Garry Wills and his book
  "Why Priests?" A Failed Tradition
 Darlene Starrs
(Canada Sunday blogger)
Garry Wills does not have all the correct answers, but he's courageously willing to open the discussion: why priests?
 Such a discussion is going to bring about brisk conversation about priests, about Eucharist, about sacraments, about new ministry, about authority etc

Another review of Wills' book

Men Alive website (Australia)
Dates of 2013 weekends

There is no degree needed to wash feet. The washing of feet is a summary of the Gospel - Br Andrew

Can Catholic schools connect scholarly research and poor communities?

US: average age of new priests is 32

Hospitalized N.Y. dad gets to see
 his daughter's first communion

Pope to meet privately with
 Sisters  leadership group

Four fronts where the Vatican
 isn't the real problem

More on Latin translations
Questions from a Ewe

Today is 200th birthday of
Soren Kierkegaard

This week's smile
  God's wife !

Vatican II  Reflection 79
What Mass should seminarians learn to say?
1962?    Vatican II?  Both?

John W - Blog - May 5
Photo report of another happy day

A  response to some issues raised by Garry Wills and his interlocutors and some avoided by many
David Timbs (Melbourne)
Biblical exegesis is not one of Wills’ strong points. He is a great literary critic but when it comes to Scripture for some strange reason he  becomes something of a fundamentalist. This works for and against him

In each diocese: 
a Vicar for the Poor
John W
Pope Francis wants a "poor Church that cares more for the poor". One way to promote this ideal is for each diocese to have a specific person designated as "Vicar for the Poor"

Denmark: crime down, streets safer
because of legal drug centre
Would that such centres could be established in every part of the world. The drug market would collapse - jw

Interactive Bible Quiz - Genesis
Based on the actual words of the Bible.
How many times you can get 3/3 ?!

HK:  construction starting on massive highway system for central Kowloon
This site has links to videos
 in English and Chinese

 

Reading Reflection Prayer - with readers' comments Menu for today May 6

How we can bring good news to others

Why people "hate without cause"

Spreading the Message

A famous "serve"

Please add a comment

See previous comments

Vatican II  Reflection 80
Christians are people who should be under the influence...of the Liturgy

John W - Blog - May 6
Mothers in prison

Click to enlarge

The Holy Spirit
Martin Mallon 
(Tuesday blogger from Ireland)
May the Holy Spirit guide us all as we attempt to spread the love of God in our daily contact with other humans, children of God. 

Bishop Geoff Robinson and Bishop Bill Morris:
Petition to Pope Francis
to stop sexual abuse 
and to reform Church
- and calling for a new Ecumenical Council !
(John W has signed petition)

Brian Coyne (Catholica):
Support this petiton

Cardinal in charge of Religious Life not consulted before LCWR decision
And notice in this article  Pope Francis' method to  chose the cardinal's secretary!

Smile:Red-faced robber!

Poor pay high price
for our cheap clothes

Bangladesh tragedy:
Guilt-free clothing

Vatican II  Reflection 81
R-E-S-T-O-R-A-T-I-O-N

John W - Blog - May 7
Not 400 dead but 622 

Only when I was preparing 
May One did I learn that May Day 
originated from Chicago in 1886  jw

German Bishops' Conference chairman:
Let's have women deacons !

Pope invited to visit Israel

Benedict will return to 
Vatican tomorrow

Tribute to Bishop Jin of Shanghai
Fr Michael Kelly SJ

China's aid projects in Africa
US$75 billion in past 10 years

Why are priests called "father"?
Questions from a Ewe

Vatican II  Reflection 75
Today's celebrant is Fr Jesus !

 

I wonder what Matteo Ricci would think of this video? How Chinese characters confirm Genesis stories   Would Ricci see it as just a co-incidence or would he see it as some sort of possible confirmation of his theory that ancient Chinese culture retained traces of primal Biblical revelation?

John W - Blog - May 1
Workers' conditions in this part of the world have a long way to go

Pope Francis is giving new meaning to the famous words of Paul VI
John W
Several decades ago, Pope Paul VI famously said  "the world no longer listens to teachers, only to witnesses"

 Paul VI's words clearly apply to Pope Francis: the world is listening to Francis, because people know that Francis "walks the talk", he practices what he preaches, he is a witness-teacher, he is a Jehovah Witness in the best sense of the term! 

We can say the world is not just listening, but eagerly listening - the Catholic world, the Christian world, the secular world ...all are following Francis words, as they followed the words of John XXIII long ago

And not just following Francis' words, but following his actions. He's speaking most eloquently by his actions, like washing inmates' feet. That one action was more powerful than libraries of words about humble service

People are sick and tired of being told what to do, especially by those who don't practice what they preach. People no longer want to hear disembodied homilists. They want to see flesh and blood witnesses who live out their words. People want to see words-made-flesh, words incarnated, which of course is exactly what Jesus did. He didn't just talk about forgiveness ...he practiced it to his dying breath

 This all means that Paul VI's words
 can be updated to read:
"Don't tell me what to do, 
but show me what you do"

 

Every Thursday, Daniel Daring's reflection on the Sunday readings,  to help us prepare for Sunday: This week - Easter 6 (C): Do not be afraid to face the future The words pierced his heart. The fear was gone; peace began to reign. And with that experience a sudden realization dawned on  him that God was not yet finished with him. God is never finished with us.  Even if the circumstances of life try to tell us that all is over and we will never rise from our mistakes, failures, or tragedies, God’s message is always the same: trust,  have peace, do not be afraid.

Pope's May 1 Labour Day address:
An appeal to end slavery

 

Reading Reflection Prayer - with readers' comments Menu for today May 2

"Looking after children, students,  parishioners a waste of time"

Has double meaning: "I thirst"

Pentecost coming soon

"There's money in religion"

Please add a comment!

See previous comments

Pope getting avalanche of advice about reform of Curia

SSPX rushes to mend Vatican fences

Vatican  II  Reflection 76
Jesus' earthly liturgy

John W - Blog - May 2
An old Bible trick ...how to find Psalms !

Which James is which?
John W
Today is the Feast of Philip and James.
Everyone is clear who Philip was, but the name James causes confusion for many people.  Two of Jesus' apostles were called James. One was the brother of the apostle John. This James is "James the greater", Big Jim,  and his feast day is July 25.  The other apostle is know as "James the Less", Little Jim, and it's his feast day today

But there's another important James in the New Testament,  "James the brother of the Lord" - Brother James -  who wrote the Letter of James. Some people say Brother James and Little Jim are one and same. Today's first reading, chosen maybe by Fr Con Fusion, gives the impression that Little Jim is Brother James

Many commentaries and articles, including the Daily Roman Missal,  follow this theory.  But few Bible scholars accept it

To clarify: the James of today's first reading is not the apostle James (the Less),  but James "the brother of the Lord"

The James confusion goes back to St Jerome, who baulked at the title "brother of the Lord" (implying Jesus had physical brothers and sisters).  So he identified "the brother of the Lord"  with James the Less

Another Jerome, Fr J. Neyrey SJ, here succinctly explains that "brother of the Lord" means just that

Wikipedia has a good summary of all this
and says how James the brother of the Lord was martyred in AD 62 or 69

Which means that two of Mary's sons were killed: Jesus and James "the brother of the Lord". I wonder if Mary was still alive in AD62/69? A last bit of suffering before she left this world?

Reforming Vatican is like
 nailing jelly to a wall

Gerry Blaszczak, S.J., discusses Pope Francis' frequent mention of the devil and how it reflects the pope's Ignatian spirituality - in this video

Video: Congo bishop talks about his country's 15 years of violence

Vatican II Reflection 77
Private prayer should be in harmony
 with the Liturgy

John W - Blog - May 3
Not easy to help Bangladesh?

Testament insults Jesus' mother
John W
See my comment at this article.
At top of comments, click "Best" rather than "Newest" or "Oldest" to find my comment

Pope Francis bringing Romero
in from the cold  

Francis' secret weapon:
a sense of humour

Thinking the unthinkable
No more "I'm the boss" bishops

Vatican to house two popes

"The young priest and old man"
- a sad story

A Christian school in China
Note final 7 lines

Christian Brothers spent $1 million
 to defend paedophile

Vatican II Reflection 78
John 1:14 and Doc on Liturgy 1:14 !


John W - Blog - May 4
Praying for two special inmates

Many thanks for checking
 this website each day

Engagements of Pope Francis

 Humble photo

Barefoot man in cold and rain
St Peter's Square  2013-03-12
praying for  conclave   

Homeless Jesus


More bloggers, more tank people,
 wanted  from all parts of the world!
Please email jdwomi@gmail.com 

Please encourage more people to see 1-10  re Bishop Bill Morris:
1: Judge's conclusions
2: Canon lawyer's report 
3: Radio interview with judge
4:  "The Age" file of letters
5: Summary re Rome
 6: Frank Brennan's update
7: ABC radio Fr Frank Brennan
8. Update from Frank Brennan
9. Vatileaks & Bp Bill Morris
10: Tablet letter - Frank Brennan

After reading 1-10, check the "Pravda" report of CNA

Google "Morris" at top of this page
for many articles re Bishop BM,
the most recent being talk of March 26, 2013: Reclaiming the Spirit of Vatican II

 Pat Power
Bp Geoff Robinson
Bruce Duncan
Catalyst for Renewal
Catholics for Ministry  
Catholics for Renewal
Frank Brennan
Peter Johnstone     
The Swag 
1998 ICEL Sacramentary

      Bloggers' archives - current bloggers without ( )

Bakhita   (Hazel C)   Daniel Daring  Inigo Joachim (Brian Lewis)  (Judith Lynch)   Martin Mallon  Chris McDonnell   (Bill Mulcahy) 
 (Des O'Donnell)  TASMAD   (David Timbs)  (Peter Wilkinson)   Harry Winter   John Wotherspoon

Other Archives
2013
2012
  2011
 2010
  2009
2008

16 Documents of V2 
We Are Church
STANDUP4VATICAN2
VII - Voice of the Church
Catholic Priests Ireland
PrayTell
Donald Cozzens
Misguided Missal 
Too Western/European 

Fr Hans Küng:      Letter to bishops    Revolution to stop authoritarianism 
Fr Joseph Ratzinger:  Writings on Vat II          Robert Mickens: Vatican Implosion
Nicholas Lash:     Vatican II: Of Happy Memory - and Hope?
Robert McNally: Crisis & Criticism in the Church 
Ron Schmit:  1962 Mass a condemnation of Vat II

The new translation of the Mass
Ghastly process, ghastly result

Excellent articles on Mission
by Fr Hugh McMahon SSC

Abortion - a true story

Same-sex marriage and anal sex

Priests 9 Masses a day - need to ordain married men

The evil of compulsory celibacy

Link between compulsory celibacy and sexual abuse

Why are women not being ordained to priesthood?

To publish an article on this site  please contact 
Fr John Wotherspoon:   jdwomi@gmail.com  

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 www.SimpleBible.info 

www.DoctorJesus.org  

 China Library - essential reading for anyone interested in China's Christian history