Wednesday in the 1st week of Ordinary Time.
Readings for the Day:
First Reading: Hebrews 2:14-18
Psalm: Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
He who was crucified in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ, is true God, Lord of glory, and one of the Holy Trinity.
-- Council of Constantinople II
Saint of the Day:
Gregory of Nyssa (c. 330 - 395) The son of two saints, Basil and Emmilia, young Gregory was raised by his older brother, St. Basil the Great, and his sister, Macrina, in modern-day Turkey. Gregory's success in his studies suggested great things were ahead for him. After becoming a professor of rhetoric, he was persuaded to devote his learning and efforts to the Church. By then married, Gregory went on to study for the priesthood and become ordained (this at a time when celibacy was not a matter of law for priests). He was elected Bishop of Nyssa (in Lower Armenia) in 372, a period of great tension over the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Briefly arrested after being falsely accused of embezzling Church funds, Gregory was restored to his see in 378, an act met with great joy by his people.
It was after the death of his beloved brother, Basil, that Gregory really came into his own. He wrote with great effectiveness against Arianism and other questionable doctrines, gaining a reputation as a defender of orthodoxy. He was sent on missions to counter other heresies and held a position of prominence at the Council of Constantinople. His fine reputation stayed with him for the remainder of his life, but over the centuries it gradually declined as the authorship of his writings became less and less certain. But, thanks to the work of scholars in the 20th century, his stature is once again appreciated. Indeed, St. Gregory of Nyssa is seen not simply as a pillar of orthodoxy but as one of the great contributors to the mystical tradition in Christian spirituality and to monasticism itself.
Catholic News of the DayA national report on the homeless states that there are currently over 774,000 homeless people in the United States. This is equivalent to the entire population of WY, VT, ND, SD, DC, AK, or DE being homeless. What does it say about our country when more people are homeless than the entire populations of six states or even the capital of our nation? The Republicans that were in total control of our nation for the past six years claimed to follow Jesus and be faithful to his teachings, yet under their watch our homeless population has skyrocketed. I think the Republican Christianists should brush up on Scripture by reading Matthew25: 31 - 46.CBSNews.com gives an update on a sad fraternity hazing event that occured in Austin, Texas last year. Please continue to pray for the family of Phanta "Jack" Phoummarath, who will need extra prayers and support in the coming weeks and months as the case against those responsible for their son's death and the defacement of his corpse goes to court. Please continue to pray for the peaceful repose of Jack's soul.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today that they will vote against President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. Yesterday Senator Ted Kennedy introduced legislation that will prohibit President Bush from sending more troops without the consent of Congress. Please call or write an email to these corageous leaders, thanking them for taking a stand against Bush's further violation of the Just War Doctrine; also call or email your own Senators and Representatives to let them know you want to stop Bush from sending more troops to Iraq. Senator Kennedy is speaking up in the Congressional debate over Universal Health Care. "The federal government should join the state of Massachusetts in enacting universal health coverage", said Sen. Edward Kennedy, the new chairman of the Senate committee over health and medical coverage issues. Senator Kennedy proposes that Medicare would be extended to all Americans. Republicans are also proposing Universal Health Care Coverage; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a plan that would extend health care to 6.5 million uninsured Californians. Under Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal, all Californians would be required to have health insurance, with the poorest citizens having their insurance costs subsidized by the State of California.Americans are beginning to eat a more Mediterranean diet... or maybe there are just more Mediterranean-Americans around. "Consumption of olive oil in the United States has risen 272 percent since 1991, according to the International Olive Oil Council. By 2002, Americans were consuming a little over a half liter (about a pint) each year — about what the average Greek uses in a week. " (CBSNews.com)Today the House voted to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour; the measure now moves to the Senate where it will likely gain approval. Catholic Charities of America has spoken up in favor of the raise, as this will help the working poor of America immensely. The last raise to the minimum wage was in 1997 when President Clinton forced the Republican Congress to support the working class. The bill would raise the wage floor in three steps. Minimum wage will be increased to $5.85 an hour 60 days after signed into law by the President, to $6.55 a year later (2008), and to $7.25 a year after that (2009).Maybe all this political change is happening because Catholics form the largest religious group/bloc in Congress. Catholics now outnumber the second largest group (the Baptists) 2:1. A religious break down comes to: Catholics (155), Baptists (67), Methodists (61), Presbyterians (44), Jews (43), Mormons (15), 7th Day Adventists (15), Buddhists (2), and the first Muslim ever to serve in Congress.
Scientists of Wake Forest and Harvard University reported on Sunday that they had found a source of stem cells in the amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women which produced a variety of tissue types Because these cells are donated by living women from living fetuses, these cells would allow researcers to completely avoid the controversy over destroying embryos for research. Italian scientists responsible for another breakthrough in stem-cell research have reported that they encountered heavy resistance to the publication of thier research because it used stem cells obtained from amniotic fluids rather than from embryonic tissues. It is interesting to note that while De Coppi personally has no objections to the embryonic research, his research was unwelcome because within the field there exists “'a resistance to the idea of finding an alternative to embryonic stem cells' because many leading researchers-- particularly in the US-- are so heavily invested in embryo research". Vatican ethicists are currently mulling over the issue... and President Bush, who isn't very well informed about either side of the argument is claiming that he knows what is best in the matter. (And for those who think this is a purely American debate, the Swiss are having tsuris over the matter of what to do with embryos.
The Pope's comments on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.
Too bad we aren't like Europe... where they are pushing for a "low carbon" economic, social and political lifestyle to combat pollution and the Greenhouse Effect... which is really evident - as 2006 is once again the hottest year on record.
And for all that has been going on in Catholic Poland lately... a Vatican spokesman now claims that there is a "vindetta against Poland". I'm not really sure about that... but I am sure that former Archbishop-elect Stanislaw Wielgus was an informant for the Secret Police of the Communist State. Benedict accepted his resignation before he became Archbishop. And Tuesday, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow has accepted the resignation of Msgr. Janusz Bielanski, the rector of the city’s cathedral, who was also accused of cooperation with the secret police during the Communist era.
American Christian, or more accurately American Christianist William Boykin will be released from his position as a senior Pentagon Intelligence Officer. In case you don't know who William Boykin is, he is the officer who was ordered to investigate claims of prisoner abuse by "Task Force 6-26," and concluded that there was no wrongdoing or abuse on the part of the US soldiers because "If [the US military personell] don't make them bleed, they can't prosecute for it." (which was the slogan of Task Force 6-26). Reading about Task Force 6-26 reminded me of this and this.
Remember to Pray the Rosary for Peace!
