"Aren't you a bit overdressed for a Sunday afternoon?" a man recently asked while we were in a waiting room.
I mentioned that I just came from church to which he replied the same. I couldn't help asking if the shorts, shirt and flip flops were his attire to church and he said, "Yes." At their service, there is no dress code and anyone can come as casually as they wished. His statement brought a similar observation at my parish.
Nowadays, shorts, tank tops and flip flops seem to be the fashion statement. Women baring their shoulders at times immodestly dressed - casually stand up from their pews and receive communion - oblivious (it seems) to the miracle they just witnessed. Our parish priest tries his best to remind the congregation of the solemnity of mass; there are still those that somehow miss the mark.
Whatever happened to Sunday best when people attended in sharp clothing and freshly polished shoes? Not overly elegant but dressed simply and modestly in reverence for a solemn and sacred ocassion, the mass!
Yes, I am ranting, but a part of me understands. I was once an offender - at my worst, wearing halter tops to mass. It is California afterall - a proverbial summer hotspot. Looking back, it was pure ignorance. I am a better informed Catholic and know the truth about the miracle that happens at every mass.
I am not sure if this is a common issue at other parishes and if I struck a sour note - I hope we see active promotion of proper dress code on both the diocese and parish level. Nothing wrong with going back to the good old days when Sunday dress was truly one's best!
What a flap! Another company falling prey and capitalizing on "same-sex" union. Too bad, I thought they promoted family values. - Victoria
HALLMARK SAYS "I DO" TO GAY MARRIAGE CARDS
Most states don't recognize gay marriage - but now Hallmark does.
The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards - featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says.
Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions.
The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.
Henry Poole finds out that in the midst of the stuff of daily life, with all of its pain and struggle, hope really can save you. A truly good film.
Henry is a man in deep existential angst. Luke Wilson plays the role brilliantly with a face, demeanor and carriage which is literally, as they say, "right out of central casting". Later in the film we will learn that Henry has received a terminal medical diagnosis which sent him into the latest downturn. However his hopelessness and despair have been growing inside of him for years, draining away the life. He, like so many people, is a member of the walking wounded, dragging the pain of unresolved childhood hurt and trauma like a ball and chain behind him. The chip on his shoulder has grown so big that he can no longer stand up straight it seems and his downcast eyes see only the ground. In a last ditch effort to find some meaning, or at least a place to crawl into and stew in his depression before his end, Henry tries to go home.
I highly recommend this wonderful movie. It is an example of how the medium of film can be used to communicate the deeper meaning of human life. This is not a "religious" movie. It is a powerfully human movie; revealing the goodness of human emotions and experiences. It addresses on screen the truth that we were made for one another and made out of and for love.
From its stark, gritty darkness in the beginning through its well developed characters and throughout its turns and twists all the way through to its surprising end, "Henry Poole is Here" is a testimony to the power of hope. He probably does not know it, but the message of Mark Pellington's latest film affirms the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical letter which was entitled "Saved in Hope". Henry Poole finds out that in the midst of the stuff of daily life, with all of its pain and struggle,hope really can save you.
The Franciscan feast of Our Lady of the Angels grants the faithful who devoutly visit a parish church on August 2 a plenary indulgence. Celebrated on the day when it is said that St. Peter's chains were removed, this indulgence is a remarkable demonstration of God Almighty's mercy in removing the chains of sin from those who devoutly and faithfully seek the gain the indulgence by completing its requirements.
Background on this Grace
Everyone knows how special the Church of The Portiuncula in Assisi was to St. Francis. It is there that he began his service to Christ and His Church. It is there that he was called to rebuild the Church. It is there that he made humble service, obedience, love, and dedication to Our Lord and Our Lady the cornerstones of his unique and inspiring life. It was even there that St. Clare, the spiritual daughter of St. Francis, received her call, lost her locks of hair to the scissors of Francis, and gained her place in the service of God and in the list of great saints.
It was during his time there during one of his many conversations with Jesus and Our Blessed Mother that Francis requested and received this indulgence as a measure and means of God's Divine Mercy and love for us. Upon receiving the approval of Our Lord, Francis took this cause the Pope Honorious III in who finally approved as well. While the benefits of this indulgence were not taken advantage of in the days of Francis given the difficult travel and poor roads, we are given a unique and fortunate opportunity to benefit today given easier transportation.
The Indulgence Itself
The magnitude of this indulgence is nothing less than the full remission of the punishments due to one's sins from the day of Baptism to the day one enters the church to perform the indulgence requirements!!
Conditions To Obtain The Plenary Indulgence of The Forgiveness of Assisi (For oneself or for a departed soul)
Sacramental Confession to be in God's Grace
Participation in the Holy Mass and Eucharist
Visit to a Franciscan Church, followed by the Profession of Faith
Say the Our Father
A Prayer for the Pope
May we take advantage of this beautiful gift and the opportunities which it provides to approach our God in renewed contrite purity, love, appreciation, and loyalty!
Pro-life advocates encouraged to sign petition against legislation. - Thousands of Catholic faithful are expected to attend a prayer rally and march at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on Friday in protest of a proposed population policy. Some policy provisions would permit government funding for artificial birth control, while others would fully fund tubal ligations and vasectomies. The bill also proposes a non-mandatory "two child policy" and requires employers in collective bargaining agreements to fund contraceptives.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a statement that the rally and march will be a movement of Christian believers who oppose "immoral" policies. The event coincides with the fortieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Attorney Jo Imbong, executive secretary of the CBCP Legal Office, said the bill would fully fund tubal ligations and vasectomies for indigent patients and others as part of PhilHealth benefits. She reported that the bill also defines hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, and other contraceptives as "essential medicines."
It also proposes that taxpayer-funded Mobile Health Care Service vans provide birth control methods in all congressional districts.
Fenny Tatad, executive director of the Bishops-Legislators Caucus of the Philippines, criticized the bill's requirement that some employers provide contraceptives for employees and also its two-child policy.
"This and all the above-mentioned proposals are considered gross violations of the pro-family provisions of the Constitution and the universal right to health of citizens," Tatad said. "Public funds coming from Catholic taxpayers will fund these programs which is oppressive and in violation of their universal right to religious freedom and the freedom to live their faith in an environment that is free of coercion and harassment."
