Vatican approves new rite of blessing for unborn

This Sunday, March 25, nations across the world celebrated International Day of the Unborn Child.   This celebration follows a very important Catholic feast day, the Feast of the Annunciation.  On this great Feast day, in which our Lady said "Yes" to life and to the will of God, the Vatican approved the publication of the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in  the Womb".  This blessing will be made available to parishes by Mother's Day, a fitting reminder of the beauty of life and motherhood.  It was developed in response to inquiries for such a blessing.  This blessing further emphasizes beauty of life even in its beginning and  most vulnerable stage in the womb.

To read more about this new blessing visit LifeSiteNews

'Beyond Ignorance and Dogma' by Christian Smith

Notre Dame Sociology Professor Christian Smith gave sociologists who deride religion a dressing down in the most recent issue of the American Sociological Association's journal. In "Beyond Ignorance and Dogma: On Taking Religion Seriously," Prof. Smith says,

"The time has come for American sociology to stop being so ignorant and dogmatic about religion. As someone who knows something about the real history, cultures, and organizations of religious traditions, I am regularly appalled by the illiterate prejudices about religion that are routinely expressed by sociologist colleagues. It is embarrassing for our discipline and galling to those who know better."

Read the full article on page 14 here.

World Down Syndrome Day is Today

The University of Notre Dame community will mark World Down Syndrome Day on Wednesday, March 21, with Mass at 5:15 pm in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, followed by a reception in Remick Commons in Carole Sandner Hall (located behind the Basilica). This gathering, to which all members of the campus and off-campus communities are invited, is in support of persons with Down Syndrome and their families. Sponsorship of the free event is provided by the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) and the Jacques Maritain Center. This March 21 is the seventh anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day but is the first time the day will be officially observed by the United Nations.

Here are two wonderful youtube videos celebrating the blessings the Down Syndrome children bestow on their families:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVxz71ygHbk

http://www.ds-int.org/let-us-in-i-want-to-learn

Bishop Lori responds to America editors

In their March 5 editorial "Policy not Liberty," the editors of America magazine lambasted the American bishops for rejection President Obama's "accommodation" on the HHS mandate as inadequate. Bishop Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, has responded to their editorial. An excerpt:

" Oh, and as Detective Colombo used to say: “Just one more thing.” It’s the comment in the editorial about when we bishops are at our best. Evidently, it’s when we speak generalities softly and go along to get along, even though for the first time in history the federal government is forcing church entities to provide for things that contradict church teaching. Maybe Moses wasn’t at his best when he confronted Pharaoh. Maybe the Good Shepherd was a bit off his game when he confronted the rulers of his day.

But those are just details." 

Read his full piece here.

" Oh, and as Detective Colombo used to say: “Just one more thing.” It’s the comment in the editorial about when we bishops are at our best. Evidently, it’s when we speak generalities softly and go along to get along, even though for the first time in history the federal government is forcing church entities to provide for things that contradict church teaching. Maybe Moses wasn’t at his best when he confronted Pharaoh. Maybe the Good Shepherd was a bit off his game when he confronted the rulers of his day.

But those are just details."

No Cooperation with Evil

Our Myser Fellow, Prof. Randy Smith, contributed yesterday to "The Catholic Thing" blog, with his article "No Cooperation with Evil," concerning the HHS contraception mandate.

An excerpt: "Those who want you to violate your conscience will first seek to misinform your conscience, and then try to deaden its voice."


Read the full article here.

'My Brother the Pope'

Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope Benedict XVI,  revealed intimate moments of their childhood and his relationship with his brother.  Michael Hesemann's week-long interview with the Pope's brother provides the material for their book, "My Brother the Pope."  Ratzinger speaks in great detail about their Catholic upbringing which included attending daily mass, family prayer, and celebrations of the great Christian feasts.

"In our family, though, it was not only Christmas that was marked by the deep faith of our parents and the religious customs of our homeland. From our parents we learned what it means to have a firm grasp of faith in God. Every day we prayed together, and in fact before and after each meal (we ate our breakfast, dinner and supper together)."

Ratzinger attributes the faith of him and his brother to their parents devotion and piety. The practice of daily prayer and devotion was instrumental in creating the deep faith of the Ratzingers.  It is this daily commitment to faith that Ratzinger feels is lacking in many Christian families.
 
"I am convinced that the lack of this traditional piety in many families is also a reason why there are too few priestly vocations today. Many people in our time practice a form of atheism rather than the Christian faith. In some respects, they may maintain a sort of vestigial religiosity; perhaps they still go to Mass on the major feast days, but this rudimentary faith long ago ceased to permeate their lives, and it has no bearing on their everyday routine."

Faith is not only reserved for Sundays or feast days.  The Christian life calls each person to live out their faith daily in their actions, their words, and in prayer.  Faith needs to become a part of everyday routine.


To read more on Ratzinger's childhood in the Huffington Post, click here, and to read more of Michael Hesemann's reflections on the interview, click here.