TRÁI TIM MẸ:  NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA

"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến"

March 26, 2009 -  Thursday in Fouth Week of Lent     LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: The Father's witness UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Obama Invite Draws Notre Dame Alumni Outcry; Notre Dame Student Groups Lead Graduation Protest SAINT OF THE DAY Blessed Didacus of Cadiz  GENERAL MARIOLOGY THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD CREATION OF THE ANGELS AND THE FALL OF LUCIFER  DIVINE MERCY Divine Mercy in My Soul Introduction (continued)  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: Priest Thanks God for Signs of Hope at Notre Dame

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

The Father's witness Gospel Reading:  John 5:31-47 31 If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true; 32 there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works  which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. 39 You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men. 42 But I know that you have not the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" Old Testament Reading: Exodus 32:7-14 9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; 10 now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation." 11 But Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Meditation: Do you know the joy of the gospel and a life fully submitted to Jesus Christ? Jesus’ opponents refused to accept his divine authority and claim to be the only begotten Son from the Father. They demanded evidence for his Messianic claim and equality with God. Jesus answers their charges with the supporting evidence of witnesses. The law of Moses had laid down the principle that the unsupported evidence of one person shall not prevail against a man for any crime or wrong in connection with any offence he committed (see Deuteronomy 17:6). At least two or three witnesses were needed. Jesus begins his defense by citing John the Baptist as a witness, since John publicly pointed to Jesus as the Messiah and had repeatedly borne witness to him (see John 1:19, 20, 26, 29, 35, 36). Jesus also asserts that a greater witness to his identity are the signs and miracles he performed. He cites his works, not to point to himself but to point to the power of God working in and through him. He cites God the Father as his supreme witness. Jesus asserts that the scriptures themselves, including the first five books of Moses, point to him as the Messiah, the promised Savior. The problem with the scribes and Pharisees was that they did not believe what Moses had written. They desired the praise of their fellow humans and since they were so focused on themselves, they became blindsighted to God. They were so preoccupied with their own position as authorities and interpreters of the law that they became hardened and unable to  understand the word of God. Their pride made them deaf to God’s voice. Scripture tells us that God reveals himself to the lowly, to those who trust not in themselves, but who trust God and listen to God's word with an eagerness to learn and to obey. The Lord Jesus reveals to us the mind and heart of God. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he opens our ears so that we may hear his voice and he fills our hearts and minds with the love and knowledge of God. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote: “As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant. In this school we learn something every day. We learn something from commandments, something from examples, and something from sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for study.” Are you an eager student of God’s word and do you listen to it with faith and trust? "Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may listen to your word attentively and obey it joyfully." Psalm 106:19-23 19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. 20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea. 23 Therefore he said he would destroy them -- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.   www.dailyscripture.net   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Obama Invite Draws Notre Dame Alumni Outcry Project Sycamore Launches Internet Petition   By Karna Swanson SOUTH BEND, Indiana, MARCH 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Notre Dame's decision to invite President Barack Obama to deliver this year's commencement address is a "telling event," says the president of a group of alumni who are protesting the move. William Dempsey is the president of Project Sycamore, a Web site founded three years ago by alumni concerned about the state of the university's Catholic identity. In comments to ZENIT, Dempsey affirmed that the university's "Catholic identity has been severely weakened, and this episode brings all of that to the fore." More than 700 Notre Dame alumni have signed a petition launched today by Project Sycamore protests the university's decision to invite Obama, a known advocate for abortion rights, to speak at its commencement ceremony and give him an honorary degree. The petition is distinct from the one launched over the weekend by the Cardinal Newman Society, which has attracted over 140,000 signatures. Project Sycamore specifically seeks to target alumni of Notre Dame, and those who have a connection to the university. The petition of Project Sycamore notes Obama's "unwavering and notorious support of the pro-abortion agenda," and said Notre Dame has "inexplicably decided to honor him." In a letter sent on behalf of the project to Father John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, the group expressed their "astonished dismay at, and deep disappointment." "President Obama's statements and executive and legislative actions identify him as unremittingly hostile to the moral claims of the unborn and accordingly to a central teaching of the Catholic Church," the letter explained. "By virtue of his position, he is now the nation's leading champion of virtually unrestricted abortion rights." "No matter any disclaimers by the University or what President Obama says," the note added, "the ineradicable facts that will stamp this occasion are the University's decision to inscribe in the University roll of honorees the name of the most pro-abortion President in the nation's history and its choice of him as the person to speak to the 2009 graduates about the values they should hold dear." "This compromising action gravely diminishes Notre Dame," the petition concluded. "It profoundly wounds its claim to be a Catholic institution. It strikes with incalculable cost at the pride of its graduates. We protest." In the minority A member of the class of 1952, Dempsey told ZENIT that he hopes the petition will "draw support not only for this issue, but for our general and strong concern for the weakening of the Catholic identity of the university over recent years." The Notre Dame alumnus cited "the precipitous drop in the Catholic representation of the faculty from about 85% in the 1970s to only 53% today. And if you discount from the 53% the dissident Catholics on the faculty, and the culture Catholics and not really serious Catholics, then you're way down below the majority that the mission statement requires." Dempsey explained: "The mission statement of the university says that the Catholic identity of the university depends upon -- not just that it would be nice to have -- but depends upon the continuing presence of a predominant number of Catholic intellectuals on the faculty, and that's been always interpreted to mean a solid majority of real Catholics. "So the university has fallen below its own standard for maintaining its Catholic identity and that's the problem." Noting that the "Vagina Monologues" have been allowed to be staged annually on campus, he said that "you just would not have that in a school in which a genuinely Catholic faculty predominated." The president of the alumni project acknowledges that all is not lost: "There's a core of really splendid dedicated Catholic scholars on that faculty -- it's an aging group, but they're there. The order of priests is still there. They're thinning, but they're still there. "Then there's the student body that is 85% Catholic. Now that's enormously important in retaining what is being retained of the Catholic identity." Not easy Dempsey underlined that Project Sycamore is supported by alumni who are loyal to Notre Dame, and that the current situation in which they have to criticize the university is painful. "But that is our role," he said. "Our role is to speak the truth about the university, both the good points, and there are many of them, but also the weaknesses." "Our function, our principle function by far, is to alert alumni to the fact that everything isn't they same as it was when they were there," the alumnus explained. "And that it will require their determined effort and attention to call the university back to its dedicated path." Dempsey said his alma mater has been overly concerned with "secular ambition" and that they've "been on a quest for secular acclaim, or rising in the rankings of the U.S. News and World Report." He added that the university is also seeking admission in the American Association of Universities as a top-tiered research university. However, he noted, Notre Dame's law school and business school, which both rank well nationally, have also done well to retain their Catholic identities. Notre Dame's faculty of the law school is 85%-87% Catholic, and the business school, which is now ranked second in the country, is 64%-65% Catholic. "What the law school and the business school prove, is that you can be ranked high and still be thoroughly Catholic," said Dempsey.   "If you want to be considered a Catholic university, you must be a Catholic university and have a predominantly Catholic faculty," he concluded. "Otherwise, you're misleading the public. It's false advertising."   Notre Dame Student Groups Lead Graduation Protest Campus Divided Over Catholic Character Question   SOUTH BEND, Indiana, MARCH 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A coalition of student organizations at the University of Notre Dame are joining forces to protest President Barack Obama's invitation to speak at their graduation ceremony. A statement released today by the coalition reported the "deepest opposition" of the students to the announcement made Friday by Notre Dame's president that the U.S. president will give this year's commencement speech and will receive an honorary law degree at the university's graduation. Senior Emily Toates of Notre Dame Right to Life affirmed: "This is not a partisan issue; rather, it's an issue of respect for human life, and our Catholic character. "We want to emphasize that we are not attacking the office of the president, but taking issue with his moral stances. I think the statement makes it clear that the student body of Notre Dame is not unequivocally in favor of this decision." The statement noted the objection to President Obama's "hostility to the Catholic Church's teachings on the sanctity of human life at its earliest stages." It added, "His recent dedication of federal funds to overseas abortions and to embryonic stem cell research will directly result in the deaths of thousands of innocent human beings." The students stated, "We cannot sit by idly while the university honors someone who believes that an entire class of human beings is undeserving of the most basic of all legal rights, the right to live." Citing the U.S. bishops' conference, they noted that Catholic institutions should not give "awards, honors or platforms" to those "who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles." Law and justice The statement, signed by several law school student groups, noted the "great irony" that the university is awarding President Obama an honorary law degree. It explained: "The Notre Dame law school states that its mission is 'to facilitate greater understanding of and commitment to the relationship between law and social justice.' The social justice issue of our day is the deliberate, legal attack on the most vulnerable members of society, the unborn. "To award a Notre Dame law degree to a lawyer and politician who has used the law to deny equality to the unborn diminishes the value of the degree itself." Moral dilemna The students asserted that the university's president, Father John Jenkins, "has placed some of his students in a moral dilemma as to whether they should attend their own graduation." "Many pro-life seniors," they continue, "along with their families, are conflicted about whether to participate in the commencement ceremony." The student groups affirmed, "In response to the university's decision, we pledge ourselves to acts of witness that will be characterized by respect, prayerfulness, outspoken fidelity to the Church, and true concern for the good of our university." The groups committed to host academic and religious events in order to engage the university community. The coalition is comprised of students from Notre Dame Right to Life, The Irish Rover Student Newspaper, Notre Dame College Republicans, The University of Notre Dame Anscombe Society, Notre Dame Identity Project, Militia of the Immaculata, Children of Mary, Orestes Brownson Council, Notre Dame Law School Right to Life, Notre Dame Law St Thomas More Society, and The Federalist Society at Notre Dame Law School.     RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

March 26, 2009 Blessed Didacus of Cadiz (d. 1801)   Born in Cadiz, Spain, and christened Joseph Francis, the youth spent much of his free time around the Capuchin friars and their church. But his desire to enter the Franciscan Order was delayed because of the difficulty he had with his studies. Finally he was admitted to the novitiate of the Capuchins in Seville as Brother Didacus. He later was ordained a priest and sent out to preach. His gift of preaching was soon evident. He journeyed tirelessly through the territory of Andalusia of Spain, speaking in small towns and crowded cities. His words were able to touch the minds and hearts of young and old, rich and poor, students and professors. His work in the confessional completed the conversions his words began. This unlearned man was called "the apostle of the Holy Trinity" because of his devotion to the Trinity and the ease with which he preached about this sublime mystery. One day a child gave away his secret, crying out: "Mother, mother, see the dove resting on the shoulder of Father Didacus! I could preach like that too if a dove told me all that I should say." Didacus was that close to God, spending nights in prayer and preparing for his sermons by severe penances. His reply to those who criticized him: "My sins and the sins of the people compel me to do it. Those who have been charged with the conversions of sinners must remember that the Lord has imposed on them the sins of all their clients." It is said that sometimes when he preached on the love of God he would be elevated above the pulpit. Crowds in village and town squares were entranced by his words and would attempt to tear off pieces of his habit as he passed by. He died in 1801 at age 58, a holy and revered man. He was beatified in 1894. Comment: Didacus was such a poor student that the Franciscans wouldn’t have him. When Capuchins finally took him into their order and eventually ordained him, he proved to be a powerful preacher—to everyone’s surprise. As we often do, Didacus’s contemporaries expected little from someone with a slow mind. Didacus proved to them that intelligence is not the only measure. The person who has a loving heart, a listening ear and a wealth of compassion is, in the long run, much wiser. http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD   BOOK ONE Treats of the Divine Fore-Ordainment of Christ and His Mother as the Highest Ideals of all Creation; of the Creation of the Angels and Men as their Servants; of the Lineage of the Just Men, Finally Resulting in the Immaculate Conception and Birth of the Queen of Heaven; and of Her life Up to Her Presentation in the Temple. CHAPTER III. CREATION OF THE ANGELS AND THE FALL OF LUCIFER The Cause of all causes is God, who created all things that have being. His powerful arm gave existence to all his wonderful works ad extra when and how He chose. The beginning and succession of the work of Creation is described by Moses in the opening chapter of Genesis. Since the Lord has given me an understanding thereof, I will mention what I think useful for elucidating the mysterious origin of the Incarnation of the Word and of our Redemption. The words of the first chapter of Genesis are as follows: "In the beginning God created heaven and earth.   "And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.   "And God said: Be light made. And light was made.   "And God saw the light that it was good; and be divided the light from the darkness.   "And he called the light day, and the darkness night; and there was evening and morning one day," etc. Of the first day Moses says that "In the beginning God created heaven and earth." He created heaven for angels and men; and the earth as a place of pilgrimage for mortals. These places are so adapted to their end and so perfect, that as David says of them, the heavens publish the glory of the Lord, the firmament and the earth announce the glory of the work of his hands (Ps. 18, 2). The angels were created in the empyrean heavens and in the state of grace by which they might be first to merit the reward of glory. For although they were in the midst of glory, the Divinity itself was not to be made manifest to them face to face and unveiled, until they should have merited such a favor by obeying the divine will. The holy angels, as well as the bad ones, remained only a very short time in the state of probation; for their creation and probation with its result were three distinct instants or moments, separated by short intermissions. In the first instant they were all created and endowed with graces and gifts, coming into existence as most beautiful and perfect creatures. Then followed a short pause, during which the will of the Creator was propounded and intimated, and the law and command was given to them, to acknowledge Him as their Maker and supreme Lord, and to fulfill the end for which they have been created. During this pause, instant or interval, Saint Michael and his angels fought that great battle with the dragon and his followers, which is described by the apostle Saint John in the twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse. The good angels, persevering in grace, merited eternal happiness and the disobedient ones, rebelling against God, merited the punishment, which they now suffer. At first they received a more explicit intelligence of the being of God, one in substance, trine in person, and that they were commanded to adore and reverence Him as their Creator and highest Lord, infinite in his essence and attributes. All subjected themselves to this command and obeyed it, but with a certain difference; the good angels obeyed through love and on account of the justice of it, offering their love and good will, freely and admitting and believing what was above their intelligence, and obeying with joy. Lucifer, on the other hand, submitted himself, because the opposite seemed to him impossible. He did not do it with perfect charity, for he, as it were, was divided in his will between himself and the infallible truth of the Lord. In consequence it happened that the precept appeared to him in a measure difficult and violent, and his fulfilling of it was wanting in love and in the desire to do justice. Thus he exposed himself beforehand to the danger of not persevering. Although grace did not leave him on account of this remissness and slowness in the accomplishment of these first acts, nevertheless his bad disposition began with them; for there remained with him a certain weakness and laxity of virtue and spirit, and the perfection of his nature did not shine forth as it should. It appears to me that the effect of this remissness in Lucifer, is similar to that which is caused in the soul by a deliberate venial sin. I do not say that he sinned mortally, nor even venially at that time, since he fulfilled the precept of God; but this fulfillment was remiss and imperfect, springing more from a sense of overwhelming compulsion, than from a loving willingness to obey. Thus he put himself in danger of falling. In the second place, the angels were informed that God was to create a human nature and reasoning creatures lower than themselves, in order that they too should love, fear and reverence God, as their Author and eternal Good. They were informed that these were to stand in high favor, and that the second Person of the blessed Trinity was to become incarnate and assume their nature, raising it to the hypostatic union and to divine Personality; that therefore they were to acknowledge Him as their Head, not only as God, but as God and man, adoring Him and reverencing Him as God-man. Moreover, these same angels were to be his inferiors in dignity and grace and were to be his servants. God gave them an intelligence of the propriety and equity, of the justice and reasonableness of such a position. For the acceptation of the merits foreseen of this Mangod was exhibited to them as the source of the grace which they now possessed and of the glory which they were to obtain. They understood also that they themselves had been, and all the rest of the creatures should be created for his glory, and that He was to be their Head. All those that were capable of knowing and enjoying God, were to be the people of the Son of God, to know and reverence Him as their Chief. These commands were at once given to the angels. To this command all the obedient and holy angels submitted themselves and they gave their full assent and acknowledgment with an humble and loving subjection of the will. But Lucifer, full of envy and pride, resisted and induced his followers to resist likewise, as they in reality did, preferring to follow him and disobey the divine command. This wicked prince persuaded them, that he would be their chief and that he would set up a government independent and separate from Christ. So great was the blindness which envy and pride could cause in an angel, and so pernicious was the infection that the contagion of sin spread among innumerable other angels. Then happened that great battle in heaven, which St. John describes (Apoc. 12). For the obedient and holy angels, filled with an ardent desire of hastening the glory of the Most High and the honor of the incarnate Word, to resist and contradict the dragon, and the permission was granted. But also another mystery was concealed in all this: When it was revealed to the angels that they would have to obey the incarnate Word, another, a third precept was given them, namely, that they were to admit as a superior conjointly with Him, a Woman, in whose womb the Onlybegotten of the Father was to assume flesh and that this Woman was to be the Queen and Mistress of all the creatures. The good angels by obeying this command of the Lord, with still increasing and more alert humility, freely subjected themselves, praising the power and the mysteries of the Most High. Lucifer, however, and his confederates, rose to a higher pitch of pride and boastful insolence. In disorderly fury he aspired to be himself the head of all the human race and of the angelic orders, and if there was to be a hypostatic union, he demanded that it be consummated in him. The decree constituting him inferior to the Mother of the Incarnate Word, our Mistress, he opposed with horrible blasphemies. Turning against the Author of these great wonders in unbridled indignation and calling upon the other angels, he exhorted them, saying: "Unjust are these commands and injury is done to my greatness; this human nature which Thou, Lord, lookest upon with so much love and which thou favorest so highly, I will persecute and destroy. To this end I will direct all my power and all my aspirations. And this Woman, Mother of the Word, I will hurl from the position in which Thou hast proposed to place Her, and at my hands, the plan, which Thou settest up, shall come to naught." This proud boast so aroused the indignation of the Lord that in order to humble it, He spoke to Lucifer: "This Woman whom thou refusest to honor, shall crush thy head and by Her shalt thou be vanquished and annihilated (Gen. 3, 15). And if, through thy pride, death enters into the world (Wis. 2, 24), life and salvation of mortals shall enter through the humility of this Woman. Those that are of the nature and likeness of that Man and Woman, shall enjoy the gifts and the crowns, which thou and thy followers have lost." To all this the dragon, filled with indignation against whatever he understood of the divine will and decrees, answered only with pride and by threatening destruction to the whole human race. The good angels saw the just indignation of the Most High against Lucifer and his apostates and they combated them with the arms of the understanding, reason and truth. The Almighty at this conjuncture worked another wonderful mystery. Having given to all the angels a sufficiently clear intelligence of the hypostatic Union, He showed them the image of the most holy Virgin by means of an imaginary vision (I speak here according to our way of understanding such things). They were shown the perfection of the human nature in the revelation of an image representing a most perfect Woman, in whom the almighty arm of the Most High would work more wonderfully than in all the rest of the creatures. For therein He was to deposit the graces and gifts of his right hand in a higher and more eminent manner. This sign or vision of the Queen of heaven and of the Mother of the incarnate Word was made known and manifest to all the angels, good and bad. The good ones at the sign of it broke forth in admiration and in canticles of praise and from that time on began to defend the honor of the God incarnate and of his holy Mother, being armed with ardent zeal and with the invincible shield of that vision. The dragon and his allies on the contrary conceived implacable hatred and fury against Christ and his most holy Mother. Then happened all that which is described in the twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse, which I will explain, as far as it has been given me. The literal version of that chapter of the Apocalypse is as follows: "And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:     And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.     And there was seen another sign in heaven; and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns; and on his head seven diadems.     And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth and the dragon stood before the woman, who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.     And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod; and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.     And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred and sixty days.     And there was a great battle in heaven; Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels.     And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.     And the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.     And I heard a loud voice saying: Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ; because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.     And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.     Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having a great wrath and knowing that he hath but a short time.     And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man-child:     And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent.     And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman, water as if it were a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.     And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed the river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth.     And the dragon was angry against the woman and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.     And he stood upon the sands of the sea."    RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Divine Mercy In my soul   Introduction Introduction To the Polish Edition, 1981   9. SIGNIFICANT TEXTUAL INACCURACIES IN THE FORMER TRANSCRIPTS. As compared to the original, the former transcripts have omitted entire pages, left out whole sentences, and changed a great many of the words, substituting them with others. The number of inaccuracies cited fill several single-spaced typewritten pages, it is not surprising, therefore, that the former texts met with censure and mistrust. And thus, for example, on page 7 of the typewritten copy, 8 mistakes were found; on page 25, 7 mistakes, on page 177, 8, etc. It suffices to cite a few examples to show what some of the mistakes of these first transcriptions were. Apart from the fact that the paginations of the manuscript are inaccurate, it must be stated that many things have been omitted as, for example, on page 85 of the manuscript. The original text is the following: “you will strive for deep peace in abiding with me. I shall remove all doubts in this regard. I know that now you are peaceful…” in the transcript, on the other hand we find: “You will strive for deep peace in abiding with me. I know that now you are peaceful…” a little further on the same page: “when he ends the conference, and present to him the fears you have regarding Me, and I shall answer you…” but in the transcript it reads: “when he ends the conference, and I shall answer you…” On page 153 of the manuscript is the sentence: “The meditation was no mortification for me, for thinking about God is a delight and not a mortification; but there was a mortification of the will in that I was not doing (simply) what I like but what I was told to do, and it is in this that interior mortification consists.” In the transcript it received this form: “the meditation was not a mortification for me, for thinking about God is a delight and not an interior mortification.” On page 202 of the original are these words of the Lord Jesus: “Why are you afraid to do My will? Will I not help you as I have done thus far? Repeat everyone of my demands to those who represent Me on earth, but do only what they tell you to do.” At that, a certain strength entered my soul. The next morning…” They were transcribed thus” “Why are you afraid to do My will? The next morning…” The amount of these omissions is enormous. The worst of it is that they were retained in the Italian translation. But a much greater wrong is a whole series of unclear stylistics which were left uncorrected. Sister Faustina would make the transition from using her own words to quoting the words of the Lord Jesus all in the same sentence. And so, for example, on page 161 of her manuscript we find such a sentence: “God promised a great grace especially to you and everyone [-here she proceeds to quote the Lord Jesus-] who will make known this great mercy of Mine.” Such a sentence without clarification is not only unintelligible, but point blank smacks of heresy. The sentence on page 26 of notebook V, number 1379 is similar to it. From among many such ambiguities, which without a footnote are completely incomprehensible, let us cite one more example. On page 161 of the manuscript, Sr. Faustina says: “When the priest was saying these words, that an obedient soul is filled with the strength of God, [-the servant of God interjects without any sign the words of the Lord Jesus-] yes, when you are obedient I take away your weakness and replace it with My strength. The inaccurate transcription also caused, in some places, a confusion in essential matters of the text. And so, on page 202 of the manuscript we have the sentence: “it is my desire to share this happiness with all people. I cannot lock it away in my own heart alone, for His flames burn me and cause my bosom and my entrails to burst asunder.” In the former transcriptions, however, the sentence looked like this: “I desire to share this happiness with all people, I cannot lock this happiness in my own heart, for my flames burn me and cause my bosom and entrails to burst asunder” (The emphasis of Fr. J.M.). Morever, the original text itself is sometimes confusing as, for example, page 69 of notebook V, number 1464. 10. THE PRINCIPLES OF THE PRESENT PRINTED TEXT. The Diary in the present edition was not only more completely checked against the original, but was likewise amply provided with scholarly research. Besides the present introduction, were added a calendar of the life of the author, an index of persons, things, and names of places. Also, pertinent footnotes were added to clarify the meaning of the text, as well as for a better understanding of certain facts related by the Servant of God, and of certain phrases and expressions of the author. In these same footnotes the problems needing deeper analysis were extensively treated as, for instance, the matter of a congregation dedicated to the worship of the Divine Mercy or the matter of painting the image of the Merciful Lord Jesus. The Diary text is enriched by a newly discovered, carefully handwritten, small, but precious and rich in content, work of Sister Faustina entitled, “My Preparation for Holy Communion.” It was written in a small notebook, 71/2 by 11 cm, where on 12 sides of small squared graph paper were recorded Sister Faustina’s innermost thoughts associated with a particular reception of Holy Communion. If one can rely on the dates she herself noted, she began writing her reflections about Holy Communion in Cracow on January 10, 1938. This text was included in the Diary indices. In a few places where the stylistic text was unclear, the necessary words or letters were added in brackets. The Servant of God quite often used ungrammatical abbreviations. Throughout the Diary the punctuation marks were made uniform for, in general, it possessed none. This was all the more necessary since the ambiguities of some texts could arouse doubt. The newest spelling of words was applied, and misspelled words were corrected without any signs of change being given. However, in the Polish version, certain known specialties of style of the author were retained as, for example, her using “tym … im” (the more … the more) with the comparative degree of adjectives or adverbs, which in the Polish of today are used in the inverse order; that is, “im …tym.” The present text was given a fourfold numbering system on each page. In the upper center of each page, in Roman Numerals, are placed the numbers of the original notebooks of Sr. Faustina’s manuscripts. The Arabic Numeral in parentheses at the beginning or within the text designates the corresponding page in the original notebooks written by Sr. Faustian. Numbers were placed in sequence at the sides of the Diary text to make it easier for the reader to find the particular themes contained in the indices of persons, places and things. The raised numbers in Italics placed beside certain words in the text indicate the sequential numbers of individual footnotes explaining the contents of the Diary. Fr. Jerzy Mroqczynski Vice-Promoter of Faith In the Informative Process Radziwillow, May 7, 1973 (Note from Sue and Marianne: We have not included the numbers of footnotes described in the pages above, we are sorry, we may add those in the future, please bear with us!) We will also add the “CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS” when time allows us…. Sue and Marianne, August 25, 2004. (Date of Sister Faustina’s Birthday, today, as we have finished typing up the notebooks, co-incidence?)   RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

Priest Thanks God for Signs of Hope at Notre Dame Says Controversy Must Not Overshadow Catholicism By Genevieve Pollock ROME, MARCH 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A University of Notre Dame law professor is affirming that the Catholic Church is alive on campus, despite recent controversy about the school's choice to honor President Barack Obama. Franciscan Father John Coughlin told ZENIT about his experience at the university. He gave his perspective on the announcement made Friday by Notre Dame's president that the U.S. president will give this year's commencement speech and will receive an honorary law degree at the university's graduation. Father Coughlin, currently a visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, noted that as a general principle, "A great Catholic university must be open to diverse points of view." He added, "The university should not be insular or closed-off from contemporary reality." "At the same time," he said, "the university community has a responsibility to foster Catholic teaching especially when some aspects of this truth might be countercultural." The priest acknowledged his concurrence with Bishop John D’Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who gave a public statement Tuesday on his decision not to attend the university's graduation ceremony. Father Coughlin explained: "This action on the part of the university is inconsistent with the rules established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that prohibit honors from being bestowed by Catholic institutions on public figures who have clear records that are contrary to the Church's fundamental moral teaching.   "There can be no question that the inviolable dignity of each human person and the defense of innocent human life are fundamental to the Church's teaching. One who publically opposes in word and action this truth should not be honored by a Catholic university."   Sacramental life In spite of the controversy, the professor noted, "I hope that we do not overlook Notre Dame's many Catholic attributes and qualities," including "numerous fine Catholics who serve on the faculty and in the administration" and "wonderfully faithful Catholic students." "The sacraments are celebrated with frequency and devotion," he affirmed. "I have been privileged to be a Franciscan priest on the faculty for the past seven years," the priest continued. "I offer Holy Mass at the university each day -- sometimes several times a day -- and hear Confessions daily in my office and once a week at the [university's] basilica -- where there are always long lines. "We have Eucharistic adoration daily, and I am always impressed by the large number of persons who regularly participate in this life-giving prayer." Academics Father Coughlin affirmed the centrality of the university's theology department to its Catholic mission. He noted, "It is my understanding that most of the department members have sought and obtained the 'mandatum' from the diocesan bishop," adding that he was also granted this mandatum as a teacher of canon law. "My experience as a member of the law school faculty confirms that in reality that there are many persons with the highest academic and professional qualifications who also attempt to live our Catholic faith and bring it to their teaching and research when appropriate," he reported.   The priest acknowledged the commitment of "many of the university's faculty and students to the social teaching of the Church." He gave particular reference to the "vigorous commitment of so many members of the university community to the defense of innocent human life as evident of those who regularly participate in the rosary and other prayer outside of abortion clinics," or other pro-life activities. "Indeed, my experience of the many Catholic persons and aspects of Notre Dame has left me with a realistic hope for the future of Catholicism in the United States," Father Coughlin concluded. "I thank God for this hope."   RETURN TO TOP

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