You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ category.
At Mass today, Pope Francis reminded us to “do as Paul did and begin to “build bridges and to move forward”, because “the LORD made bridges”. Tomorrow we mark one of those bridges, the tallest, longest and most important of them all.
The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord marks the completion of a bridge which only the Lord could build. Try as we might, on or own we can never bridge the gap that exists between us and God. But God can, and He did. With the Incarnation of Jesus the first part was built, and in His earthly life Jesus Christ showed us how to walk the bridge to God. With his death and resurrection the bridge was completed and with the Ascension, Christ leads us across.
The bridge is permanent, for God has established it. It is ever open to us, who do our best to walk the Way that is Christ.
“Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands he blessed them. Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple praising God.”
Gospel of Luke 24:50-53
Particularly seen in the context of Christ’s entire ministry here on earth, the Ascension is a truly remarkable, even awe-inspiring event.
Art credit: The Ascension of Christ, by Salvador Dali (1958)
In a way, it’s nice to be able to look back on a normal month. No papal resignation, no sede vacante, no conclave, no new Pope (well, the latter is not entirely true…). A fairly average number of 8,378 views in April reflects this. Not to say there weren’t any events and posts that did not draw attention…
1: Countdown to papal Twitter launch: 843
2: Léonard’s example in the face of insanity: 290
3: What to learn from the attack on Abp. Léonard: 181
4: A Catholic queen for the Netherlands? & Before Sacra Liturgia, Bishop Rey explains why liturgy matters: 93
5: Six years ago today: 75
6: Papal prayers for a new King: 66
7: Sacra Liturgia 2013 – why liturgy matters: 65
8: Pope Francis and “God spray”: 64
9: The fall of Cardinal Piacenza: 50
10: Synod of Bishops – day nine: 48
And, as ever, the tin cup still rattles, time still equals money and the Pope is, indeed, still Catholic. Don’t forget to support this blog with asmall donation of whichever size you prefer:
Out of sight certainly doesn’t mean out of mind in this case. I would be surprised if he himself marks his birthday in any but a small way, but today is indeed the 86th birthday of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
‘They’ say his health has deteriorated in recent weeks, but then again: ‘they’ say a lot. We simply don’t know, but we can certainly pray. For his wellbeing, his rest, and his prayers for us. Let’s do that especially today, in hope, faith and love.
What a month it has been. Beginning with the farewell of Pope Benedict XVI, we rode the waves of the sede vacante, the conclave and the election of Pope Francis, and various other events that added some lines to this blog. All in all, it took quite some work to keep these pages filled as things developed, so I hope that a few days of less communication is forgiven. But all the effort brought its own reward, as there was interest from across the globe in my writings. In total, I could chalk up 15,933 visits to these pages. That’s triple the number of a regular quiet month. Thank you!
On to the top 10 of most popular blog posts of March:
1: Countdown to papal Twitter launch 745
2: Meeting of the Popes 431
3: Enter the electors 329
4: The fall of Cardinal Piacenza 318
5: Continuity – Pope Francis’ coat of arms 214
6: Church teachings – the clash between authority and respect 147
7: ‘Bel Giorgio’ takes over the household 82
8: First Sunday – the Dutch cardinals in Rome 80
9: Holy Week 2013, an overview of cathedral celebrations 79
10: The seagull vigil 77
March has been crazy as far as the blog was concerned. I write these words in my free time, which is not always available in abundance. If you like what you read here, and appreciate the information I try to provide and keep as up to date as possible, think of making a donation to this blog’s upkeep. You will find a PayPal donation button in the left sidebar, and also below. Any donor can count on prayers and much appreciation from my part, and will contribute to a continued Catholic voice in new media.
In the middle of the month we had the momentous announcement and we ended up with the actual vacant see of Rome. With 10,148 page views, I am happy to see that my thoughts about this historic period in the Church were read and appreciated by many. Readers from The Spectator in the UK found their way here (nice to see you here!), as did many others via blogs and social media. Fr. Roderick’s sharing my blog post about the Pope’s last general audience also caused a spike in the page views, so thanks very much for that!
Anyway, on to the top 10, which may be a bit different than expected.
1: Cardinal watch: Cardinal Arinze turns 80 251
2: Countdown to papal Twitter launch 145
3: Boodschap voor de Vastentijd 2013 102
4: The pope who resigned – St. Celestine V 98
5: ‘Bel Giorgio’ takes over the household 91
6: One cardinal stays at home – Indonesia’s Darmaatmadja not attending the conclave 89
7: Distancing – how not to disagree & Risky business – German bishops allow abortive drugs, but only when they’re not abortive 83
8: The final farewell 80
9: Obsession, but on whose part? 75
10: The bishop in the Eucharistic Prayer – a first step? 70
“As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to depart.
I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.”
[2 Tim. 4:7]
Photo credit: ESTEBAN FELIX/AFP/Getty Images
After some badly timed computer issues, I’m back on the blog. Hopefully it won’t be indicative of the rest of the year!
Closing the year off on a high of 7,723 views in December (the highest number since June), here’s an overview of the ten best-viewed blog posts of that month:
1: Kerstgroet aan de Curie: 1,015
2: Papal attack on the Nativity ox and ass: 125
3: Does the Pope support the killing of gays?: 122
4: State of the Church, 2012 – or the media’s failure at reporting the truth: 68
5: ‘Bel Giorgio’ takes over the household: 66
6: Nieuwjaarstoespraak 2010 van Paus Benedictus XVI: 58
7: Het probleem Medjugorje: 55
8: In Regensburg, a new bishop in the style of Benedict: 53
9: Why am I Catholic?: 47
10: College of Cardinals: 39
For now, on this Gaudete Sunday, let us indeed “rejoice”. Christmas is coming. The Lord is not far anymore.
In an address to the International Theological Commission a few days ago, Pope Benedict XVI (pictured at left with Bishop Jan Liesen, one of the Commission’s members) spoke about a difficult but important topic: the sensus fidei. This religious sensibility is something that we must recognise and cultivate in order to recognise what is and what is not the truth that has been handed down through the Apostolic Tradition of the Church.
What is especially important today, the pope said, is “to clarify the criteria used to distinguish the authentic sensus fidelium from its counterfeits. In fact, it is not some kind of public opinion of the Church, and it is unthinkable to mention it in order to challenge the teachings of the Magisterium, this because the sensus fidei can not grow authentically in the believer except to the extent in which he or she fully participates in the life of the Church, and this requires a responsible adherence to her Magisterium.”
This passage says a lot about how we are called to live as faithful people, with an innate sensus fidei. In the first place, it is not an opinion. Secondly, it does not exists separately from the Church and the Magisterium which are equally given by God, like the sensus fidei. Thirdly, it can’t grow if we are not active participants to the fullest in the life of the Church.
But perhaps the most important lessons we can draw from this is that faith, our sense of it and therefore also our practice, is never solitary. We are never alone, but always live, act and believe with our fellow faithful. The Church is the combined body of those faithful, and that is why faith is lived with and in the Church, of which the Magisterium is an indispensable part. Just like the Apostles lived with Christ and according to His teachings, so we are called to live with our teachers and follow them in charity and obedience.
Photo credit: l’Osservatore Romano
