BIG C CATHOLICS

Notes The coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI was designed by then Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo (who later was created a Cardinal) soon after the papal election. Benedict's coat of arms has omitted the papal tiara, which traditionally appears in the background to designate the Pope's position as a worldly ruler like a king, replacing it with a simple miter, emphasizing his spiritual authority. Symbolism Scallop shell : The symbolism of the scallop shell is multiple; one of the meanings is thought to represent Saint Augustine. While a doctoral candidate in 1953, Fr. Joseph Ratzinger wrote his dissertation on The People of God and the House of God in Augustine's Teaching is always about the Church, and therefore has a personal connection with the thought of this great Doctor of the Church. Moor of Freising : The Moor's head is an heraldic charge associated with Freising, Germany. Corbinian's bear : A legend states that while traveling to Rome, Saint Co

Pope Pius XII Thought of the Day So then, the great Mother of God, so mysteriously united to Jesus Christ from all eternity by the same decree of predestination, immaculately conceived, an intact virgin throughout her divine motherhood, a noble associate of our Redeemer as he defeated sin and its consequences, received, as it were, the final crowning privilege of being preserved from the corruption of the grave and, following her Son in his victory over death, was brought, body and soul, to the highest glory of heaven, to shine as Queen at the right hand of that same Son, the immortal King of Ages -- Pope Pius XII.

Pauline A. Viviano, PhD The Church has a rich tradition of interpreting Sacred Scripture. That tradition had begun already in the New Testament, as the Old Testament was interpreted in relationship to Christ, and it was further developed by the early Church Fathers and systematized in the medieval period. Though modern and contemporary biblical scholarship both have adopted “new means and new aids to exegesis” as encouraged by Pope Pius XII, the foundation laid by the early Church Fathers and the medieval Church continues to support subsequent inquiries into the meaning of the biblical text. The early Church Fathers were not bound to one meaning of the text but rather allowed the biblical text to speak its message in various ways. These various ways correspond to the levels of meaning in a text; these levels of meaning we call “the senses of Scripture.” [ ... ]

From the Associated Press: Amman , Jordan (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI said Friday he hopes the Catholic church can play a role in the Middle East peace process as he began his first trip to the region with a stop in Jordan, where he hopes to improve frayed ties with Muslims. The pope rankled many in the Muslim world with a 2006 speech in which he quoted a Medieval text that characterized some of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith." The pope has already said he was "deeply sorry" over the reaction to his speech and that the passage he quoted did not reflect his own opinion. But his comments continue to fuel criticism by some Muslims. Jordan's hard-line Muslim Brotherhood said Friday that its members would boycott the pope's visit because he did not issue a public apology ahead of time as they demanded... To read the full article click here .

Dumb Ox On Suffering (continued) The logic behind the saying "Offer it up." We've all heard that expression "Offer it up." It is often the response when we or someone else lament life's difficulties. To the Dumb Ox it can seem like a flippant or dismissive reply to another person's suffering. But "offering it up" is sometimes the best thing we can do. Scripture testifies to the fact that Christ is the head and we are the body. As members of the Mystical Body of Christ we can offer up our suffering, whatever form it takes, in union with our Savior's Passion. Click here for a prayer of daily offering and here for the previous post on suffering.

Thought of the Day There are two sides to every sin: the turning of the will toward fleeting satisfaction and the turning away from everlasting value. As regards to the first, the principle of all sins can be called lust--lust in its most general sense, namely, the unbridled desire for one's own pleasure. As regards to the second, the principle is pride-- pride in its general sense, the lack of submission to God. -- St. Thomas Aquinas

Flannery O'Connor In Flannery O’ Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the Misfit is the embodiment of evil. His chance encounter with a Georgia family culminates in the execution of the grandmother after she reaches out to touch him. O’Connor uses the Misfit to show how grace and salvation are available to both saint and sinner alike. Whether we accept these is another matter. The Misfit exercises his free will to do evil. Instead of sparing an old woman, he brutally murders her. Rejecting the grandmother’s kindness, he chooses violence over virtue – symbolizing our fallen humanity. O’Connor contrasts the grandmother’s last earthly act with the Misfit’s violent reaction to it. In the climactic scene, the grandmother tells the Misfit he is: “One of my babies” and one of “my own children.” When she reaches to touch him, he springs back from her: "as if a snake had bitten him.” The fact the Misfit would react as if she were a snake is itself telling.