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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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Papal Triple Crown and the Jewish High Priest's Miter

Taken from Singing in the Reign, Michael Barber's and Dr. Brant Pitre's blog, above title is link to article.

by Dr. Brant Pitre


In order to celebrate the feast of Christ the King (the final day of the liturgical year, celebrated yesterday), I wanted to post just a brief piece of background on the Papal Triple Crown (frequently referred to as the papal "tiara"). Although it is little known, this crown has its roots (surprise!) in ancient Judaism. In particular, we find a direct parallel in the miter that was worn by the Jewish high priest!


Josephus--himself a first-century Jewish priest--gives us a detailed description of the High Priest's miter:

" The high priest's miter was the same that we described before, and was wrought like that of all the other priests; above which there was another, with swathes of blue embroidered, and round it was a golden crown polished, of three rows, one above another ; out of which arose a cup of gold..." (Josephus, Antiquities, 3.172; trans. Whiston, p. 90)

This liturgical head-gear was based on the description of the high priest's miter found in the book of Exodus:

"And you shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, "Holy to the LORD." And you shall fasten it on the miter (LXX mitras ) by a lace of blue; it shall be on the front of the mitre. It shall be upon Aaron's forehead..." (Exodus 28:36-38)

With such descriptions, we find the Jewish background for description of Christ as high-priestly Son of Man in the Van Eyck triptych I attached above (see picture). We also discover the background for the Catholic tradition that the Pope, as the successor to Peter, is not simply the chief bishop, but the High Priestly Vicar of Christ. I'm only speculating--perhaps someone could confirm this--but could the triple crown signify the threefold office: (1) Priest, (2) Prophet, and (3) King?

Along these lines, one day Michael and I will do a post on how Peter is depicted as the new High Priest in the Gospel of Matthew. For now, I will simply note the contrast between the confession of Peter at Caeasarea Philippi and the (anti-)confession of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas at Jesus' Trial before the Sanhedrin:

Caiaphas, the old High Priest

"Tell us if you are the Christ,
the Son of God" (Matt 26:63)

Peter, the New High Priest

"You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16)

Long live Christ the King and Priest!!!

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

EWTN Jewish Roots of the Mass Pt 1 Video

Click on the "Read More" link for the video.





If you liked this one, Part 3 of the series is also online here, and Part 4 here.

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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Nicean Blues Video

Click on the Read More Link for video. (Title above links to the singer's blog)


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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The Man of the Century Has Died...to Virtual Silence

by Michael Ledeen
He was a Polish Jew, born Victor Spielman, which he changed to Victor Grayevsky after he found that “Spielman” was just too Jewish for an ambitious young Pole. He went to school in Kazakhstan, then returned to Poland at the end of the war, where he joined the Communist Party and made a bit of a name for himself as a journalist. In the mid-fifties he followed his parents and sister to Israel, where he ran a lot of the broadcasting to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

And so? And so, he was arguably one of the most important men of the twentieth century, for he was the person who obtained the advance text of Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, the one delivered in February, 1956, the one that laid out the crimes of Stalin for the leaders of the Soviet Communist Party. That text was a turning point in the Cold War. Grayevsky gave it to the Israeli Embassy, where it was copied and sent to Israel. The Shin Bet intelligence service delivered it by courier to James Jesus Angleton, the head of CIA counterintelligence (and the CIA’s liaison with the Israelis), who gave it to CIA chief Allen Dulles, who gave it to President Eisenhower.

Read the rest of the story at Michael Ledeen's blog.

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