The Need for Real Hope
Episcopal Priest and Theologian speaks of wishful thinking and the human need for real hope.
Archive for November, 2009
First Sunday of Advent
Each advent is like the dawn of a new morning. It is a time of hope, expectation, and mystery. The morning dawn is a great symbol for the light of God’s Kingdom. It begins almost invisibly amidst the darkness of the night sky. On crystal clear nights it also happens amidst the glorious twinkling of a thousand stars that inspire the human heart. Advent is a time to be inspired in time by the past, present, and future. May the days of advent be a blessing to us all, helping us to remember all that is good and loving in our lives. May they be days that teach us to wait in prayer as we journey through the darkness and the light – the good and the bad. And, may they be days that inspire hope in our hearts, trust in the Lord, and God’s loving ways. This advent may our hearts be united in joyful hope, as we pray: Lord Jesus, Come in Glory – Come Lord Jesus, Come in glory! Link to my homily thoughts for this Sunday.
More details on the meeting between Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury
I guess there is a little bit more to this story than the video captures. Here is an article in the British Telegraph that provides more insight and details about the meeting between the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Archbishop of Canterbury tells Pope that Catholic row left him feeling ‘awkward’ – Telegraph
Sister Pauline Doherty – Rest in Peace
Sister Pauline Doherty of Our Lady’s Missionaries died yesterday (Nov.20, 2009) evening at Providence Health Care. She had been ill for a few years but in hospital only for a short time. Sister Pauline celebrated her 50th Anniversary in 2003. Sister, also a nurse, lived a life devoted to helping the sick, and rejoiced that God had gifted her with the health to do so for so many years. She served in Brazil, Nigeria, and Canada. On her profile page of Our Lady’s Missionaries web site she states that her motivation was to “help in foreign missions.” When asked what made her grateful, she stated: I am grateful to my family, Our Lady’s Missionaries and for my good health. Sister’s generosity of spirit will be remembered and mourned by her friends, family, and all that she reached out to in Christian love.
A wake will be held at OLM’s Leander Court House on Tuesday afternoon and evening, and the funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Chapel of Scarboro Missions on Wednesday morning. Let us remember Sister Pauline Doherty in our prayers, and at Mass this weekend. May she rest in peace.
Global Take Over By The Internet
I remember when the Fax Machine was the big new controversial event in business, and the parish. No need to mail out documents, just fax them. I think we got our first fax machine in our Diocese in the mid 80’s. Well twenty-five year’s later there is a new kid on the block – the global block – and it is taking over in ways the fax generation couldn’t even imagine. John Allen, the Catholic columnist, puts it this way: “The Internet is both the leading symbol of the globalized world as well as one of its primary drivers. In 1995, according to the Web site “Internet World Stats,” there were 16 million Internet users in the world, representing .04 percent of the global population; as of June 2007, there were 1.13 billion users, or 17.2 percent of the world, remarkable growth in little more than a decade. According to the Worldwide Online Population Forecast, by 2011 roughly 1.8 billion people will be logging on, representing 22 percent of the global population – almost one-quarter of all people on earth.”
Women Religious in America
The Vatican is presently researching and reviewing women religious in the U.S.. Many are threatened and even angry for many reasons – why only women religious being a common concern. Be it as it may, many religious orders are in crisis situation (men and women) with few or no new vocations. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit helps all involved to understand this present crisis, and that it will inspire a hopeful, loving response-answer-solution. One good article on this issue can be found in the Nov. 23, 2009 of America Magazine: America Magazine – A Visitor’s Guide: How the Vatican Investigation could prove beneficial by Doris Gottemoeller
Burundi – Canadian Development and Peace
Visit Development and Peace to hear, see, and learn more, and to help by sending an internet message of
support. Earlier this fall, delegates of Development and Peace and a group of Canadian Bishops visited a number of partners in Burundi and witnessed the complex challenges that continue to face the country. The situation in Burundi
• It is estimated that 400,000 lives have been lost over the last 16 years due to civil war and ethnic violence.
• Sixty percent of Burundi’s population are children, many of whom have lost their parents.
• There are 400,000 refugees trying to return to their country and rebuild their lives.
Married Priests – The Vatican’s Response Summarized
The present shortage of priests often gives rise to a discussion on married priests. With the Pope’s recent invite to Anglican laity and clergy to join the Catholic Church, some saw a potential thaw in the Vatican’s position on celibate clergy. Not so, says John Thavis of Catholic New Service, as he reviews the Vatican’s response to this issue since the Synod on Priestly Formation in 1990 to the present day: Married priests? For the Vatican, still an exception to the rule.
Question: How many people visit?
I often get the question, how many people visit frbobscorner.com. I thought I would show you this graph that is compiled by sitemeter. It’s not a lot when compared to traffic on the popular big sites, but enough to motivate me to continue posting.
