As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...
(I realize that I'm posting this one day early... Tonight begins the Triduum celebration. Use this time to get off the computer and onto your knees and pray.)
Origins and Early Traditions of Holy Week - "Ten things you probably didn't know about the origins of Holy Week. "
The Mass and the World - "Here was the best of art and architecture and music and poetry and storytelling from the Golden Age of Greek and Rome continued and completed by Christianity down the ages. Here through faithfulness to the liturgy which we have received we echo and re-echo the great moments of the past..."
The Seating Plan at the Last Supper - "Most of us who live now think of the Last Supper in terms that are familiar to us. In our imagination Jesus and his apostles sit around a square table on chairs. Jesus is a the center and his apostles arrayed around him. The famous painting of Leonardo Da Vinci (See right) is uppermost in most modern minds when thinking of the Last Supper."
Who is the Naked Man in St Mark's Gospel? - "St. Mark's account of Our Lord's Passion describes a 'young man wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body,' that ran off naked during the arrest of Christ..."
The Seven Last Words of Christ - "The following meditations are based on the writings of Archbishop Fulton Sheen in his book, Seven Words of Jesus and Mary."
Passion Week in an Election Year - "It is appropriate that Passion Sunday falls on April Fool’s Day this year. In the Catholic tradition, many saints have remarked on the “folly” of Christianity."
The Mystical Reason Why Christ Rode Both a Donkey and a Colt on Palm Sunday - "Saint Matthew's Gospel records an interesting detail not found in the other Gospels. Here we read that Christ rode both the ass and her foal or a female donkey and her colt."
Catholic Interpretation of Scripture - "This is part of an on-going series discussing the fundamentals of Catholic doctrine of Scripture. The topic for this post is interpretation."
There was something about the 20th Century, something awful. Did Pope Leo have the answer? - [This story has to do with the composing of the St. Michael Prayer - which is particularly compelling for me since as a family we incorporated the St. Michael Prayer into our daily prayers for Lent this year. The history of this prayer is very intriguing.]
Did the Greek Old Testament Include the Catholic Deuterocanon? - [Nice summary of main points supporting the Catholic position.]
The Shroud of Turin: A Timeline - [A brief timeline of key events in the known history of the Shroud of Turin.]
NJ monastery to display Shroud of Turin copy - [I had no idea that this existed - and here -n the U. S.!]
Not-So-Smooth Operator - "Obama increasingly comes across as devious and dishonest."
When the Archbishop Met the President - "Mr. Obama knew that the mandate would pose difficulties for the Catholic Church, so he invited Archbishop Dolan to the Oval Office last November, shortly before the bishops' General Assembly in Baltimore."
Crying children call to mind the mystery of the Mass - "When you hear a child crying during Mass, let the sound of those tears call to mind the mystery of the Cross. The Holy Mass is, of course, one with the true sacrifice offered by Christ once for all upon the Cross at Golgotha. The Mass is a sacrifice, it is the Cross. Consider: Who was weeping at the Cross? And who was insensitive to those sounds of weeping?"
St. Caedmon & the Potato Peelings - "You can’t buy love. Not for yourself, not for your kids. You can only choose love by choosing to love. That’s what love is in the end: a choice."
Why Catholics make the sign of the cross - "In my study, I discovered six perspectives on the Sign of the Cross that revealed why making it opens us to life-transforming graces."
Cross-section of crosses and their significance - [A brief description of several styles of Christian crosses, and a downloadable poster showing examples.]
Jesus Is Not a Means, and Our Experience Is Not the End - "Now that I think about it, I’m thankful for times...when I don’t feel much at Mass. Those teary-eyed moments when I’m overcome with emotions are wonderful; but with them comes the temptation to turn them into idols."
Papal Infallibility: A Symbolic, Yet Problematic, Term - "Although papal infallibility is commonly found in popular conversation, how well the term is understood is another matter."
Marriage: A Covenant is Never Temporary - "The Catholic view of marriage is often derided as being punishing and inflexible because of the Church’s stance that divorce is an impossibility; a couple with a valid marriage will always be married in the eyes of the Church, even if they need to live separately from one another."
Baltimore Catholic school to name community center after Bill and Camille Cosby - "A historic Baltimore Catholic school will name its community center in honor of Bill and Camille Cosby,
the biggest donors in the school's 184-year history and fierce champions of education, the school announced Friday"
Check out these sites for more Catholic news and stories of interest...
