Friday, July 27, 2007

The Lord's Prayer and Sodom & Gomorrah


By Wally Arida
Emailed July 26, 2007


Dear Friends,

St. Francis de Sales once said, "While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who allow scandals to destroy their faith are guilty of spiritual suicide." While he said this several centuries ago during some of the darkest days of the Catholic Church, it's still timely today in light of the recent settlements of child abuse claims against the Catholic Church. I urge all to read this story.

The Readings this weekend focus on "Sodom and Gommorah" and "The Lords Prayer." Several of our articles this week reflect on these beginning with our burning question. Reflect on the carnage God poured on the two ill-fated cities and think about this: "Is it OK for God to get angry?" And still dealing with the example of Sodom and Gomorrah, we discuss a fable commonly believed by many Christians: that Christ came to promise all men salvation no matter what they do and that there is no punishment for sin in the next world.

"Lord, Teach Us to Pray," is a great article that helps us understand the prayer that Jesus taught us - The Our Father. And here's a good one. What if God decided to talk to you as you were praying The Our Father. We think the conversation would sound something like this.

Aiding the sanctity of Marriage was someting Pope Benedict preached about this week when he called for a return to our Creator's design. Related to this, the US Bishops has launched a media blitz to promote Marriage by encouraging the small gestures between couples that can mean a lot to fostering better relationships. And when couples fall on hard times, what can save marriages? "Just Friends" say it's their ability to fall back on their essential friendship.
Here's a much needed clarification: Annulment is Not ‘Catholic Divorce!’ It's supposed to validate that God intended for marriages to be forever. A tribunal judge reminded us about that this week when he said that Pope John Paul II opposed easy annulments.

In a touching tribute to his father who passed away recently, Catholic blogger Bo Sanchez lovingly talks about "The Dad Who Brought Me Out For Pizza." In "Mother and Daughter Before God," Paul Dion, STL paints a touching picture of the kinship betweeen his family and his children's grandmother who's already in the twilight years of her life. And from Seattle, WA, "You're God. You Can Do Anything," is the story of an 11-year-old in the last stages of cancer and her devoutly Catholic family.

Well, it seems the young are getting it. First comes "It's Girls Gone Mild!," which talks about how teen girls are moving from trashy fashion to classy. Then comes "Deep into Devotions," which talks about the way many Catholic youth are adopting devotions more traditional than their parents'.

"Hello? Anybody there? Hellooo...?" Why do the pews at your church seem empty during these summer months? Here's a look at why and how some parishes are coping.

And we have LIFESTYLE NEWS. Ever wondered how much the those TV stars really make? We thought it would be interesting to bring you a list of the top earners starting with Oprah who pulled in a cool $260 million in 2006. Who came in second? Simon cowell at $45 million.

And how was your week? Have a great and blessed coming week.

Keep the faith. Peace.

Wally AridaPublisher & Editor in chief

No comments:

Post a Comment