Edited by Kevin Knight (knight@newadvent.org)http://www.newadvent.org/news/newadvent.xml tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-6145062969789372223bannerhttp://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/judge-rules-wash.-pharmacists-cannot-be-forced-to-dispense-contraception/NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)The state of Washington cannot force pharmacists and stores to dispense the “morning-after pill” against their religious objections, a federal judge has ruled. “Today’s decision sends a very clear message: No individual can be forced out of her profession solely because of her religious beliefs,” said Luke Goodrich, deputy national litigation director at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, in his reaction to the Feb. 22 judgment. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-4657808005406366324Lefthttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/christophers/2012/02/the-hubris-of-trying-to-improve-upon-god/ross@NULL.COM (Tony Rossi)Created by “Lost’s” J.J. Abrams, “Fringe” revolves around the FBI’s Fringe science investigation team led by Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson). About 20 years ago, Walter was a ‘mad scientist’ type who performed experiments on children, using them as guinea pigs to push science beyond any previously-held human and moral boundaries. He felt that anything that can be accomplished should be accomplished regardless of the laws of nature or the dignity of human beings. Walter pushed that idea even further when he discovered a parallel universe made up of the same people alive in this world, but in slightly-altered circumstances. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-6479794932833229377Centerhttp://catholickey.blogspot.com/2012/02/cardinal-dolan-to-bishops-where-does-it.htmlsmit@NULL.COM (Jack Smith)In a new letter to his fellow US bishops, USCCB President Timothy Cardinal Dolan asserts that President Obama’s accommodation to the HHS birth control, abortifacient and sterilization mandate has changed nothing and he again asks the bishops to help in the fight to pass the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. The letter, co-signed by Bishop William Lori and dated today, is the strongest statement yet on the subject of religious freedom which the writers say is a God-given right which “does not depend on any government’s decision to grant it.” The bishops worry that the mandate sets a terrible precedent for religious liberty, “If the government can, for example, tell Catholics that they cannot be in the insurance business today without violating their religious convictions, where does it end?” tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-3453488108455797965Righthttp://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/ash-wednesday/article/320ruth@NULL.COM (Ian Rutherford)The practice of using ashes in the Catholic Church dates back to sixth century Spanish Mozarabic rite which called for a cross of ashes to be traced on the heads of the gravely ill who were entering the Order of Penitents... tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-6471427405543854689Lefthttp://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/05/02/navy-seals.htmlNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)In a world where enemies who agree to wear black hats are hard to come by, the military and the president have begun to lean on the highly trained, whip-smart services of elite Special Forces units. While other budgets are shrinking, funding for special ops has doubled since 2001; in the same time, the numbers of deployments has quadrupled. Admiral William H. McRaven, who heads the Special Operations Command, is seizing the moment, asking for expanded authority to conduct the lightning-fast, pinprick strikes that have laid low al-Qaeda operatives and Somali pirates alike. At the same time, McRaven is working to increase the Special Forces’ media profile, arguing for increased transparency and signing off on a feature film, ‘Act of Valor,’ that will star active Navy SEALs. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-7497832895835769281Centerhttp://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/02/clerical-narcissism-and-lentweig@NULL.COM (George Weigel)Since the introduction of the new liturgical texts this past November, I’ve attended Mass in Australia, California, New York, Rome, Washington, and Phoenix, and in none of these venues have I detected any of the calamities confidently predicted by opponents of the new texts. Not only has there been no visible distress over “consubstantial”; the People of God seem to have rather quickly and painlessly adjusted to the changes, so that, three months into the process, it’s a rare “And also with you” that escapes the lips of an unthinking congregant. In fact, most of the people who’ve spoken to me about the changes have applauded them. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-7268028711472689920Righthttp://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/the-pope-gets-politicalgeob@NULL.COM (Robert George)Pope John Paul II declares that even now we are in the midst of an “enormous and dramatic clash” between the culture of life and the culture of death. At stake in this struggle is respect for the basic human dignity of the weakest and most vulnerable members of the human family – the unborn, the frail elderly, the poor, and the infirm. And since the character of any society is shaped in a decisive way by its treatment of those most in need of care and protection, the resolution of this struggle will determine what kind of a people we are. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-7252653657350782464Lefthttp://www.christianpost.com/news/catholic-politicians-you-thought-were-evangelical-69951/NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)Some Catholic politicos have become popular among evangelical Christians. So popular, in fact, that they can sometimes be mistaken for an evangelical themselves. Here are six Catholic politicians who are often believed to be evangelicals tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-3534733443509550023Centerhttp://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/21/santorum-ill-defend-everything-thing-i-say/NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)Excerpts of Santorum’s speech were splashed across the conservative leaning Drudge Report for much of Tuesday. Santorum dismissed the Drudge article as “absurd.” "If they want to go ahead and dig up old speeches to a religious group they can go right ahead and do so. I'm going to stay on message. I'm going to talk about the things Americans want to talk about," Santorum said to CNN. When pressed further if he believed Satan was attacking America, as he said in his 2008 speech, Santorum insisted the subject is not on the minds of voters. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-2840143692535637580Righthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D2VPiKgId8NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)Archbishop Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, reflects on the meaning of Lent and explains the fasting, prayer and almsgiving that Catholic are called to during the six week preparation for Easter. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-6218161236655431638Lefthttp://vultus.stblogs.org/2012/02/christ-solitary-and-penitent-f.htmlkirb@NULL.COM (Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby)Mother Mectilde de Bar preached this exhortation to her community assembled in Chapter one Ash Wednesday. A true Benedictine, she puts her finger on pride, identifying it as "the source of all our faults and even of all our misfortunes." Pride is the satanic sin par excellence because the prideful man claims for himself the sovereign lordship that belongs to God alone. The only remedy for pride is to have one's heart broken and humbled. Fortunately for us, God so arranges our lives that we are given opportunities to suffer broken hearts and to be humbled, and this over and over again, until at last we concede that God is God and we are not. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-7755225515988198175Centerhttp://www.ncregister.com/blog/matthew-archbold/boys-aint-defective-girlsarcm@NULL.COM (Matt Archbold)I’ve got a buddy whose little girl is just the sweetest most darling creature you’ve ever met. And he’s got a boy. Who ain’t. I could tell you what the boy does, but I think you’d get a clearer image by my telling you what he doesn’t do. He doesn’t sit still. He doesn’t just have ants in his pants. They’re fire ants. With fleas. He doesn’t chew with his mouth closed but that’s just because the size of the thing he crammed in his mouth was bigger than his foot. He doesn’t walk. He jumps, leaps, bounds, runs, gallops or rolls. But he doesn’t walk. At least not that I’ve seen. He doesn’t talk quietly either. He seemed to have been born without the ability to modulate his voice in any way. When he’s excited about something he talks to me like h’es on the 50 yard line and I’m in the last bleacher of Giants stadium. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-1547233386988652113Righthttp://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/who-is-the-highest-ranking-human-female-in-the-churchakin@NULL.COM (Jimmy Akin)The highest ranking female in the entire Church is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Rank, in her case, is assessed based on her relationship with King Jesus, her son. At the present moment, however, the Virgin Mary is in heaven and thus is not active except through her intercession in the Church Militant (i.e., the Church here on Earth). tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-174914220335223542Lefthttp://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1135/The_Worlds_Most_Secretive_Nation.aspxNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)Outside of a rebellion, the death of a sitting head-of-state normally does not hold the globe’s attention for weeks on end. This is especially true when that person heads a nation whose size is roughly that of Mississippi, whose population is smaller than Ghana’s, and whose economy ranks behind Yemen, Ethiopia, and Panama. Then again, there is nothing normal about North Korea, the most secretive state in the world, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or its recently deceased “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il. Kim died Saturday, December 17, 2011, allegedly of a heart attack while on his special bulletproof train doing one of his famous “field guidance” tours. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-5429775183722451784Centerhttp://www.tmatt.net/2012/02/20/transfiguring-the-crystal-cathedral/matt@NULL.COM (Terry Mattingly)It doesn’t take a doctorate in church architecture to know why every pew in every Catholic cathedral allows worshippers to gaze toward the altar. What happens on the altar during Mass is the heart of Catholic faith. Meanwhile, architects that design Protestant churches make sure preachers have everyone’s attention when they rise to preach. What happens in those pulpits is what matters for most Protestants. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-5994318049174076479Righthttp://catholiclane.com/why-the-believer-knows-more-about-science/tras@NULL.COM (Stacy Trasancos)If I had to name the most important topics in science during our time, they would probably be evolutionary biology, cosmology, particle physics, and psychology to understand the human person better. However, if I had to name the most important issue in science today, it would be something more over-arching. It would be the general issue of metaphysics and philosophy applied to scientific research and interpretation. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-7118279310044776938Lefthttp://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2012/02/22/the-guardian-britain%e2%80%99s-liberal-newspaper-has-warm-praise-for-the-catholic-church-the-subject-death/luci@NULL.COM (Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith)There is a wise and wonderful editorial in this morning’s Guardian, which has warm praise for the Catholic Church. Read it here if you do not believe me. The writer puts his or her finger on a key point of concern in our culture, namely the way that death has been swept under the carpet, and the way the art of dying has been lost. A most suitable subject for Ash Wednesday. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-2694317470733781627Centerhttp://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2012/02/22/st-margaret-clitherow-should-be-among-those-britons-honoured-with-a-stamp/phil@NULL.COM (Francis Phillips)There are other great English Catholics, such as St Thomas More, Bishop Challoner and Blessed John Henry Newman; they too deserve commemoration on our stamps if the whole story of this country is to be acknowledged and remembered. But in the age of feminism, sexual equality and equal opportunities and when the faces of the feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the Bronte sisters are included in commemorative collections alongside Odette, it is a pity that a woman of shining virtue and surpassing courage, St Margaret Clitherow, is not among them. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-8680162557200674098Righthttp://cantuar.blogspot.com/2012/02/ash-wednesday-official-catholic-rules.htmlmars@NULL.COM (Taylor Marshall)In the United States pregnant women, nursing women, people over 60 and children under 18 are not obligated to fast (eat only one full meal) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. However, all Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence (no meat) for those 14 and older. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-7219916784666737276Lefthttp://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-record-decision-before-summer.htmlNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)The matter of a return to full communion with the Catholic Church of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX [SSPX]) is "in the Pope's hands", sources close to the dossier revealed to I.Media on February 20, 2012. Now that the phase of discussions with the Lefebvrists is over, Benedict XVI should shortly pronounce a final judgment to put an end, "before summer", to the discussions held since 2009 with the Society separated from Rome. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-165889619315071243Centerhttp://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/border_debate_is_irrelevant_priest_1_3542327NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)A prominent Catholic parish priest in Belfast has claimed nationalism is irrelevant, slammed the Catholic Church in the Republic and hailed the Queen of England as a defender of his faith. Fr Eugene O’Neill has provoked a storm of protest with his comments, made in an interview with the Newsletter newspaper in the city. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-8817106243877604295Righthttp://areluctantsinner.blogspot.com/2012/02/fancy-pretzel-what-members-of-eastern.htmlNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)It seems that in recent years many Church leaders have preferred to downplay the importance of fasting during Lent, often emphasising alms-giving and prayer instead. But this holy season is primarily about the act of prolonged fasting - it's what Jesus did in the desert, after all. Forgetting about this important aspect of the Season of Lent is worrying - especially as abstaining from luxurious food is not only admirable in itself, but is something that also leads to spiritual renewal, the disciplining of the body, a more profound sense of penitence and also, more importantly, to a corporate witnessing to our faith in and love of Jesus Christ. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-3898852853988187000Lefthttp://www.romereports.com/palio/pope-explains-the-significance-of-lent-and-ash-wednesday-english-6120.htmlNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)During the Pope's general audience, Benedict XVI talked about the meaning of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The Pope explained the significance of having 40 days of Lent. He also described it as a time for “spiritual renovation.” tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-1258886339925288466Centerhttp://www.ncregister.com/blog/jennifer-fulwiler/father-were-ready-for-that-homily-on-contraception-nowfulw@NULL.COM (Jennifer Fulwiler)A couple of weeks ago, our priest gave a homily about contraception. While speaking about the Health and Human Services mandate, our associate pastor, Fr. Jonathan Raia, made a few allusions to the fact that the Church believes that contraception is bad. There were over a thousand people packed into the building, and a slight but noticeable tension developed as he inched closer and closer to the subject. This most controversial of Catholic teachings had been splashed all over the news in recent days, ridiculed and denounced throughout popular culture, and the question hung in the air: “Is he going to go there?” tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-5212084244368497508Righthttp://blog.adw.org/2012/02/out-of-wedlock-birthrate-continues-to-soar-nothing-less-than-the-future-of-our-country-is-at-stake/pope@NULL.COM (Msgr. Charles Pope)The breakdown of the traditional family is at the heart of what Daniel Patrick Moynihan once called a “tangle of pathologies.” The image I have often used is that the breakdown of the nuclear family is in fact a kind of nuclear fission. For the family (not the individual) is the basic unit of society. Splitting the family is like splitting the atom, it leads to a destructive chain reaction that, if not somehow controlled and contained, destroys just about everything in sight. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-4732850536593751033Lefthttp://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-decline-of-working-class-catholic-families.htmlmarl@NULL.COM (George Marlin)Millions of Catholics survived the Great Depression of the 1930s thanks to parishes and parochial schools. These institutions helped to prevent the emergence of a rebellious underclass by serving as social and educational centers. Priests and nuns instilled the moral direction necessary to maintain civility. Children learned that family, discipline, loyalty, and hard work mattered regardless of financial circumstances. Despite the hardships of monetary poverty, Catholic families remained intact. They did not become victims of behavioral poverty. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-8088743656509397945Centerhttp://www.ncregister.com/blog/mark-shea/a-bit-more-on-demonsshea@NULL.COM (Mark Shea)With the light of the Spirit, we can now see that the serpent in Genesis is “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan” (as Revelation tells us). But that is something only fully understood after the establishment of the New Covenant. His identity is veiled in the Old Testament. In the same way, the “satan” in Job, while certainly patient of a Christian interpretation as the Devil, is not called a devil or a demon in the text of Job. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-4127479159817242050Righthttp://gkupsidedown.blogspot.com/2012/02/reasons-for-renunciation.htmllong@NULL.COM (Fr. Dwight Longenecker)Several times in my journey through this vale of tears I have been summoned to make a crazy sacrifice in order to follow Christ. One of those times was when I left the Anglican priesthood to become a Catholic. We had a large house in a sleepy English village, two beautiful thousand-year old churches, a quiet life and a secure living. I could have hunkered down and stayed there for a very long time, walking the dog, reading books, raising a family and serving the Lord. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-3960999887916200702Lefthttp://truthandcharity.net/poultry-and-devout-catholicism/NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)I’m a chicken. A big one. Reading The Rule of St. Benedict and Mother Teresa’s Humility List has been a big wake-up call. Despite the fact that life has been movin’ right along, I have gotten myself into a bit of a rut of spiritual inaction; but, encountering the saints in this way has been manna for my hungry soul. The challenge in both St. Benedict’s and Mother Teresa’s guidance, however, has been the required further interpretation for married laity. While I’m glad to give it a shot, St. Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life offers direct instruction for the lifestyle. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-4317310493470020357Centerhttp://lifehacker.com/5886633/five-things-you-buy-that-dont-actually-work-the-way-you-thinkNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)We've learned to be skeptical of product packaging and not always trust the claims it makes, but our hopefulness sometimes gets the best of us. Here are five products you've likely used, or maybe even purchase regularly, that don't yield the results you may expect. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-1010705530242758222Righthttp://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ave-maria-university-challenges-hhs-mandate-in-federal-court/NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)Ave Maria University has filed a lawsuit seeking relief from the federal rule forcing it to fund contraception, sterilization, and abortion-causing drugs in employee health care plans. “It is a sad day when an American citizen or organization has no choice but to sue its own government in order to exercise religious liberty rights guaranteed by our nation’s Constitution,” said Ave Maria President Jim Towey, speaking to reporters on a Feb. 21 conference call. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-6189167938301917650Lefthttp://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/blessed_mother_t4Ct56IvSarmvLXmbzA4oKNULL@NULL.COM (NAME)Holy Father, meet my mother. Capping a whirlwind nine-day trip with a final visit to the Vatican, Timothy Cardinal Dolan introduced his 84-year-old mom to Pope Benedict XVI yesterday — then jokingly asked the pontiff if he could make her “the first lady of the College of Cardinals.” Amid cheers and applause, Dolan walked his mom, Shirley, up to the stage to greet his boss during a papal audience before an enthusiastic crowd inside the Paul VI Hall. “Holy Father, here is my mom!” Dolan said he told the pope. Unable to resist the temptation to make a joke, Dolan, 62, pointed out that he’s one of the few princes of the church young enough and lucky enough to still have his mother alive. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-1929155076607645190Centerhttp://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-make-total-consecration-to-jesus.htmlerle@NULL.COM (Fr. Ryan Erlenbush)The Total Consecration is principally an interior devotion – it does not consist primarily in the recitation of many prayers, but in offering all that we do to Jesus through his Mother. Jesus has given us all things, including himself, through Mary; let us then give to this same Jesus all things, including ourselves, through Mary! However, St. Louis-Marie de Montfort directs us to prepare for this act of Total Consecration with thirty-three days of short prayers and spiritual practices. tag:newadvent.org,1999:blog-3972000218521616682.post-4753348404708635392Righthttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103797/Teenage-mugger-spared-jail-clutching-rosary-telling-judge-God.html?ITO=1490NULL@NULL.COM (NAME)A teenage mugger has been spared a possible seven-year-jail term after telling a crown court judge he found God in prison. John Murray, 19, tried to mug two students of their mobile phones and wallets after a night drinking and taking drugs. Coventry Crown Court heard Murray hit one of the students so hard in the face he was knocked off his feet.