an infinite number of them. Tragedy, because it exists somewhere, is a threat everywhere. Always. Without a Being in control, we have no reason to believe we are safe. Ever.

The tsunami was a terrible tragedy. I don't know why God permitted it. I do believe God could have stopped it had He wished. I reconcile that belief by knowing that God is a mystery far beyond anything I can conceive, that He is in charge of His creation, that He works all things for good for those who love Him.

And I believe this life is not the end. Once it's over, we go on to something else. Something better if we imitate God's goodness through His grace. That we are here for a purpose in His plan, and we will leave this life when that purpose is completed. And that is the whole reason for living, and the only source of happiness.

SHEEN'S CATHEDRAL

Renovated.

Michael Rose has linked the story at dellachiesa

It sounds as though Sheen has been erased from his cathedral. Why am I not surprised. He's one of the greats, and those who want to destroy the Church can't tolerate even a brief reminder of what the faith can be.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

"INDIGO"

is written up in the Quincy Herald-Whig:

"Indigo" has been creating quite a buzz in the movie world.

"This is a very, very powerful story and a surprising story," said Simon in a recent article appearing on the www.spiritualcinemacircle. com Web site. "We have a lot of twists and turns. The performances are extraordinary. It's very eerie in places, it's very funny in places, it's very touching and moving.

"What we really hope is that people walk out having felt entertained, and when they start talking about the movie, then they can start talking about the various issues."

After the showing, complimentary refreshments will be served in the Unity annex. That will provide the audience with time to share thoughts about the movie and spiritual cinema in general.

"INDIGO" FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE "SPIRITUAL" BUT NOT "RELIGIOUS"

according to the Baxter Bulletin.

NEW BOOK BEING RELEASED IN CANADA

is centered on clairvoyant activity:

For those of you who are addicted to the chilling NBC hit TV series 'Medium', starring Patricia Arquette, you'll want to check out the new Divine novel series by Cheryl Kaye Tardif, an award-winning Canadian author who resides in Edmonton, Alberta. Tardif has created a sizzling, psychic mystery series that has been compared to the In Death novels by US best-selling author J.D. Robb, AKA Nora Roberts.

Divine Intervention has received rave reviews since its release in September 2004. It has been hailed by Real Estate Weekly reporter, Heather Andrews Miller, as an "excellent suspenseful thriller [that] promises to keep readers engrossed". Christine's Book List calls it "fantastic...a pleasant diversion" and goes on to say "Tardif has created characters whose friendships and romances feel very genuine. She wastes little ink on descriptions that don't enhance the story, and the action right up to the very end is suspenseful." An Amazon reviewer states: "Divine Intervention is a divine treasure!" The series, which is set primarily in Canada, will be an ongoing project for Tardif. The second book, Divine Justice, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2005 and features the author's hometown of Edmonton.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif, recently nominated for the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award, was first noticed with the release of her debut novel, Whale Song, in 2003. Whale Song has since captured the interest of a leading Canadian film producer, and Tardif has been hailed as the new "Canadian J.D. Robb" and a "gem in the literary world". She has appeared on Global TV Morning Edition, Shaw TV Edmonton, RDTV, Shaw TV Red Deer and CJSR's Liquid Chatter Talk Radio. She has also been featured in Real Estate Weekly and The Edmonton Examiner, and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Edmonton Woman and Alberta Native News.

Clairvoyance - occultism - is a deterioration of religion. This dovetails nicely with other evidence of deterioration in the culture. It should be a big hit.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

"INDIGO" IN CAPE TOWN

Cape Argus reports:

Indigo, a movie about redemption, grace and the deeply perceptive "Indigo children", has its premiere in Cape Town on Sunday.

The Indigo children is a term some people may be familiar with, having been coined about 10 years ago to describe the growing number of children born around the world who exhibit unusual and special gifts, such as deep compassion, unique perception and healing abilities, and who verbalise a wish for world peace.

That's according to a book written in 1999 by Lee
Carroll and Jan Tober, called The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived (Hay House, 1999).

But who exactly are the Indigo children?

Celeste Ponzi is one of the organisers of the premiere event, which will include a panel of speakers consisting of Indigo children and professionals who work with them.

Indigo, she says, refers to the colour seen in these children's auras, and long before the term was coined Ponzi was seeing them in her healing and counselling practice in Stellenbosch.

Ponzi, using aura, or biofield, photography, started seeing this colour in the aura of some of the children who came to see her, especially those with behavioural difficulties. Teachers
and parents described these children as wild and disruptive.

WOMAN REFUSES CANCER TREATMENT WHICH WOULD REQUIRE ABORTION, GIVES BIRTH, THEN DIES

Stories of courage are always so uplifting. The IBS Network reports:

Fedrizzi, 41, who refused the abortion and cancer treatment, found out she had cancer about the same time she learned she was pregnant, the Vatican paper said.

"She was aware that if she gave birth she wouldn't have had any hope of surviving," the Vatican newspaper wrote. "Despite that she went through with her choice, the choice of welcoming new life even at the cost of her own death."

What a contrast between this life-affirming story and the stories of abortion support we hear so often. God be willing, she is watching over her children from the heavenly courtyard. May they still know her love and care for them as they adjust to life without her. And may God grant them peace.

SPAIN IN THE NEWS AGAIN

International News Reliance reports:

The Pope considers that the secularism in our country - a phenomenon which, it must be said, is not at all a recent one, and extends to other nations around us - is leading to restrictions on religious freedom, while also encouraging contempt for religion. However we interpret these words or contrive to tone them down, they are excessively harsh, and even a little unfair, if we remember that relations between the Holy See and Spain are guided by a Concordat, signed in 1979, which has not been renounced by either side.

"In Spain a mentality is spreading based on secularism, an ideology which gradually leads, in a more or less conscious way, to the restriction of religious liberty, to the point of fostering contempt or ignorance of religious things, relegating faith to the sphere of private matters and opposing its public expression," the Pope proclaimed yesterday, before calling on Spain not to tear up her "deep and living Christian roots." John Paul II had already delivered a stern reprimand to the head of the government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, when he visited him for the first time last June, to the prime minister's embarrassment.

RETURN TO RELIGIOUS CONFUSION

The Village Voice reports on a new book by Minna Proctor titled "Far From Heaven."

The book is about her father's decision later in life to become an Episcopal priest:

When I was a girl, my atheist parents casually asked me if I wanted to attend religious training like most of the other kids in my provincial town. I quickly said no, but never revealed the flaky eight-year-old's logic behind my decision: Hebrew school conflicted with ABC Afterschool Specials. Like me, Minna Proctor always believed that faith was optional. "I formulated the impression that I was meant to choose my religion as an adult," she writes in Do You Hear What I Hear? Her Jewish mother and Catholic father, both academics, had brought her up in a secular way. So when her dad tells her that he wants to become an Episcopal priest, she is flabbergasted, not to mention totally unequipped to understand his decision: "I could say that my father set me on a path to godlessness—and then abandoned me there."

Confusion abounds even among the intellectuals...perhaps especially among the intellectuals? That small voice in the night is so hard to deny.

SPAIN CONTINUES TO DETERIORATE

The Charleston Gazette Reports:

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Spain's defense minister on Tuesday rejected Pope John Paul II's criticism of its Socialist government, which wants to legalize gay marriage and streamline laws on divorce and abortion, and he said some church positions go against the teachings of Jesus Christ.

"Faith is not something a government can impose. It is not something that it is up to the state, but rather to people,'' Defense Minister Jose Bono told Spanish radio, the news agency Efe reported.

He said some of the church's positions, such as its opposition to homosexuality and use of condoms, go against the message of Jesus Christ, according to the report.

"Today, Christ would be more worried about the 25,000 children who die each day of hunger or in wars. I think Christ would side with those who are peaceful,'' Bono was quoted as saying.

Bono is believed to be the only practicing Catholic in the Spanish Cabinet.

At this rate the once-Catholic nation will be taking the lead in cultural degeneration in Europe.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

ANOTHER SAINT IN THE PROCESS

Hawaii News reports:

KALAUPAPA, Hawaii (AP) _ The skull of a Catholic nun who helped care for leprosy patients on Molokai was exhumed today.

The exhumation and identification of the remains of Mother Marianne Cope is part of the process of having her proclaimed a saint.

Mother Marianne lived and worked at Kalaupapa from 1888 until she died in 1918 at age 80.

THE CONTROVERSY IS HEATING UP

Matt C. Abbott covers the debate over a controversial letter:

In Dec. 2003, a group of 23 Chicago priests sent a letter to Francis Cardinal George lamenting the Vatican's alleged mistreatment of homosexuals. Six months later, one of the co-signers of that letter, the Rev. Nicholas Desmond, sent another letter to the cardinal expressing his "disappointment" about the cardinal's decision to refuse Holy Communion to members of the homosexual activist Rainbow Sash Movement.

CANADA CONTINUES TO SLIDE...

WorldNetDaily reports in a link sent in by a reader:

In the wake of Canada's legalization of same-sex marriage, a human-rights complaint has been filed in British Columbia alleging the absence of pro-homosexual instruction in public schools is a denial of equal treatment.

The development underscores the concerns of same-sex marriage opponents in the United States who argue legalization would force schools to teach about homosexual behavior as a positive, alternative lifestyle for children.

The article describes the argument being presented:

Corren says the province's social studies curriculum refers to aboriginals, women and multiculturalism, but has no mention of what Corren defines as the "queer population," the Vancouver paper said.

He wants that changed to include: "Queer history and historical figures, the presences of positive queer role models -- past and present, the contributions made by queers to various epochs, societies and civilizations, and legal issues relating to [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered] people, same-sex marriage and adoption."

CHECK OUT BARBARA KRALIS' WEBSITE

She has posted a letter to her from and aide to Cardinal Arinze denying the claims made by Bishop Harry Flynn regarding the distribution of Communion to the Rainbow Sash coalition. Very interesting!

Thanks to a reader for the heads up.

NO HUMAN EXPLANATION FOR STATUE THAT CRIED BLOOD

Thanks to a reader for providing the link. Souix City Journal reports:

ROME (AP) -- A review of the probe into a statue of the Madonna said to have shed tears of blood a decade ago concluded that the phenomenon has no human explanation, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Civitavecchia diocese ordered theologians, historians and doctors to review the case and compile their conclusions in a document, according to Corriere della Sera, which published what it said was a summary of the findings.

Corriere, Italy's leading newspaper, said the document presented a critical analysis of all the testimonies given at the time, as well as all possible explanations for the phenomenon.


"Everything -- they (the experts) say unanimously -- indicates that in that corner of the Earth, at the gates of Rome, an event took place that has no human explanation and points at the mystery of the supernatural," Corriere wrote.

Vittorio Messori, a leading Catholic author who helped Pope John Paul II write the 1994 best-selling book "Crossing the Threshold of Hope," wrote the Corriere article.

Diocesan officials in Civitavecchia could not be reached for comment. The Vatican has offered little comment on the case over the years, and nobody was available on Sunday.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

DIRECTOR OF "INDIGO" REVIEWED "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"

A reader found it and sent it in.

TheScreamOnline:

All that being said, I must also say that the entire film seemed like the dying gasp of an old ultra-religious paradigm that is slowly fading into oblivion. I had the distinct feeling that I was watching the symbolic conclusion to 2000 years of human history that, in the West, has been dominated by the Catholic Church. If, in fact, that turns out in the future to have been true, then Gibson has indeed ushered out this chapter of history in a blaze of... gory.

No wonder Mary cries.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

"INDIGO"

The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette reports:

In the book of Mark, Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

It might be equally difficult for a spiritually themed movie to make it into multiplexes without the backing of a big Hollywood studio or star.

These days, lots of people seem to be searching for ways to circumvent both maxims.

A group of Oregonian filmmakers have had an extraordinary amount of luck of late on the second score.

Their film, “Indigo,” will bow Saturday in 600 venues across the globe, including 100 AMC theaters stateside, despite the fact that not one studio head ever advised changing its marketing campaign to emphasize frathouse hijinks over handguns aimed while falling backward out of skyscraper windows.

There aren’t even any handguns or hijinks in “Indigo.”

It will debut in Fort Wayne on the Studio M screen at Mitchell Books in Covington Plaza.

There will be screenings at 1, 3, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 11:30 a.m., 2 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10.

The budget for “Indigo” was minuscule, and the budget being used to market it is even less ostentatious, which makes the film’s impending ubiquity on the cultural landscape exponentially amazing. The film’s title refers to a new age term used to describe psychic and spiritually attuned children.

“Indigo” concerns a dejected elderly man who develops a close friendship with his granddaughter only to discover that she possesses special powers.

The film’s director is Stephen Simon, who had a long and reasonably successful career as a Hollywood producer before he chucked it all and moved to Ashland, Ore., several years back.

Simon, who counts “Somewhere In Time” and “What Dreams May Come” as some of his most bragworthy mainstream accomplishments, said in a recent phone interview that he grew disillusioned with the lack of spiritually potent films being made in Tinseltown.

He subsequently wrote a book called “The Force Is With You: Mystical Movie Messages That Inspire Our Lives” and started a DVD service called the Spiritual Cinema Circle that specializes in movies designed to move more hearts than gross tons of concessions.

Simon said his rent-by-mail service wasn’t designed to advocate any particular dogma.

“I wanted to embrace everyone,” he said.

Within nine months of starting the Spiritual Cinema Circle, Simon had 14,000 subscribers in 60 countries.

“It made me realize that there was a real desire for this kind of entertainment,” he said.

He befriended fellow Ashlander and author Neale Donald Walsch, who wrote the bestselling “Conversations with God” series.

POPE ASKS PRESS NOT TO FOMENT WAR

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The media has to be careful not to "demonize" entire cultures, countries or ethnic groups, otherwise it runs the risk of fomenting violence, war and even genocide, Pope John Paul said Monday.

In his message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Social Communications, to be celebrated this year on May 8, the Pope said that today more than ever the media had to be aware of its enormous power to either unite or divide people.

OPPOSITION TO GAY MARRIAGE GROWING

Out in West Palm Beach reports:

TORONTO (AP) - As gay-rights activists head to Ottawa for the final stage in their long battle to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, Roman Catholic clergy are crossing the line that separates church and state to demand that legislators defeat the proposition.

They have pledged to bring the debate to their pulpits on Sunday and have called on Prime Minister Paul Martin to consider the moral consequences of allowing homosexual unions nationwide. Gays and lesbians can already marry in seven provinces and one territory, including Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.