H.H. Patriarch Emmanuel speaks at Episcopal Synod

Today during the Thirteenth General Congregation of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, several hierarchs spoke. Among them was H.H. Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans. He spoke about the continuing plight of the Chaldeans and other Christians in Iraq. Below I have given an excerpt of his speech. My heart goes out to these Christians. I cannot even imagine what it must be like to live in a land where the people look down on them in such a way. The persecution is so great over there, so much so that at the beginning of the Iraq War there were almost 1,000,000 Chaldeans. Whereas now, there are nearly 400,000. Many have either been killed or emigrated elsewhere.

Please keep these people in your prayers. Let us not let their blood letting be in vain. Pray for the conversion of their murderers and the conversion of the whole Middle East. Their Church has borne some great martyrs in the last few years, let us ask for their intercession. Holy hieromartyrs Faraj Rahho and Ragheed Ganni and his companions, pray for us to the Lord, Our God!

"I am a son of the land of Abraham, Iraq. ... We have tried everything to obtain peace and serenity for the country. The situation in some parts of Iraq is disastrous and tragic. Life is a Calvary: peace and security are lacking , just as the fundamental elements in daily life. Electricity, water, fuel continue to be lacking. ... All fear kidnapping, abduction and intimidation. ... Not to mention the ever growing number of deaths caused by car bombs and kamikazes wearing explosive belts. To live the Word of God means to us to bear witness to it to the cost of our own lives, as has occurred and still occurs till now with the sacrifice of the bishops, priests and faithful. ... Because of this, I beg of you to pray the Lord Jesus, the Word of God, for us and with us, and share our concern, our hopes and the suffering of our wounded, so that the Word of God made flesh stay in His Church and with us as a good news and as support. Sixteen of our priests and two bishops have been kidnapped and were released after paying a very high
ransom. Some of them belong to a line of new martyrs that today pray for us from the heavens: Archbishop Faraj Rahho of Mosul, Fr. Raghid Ganni, other two priests and other six young persons".

Vatican Information Service

New Translation of the Ordo Missae for the Latins

Ever since the fallout of the Second Vatican Council, the new Liturgy instituted for the Latins has been a source of contention. The aftermath resulted in many leaving the Church because of renegade priests' innovations and fiddling with the new Liturgy and ICEL's (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) butchering of the Latin translations. This new Liturgy became known as the Novus Ordo or sometimes the "Ordinary Form," as opposed to the "Extraordinary Form" or the Tridentine Mass. After H.H. John Paul II of blessed memory called for a new translation for the English-speaking Latin Church in 2000, ICEL in conjunction with the USCCB and other Bishops conferences in English-speaking countries has made great strides in bringing it to fruition.

The USCCB says that it should be finished by November 2010 and then "submitted to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for recognitio." After which, it could take any amount of time for the translation to receive approval and then the USCCB can commence with implementing it. Upon reading through it, I must say that it's a much better translation and closer to the Latin version than the previous. When the priest says "The Lord be with you" the people will say "and with your spirit," as opposed to "and also with you." The reason being is that the Latin has always said "et cum spiritu tuo" which is literally "and with your spirit." Because of the new translation, the Liturgy will take on a much more austere and reverent form, which was intended by the Council Fathers of Vatican II. I rejoice with the Latins in this great victory of returning reverence and orthodoxy to their Liturgy. You know what they say: lex orandi, lex credendi!

There are also numerous other changes to the translation, such as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, Confiteor and other prayers. I've listed the links below for easy access to see the changes, read the proposed translation et al.

10 Questions on the Revised Translations of the Ordo Missae

Changes in the People's Parts

Complete Text of Possible Proposed Translation

Pictures from Gov. Palin ralley on 6 October 2008

Here are some pictures from the Sarah Palin ralley on 6 October 2008. I went with my roomate here at Ave Maria University. I had to miss two classes and I ended up not doing so hot on a Latin quiz that I made up due to missing said classes, but it was history in the making! There were some lunatic Obama supporters and anti-democratic goofballs there (although they are one in the same, really) who rudely interrupted her screaming God knows what. She shot back at them saying "my son is in Iraq right now fighting for your right to protest!" People who disrupt events like this, no matter what party, need to have something to do, like get a job for instance.

Anyway, here are some of the photos.

Gov. Palin exposes Sen. Obama's stance on Infanticide and Partial-birth Abortion

As the race to the White House continues, Gov. Sarah Palin is becoming increasingly more outspoken. To some, it might appear that there is more focus on her than on Sen. McCain. It's probably true. This is the first female VP candidate for the White House and all eyes are on her. A staunch female conservative, who is unapologetically pro-life is going to attract a lot of attention from both sides of the aisle. I personally think she's doing a great job with it, regardless of those who cut her interviews and purposefully try to make her look like an idiot.

I had an opportunity to see Gov. Palin the past week. My roomate and I went to see her on Monday in Fort Meyers. Save the fact that we waited in line for 2 hours in the Florida heat, and waited more than an hour after for her to actually come out, only hearing her for about 35 minutes, it was still a memorable event. It was, in fact, my first political ralley. She spoke about McCain and her bringing the country out of the economic problems, leading us to victory in Iraq and other issues. I do wish, however, that she would have spoken about Sen. Obama's horrible view towards humanity. She didn't mention that at the ralley on the 6th, but she did yesterday in Pennsylvania. I strongly recommend you read it. It's only an excerpt, but she really hammers home the point.

SPEECH EXCERPT BY SARAH PALIN IN JOHNSTOWN, PENNSLYVANIA ::: October 11, 2008

"In this same spirit, as defenders of the culture of life, John McCain and I believe in the goodness and potential of every innocent life. I believe the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves. And who is more vulnerable, or more innocent, than a child?

When I learned that my son Trig would have special needs, I had to prepare my heart for the challenges to come. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. But I can tell you a few things I've learned already.

Yes, every innocent life matters. Everyone belongs in the circle of protection. Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. There are the world's standards of perfection … and then there are God's, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake.

As for our beautiful baby boy, for Todd and me, he is only more precious because he is vulnerable. In some ways, I think we stand to learn more from him than he does from us. When we hold Trig and care for him, we don't feel scared anymore. We feel blessed.

It's hard to think of many issues that could possibly be more important than who is protected in law and who isn't – who is granted life and who is denied it. So when our opponent, Senator Obama, speaks about questions of life, I listen very carefully.

I listened when he defended his unconditional support for unlimited abortions. He said that a woman shouldn't have to be – quote – "punished with a baby." He said that right here in Johnstown –"punished with a baby" – and it's about time we called him on it. The more I hear from Senator Obama, the more I understand why he is so vague and evasive on the subject. Americans need to see his record for what it is. It's not negative or mean-spirited to talk to about his record. Whatever party you belong to, there are facts you need to know.

Senator Obama has voted against bills to end partial-birth abortion. In the Illinois Senate, a bipartisan majority passed legislation against that practice. Senator Obama opposed that bill. He voted against it in committee, and voted "present" on the Senate floor. In that legislature, "present" is how you vote when you're against something, but don't want to be held to account.

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat, described partial-birth abortion as "too close to infanticide." Barack Obama thinks it's a constitutional right, but he is wrong.

Most troubling, as a state senator, Barack Obama wouldn't even stand up for the rights of infants born alive during an abortion. These infants – often babies with special needs – are simply left to die.

In 2002, Congress unanimously passed a federal law to require medical care for those babies who survive an abortion. They're living, breathing babies, but Senator Obama describes them as "pre-viable." This merciful law was called the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. Illinois had a version of the same law. Obama voted against it.

Asked about this vote, Senator Obama assured a reporter that he'd have voted "yes" on that bill if it had contained language similar to the federal version of the Born Alive Act. There's just one little problem with that story: the language of both the state and federal bills was identical.

In short, Senator Obama is a politician who has long since left behind even the middle ground on the issue of life. He has sided with those who won't even protect a child born alive. And this exposes the emptiness of his promises to move beyond the "old politics."

In both parties, Americans have many concerns to be weighed in the votes they cast on November fourth. In times like these, with wars and a financial crisis, it's easy to forget even as deep and abiding a concern as the right to life. And it seems our opponent hopes that you will forget. Like so much else in his agenda, he hopes you won't notice how radical his ideas and record are until it's too late.

But let there be no misunderstanding about the stakes.

A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for activist courts that will continue to smother the open and democratic debate we need on this issue, at both the state and federal level. A vote for Barack Obama would give the ultimate power over the issue of life to a politician who has never once done anything to protect the unborn. As Senator Obama told Pastor Rick Warren, it's above his pay grade.

For a candidate who talks so often about "hope," he offers no hope at all in meeting this great challenge to the conscience of America. There is a growing consensus in our country that we can overcome narrow partisanship on this issue, and bring all the resources of a generous country to the aid of both women in need and the child waiting to be born. We need more of the compassion and idealism that our opponent's own party, at its best, once stood for. We need the clarity and conviction of leaders like the late Governor Bob Casey.

He represented a humanity that speaks to all of us – no matter what our party, our background, our faith, or our gender. And no matter your position on this sensitive subject, I hope that spirit will guide you on Election Day. I ask you to vote for McCain-Palin on the November fourth, and help us to bring this country together in the rational discussion of compassion and life."

http://catholics4mccain.org/?p=225

Defending against murder in the womb (and murder of any sort) has been the key issue that Catholic Hierarchs have been speaking about for centuries, but even moreso in the last 40 years. If we cannot protect the most vulnerable in society, we will only slip further back as a nation. I pray that God spares our country of such a fate, but His ways are just and His will supreme.

Some thoughts on how to live better...

Shlomo lkhulkhun!

This something interesting that I found on ByzCath.org Forums. It was posted by someone on there that I greatly admire for his knowledge of the Faith and his sincerity in spreading it. He's also a faithful Maronite and has taught me a lot about the Maronite Church, of which I would love to serve one day in some capacity. Anyhow, this was written by a man by the name of Charbel Touma, but was provided by "Yuhannon" from ByzCath forums. If we could just get every Catholic to live this out, what an amazing world that would be!

.::10 Things God Won't Ask::.
1. God won't ask what kind of car you drove, He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
2. God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3. God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4. God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it. 5. God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6. God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7. God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8. God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.
9. God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.
10. God won't have to ask how many people you forwarded this to, He already knows, He'll ask if you were ashamed to share this information.

Copyright © 2004 by Charbel Touma

I would love to hear what you all think of it. Feel free to comment on it as you wish!

St. Pio SOE Blog is back!

Shlomo lkhulkun! ('Peace be with you all' in Syriac)

It has been way too long since I have done anything with this blog. For one reason or another I lost site of it. That is no excuse, however. I plan on coming back with full force, as well as working on the main page of the website. There are some big plans in the works for the St. Pio Society of Evangelists. I will try to update as frequently as possible, insha'allah. Mostly it will be updates in the goings on of the Holy Catholic Church and Eastern Christianity.

In August, I started study at Ave Maria University in Florida. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a Latin Catholic utopia. I am really enjoying the University and the town, but I still cannot help feel disconnected from Eastern Christianity. Sadly, most people here are unaware of the beauty of it. Perhaps I could build a small Maronite or Byzantine Chapel and find a priest of one of those traditions, respectively, to come here and teach, as well as do the Divine Liturgy. Maybe someday...

Please keep this website and blog in your prayers (as well as this blogger-student) and I will do likewise! God bless!

The Eucharist

For me as a convert, the Eucharist was the hardest thing I had to grapple with before making a definitive decision. It seemed almost blasphemous for Catholics to claim that bread and wine could become Jesus Christ. I, as a Methodist was not exposed to this belief even though they claim to have a similar belief. Methodists don't acknowledge a physical change of the substance and they and other Protestants will reject the Latin Catholic philosophical construct of "transubstantiation" as being a heretical idea. While the East does not tend to use philosophy and is more simplistic in its approach to theology, I myself see nothing wrong with the term "transubstantiation."

What Protestants fail to realize is that the term "transubstantiation" is not being used to explain a mystery, nor does it make that claim. What it does do, is acknowledge that the term is a paradox. The Latin Church was prominent in the West and was much more into scholasticism and more technological advanced than their Eastern brethren. They used philosophy to help reveal beliefs of the Church that those on the outside could not come to grips. The term can be traced back to as early as 1079 by Hildebert of Tours, however it may have been earlier that it was used.

Here is an excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

"The application of the foregoing to the Eucharist is an easy matter. First of all the notion of conversion is verified in the Eucharist, not only in general, but in all its essential details. For we have the two extremes of conversion, namely, bread and wine as the terminus a quo, and the Body and Blood of Christ as the terminus ad quem. Furthermore, the intimate connection between the cessation of one extreme and the appearance of the other seems to be preserved by the fact, that both events are the results, not of two independent processes, as, e.g. annihilation and creation, but of one single act, since, according to the purpose of the Almighty, the substance of the bread and wine departs in order to make room for the Body and Blood of Christ. Lastly, we have the commune tertium in the unchanged appearances of bread and wine, under which appearances the pre-existent Christ assumes a new, sacramental mode of being, and without which His Body and Blood could not be partaken of by men. That the consequence of Transubstantiation, as a conversion of the total substance, is the transition of the entire substance of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, is the express doctrine of the Church (Council of Trent, Sess. XIII, can. ii)." Catholic Encyclopedia

In simple terms, this means that the bread and wine cease being bread and wine (except in appearance with what the 5 senses can deduce) and become the Body and Blood of the risen Lord, Our Saviour Jesus Christ. What I had to decide after learning about the Church's position on the Eucharist was that either this truly is the God of the Universe coming down and changing the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, or it was the greatest blasphemy and folly committed by human beings.

After all, Catholics, particularly in the West, do what is called Eucharistic Adoration. This is where the Eucharist is placed in a device called a Monstrance and the faithful come to adore Christ. The Eucharist IS Christ. There was a miracle that occurred at Lanciano, in Italy the 8th Century A.D. The host and consecrated wine turned into real flesh and real blood. If the Eucharist is not Jesus Christ, then Catholics are committing the gravest idolatry committed by any religious body.

I encourage you if you have not yet been, to go to Eucharistic Adoration especially if you are not Catholic. You will find the true presence of Christ in ways so unexplainable.

Until next time,

-Andrew