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My Prayer Box
the Newsletter of My Catholic Tradition
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The "Poof
Theory" |
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Some
people really believe that the Story of
Creation is just a means to satisfy man's need
to be more than just a collection of complex
organic matter. They call this the "Poof!
Theory."
They
advance that the Theory of Evolution is the
only way life could have started. When you
meet some of these people make sure you ask
them on simple question: If we all started
from one primordial soup, why are there so
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many
varieties. You'll probably get an answer like,
adaptation. If that was so all living things in
one location should be identical, but fossil
remains say otherwise.
And of
course, since evolution is purely random, how did
the first living things evolve, especially,
towards procreation. Think about this, if nothing
was planned, designed or created how did the first
living things ever accidentally happen to
procreate? How and when did they realize that they
could? If you ask me, having everything come
together in one serendipitous random event that
formed life is more "Poof!" a theory than having
Someone actually designing us.
The
following press release for an international
conference that is meant "to re-establish dialogue
between science and faith, because neither of them
can fully resolve the mystery of human beings and
the universe."
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION |
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From the Office
the
Vatican Information Service |
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VATICAN CITY, 10 FEB 2009
(VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this
morning, the presentation took place of an
international conference entitled: "Biological
Evolution: Facts and Theories. A critical
appraisal 150 years after 'The Origin of
Species'". The event is due to take place in
Rome from 3 to 7 March.
The congress has been jointly organised by the
Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the
University of Notre Dame in Indiana, U.S.A.,
under the patronage of the Pontifical Council
for Culture and as part of the STOQ Project
(Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest).
Participating in today's press conference were
Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the
Pontifical Council for Culture and president of
the Committee of Honour of the congress; Fr.
Marc Leclerc S.J., professor of the philosophy
of nature at the Gregorian University and
director of the congress; Fr. Giuseppe
Tanzella-Nitti, professor of fundamental
theology at the Pontifical University of the
Holy Cross, and Saverio Forestiero, professor of
zoology at Rome's Torvergata University and a
member of the organising committee.
Archbishop Ravasi pointed out that the
forthcoming congress responds to the need "to
re-establish dialogue between science and faith,
because neither of them can fully resolve the
mystery of human beings and the universe".
For his part Fr. Leclerc explained that the
congress will be divided into nine sessions,
focusing on "the essential facts upon which the
theory of evolution rests, facts associated with
palaeontology and molecular biology; ... the
scientific study of the mechanisms of evolution,
... and what science has to say about the origin
of human beings". Attention will also be given
to "the great anthropological questions
concerning evolution, ... and the rational
implications of the theory for the
epistemological and metaphysical fields and for
the philosophy of nature". Finally, he said,
"there will be two theological sessions to study
evolution from the point of view of Christian
faith, on the basis of a correct exegesis of the
biblical texts that mention the creation, and of
the reception of the theory of evolution by the
Church".
Saverio Forastiero observed that "the relative
fluidity of contemporary evolutionary theory is
largely due to a series of discoveries made in
the last quarter of a century, discoveries which
require the synthetic theory to be reconfigured
and could lead to a theory of evolution of the
third generation".
"It is my view", he went on, "that this congress
represents an opportunity, neither
propagandistic nor apologetic, for scientists,
philosophers and theologians to meet and discuss
the fundamental questions raised by biological
evolution - which is assumed and discussed as a
fact beyond all reasonable doubt - in order to
examine its manifestations and causal
mechanisms, and to analyse the impact and
quality of the explanatory theories thus far
proposed".
For his part, Fr. Tanzella-Nitti highlighted how
"from the perspective of Christian theology,
biological evolution and creation are by no
means mutually exclusive. ... None of the
evolutionary mechanisms opposes the affirmation
that God wanted - in other words, created - man.
Neither is this opposed by the casual nature of
the many events that happened during the slow
development of life, as long as the recourse to
chance remains a simple scientific reading of
phenomena".
"I hope", he went on, "that the natural sciences
may be used by theology as a positive
informational resource, and not just seen as a
source of problems. ... I do not believe
biological evolution is possible in a
materialist world, without information, without
direction, without a plan. In a created world,
the role of theology is precisely that of
talking to us about nature and the meaning it
has, of the Logos which, as Benedict XVI likes
to say, is the uncreated foundation of all
things and of history".
OP/CONGRESS EVOLUTION/RAVASIVIS 090210 (640)
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Have ever felt
like your kids are ruling your life? Well,
you are not alone. Here's a really funny
and insightful article written by
Joseph Epstein
of the Weekly Standard, especially with
the school breaks approaching ever so
slowly. |
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In America we
are currently living in a Kindergarchy,
under rule by children. People who are
raising, or have recently raised, or
have even been around children a fair
amount in recent years will, I think,
immediately sense what I have in mind.
Children have gone from background to
foreground figures in domestic life,
with more and more attention centered on
them, their upbringing, their small
accomplishments, their right
relationship with parents and
grandparents. For the past 30 years at
least, we have been lavishing vast
expense and anxiety on our children in
ways that are unprecedented in American
and in perhaps any other national life.
Such has been the weight of all this
concern about children that it has
exercised a subtle but pervasive tyranny
of its own. This is what I call
Kindergarchy: dreary, boring, sadly
misguided Kindergarchy.
With its full-court-press attention on
children, the Kindergarchy is a radical
departure from the ways parents and
children viewed one another in earlier
days. Ten or so years ago I began to
notice that a large number of people
born around the late 1930s and through
the 1940s had, as I do, a brother or
sister five or six years younger or
older than they. So often was this the
case that I began to wonder if there
wasn't some pattern here that I had
hitherto missed? Then it occurred to me
that mothers in those days decided not
to have a second child until their first
child, at five or six, had gone off to
school.
Born into the middle class in the Middle
West, growing up I did not know any
married woman who worked. So the mothers
I am talking about here did not put a
five- or six-year separation between the
birth of their kids for economic
reasons, or because it gave them more
time to devote to their first-born
children, or any other reason I can
think of other than their own damn
convenience. They did it
because--insensitive, selfish, appalling
really to contemplate--it was easier not
to have two children under four years
old to worry about at once; it made more
sense to them not to have to deal with
two or more needy greedy little children
simultaneously. Let one go off to
school, then we shall think of having
another--much easier for everyone all
around. Or so I believe thinking on the
matter went.
Did this arrangement make sense for the
children? Five or six years' age
difference between siblings is probably
not an ideal difference for the
development of closeness between
brothers and sisters. When my younger
brother entered boyhood, at eight or
nine, I was already in high school; when
he was in high school, I was away at
college; and when he was in college, I
was a married man with a son of my own.
No, a five- or six-year separation is
doubtless not the best spacing between
two kids growing up in the same
household. If you had confronted my
mother and father with this
psychological datum, they might have
said, "Interesting." But I doubt that
they would have found it very
interesting at all.
Let me quickly insert that I had the
excellent luck of having good parents.
Neither was in the least neurotic, both
were fair to my brother and me, neither
of us ever doubted the love of either of
them. I can also say with no hesitation
that my parents' two sons were never for
a moment at the center of their lives.
The action in their lives was elsewhere
than in childraising.
In my father's case the action was at
his business--"the place," as he
sometimes called it. A small
businessman, he came most alive when at
work. Without hobbies or outside
interests, he worked a five-and-a-half
day week, and didn't in the least mind
if he had an excuse to drop in for a few
hours on occasional Sundays.
My mother, who was not in any way a
trivial person as the following details
might make her seem, played cards at
least three afternoons a week. She kept
up a fairly brisk social round. She was
at home to provide us lunch when my
brother and I were in grammar school,
and she cooked substantial dinners,
baked, and was a careful housekeeper.
Later she took an interest in charities
and paid for and helped organize
occasional fundraising luncheons. When
her children were grown, she went to
work in her husband's business as a
secretary-bookkeeper-credit-manager, at
all of which she did a first-class job.
When I was a boy my parents might go off
to New York or to Montreal (my father
was
born in Canada) for a week or so and
leave my brother and me in the care of a
woman in the neighborhood, a spinster
named Charlotte Smucker--Mrs. Smucker to
us--who was a professional childsitter.
Sometimes an aunt, my mother's sister
who had no children, would stay with us.
We seldom went on vacation as a family.
When I was eight years old, my parents
sent me off for an eight-week summer
camp session in Eagle River, Wisconsin,
where I learned all the dirty words if
not their precise meanings. None of
these things made me unhappy or in any
way dampened my spirits. I cannot recall
ever thinking of myself as an unhappy
kid.
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You can find
the complete article
by clicking on this link. |
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The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 15,
2009 |
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First Reading From
the Book of Leviticus: |
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Lv 13:1-2, 44-46
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The Lord said
to Moses and Aaron,
"If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or
blotch which appears to be the sore of leprosy, he
shall be brought to Aaron, the priest, or to one
of the priests among his descendants. If the man
is leprous and unclean, the priest shall declare
him unclean by reason of the sore on his head.
"The one who
bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments
rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his
beard; he shall cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!' As
long as the sore is on him he shall declare
himself unclean,
since he is in fact unclean. He shall dwell apart,
making his abode outside the camp." |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms:
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Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11 |
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R. I turn
to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me
with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not
guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and
you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and
you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and
you fill me with the joy of salvation.
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Second Reading from the First Letter to the
Corinthians |
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1 Cor 10:31-11:1 |
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Brothers and
sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving
offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or the
church of God, just as I try to please everyone in
every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of
the many, that they may be saved.
Be
imitators of me, as I am of Christ. |
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Reading From
the Gospel of Mark:
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Mk 1:40-45 |
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A leper came to Jesus
and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he
stretched out his hand, touched him, and said
to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him
immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning the him
sternly, he dismissed him at once. He said to
him, "See that you tell no one anything, but
go, show yourself to the priest and offer for
your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that
will be proof for them." |
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The man went away and began
to publicize the whole matter. He spread the
report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus
to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in
deserted places, and people kept coming to him
from everywhere. |
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References |
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Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life
by
Charles J. Chaput
(Author)
“At a time
when the ‘faith and values’ vote has never
been more important, Archbishop Charles Chaput
deftly explores the intersection of morality,
reason, and politics. |
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This isn’t
just a book for Catholics, but for anyone who
cares about the state of America’s soul —and
how that concern might shape the 2008
elections.”
—John
L. Allen Jr., NCR and CNN senior Vatican
correspondent,
Amazon |
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Happiness Is a Serious
Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
by Dennis Prager.
In this unique blend of self-help and moral
philosophy, talk-radio host Dennis Prager
asserts that we're actually obligated to be
happy, because it makes us better people.
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Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the Journey Series)
- Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author) |
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Praying With Louise De Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series)
by Audrey Gibson (Author), Kieran Kneaves
(Author) |
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Praying with Vincent de Paul (Companions for the
Journey)
2004, by Thomas McKenna
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The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force ....
(Paperback)
by
Rodney Stark (Author)
From the Publisher |
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"... this account of Christianity's remarkable
growth within the Roman Empire is already the
subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who
has puzzled over Christianity's rise to
dominance... must read it," ...
Read
the first page. |
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Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities - Year B - 2009
by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann
Zimmerman (Author), Thomas A. Greisen (Author),
S.N.D. de N. Kathleen Harmon (Author), M.S.
Thomas L. Leclerc (Author) |
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"Perfect for home use or to prepare for weekly
liturgy . . . It includes help for the
celebration, ideas for catechesis on the
particular event, and ways to understand the
readings more deeply. Finally, it includes
sample questions from which priests, deacons,
lay groups, ministers and others can jump off
into deeper discussion." |
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Straight Answers, Answers to 100 Questions about
the Catholic Faith
by Ph.D Rev. William P.
Saunders (Author)
Review by:
Reverend William G. Curlin Bishop of Charlotte
Straight Answers offers Catholics a simple and
direct response |
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to the many questions
concerning the Catholic Church. It spells out
profound truths in very simple language for all
who seek a better understanding of their Faith.
I highly recommend it for Catholics, both young
and old. |
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The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way
From Amazon: |
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After years of spiritual study and reflection,
inspirational speaker and bestselling
author Wayne Dyer has emerged a highly esteemed
teacher. His current message about tapping into
the power of intention may sound like good old
positive thinking: just stay focused on what you
want, rather than focusing on the lack of having
what you want. But the teaching here goes deeper
than just controlling thoughts (although he does
acknowledge that thought control is a
surprisingly challenging and significant
endeavor).
This book might
help readers land a better job, but it's more
relevant for those who are ready to detach from
an ego-driven life filled with quick fixes of
happiness and step into a more authentic,
joyful, and spiritually fulfilling life. His
core teachings speak to tapping into a universal
source of energy that can also be called the
"power of intention." |
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The Chariot of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as |
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it walks you through a
pivotal period in Israel’s history, and
illustrative maps will give you a better
picture of the physical geography of this
ancient land. |
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The First Book of Kings (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament) This
volume of commentary on the New English Bible text of the First Book of Kings
follows the pattern of the now well-established series on the Old and New
Testaments. The main divisions of the text are those provided |
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by the New English Bible
itself, but these are further subdivided for the
purposes of the commentary, which is printed in
short sections following the relevant portion of
the text.
Canon Robinson suggests that the editors of I
Kings compiled their history in order to teach
the Hebrews that their existence as Israel, the
covenant people of God, depended upon their
continuing loyalty to their own religious
traditions, and their refusal to exchange them
for the very different traditions of the
Canaanites among whom they lived.
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I & II Samuel: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)
First sentence in
the book:
""THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL contain that
part of the history of Israel which describes
the foundation of the State, running from the
close of the period of the Judges to the
establishment of the united kingdom." |
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Read more about the Liturgical Year |
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The Origins of the Liturgical Year (Pueblo
Books)
by
Thomas J. Talley
(Author) The Rev. Dr.
Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics
at the General Theological Seminary in New
York, is one of the leading liturgists in
the country. He gives us a fresh
examination of the complex history of the
Liturgical Year. |
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The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C. (Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday)
by
John J. Pilch (Author)
Reader
Review: The book by Pilch provides those
who not only fill the pulpits across this
country but also all interested in the |
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cultural world in which Jesus lived with a lot
of pertinent information that sheds light on a
lot of areas that have been "muddled" in the
past. Yes, I highly recommend this book. -
James Mauldin |
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Learn more and read the Old Testament. |
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Preaching from the Old Testament
by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader
Review: The author of these
thirty-two short chapters begins and ends
with the assumption that problems we
experience with the Old Testament are our
problem, not the Bible's. This
subordinating of the Bible reader to the
well-weathered book he holds in his hand
opens doors, not to forced
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harmonisations
of problematic passages, but to fresh
reappraisal of difficult texts on their
own terms. -
David A. Baer |
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The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old Testament)
This volume helps you make the first five
books of the Old Testament a vital part of
your spiritual reading and practical
growth in the Christian life. It contains
the full English and Latin texts of these
books, along with extensive and
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faithfully Catholic
commentaries. Like other volumes in the
world-renowned Navarre Bible series, these
commentaries draw on Church documents, the
exegesis of Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the works of contemporary
spiritual writers — particularly St. Josemaría
Escrivá, who initiated the Navarre Bible
project. |
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Comments and
Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any
comments or contributions, please
use the form in this link.
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Comments and Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any comments or contributions,
please
use the form in this link.
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Copyright
© 2006. My Catholic Tradition. All rights reserved |
Dear Friends:
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Thank you.
Rey
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