Extreme Shepherding
April 29, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Israel Security Agency Expresses Concern About Assassination Plot Against Pope Benedict
April 27, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
The Holy See told the Israeli government that the pope wants to get as close as possible to his followers, so the Vatican hopes the pope will use the vehicle.
But the Shin Bet opposes this, citing pamphlets in Arab towns in the north calling for demonstrations during the visit. Other pamphlets by radical Islamists allegedly call for physical attacks on the pope.
(read article)Pope Benedict XVI Could Really Use Your Prayers
April 27, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Click the image to open the PDF of this prayer. Please share it with your friends & family.
My Newest DVD Now Available: The Persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico
April 23, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Father Jenkins’ Continued Descent Into Madness
April 21, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Notre Dame Prez Father John Jenkins seems to have lost all touch with reality, at least if his latest comments about the impending visit of Dear Leader to address the university’s 2009 commencement audience are any indication:
“We are very proud and honored to welcome the first African-American President of the United States in a few weeks as our commencement speaker. . . . This is a tremendous event for us. We’re tremendously proud. . . . President Obama clearly could have chosen any university in the country to give a commencement address, and they would have been just delighted to have him, but he’s coming to Notre Dame, and we’re exceptionally proud.”
Father Jenkins' Continued Descent Into Madness
April 21, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Notre Dame Prez Father John Jenkins seems to have lost all touch with reality, at least if his latest comments about the impending visit of Dear Leader to address the university’s 2009 commencement audience are any indication:
“We are very proud and honored to welcome the first African-American President of the United States in a few weeks as our commencement speaker. . . . This is a tremendous event for us. We’re tremendously proud. . . . President Obama clearly could have chosen any university in the country to give a commencement address, and they would have been just delighted to have him, but he’s coming to Notre Dame, and we’re exceptionally proud.”
Wikipedia, of All Things, Finally Destroys the Culture of Death!
April 21, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
This is so absurd. And funny. And irritating.
Most Rev. Robert J. Carlson Named New Archbishop of St. Louis
April 21, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
The wonderful, long-anticipated news is breaking this morning. And I am particularly happy about Archbishop-elect Carlson’s elevation to the See of St. Louis because he has been a long-time member of the episcopal advisory board of Envoy Magazine, the Catholic journal I publish.
His Excellency until recently had not been mentioned on the usual lists of rumored candidates for the vacant See. Archbishop Carlson’s name began to be discussed in earnest after the appointment of Bishop Stika to the See at Knoxville, TN.
Archbishop Carlson, who will turn 65 in June, has been Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, MI since 2005. Before that he served as Bishop of Sioux Falls, SD for about ten years, and prior to that was Auxiliary Bishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
His Excellency’s episcopal motto is “Ante crucem nihil defensionis,” or “Before the cross there is no defense.”
Fr. John Hardon: The Strategy of the Devil in Demonic Temptations
April 20, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
It was divinely providential that Christ allowed Himself to be tempted by the devil at the beginning of His public ministry. He is teaching us one of the most important lessons we need to learn in life. If He, the living God in human form, was tempted by the evil spirit, then we must expect to be tempted as well. In order to imitate Christ, we must resist the devil as Christ, Himself, resisted the devil.
As St. John tells us, we are tempted from three sources: by the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is the attractive sinful conduct of other people. The flesh is our concupiscence, the natural inclination that we now have after the fall of the human race, to follow what appeals to us even though it is displeasing to God. The devil is, in some ways, the most powerful enemy we have in the spiritual life.
If there is one thing we learn from the masters of the spiritual life it is to expect to be tempted by the evil spirit. It was the evil spirit who tempted Eve and brought on the fall of the human race. As we reflect on temptations by the devil in our own lives, we must keep in mind who the devil is. He is the evil spirit. Spirit because he is not sensibly perceptible. We cannot hear him with our bodily ears or see him with our bodily eyes. He is an evil spirit whose number is legion and who has been phenomenally successful in seducing untold numbers from their allegiance to God.
St. Ignatius has a key meditation in the Spiritual Exercises on what he calls the Two Standards. The Two Standards correspond to the two leaders in the world who are drawing people to follow them. One leader is Jesus Christ, who inspires believing Christians to dedicate themselves to the extension of His kingdom throughout the world. The other leader is Satan, who is trying to seduce people to follow him for the extension of his demonic kingdom, which, in the words of St Augustine, is the City of Man, which is in constant conflict with the kingdom of Christ. The devil knows that you get nowhere alone, you inspire others to follow you. Then you train your followers and disciples and they will carry on your work. The devil trains his followers to seduce not just people or cities, but whole nations. . . . (continue reading)
Looking for Love in China and Not Finding It
April 20, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Let’s start with the money quote from this article, as it points out the key reason why these Chinese parents are getting really jittery about their adult sons’ inability to find a wife:
“As a result of the one-child policy introduced in China in 1979 and a cultural predisposition for males that has lead to forced abortions and female infanticide, there is a disproportionate number of eligible young men in the country.
In the year 2000 there were 117 boys for every 100 girls – and that ratio is believed to have grown. Worrying about your child’s marriage prospects has long been a major part of Chinese culture, but the striking statistics have compounded the issue.”
BEIJING – On Sunday afternoon thousands of people gathered near Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium for a mass blind date.
