In the weeks before Christmas, we heard that there was renewed confidence in the economy in our country.
Tag: Pope Benedict XVI
Let there be peace, especially in the Holy Land
During Advent and the Christmas season, our thoughts naturally turn towards the Holy Land as we contemplate the events leading to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
We know that there was unrest and conflict in the Holy Land at the time of Jesus’ birth. In fact, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem because of a decree from the Roman occupiers that all people must register in a census.
Thank God for life: Pope calls upon all Catholics to pray for all human life
Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks for all the blessings we have received. First among those blessings is the gift of life. Without life, we could not enjoy everything else God has given us.
Thanksgiving also comes just before the beginning of the Church season of Advent, a time when we prepare spiritually for the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas. Christ, the son of God, took on the challenges of life — and eventually death on a cross — to bring us all the possibility of salvation.
Campaign spending: Imagine what else we could do with $4 billion
The 2010 elections are over and most of us are breathing a sigh of relief. Even if we didn’t like the outcome of some races, we are probably happy to see the end of bitter campaigning, annoying phone calls, and repetitive radio and television ads.
What really upset me were reports on campaign spending in the 2010 elections. The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) reported that more than $4 billion, or the annual GDP of Mongolia, was spent on this election.
Make the most of your vacation
The topic of vacations may not seem weighty enough for an editorial. However, I figure if Pope Benedict XVI can talk about vacations, it’s worthy of discussion.
Recently the Holy Father has mentioned vacations several times. Of course, he himself is spending time at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, which he said offers him a chance to rest and relax.
We should continue to show appreciation for our priests
Back when I was growing up, priests were an important part of my daily life. I attended a Catholic school and the students went to Mass every morning during the week, so we saw our parish priests almost every day.
Besides celebrating Mass, our priests taught in the school. They prepared us for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion and gave us those sacraments for the first time and many times after that.
Calls to abolish all nuclear weapons
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’ve heard about the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. But seeing a picture of the remains of a statue of Mary that survived one of those bombs made those tragedies a reality for me.
A scorched head of a statue of Mary (pictured with this editorial) remained after the blast that destroyed Nagasaki’s Urakami Cathedral on August 9, 1945. The statue once graced the main altar of the cathedral. The haunting eyes of the statue remind viewers of what it might have been like for the 75,000 people who died during the blast.
‘Compassion boom’ hits our country
In past years during tough economic times, there was a decrease in the number of people serving as volunteers in our country.
Fortunately, that has not been happening during our current economic crisis, reported a recent poll taken for PARADE magazine. Instead, this poll shows that there’s a “compassion boom” with more and more people helping others.
Pope Benedict XVI: In five years, he has proven to be an inspiring leader
Five years ago on April 19, the white smoke appeared and the bells were rung at St. Peter’s Basilica to announce that the Catholic Church had a new pope: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who took the name of Pope Benedict XVI.
As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger had attempted to retire and spend more time writing. Pope John Paul II had encouraged him to remain in his office.
Fatima visionary predicted suffering of Holy Father
To the editor:
In 1917, Jacinta Marto, one of three seers of Fatima, saw in a vision “the Holy Father in a very big house, kneeling by a table, with his head buried in his hands, and he was weeping. Outside the house, there were many people. Some of them were throwing stones, others were cursinghim and using bad language.”
“Poor Holy Father” she said, “we must pray very much for him.”