Salvete AC readers!
Buckle Up! Because here are today’s Top Picks in the Catholic world:
1. Newspapers outlets and news agencies are reporting that Pope Benedict XVI has signed off on the laicization of Father Tomislav Vlasic. Tomislav Vlasic is one of the leading priests alleging that apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have been appearing continuously to six Croat seers since June 24, 1981 in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje. These apparitions are continuing to this day and has been visited by an estimated 30 million pilgrims. An estimated 40,000 messages have been conveyed to the seers by the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Officially the Vatican has not decided on the matter of these alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Vatican has recently taken over the case of reviewing these allegations from the local Bosnian diocese.
There are skeptics and proponents debating the facts and implications of the latest scandal over Medjugorjie. But what is clear is that Medjugorgie has lost more of its tarnish these last few years.
I won’t argue with the genuine conversions and sincerity of many believers that have occurred at Medjugorie. Though I have a couple doubts concerning these apparitions which I will write to in a separate posting for a later date.
2. Quote of the Day:
“We do know that at the end of time, when the great conflict between the forces of good and evil takes place, Satan will appear without the Cross, as the Great Philanthropist and Social Reformer to become the final temptation of mankind.”
— Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ, p. 10)
Kind of sucks the wind out of your sails doesn’t it if you believe in the redistribution of wealth and all.
3. Having a spiritual dry spell? Jennifer Fulwiler of Conversion Diary has an excellent post on dealing with such a predicament. She offers nine tips which I’ll cover the first three here below:
— Make sure you’re not doing anything to block out God’s voice .
— Keep praying.
— Receive the sacraments.
Pretty basic stuff, but you’d be amazed how often I encounter people suffering from spiritual dry spells. Mrs. Fulwiler offers great advice that I follow myself even when I’m not in a spiritual dry spell.
4. Add Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie to my list of beloved Nigerian prelates which includes Francis Cardinal Arinze. In a recent interview he chastised the American way of living for contributing to the lack of vocations as well as the poor examples of many American prelates. He also shot down that celibacy was a major concern that limited the pool of laymen available to be priests.
I already love this man!
5. Saint John Vianney is being staged as a one-man production titled “VIANNEY” and will be premiering here in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on August 4, 2009. This is in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the death of this patron saint of parish priests.
Leonardo Defilippis plays the role of Saint John Vianney as he performs at various churches across the archdiocese.
For a schedule of where he will be performing click here.
This drama will also be staged across other dioceses, for more information click here.
Update I: I posted a more concise story on this here.
6. For the last Res et Explicatio click here.
7. For more news and commentary click here.
“I already love this man!”
Oh great, Tito Taco has gone all bender on us; what’s next? Same-sex marriage?
e.,
That’s Double-T to you.
Sorry, mate; I go for Double D’s! *wink*
My “Too Much Information” meter just exploded…
*laughs* *cheers*
I’ve long believed the sheer duration of the Medjugorje apparitions was reason enough to suspect something fishy. Most genuine/approved Marian apparitions happen only once, or a few times, and span a few months at most, like Lourdes and Fatima. Genuine seers may have apparitions occasionally over the course of their lives (like Fatima seer Sister Lucy did) but not “on command” or on a regular basis, and if they do, they don’t publicize them. I could never believe the Virgin Mary was THAT much of a chatterbox that she would talk to these kids (who, of course, aren’t kids anymore) every single day for (as of now) more than 28 years.
I know lots of people argue that Medjugorje produced all kinds of “good fruit” in the form of conversions, healings, etc.; but the same argument can be made about a lot of other non-approved apparitions, and about organizations such as the Legionaires of Christ and Regnum Christi which are now proven to have been founded on fraud. The “good fruits” are, perhaps, just God bringing good out of a bad situation.
However, why does article linked above mention Ivan Dragevic’s marriage to a “former beauty queen” — not that there’s anything wrong with that, eh guys?
Elaine,
Good point on that marriage.
Yeah, nothing is wrong with that, but in a future posting I will touch on this, but briefly say it here.
The Blessed Virgin Mary asked him to enter the priesthood and he decided not to.
How many of us struggle for direction from God and here is Ivan telling the Holy Mother “no”.
That was the back breaker for me.
“The Blessed Virgin Mary asked him to enter the priesthood and he decided not to… here is Ivan telling the Holy Mother ‘no’.”
Ah, but what if the Holy Mother didn’t really speak to him in the first place? Church authorities have ruled more than once that there is no evidence to prove that she did.
Of course that makes Ivan’s situation even worse, because it means either 1) that he has been duped or deceived into thinking the apparitions are genuine when they are not, or 2) he knows the apparitions are fake and willingly participated in fraud by pretending they were.
The Vatican approved apparitions the children didn’t even hesitate to join the convents. Yet Ivan, and a couple others, chose to live a more materialistic lifestyle.
That is what disturbs me.
They have broken many of the guidelines that are normally followed to be approved.
Hence my skepticism on the matter.
I see what you mean, in that genuine visionaries normally don’t try to make a living off their visions or messages, and often hesitate to tell anyone about them at first, because they can’t believe Jesus or Mary would choose to speak directly to someone as unworthy as them.
Although there were no such people as “jet setters” in Bernadette’s time or in the era of the Fatima visions, I can’t picture any of them becoming jet setters and running all over the world, speaking to conferences and giving interviews and such. However, while the majority of genuine visionaries do enter religious life, is it really a “rule” that they HAVE to or else the vision wasn’t genuine?
Elaine,
It’s not a rule, but it certainly lends credibility.
If Ivan chose to live simply then it would certainly have not put any doubts in my mind, but since he lives like a rock star, it begs the question.
[…] 8. For the last Res et Explicatio click here. […]