Cool! I get to be the first to say I really liked this post!
Mr. Shea, after you're done with the book on Mary, you should definitely write a book on faith and the culture war. The role of the Church. The role of the laity. The essence of faithful citizenship.
You talk about these matters all the time. And you're good at it: always integrating faith with political action, making people see the larger spiritual war at play in our culture war.
So please write a book on the role of our Catholic faith in the culture war! It can be a call to arms!
One of your best posts ever, Mark. Thank you, it really spoke to my heart.
A Joyful Easter to you and yours!
Bryan
Mark.
Another truly inspired work. It appears that Terri's martyrdom is now inevitable, and I pray that her sacrifice will be a catalyst to spark a reversal of the trend toward an increasing culture of death - not only in the US but throughout the western world, including my own beloved little country.
I believe that Jesus will say to her, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, now enter into the glory that I have prepared for you".
Perhaps her death will be the spark to awaken our western civilization to the trajic path we are treading. May we all pray for the Faith to offer forgiveness to those who have perpetrated this crime - as Jesus does. And pray that they may receive the grace to recognise and repent their fault and receive that forgiveness.
Kyrie eleison.
Wowee wow wow. Excellent summation by Our Esteemed Webmaster- savored by the long absence between such essays in cyberspace. Not going swimmingly for Forces of Darkness. Terri may be days or hours away from her reward in glory, thanks to actually receiving the Last Rites. But clearly the first salvo in major ongoing series of knockdown, dragout Spiritual Warfare. The Church will take its lumps along the way. But its faithful- along with other folks of good will- continue to lead the way in focusing attention on this case and its implications. (Hello- Gay/Lesbian Community? Folks with full-blown AIDS are expensive to maintain. Hello- Black Church Folk? AIDS is leading cause of death for African-American women of childbearing age. And your most prominent minister devotes his Easter Sunday national radio show to the trials and tribulations of Mr. M. Jackson, Lord of Neverland? Better get wit the program now. If you don't get the concept of Culture of Death, you will. Very soon.)
Excellent post, Mark.
Although, one small correction: Hell was not quite as victorious as you mention. It appears that Terri did, in fact, receive the Blood of Christ on Easter.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/2...iavo/
index.html
+J.M.J+
You beat me to it, Dan! I was just about to write that Joe Scarborough said last night that Terri had received no food or drink and "just a drop of consecrated wine". Thank God she was finally allowed to receive Our Lord!
In Jesu et Maria,
Once again, Mark, excellent thoughts and expression of them.
I would implore people still to please not give up, and to do at least one more thing for Terri. Rev. Mahoney along with others will be protesting in Washington today and are planning on visiting House Speaker Hastert's office. They are demanding that Congress backs up its order for Terri as a congressional witness and move to protect her under those orders or risk looking like they were only playing politics with her life without a will to act. Even with congress not in session, we should, along with the family and others who are sacrificing in their vigils, continue to stand with Terri; not give up since it seems to be almost a miracle that she continues to fight for life herself. Please, once again, storm the Speaker's office (and Pres. Bush too). The number in Washington for the Speaker is 202-225-2976 and/or e-mail from form on this page:
http://www.house.gov/hastert/wri...rt/
write1.shtml
If anyone has other contact info. please add.
"I tremble for my country because I know God is Just"-Thomas Jefferson
Mark,
Excellent, you have given voice to my thoughts. This moral leprosy has been with us for many years, but God in his loving providence is allowing it to surface. We will not be able to plead “I didn’t know”.
Ave Maria and hurry back.
Thank you, Mark for a much-needed reminder of the glories of our faith.
There is one other thing that puzzles me about Terri's tragic situation. I am Catholic, my husband, although sadly only nominally so has stated his preference for cremation should he die before me but has assured me that should I die before him he will carry out my wishes to receive Last Rites and a Catholic burial and funeral. However, I do come from an interdenominational family and my situation parallels Terri that her husband was not Catholic. Terri, by all reports, attended parochial school, was married in a Catholic ceremony and maintained a Catholic identity. Michael Schiavo, although legally her husband does not own her soul. By what legal right can he deny her a Catholic funeral and burial? It seems so outrageous to me. Does anyone have the legal understanding of a situation like this? Why did he have the authority to deny Terri receiving Holy Communion in the past and why can't her Catholic upbringing be enough to guarantee her a Catholic funeral? Can even marriage negate one's religious rights?
It seems so unjust.
Mark is right on the money...see also this from an article in the Houston Catholic Worker.. In reflecting on efforts like that of the Jesus Seminar to discredit Jesus the Christ in favor of a simple sage from history, Luke Timothy Johnson asks, "Is what is claimed to be a pursuit of the historical Jesus not in truth a kind of flight from the image of Jesus and of discipleship inexorably ingrained in these texts? For our present age, in which the 'wisdom of the world' is expressed in individualism, narcissism, preoccupation with private rights, and competition, the 'wisdom of the cross" is the most profoundly countercultural message of all. Instead of an effort to rectify the distorting effect of the Gospel narratives, the effort to reconstruct Jesus according to some other pattern appears increasingly as an attempt to flee the scandal of the Gospel."
Dittos to the complements above, Mark. The vultures that surround Terri Schiavo's shriveling body have forced me to reconsider a great many things, among them my position on the death penalty and treatment of detainees in the war against Islamofascism. Therefore, while it might sound strange (it does to me, at least) Terri has done me a great service.
Thanks Mark! That was lovely as only the truth is lovely.
Mark,
When I grow up I want to be like you.
Thanks for always reminding us that the gates of hell shall not prevail.
Christ is risen indeed, alleluia!
Agree 100% with jsusbeinFrank- i would love to see a book like that from Mark.
Daniel- Terri is having that effect on a lot of people I think. I won't be surprised to see a cause for her canonization start soon after her death.
And this is an excellent essay.
Amen. Hurry back. We all miss you!
Beautiful reflection, Mark. Thanks again for joining us on Friday.
For picture of Mark & others at the Good Friday Service see:
http://www.geocities.com/
Heartla...dayservice.html
(below Fourth & Fifth Words)
Mark,
Thank you so much for this post. I hate to admit it, but I felt absolutely no joy on Easter. After witnessing the malevolent glee of those who wished to see Terri dead and the dismissive apathy of fellow Christians who rationalized what was done to Terri, how could I feel joy? You have showed me how mistaken I was. Thank you.
Good post Mark...
Dear Mark,
The reason I find your thoughts/comments compelling is that they always challenge the reader. I am guilty of "turning the darkest gray black" and have definitely been caught muttering "Kumbaya Catholic." Thank you for forcing me to view my own sinfulness in failing to recognize the glorious victory that is Easter.
God Bless.
Nerina Bellinger
Mark:
A very Happy Easter, but I beg to differ: you ARE a prophet!
Obviously you will not make it into the Bible (too late for that!) but you are the voice of one speaking in the wilderness, you do speak to us what God wants us to hear again and again and again. And that is why, in my mind you are a prophet.
May His Word continue to be heard through your words.
“Nowadays the devil has made such a mess of everything in the system of life on earth that the world will presently become uninhabitable for anybody but Saints. The rest will drag their lives out in despair or fall below the level of man. The antinomies if human life are too exasperated, the burden of matter too oppressive; merely to exist, one has to expose oneself to many snares. Christian heroism will one day become the sole solution for the problems of life.”
Jacques Maritain
Sorry, that was me: my computer acted up again
Thank you Mark. This was totally awesome to read and right on. I look forward to your returning on a regular basis.
I had a brief exchange with a woman at the After Abortion blog who unapologetically called the Schindlers deranged, deluded, and guilty of degrading their daughter's corpse for the last 15 years. I tell you, I wanted to cry at the sheer evil evident in those words. I thought, "why do I bother even trying to communicate with someone like this?" and "how can one be hopeful for the future when one sees how evil is twisted to appear as good and so many people are eagerly eating it up?". I, like others here couldn't shake my sadness this Easter. I know that the worst has already happened (Jesus' crucifixion) but the sheer ugliness of the world can be so painful at times. Thanks Mark, for your words of wisdom which are so desperately needed. It's so important for Christians to lift each other up and help each other focus on Christ's victory. My thanks to all of you commenters for your many and varied expressions of faith and love of Christ. They have helped lift me many times.
Thanks for the great post Mark.
Loved your description of the Imperial Judiciary "the principal arm of Hell's work in attacking human life--the Judiciary of the United States".
God bless Lana Jacobs and the St. Francis Catholic Worker for bringing water to the thirsty. The Catholic Worker movement has a long and proud tradition of the kind of heroic witness to the gospel which is so desperatly needed today.
Peace be with you.
Mark, God bless you for your post -- so appropriate and wonderful. I too was feeling down during the week as Terri's suffering was played out on TV & elsewhere, but you've put everything into perspective. I hope you and yours had a beautiful Easter. God bless -- and hope you'll be back soon. Warmest regards from Canada.
Thank you, mark, for your prophetically comforting and challenging words. Your witness makes clear the Spiritual War in which we are all engaged, whether we know it or not. May Terry Schiavo's life and death--horrible as it may be--inspire all of the People of God to hear Christ's voice and follow him.
Andrew Sullivan writes that Terry Schiavo will become a martyr for the Christian Right. This is what terrifies the Left. By killing Terry they have created their nemesis.
I believe we are at a crossroads in this country. We must support judges that interpret the law and support the culture of life.
Remember, everyone, that this is not merely about killing Terri. This also is a temptation to despair.
What do people say to those who question the strength or courage of one's pro-life convictions by arguing that if one *really* believed that a *killing* was taking, one would take more forceful action?
Thank you Mark.
Say I just had a brainstorm.
My wife and I have just received news that we are to be blessed in about 7.5 months. I need to talk this one over with her, but maybe we oiught to name the baby after Terri. Maybe others who are expecting a bundle of joy could do the same? I better go talk it over with the boss. Seems like a cool idea though.
Paul.
At the risk of sounding inconsiderately flippant, maybe:
Terri SCHindler SCHiavo SCHeibmeir
may end up being a bit of a bibful.
Just a thought 
But congratulations on your news - may God bless you and your wife, and your baby.
My daughter is expecting our 7th grandchild around 20th. June - a girl. (I think its cheating finding out the sex, but - hey - I'm just an old fart).
Alleluia.
Mark,
I join with the others and commend you on a most potent message. I thank God you are open to His promptings. We find ourselves given an opportunity to sense the same fear, anger, and frustration of so many of our ancestors who were the subject of persecution, hate and bigotry. Yet we can be joyful in the knowledge that as they hated the Master, now they hate those who follow Him. At the same time, we remember the promise He made to those "who hunger and thirst for rightousness."
Yes this was a somber Easter for some people. In some respect, probably not much different than for those believers in the past who dealt with famine, depression or war. As you stated, it reminds us of what "it" is ultimately all about - Jesus Christ and the four things - dath, judgment, heaven and hell.
We pray for the Schindler family - more important we pray for our nation - that its people will wake up from its stupor and seek repentance from sin.
To this end we seek God's mercy and forgiveness.
Update to Monday post- Rev. Jackson plans to meet, and pray with, Terri's ma pa and siblings Tuesday. Hopes to see Terri inside hospice. Will of course issue a statement. Hey the more the merrier. Also must give props to Sen. Tom Harkin, Congressman Jose Serrano of Nueva York, Ralph Nader for calling on medical staff to reinsert her feeding tubes as well. Yes we are taking names on Who's With Terri and Who's Agin Terri. Welcome Rev. and other three gents.
Leave us not forget Sen. Joe Lieberman among Dems for Terri. Senator, front seat of the bus please, between Rev. Jackson and Sen. Harkin. Mr. Nader, please limit complaints about its exhaust.....
Mark,
I couldn't disagree with you more about almost everything here, but I'm dazzled by your consistency, elegance, and verve. Hats off, sir.
cwhig
I too have been impressed with the role some on the Left have played in supporting Terri's right to life. Sen Harkin was a real surpise to me.
It is fascinating to see how this issue has played out at all levels of American society, even in my office where the dichotomy is very evident. My boss told us yetserday he takes Michael Schiavo's side but his wife takes Terri's so they have been having some big fights at home. Another colleague was so certain terri was "brain dead" last week. Now he sounds suspicious about Michael's motives. This is a watershed event, I believe.
cwhig,
My hat's off to you, sir. A very classy comment.
Excellent post...
Although I do have to say that not all who see the darkest black cannot feel Joy. Often, it is those who see the darkest places who cling hardest to hope and its joys. Oh, and one must warn about empty Joy, or false Joy, which I think is why the term "Kumbayah Catholicism" came around in the first place.
Jonathan, joy is a lot like love. You can love someone in the morally relevant sense of the word even though you can't like him. And you can have joy about the destiny of the world and of man, in the sense that Mark has so eloquently pointed out, while still being very unhappy and angry about particular evils encountered along the way. Ultimately, the defeat of the Devil is certain--indeed, in the larger sense it already happened 2,000 years ago. Our faith in this is the ground of our rejoicing. It was the reason I could go to the Easter Vigil and hear the Exsultet in spite of what is happening in Florida, in spite of all the evils elsewhere. Our defeats are transitory; His victory is forever.
A very passionate piece of writing! Your honesty and sincerity are so refreshing.
Such an insane episode: "Be compassionate", they scream. "Starve her to death!"
Will ageing boomers wake up and realise they're next?
Not if it means abdicating their "progressive" principles....
Darn it Mark!!! If you're going to hiatus, hiatus already. Quit making me peek back at an empty blog lest I miss a pearl of wisdom like this one. 
We are witnessing the "Roe v. Wade" of handicapped people. I just hope if the SCOTUS hears something like this it isn't an "abortion" of justice like the last one.
-Tony
There was a flicker of hope today when we heard the appeals court was considering a new motion, but I just heard it was denied again. Not that I'm surprised.
Through this whole thing, God is somehow showing us again the paschal mystery: life through death, but death has to come first. It doesn't look like Terri will be allowed to live here on earth, and that makes me angry and sad. But no force on earth can prevent her from living with God, and that's the beauty of the resurrection.
She probably will become a patron saint of sorts for the pro-life movement in regard to euthanasia.
> "Terri SCHindler SCHiavo SCHeibmeir"
Don, I dunno whether our American cousins follow the original Italian pronunciation, but the "sch" in the second of these surnames should be a hard c, ie "Skee-arvo", unlike the German "sch" in the other two names, which is of course pronounced like English "sh".
"Schiavo" derives from the same Latin root as English "slave" -- coincidence? I think not (especially with "Schindler"). Derived also from the same Latin root are "Slav" and the Italian word for "goodbye", "ciao" (pron. "chow" -- a mangled version of "I am your slave" [!]).
So, Paul, go ahead, name as you wish.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focu...s/1374195/
posts
Norm Olsen, pastor of a right to life church in Wolverine, Michigan and senior adviser to the Michigan Militia, said Tuesday that he had put together an unarmed coalition of state militias that were prepared to storm the Florida hospice where Terri Schiavo has been left to die, and take her to a safe house.
Olsen said he only needed the OK from Schiavo's father, either directly or indirectly through his attorney David Gibbs, to put the plan, called 'Operation Resurrection,' into action on Easter Sunday.
But Olsen said Gibbs called the FBI (to report the plans) instead of passing his plans on to Schindler.
Olsen said the FBI had been monitoring e-mails within the milita groups on Tuesday March 29 and sent agents to milita leaders in the South to question them about the plan.
The FBI was unavailable for comment.
Olsen said that he phoned Gibb's secretary with a message that he had organized 1,500 to 2,000 milita members from Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Michigan, who were ready to remove Schiavo from the hospice and put her in a convoy to a safe house.
Thank you Mark---
I have been so given to despair over this--I've been fasting for Terri and praying and can't sleep at night thinking about her mother, Mary, watching her child die, unable to help....I never thought our country would come to this.
Your article has given me perspective. and if Terri dies, she will be in the arms of Our Lord, safe from Michael at last.
Good for Gibbs. That lunatic plan would have made the situation even worse--if that's possible.
when will the madness ever end?
This morning.
+J.M.J+
Go forth, Christian soul, from this world, in the Name of God the Father Almighty, Who created you; in the Name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Who suffered for you; in the Name of the Holy Ghost, Who was poured forth upon you; in the name of the glorious and ever-blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God; in the name of St. Joseph, chaste spouse of the same Virgin; in the name of the Angels and Archangels; in the name of the Thrones and Dominations; in the name of the Principalities and Powers; in the name of the heavenly Virtues, Cherubim and Seraphim; in the name of the holy Apostles and Evangelists; in the name of the holy Martyrs and Confessors; in the name of the holy Monks and Hermits; in the name of the holy Virgins and of all the Saints of God: may your place be this day in peace, and your abode in holy Zion. Through the same Christ our Lord. R.Amen
Come to her assistance, ye Saints of God, come forth to meet her, ye Angels of the Lord; Receiving her soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. May Christ receive you, who hath called you, and may the Angels bear you into Abraham's bosom.
R. Receiving her soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.
R. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. Lord have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy.
(Silently) Our Father...
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon her.
V. From the gate of hell
R. Deliver her soul, O Lord.
V. May she rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer
R. And let my cry come unto You.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with you spirit.
Let us pray:
To You, O Lord, do we commend the soul of Your handmaid, Theresa Maria Schindler-Schiavo, that being dead to the world she may live unto You; and whatsoever sins she has committed through the frailty of her mortal nature, wash away by the pardon of Your most merciful love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
In Jesu et Maria,
Statement of Cardinal Clemens von Galen- August 3,1941:
Fellow Christians! In the pastoral letter of the German bishops of June 26, 1941, which was read out in all the Catholic churches in Germany on July 6, 1941, it states among other things: It is true that there are definite commandments in Catholic moral doctrine which are no longer applicable if their fulfillment involves too many difficulties.
However, there are sacred obligations of conscience from which no one has the power to release us and which we must fulfil even if it costs us our lives. Never under any circumstances may a human being kill an innocent person apart from war and legitimate self-defense. On July 6, I already had cause to add to the pastoral letter the following explanation: for some months we have been hearing reports that, on the orders of Berlin, patients from mental asylums who have been ill for a long time and may appear incurable, are being compulsorily removed. Then, after a short time, the relatives are regularly informed that the corpse has been burnt and the ashes can be delivered. There is a general suspicion verging on certainty, that these numerous unexpected deaths of mentally ill people do not occur of themselves but are deliberately brought about, that the doctrine is being followed, according to which one may destroy so-called 'worthless life,' that is, kill innocent people if one considers that their lives are of no further value for the nation and the state.
I am reliably informed that lists are also being drawn up in the asylums of the province of Westphalia as well of those patients who are to be taken away as so-called 'unproductive national comrades' and shortly to be killed. The first transport left the Marienthal institution near Münster during this past week.
German men and women, section 211 of the Reich Penal Code is still valid. It states: 'He who deliberately kills another person will be punished by death for murder if the killing is premeditated.'
Those patients who are destined to be killed are transported away from home to a distant asylum presumably in order to protect those who deliberately kill those poor people, members of our families, from this legal punishment. Some illness is then given as the cause of death. Since the corpse has been burnt straight away, the relatives and also the criminal police are unable to establish whether the illness really occurred and what the cause of death was.
Cardinal von Galen continued:
However, I have been assured that the Reich Interior Ministry and the office of the Reich Doctors' Leader, Dr. Conti, make no bones about the fact that in reality a large number of mentally ill people in Germany have been deliberately killed and more will be killed in the future.
The Penal Code lays down in section 139: 'He who receives credible information concerning the intention to commit a crime against life and neglects to alert the authorities or the person who is threatened in time...will be punished.'
When I learned of the intention to transport patients from Marienthal in order to kill them, I brought a formal charge at the State Court in Münster and with the Police President in Münster by means of a registered letter which read as follows: "According to information which I have received, in the course of this week a large number of patients from the Marienthal Provincial Asylum near Münster are to be transported to the Eichberg asylum as so-called 'unproductive national comrades' and will then soon be deliberately killed, as is generally believed has occurred with such transports from other asylums. Since such an action is not only contrary to the moral laws of God and Nature but also is punishable with death as murder under section 211 of the Penal Code, I hereby bring a charge in accordance with my duty under section 139 of the Penal Code, and request you to provide immediate protection for the national comrades threatened in this way by taking action against those agencies who are intending their removal and murder, and that you inform me of the steps that have been taken."
I have received no news concerning intervention by the Prosecutor's Office or by the police...Thus we must assume that the poor helpless patients will soon be killed.
For what reason?
Not because they have committed a crime worthy of death. Not because they attacked their nurses or orderlies so that the latter had no other choice but to use legitimate force to defend their lives against their attackers. Those are cases where, in addition to the killing of an armed enemy in a just war, the use of force to the point of killing is allowed and is often required.
Cardinal von Galen continued:
No, it is not for such reasons that these unfortunate patients must die but rather because, in the opinion of some department, on the testimony of some commission, they have become 'worthless life' because according to this testimony they are 'unproductive national comrades.' The argument goes: they can no longer produce commodities, they are like an old machine that no longer works, they are like an old horse which has become incurably lame, they are like a cow which no longer gives milk.
What does one do with such an old machine? It is thrown on the scrap heap. What does one do with a lame horse, with such an unproductive cow?
No, I do not want to continue the comparison to the end--however fearful the justification for it and the symbolic force of it are. We are not dealing with machines, horses and cows whose only function is to serve mankind, to produce goods for man. One may smash them, one may slaughter them as soon as they no longer fulfil this function.
No, we are dealing with human beings, our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters. With poor people, sick people, if you like unproductive people.
But have they for that reason forfeited the right to life?
Have you, have I the right to live only so long as we are productive, so long as we are recognized by others as productive?
If you establish and apply the principle that you can kill 'unproductive' fellow human beings then woe betide us all when we become old and frail! If one is allowed to kill the unproductive people then woe betide the invalids who have used up, sacrificed and lost their health and strength in the productive process. If one is allowed forcibly to remove one's unproductive fellow human beings then woe betide loyal soldiers who return to the homeland seriously disabled, as cripples, as invalids. If it is once accepted that people have the right to kill 'unproductive' fellow humans--and even if initially it only affects the poor defenseless mentally ill--then as a matter of principle murder is permitted for all unproductive people, in other words for the incurably sick, the people who have become invalids through labor and war, for us all when we become old, frail and therefore unproductive.
Cardinal von Galen continued:
Then, it is only necessary for some secret edict to order that the method developed for the mentally ill should be extended to other 'unproductive' people, that it should be applied to those suffering from incurable lung disease, to the elderly who are frail or invalids, to the severely disabled soldiers. Then none of our lives will be safe any more. Some commission can put us on the list of the 'unproductive,' who in their opinion have become worthless life. And no police force will protect us and no court will investigate our murder and give the murderer the punishment he deserves.
Who will be able to trust his doctor any more?
He may report his patient as 'unproductive' and receive instructions to kill him. It is impossible to imagine the degree of moral depravity, of general mistrust that would then spread even through families if this dreadful doctrine is tolerated, accepted and followed.
Woe to mankind, woe to our German nation if God's Holy Commandment 'Thou shalt not kill,' which God proclaimed on Mount Sinai amidst thunder and lightning, which God our Creator inscribed in the conscience of mankind from the very beginning, is not only broken, but if this transgression is actually tolerated and permitted to go unpunished.
Cardinal Clemens von Galen - August 3, 1941
I'm afraid it's just begun Liam.
Let's be careful not to turn her into a pawn.
"It is finished."
Mark
Thank you for a fitting explanation of what's up. Your semi-retirement has sharpened your insights. I especially liked the part about resisting joy. Having some of them in your family can be a cross in itself.
Just came from a First Friday Adoration & Mass, tonight offered for the Pope. You're right, Mark. The worst has happened. I thanked God for the gift of Karol Wojtyla, for having seen him, for his insights, and his joy, even in pain. Who could ever forget the 5 million plus crowd in the Phillipines, with him grinning and swinging that cane around? What certitude! What Polish stubborness! I'll miss him just as I miss my Polish grandpop. Truly God is good.
Dear Mark Shea--
Please post.
Our Father is dying and we are forced to listen to clueless reporters mangle Catholic teaching.
Your public needs you at this time. "Perhas you were born for such a time as this"
I have put the popes entire life history up.
You can get it Here
I just have to say it...
The Pope is showing the United States of America, and the rest of the world that might want to follow the U.S's cultural lead, just exactly how death is done.
The more I think about it, the more I am in awe.....the means of Pope's death is the greatest answer that God could give to a nation of ignorant, un-catechized(sp) Catholics enamoured with the culture fo death. JP II's death follows in the model of Christ's death 2000 years ago - changing hearts and minds through his own suffering and death on the cross. The Pope's death is God's answer to all our prayers for Terri.
+J.M.J+
The Holy Father has gone to his reward.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
In Jesu et Maria,
Did you know the Pope is one of a handful of leaders globally that believe in a culuture of life?
El maleh rachamim (a traditional Jewish memorial prayer, which I have adapted to pray for JPII)
God full of mercy, Who dwells on high,
Grant perfect rest beneath the wings of Your Shekhinah,
in the exalted places among the holy and pure
who shine as the brightness of the heavens,
to the soul of Pope John Paul II,
who has gone to his eternal rest.
May his resting place be in the Garden of Eden.
Merciful Master, shelter him under the protection of Your wings forever,
And bind his soul in the bond of everlasting life.
The Lord is his inheritance, may he rest in peace.
In the Name of Yeshua haMoshiach we pray,
and let us say, Amen.
One question for you, why is it that you believe so strongly that your opinion on something so personal, so integral only to those people participating, needs to be shown to the world?
And I meant that on the subject of Terri Schiavo.
The murder of Terri Shiavo is no more a personal matter than the crucifixion of Christ was a personal matter between the Pilate and the temple elders. You are in a different paradigm Varyk and we cannot understand your question.
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