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August 1, 2007
Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Pope Benedict XVI, translated from German by Adrian J. Walker (Random House, hardcover, 400 pages, $32). Jesus of Nazareth is an erudite, profound, personal and sometimes poetic discussion of the person of Jesus. Always with a thoughtful reflective tone, Pope Benedict explores in detail the sources of Gospel imagery in the Hebrew Scriptures, often in dialogue with Church Fathers and great European and Jewish scholars of the past century.
Ask the Bible Geek 2: More Answers to Questions from Catholic Teens, by Mark Hart (Servant Books, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007, $12.99 U.S.). Did you ever wonder why at Christmas time we sing all that music even though we call it a silent night? Mark Hart answers this question and dozens more in Ask the Bible Geek 2.
WELLAND, Ont. - The One Called Jesus, a travelling art exhibit with lifelike, highly detailed characters, is winning rave reviews from visitors during a month-long stop in Welland.
HAMILTON, Ont. - Matthew Francis Ustrzycki says there was basically one reason he decided to become a priest and go on to serve in that vocation for 48 years, including 22 as auxiliary bishop of Hamilton diocese: “I guess I fell in love with Jesus.”
WASHINGTON - A recent Florida court case in which a jury awarded $23.5 million as compensation for the “wrongful birth” of a child is the latest sign that “society is moving toward designer children” who are not valued if they are not perfect, an official of the Florida Catholic Conference said July 30.
August 2, 2007
BELFAST, Northern Ireland - A Belfast-based Passionist priest said Northern Irish Catholics feel “joy and relief” that British military operations in the region have come to an end.
August 9, 2007
From cell phone conversations about what the boss may have told a colleague about his boss, to an Internet blog reporting what insiders are saying about a movie still in production, and TV shows filled with breathless revelations about celebrity marriages and sports pages filled with whispers about athletes at loggerheads with teammates and coaches, Canadians are daily floating in a sea of gossip.
I just finished reading Jodi Picoult’s The Pact and felt that it really hit home hard. Although it’s fiction, it dealt with real issues teenagers face every day.
August 13, 2007
When death came for Swedish film and theatre director Ingmar Bergman in late July, it found a lonely old man living on a desolate island, whose most important accomplishments in art lay far in the past. He still had numerous fans, as we were reminded by the outpouring of tributes. But despite the polite homage often paid him by younger directors, he had no followers in Scandinavia or anywhere else.
WASHINGTON - The United Nations’ decision July 31 to send a peacekeeping force to the Darfur region of Sudan drew cheers from Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based confederation of Catholic relief, development and social service organizations.
The president of the Philippines is getting an earful from corporations with money to invest worried about the human rights record of Filipino police.
BURLINGTON, Ont. - What started off as a simple attempt to help her autistic cousin learn to read and write turned into a computer program fully equipped with music, animations, bright colours and love.
TORONTO - Some call him Ireland’s Missionary to Canada. Others have dubbed him the “Lion.” He is known for his missionary work, sense of justice and relentless advocacy for the rights of the unborn, and now, Fr. Edward (Ted) Colleton, CSSp, has announced his plans to retire and return to Ireland after 67 years in the priesthood.
TORONTO - A Markham tax preparer who provided clients with bogus receipts for donations to Catholic parishes in the archdiocese of Toronto has been sentenced to two years in jail.
TORONTO - Toronto’s Dr. Bill Sullivan, the founding executive director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute and president of the International Association of Catholic Bioethicists, has been appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life.
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) Aug. 19 (Jeremiah 38:1-2, 4-6, 8-10; Psalm 40; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53) Jeremiah is not the first or the only prophet to get into trouble by voicing contrary views during a crisis or time of war. Usually the party line is the only voice desired or permitted. But Jeremiah has the dubious honour of proclaiming the word of God — not his own — and it is not something that those in power want to hear.
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Aug. 26 (Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30) New experiences — even difficult and painful ones — provide the opportunity for transformation and a change in spiritual awareness. The Israelites endured the destruction of their city and 50 years of painful and humiliating exile in Babylon. But that experience left a deep mark on their understanding of God.
One of the many surprises New Brunswick had for this native Torontonian and staunch Upper Canadian is the solid Irish fact — as strong as the Acadian — that defines so much of the history and culture of the province. Some 38 per cent of the population is of Irish ancestry and the port city of Saint John is as Irish as Cork.
Judging from the torrent of abuse poured on Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory in recent weeks, it is clear that his proposal to fund religious-based education with tax dollars has touched one of those latent nerves in the provincial populace. His is a brave stand indeed, one that deserves better than the dismissal it has received in many quarters.