Friday, December 28, 2007

Sex in Heaven by Peter Kreeft

"Human sexuality is that image, and human sexuality is a foretaste of that self-giving, that losing and finding the self, that oneness-in-manyness that is the heart of the life and joy of the Trinity."

Looking over Professor Kreeft's site, I also found his talk, Sex in Heaven, which has been of particular interest to me as I have been reading and meditating upon the meaning and importance of marriage in realtion to the Eucharist and the Mass. An expanded, audio version of this article is also found on Professor Kreeft's site:










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In Christ's peace and joy,


Robin

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The Meaning of Christmas: Look Deeper by Peter Kreeft

"...history too symbolizes, or points beyond itself, for God
wrote three books, not just one: nature and history as well
as Scripture. The story of history is composed not only of
“events,” but of words, signs and symbols. This is unfamil-
iar to us only because we have lost a sense of depth and ex-
changed it for a flat, one-dimensional, “bottom-line” mental-
ity in which everything means only one thing."

This is the same Truth found in the Jewish Feasts/Sacrifices fulfilled by Jesus. They, too, have three meanings: Nature, Historical, and Scriptural. Notice also the symbolic meaning which the Gospel of John so amply teached us as well.

Enjoy!

I found this great meditation on Catholic Education Resources:

The Meaning of Christmas: Look Deeper


In Christ's peace and joy,

Robin

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Saturday, December 22, 2007

Jewish Oral Law: Tradition!

Although the Written Law was considered complete, traditional Jewish teaching is that Moses also received a second set of laws called Torah She'bi-al peh: the Oral Law. Accompanying the Written Law, the Oral Law gave the finer details on how the Written Law was to be fulfilled.


Cheryl Dickow at Catholic Exchange has written an article, Our Jewish Roots: Oral Law, (linked) on the Jewish Oral Law which explains what mishnah and the Talmud is all about. An excellent and informative article. I remmember that this question came up in my class on the Jewish and Scriuptural Roots of the Mass series.

May all of our preparations for Christmas, both spiritual and physical, leave us longing to welcome God from on high into our hearts and our lives!

A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all!

Robin

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Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Free Online Advent Study

I have embedded the video here for your convenience--Just click on the Read More link to see it, and the link to the article can be found at Catholic Exchange.

I hope you find it helpful--I know I am! May we all be blessed this Advent with a greater depth of love for our coming Savior!

In Christ's peace and joy,

Robin



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Monday, December 03, 2007

Why I See Red When I See Pink Ribbons

From Lifenews.com by Dr. Joel Brind (Bold emphases added by me--rhl)

October was a little different, as pink ribbons seemed to be more abundant than pumpkins. It was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month again, and for the Breast Cancer establishment -- Komen Race for the Cure, the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), et al. -- it's almost like Christmas season is for Macy's and Target.

That's when these organizations make their big pitch for donations, and that pitch is usually some variation of the following: "(1)We don't know what causes breast cancer, (2) most women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors for the disease and (3)there's no cure for breast cancer, so you'd better give us all the money you can so we can find a cure before the disease gets YOU!"

The lies are numbered for the convenience of the reader, who might just be wondering why, with a such an actual, widespread, life-threatening disease, and such a genuine need for research and education about it, those dedicated to fight it need to rely on a pack of lies to raise the funds to do so.

Wonder no further, for the reason is political correctness: Most breast cancer is attributable to "women's liberation" and the changes in childbearing patterns it has wrought.



So the breast cancer advocates-- like NBCC president Fran Visco are out there again in the media, decrying all the "misinformation out there," even as they spread it around it themselves.

Speaking about a new survey conducted by the NBCC, Visco told the Chicago Tribune that "we need to educate, not just raise awareness." Among the bits of "misinformation out there" according to the NBCC survey, is that "(M)ost women believe breast cancer can be prevented." Christopher Wanjek, writing for Live Science's Bad Medicine website, actually calls this his number 3 "myth." He also calls a variation of this widespread belief: "Risk factors are mostly to blame", his number 1 "myth". He elaborates: "More than two-thirds of women with breast cancer have no known risk factors for the disease."
Here are the real facts:
1) We do know what causes most breast cancer. About half the breast cancer in the US is attributable to delaying first childbirth until after age 25 or 30, or forever. The younger a woman is when she has her first child, the lower her lifetime risk. For a pregnant teenager, the proverbial silver lining of her cloud is the fact that, if she continues the pregnancy and gives birth at term, she will reduce her lifetime breast cancer risk by at least two-thirds, compared to having her first child at age 30 or older. Breast feeding her children lowers a woman's risk still further.

But postponing childbearing denies a woman the natural protection her children give her even while still in the womb. Even worse, what she may do to avoid childbearing adds to her risk, i.e., years of taking contraceptive steroids (be they in birth control pill, patch, implantable, injectable or ring form), and abortion.

Actually, abortion is the single most avoidable cause of breast cancer (even though Wanjek calls "Abortions cause breast cancer" his number 5 "myth").

No, that doesn't mean that most women who have an abortion will get breast cancer, or that most women who get breast cancer have had an abortion. It just means that the effect of abortion is so strong that choosing abortion even once causes a measurable increase in breast cancer risk. Contrast this to, say, taking hormone replacement therapy or the pill, where it takes years of daily use—thousands of pills—to make a measurable difference in risk. In a normal pregnancy, a woman is exposed to far more estrogen—which stimulates the multiplication of breast cells—than any pills or normal cycles provide. If the pregnancy is not allowed to go to term (or at least 32 weeks gestation), a woman is left with more places for cancer to start. But a full-term pregnancy matures the breast tissue into cells which can make milk, but can no longer multiply. So a full-term pregnancy leaves a woman's breasts with fewer places for cancer to start, and permanent protection against breast cancer.

2) Most women in the general population do have known risk factors for breast cancer, let alone those who actually get the disease. Just for starters, about 75% of American women have taken birth control pills, a risk factor which even the World Health Organization (finally!) acknowledges. Not to mention that a substantial proportion of American women have had an abortion.

3) Here's some really good news: Most cases of breast cancer—about 80%—are actually cured! In fact, at least half of all newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer are stage 0 or stage 1, which are cured over 95% of the time, and without mastectomy!

Of course, the best news of all is that breast cancer is largely avoidable. Avoiding abortion is the simplest way to reduce the risk. And that's also one reason why there really is "a lot of misinformation out there."

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Spe Salvi - Online


Thanks to the Curt Jester, Jeff Miller, Pope Benedict XVI's new encyclical on hope, Spe Salvi, is now available for free in audio for those of us who have more time to listen than to read.

To download, right click and "Save (Target/Link) As."

Spe Salvi - m4a file

Spe Salvi - mp3

Jeff also graciously permits his readers to use his Advent Wreath and counter.

Thank you, Jeff!

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