"Where in the Bible does it say we have to celebrate Mass?" & other great stories

BURNING QUESTION OF THE WEEK: "Why do Catholics say the rosary at funerals?" Let us know what you think. Post a comment today.

THIS WEEK'S FEATURED BLOG: "A Community of Many Colors" By Paul Dion, STL

Dear friends,

What a great issue we have for you this week! Because last Sunday's Mass Readings focused on Marriage, it naturally generated a lot of buzz through the week. Stories about Technology and reader questions about our Catholic beliefs round up our other main stories.

We start off with "Five non-religious arguments for Marriage over living together" by Dennis Prager, a nationally syndicated radio talk show host. What a great read! Then we bring you an article that explains the difference between "getting married" and "becoming married." And another one called "Fill your Home with Love!" that explains how to stay in love when the initial intensely romantic high fades.

And with Divorce reigning today as the scourge of Marriage, we have an article that urges couples to replace the "use and discard" mentality with that of "use and repair." Repair the big tears, and repair them immediately.

Still on this subject, Pope Benedict called on all Christian spouses this week to embrace the mission to be a sign of love to all. And in "The couple that prays together, stays together," we give you the steps to enrich your prayer life and your marriage.

And we have reader questions, great reader questions! "Where in the Bible does it say we have to celebrate the Mass as part of our Christian Worship?" kicks off these questions. "Is it an obligation to go to First Friday Mass?" asks another. And "Why do Catholics say the rosary at funerals?" We have all the answers.

Then we go to Technology News. The Pope this week declared, "The Church must not be afraid to use technology to spread the good news." The late John Paul II called it "The New Evangelization" and this Pope is running with it as well. And it all makes sense because the latest polls show that for the first time ever, the hours spent by Americans on Internet use has surpassed newspaper and magazine reading. And it only gets more exciting as the $100 internet-ready laptops are set to debut worldwide very very soon. Read about it here.

And with media becoming more and more a part of Christian evangelization work, Pope Benedict issued a pointed warning to all theologians down to the parish level not to speak to merit applause, "To speak to meet with applause, to speak oriented to what men want to hear, to speak obeying the dictatorship of common opinions, is considered a sort of prostitution of the word and of the soul."

In LIFE STORIES, there seems to be a growing openness in the U.S. to having more than two children - in some cases more than four. 11 percent of all U.S. births in 2004 were to women who already had three children, up from 10 percent in 1995. While another poll conducted by the Pew Research firm finds that a sampling of nations in Asia, Africa and South America are more pro-life on the issue of abortion than residents of the United States.

GET INSPIRED! "I Can Only Imagine!" is one of those stories that will make you go, "WOW!" It's about an out-of-shape father whose disabled son's one wish was for both of them to enter a grueling full-scale triathlon. Make sure you watch the accompanying video at the bottom of the story. In "Old Dogs," the wisdom expressed by a little girl upon the death of the family dog is pure treasure. And if you're struggling with forgiving those who have done you wrong, "How To Forgive" is just for you.

In YOUTH & LIFESTYLE, "Cool Clergy" deals with today's young crop of seminarians. Their seminaries are not places where they only chant Latin and say the rosary - these men are playing basketball and lifting weights and listening to rock music. But they still remain committed to the call made this week by Pope Benedict to all young people, "Proclaim the Gospel on the streets and squares, in schools and hospitals, as well as in places of recreation."

We round up this week's issue with "How to protect yourself - and those around you - from the Flu" and "How to make the thickest milk shake" so that the straw stands up on its end!

And many other great stories.

Enjoy this week's edition of your ParishWorld.net. We hope you have a blessed week ahead.

Keep the faith. Peace.

Wally Arida
Publisher & Editor in Chief