Saints

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Thursday, June 20, 2013

There Is A Man on The Cross


The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once gave a talk on the Devil and at the end of it he said that when there is silence, day or night, he is startled by a cry. The first time he heard it, the cry came down from the cross. When he went out and searched, he found a man in the “throws of crucifixion.” He tried to take the man down, tried to take the nails out of his feet, but the man said, “Let them be; for I cannot be taken down until every man, woman, and child come together to take me down.” The archbishop pleaded, “What can I do? I cannot bear your cry.” And the Lord said to him, “Go into the world and tell every one that you meet that there is a man on a cross.”

What a simple, direct expression of our command to evangelize. Go tell people about Christ, that he is God and that God became man and suffered and died to save us. Tell people in a way that unites them at the cross.

Fulton Sheen also describes in this sermon that the Devil is “anti-cross.” Anything that is of the Devil leads people away from the cross. He explains that anything that produces discord or brings about division in the Church is diabolic. That is, again, a simple test to remember when we evangelize, when we speak to others about Christ or even live our lives as Christians. Is what I’m about to say or do going to cause discord? Speaking the truth can be hard enough if we fear rejection or isolation; speaking the truth in love, in a way that communicates to people not inclined to listen, takes skill and effort. You have to consider the audience before yourself.

Another disruptive element in society, he says, is also the decline of discipline. “The decline of the spirit of discipline is a hatred of the cross.” It starts in schools, and when a nation tries to impose discipline without the cross, the nation becomes totalitarian. The disciplinary character of Christianity commits people to a common purpose beyond themselves. Discipline without the cross brings destruction of human liberty.

This Holy Week as we pray before the cross and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, let’s pray also that we are granted the words we need to tell others about the man on the cross, and let’s pray they hear us and join with the angels in praising our Lord.


Sunday, June 2, 2013

PEGGY NOONAN, THE GREAT (Writer)





This review is from: 
John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father (Hardcover)
by Terry Fenwick 

Everything I have ever read that Peggy Noonan has written always makes me say, "I wish I had said that!" or "Why didn't I write that?" Peggy is funny, she is deep - she is nothing short of magnificent. Peggy Noonan the Great sees life with a capital L, puts it all on paper for you and for me and makes that Life jump off the pages right into our hearts.

That is exactly what Peggy Noonan has done with John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father. She has made the life of John Paul the Great, jump off the pages, right into your heart.

Peggy Noonan is gifted at one-liners; her titles for each chapter, as well as all of her comments, need to be underlined in a brilliant color and cherished over and over as you read them again and again.

The first chapter, "I saw a Saint at Sunrise" is very heart-warming to any of us who have been to Rome but will be just as exciting to those who still yearn to make their first journey. The final chapter, "There is a Dead Saint in Rome" will take you to many thoughts of the week John Paul the Great left us.

The writing of the mini-miracle, sandwiched between the first and last chapter, of perfectly round circles of glass from an `explosion' of her coffee glass, filled with hot coffee, that reminded Peggy to pray the Rosary, will delight you. You will shake your head as you believe.

John Paul the Great was my Christmas gift to many grateful friends who feel the same way. Buy it - you will love it. Then, write a review!