New Bishops

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I do not often comment on the inner workings of other Churches but I feel compelled to do so now. This past week, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of several bishops that belong to a splinter groups of Catholics known as the Society of St. Pius X. Now this is a good thing because it is not good for Christians to be separated and this is the first step in a movement towards reconciliation. There are many sites that list the history of all of this so I will not go into it here.

The bad part of this is that one of the bishops, Richard Williamson has gone on record saying that the Nazi’s did not use gas chambers to execute Jews during the Second World War. Now I find this totally unacceptable for anyone to hold these views, unless of course your are a Nazi, and I find find it even more unacceptable for a bishop of the church to hold these views! To his credit Cardinal Sean O’Malley was very critical of this bishops views but supports the lifting of the excommunication. I would agree with His Eminence on the importance of lifting this ban

I close friend of mine has been nominated to be the next Episcopal bishop of Long Island New York. He tells me the process that he has gone through has been like trying to get through airport security. The vetting process has been very full and complete, looking for every slip of paper that he might have written something down on to see if he would bring scandal to the Church. I would think that the RC Church would be just as careful and complete.

Okay now to move on to another new bishop in the RC Church. The other day Pope Benedict XVI elevated Rev. Gerhard Wagner to be Auxiliary Bishop of Linz, Austria. This priest has gone on record as saying that Hurricane Katrina was “Divine Retribution” for New Orleans’ tolerance of homosexuality and laid-back sexual attitudes. I am not sure what God he prays to or theologian he studies but this is way off course. He is quoted in his parish newsletter from 2005 saying that the Hurricane wiped out brothels and abortion clinics. Well Gerhard, it also took out many churches, most of them Catholic by the way, and lost of other stuff. I am sure you are one of these guys that say it is just collateral damage.

One of the things I always admired about the Catholic church was it’s process in selecting bishops. Well I think the Pope has let the side down. Most of this will go unnoticed, but we need to start paying attention to who is moving up.

Just some thoughts on this Sunday

Orthodox glad to claim Polamalu as one of their own

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Of course, Mr. Polamalu is the safety of the team.

Most NFL fans are familiar with the sight of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu crossing himself during games, but one subset of fans is gleefully aware that he crosses himself from right to left, rather than left to right.

“Each time there is an important play, he makes his cross the Orthodox way. Nobody else does this, and it is a beautiful thing,” said Metropolitan Maximos, of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh, who officiated at the wedding of Troy and Theodora Polamalu four years ago.

Mr. Polamalu, an ethnic Samoan, long has had a strong Christian faith, but was non-denominational until he joined his wife’s Greek Orthodox church. The metropolitan is quick to note that Orthodox enthusiasm for Mr. Polamalu isn’t intended to denigrate any other branch of Christianity.

“I’m very proud of him. But, to be honest, I don’t care if his background is Roman Catholic or Greek Orthodox or any of the Protestant communities, as long as the guy is a faithful person. And Polamalu is that, and his wife is as well,” he said.

When football doesn’t allow the Polamalus to worship together on Sundays, they make weekday visits to the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Saxonburg. Their infant son was baptized there. But the nuns won’t be watching him play in the Super Bowl, Metropolitan Maximos said, because they don’t watch anything on television that isn’t religious.

The Rest of the Story

Regular Church Attendance May Lower Suicide Risk

Posted on by Fr. Peter
FRIDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) — People who regularly attend religious services may be less likely to attempt suicide than others, a Canadian study suggests.

University of Manitoba researchers analyzed data from almost 37,000 people who took part in the Canadian Community Health Survey to study the relationship between spirituality, religious worship and suicidal behavior.

“The main finding of this study is that religious worship attendance is associated with a decreased risk of suicide attempts,” study author Daniel Rasic said in a university news release. The researchers didn’t examine why religious worship may reduce the risk of suicide attempts.

Rasic and colleagues noted a distinction between people who say they’re spiritual and those who regularly attend worship services. People who said they’re spiritual didn’t have a lower risk of attempted suicide. This suggests that something about attending religious services plays a role in reducing suicide risk.

“Further study into the relationship between active spiritual practice and suicidal behavior is needed,” Rasic said.

The study was published in the current issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.
More information

Mental Health America has more about suicide.

SOURCE: University of Manitoba, news release, Jan. 14, 2009

Community Meal

Posted on by Fr. Peter
UPDATE: It seems I left the time off of this announcement. Sorry about that. We will be serving from 4:30 – 6:30 at the church hall on Romanian Ave.

If you are in the Southbridge area tonight stop on by the church. We are having our first Community Meal.

The idea behind this meal is to bring together people of all types for some food and fellowship. If you are alone, or cannot afford a meal, or just want to get out of the house come on by and share some food with us.

Menu for tonight:

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Salad
Rolls
Beverages
Desert

Pop on in and say hello, it’s FREE

Orthodoxy and Justification

Posted on by Fr. Peter
In Orthodoxy, we are Justified by grace through faith in good works. The prepositions are vitally important! ‘Imputed Righteousness’ means that the only holiness of which we are capable is that given to us by God himself. Although this emphasizes (biblically) the work of grace, it can be pushed too far. Unless we are careful, repentance and faith will count for little since nothing that we could do under this scheme would make one jot of difference to what God was (prepared) to do in us… with or without our consent.

In the Orthodox Church, holiness is always both our work and God’s work. Against this, imputed righteousness is a dangerous half-truth. Additionally, we need to recognize that the Scriptures presume the existence of faith… We will not be judged on our faith but on our works, done in faith. Take note of what we are “judged for” in Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

New Blog

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I have begun a new blog about Local Worcester Sports. The blog is the start of what looks like a new radio program that I will start sometime in the near future. The show will air on local station WESO 970am and will deal with local sports. We are currently in talks with the Athletics Department at Nichols College to cover their sports events to include Ice Hockey, Baseball, and Football. We are also in discussions with the folks at Southbridge High School to carry their Football program. More on this as time goes on. So for the time being check out the New Blog.

Worcester offers contract to Manny Ramirez

Posted on by Fr. Peter
This is the best sports story of the season. The Worcester Tornadoes Baseball Team has offered a contract to Marry Ramirez.

According to the website, the team has offered Manny a contract for $24,000 for the teams 94 game season. That comes down to about $3,000 per month. So a wee bit of a salary cut but it might be the only deal that Manny gets this season.

“I feel Manny would really enjoy playing in Worcester and hitting in our ballpark. Although I would be concerned about the cars traveling on I-290 during his at bats, it’s a risk worth taking,” said General Manager, Jorg Bassiacos. Director of Player Personnel Brad Michals added, “Manny certaintly has the stats to be amongst the leaders of the league next season. Although issues regarding health have surrounded him in the past, I think he will find that the shorter schedule will boost his performance to a new level and serve as the ultimate showcase for his natural skill.”

The contract was sent to Ramirez around 2:00 EST on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.

Stay tuned for more news!

House OKs $819B stimulus bill in win for Obama

Posted on by Fr. Peter
WASHINGTON – In a swift victory for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House approved a historically huge $819 billion stimulus bill Wednesday night with spending increases and tax cuts at the heart of the young administration’s plan to revive a badly ailing economy. The vote was 244-188, with Republicans unanimous in opposition despite Obama’s frequent pleas for bipartisan support.

“This recovery plan will save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years,” the president said in a written statement released moments after the House voted. Still later, he welcomed congressional leaders of both parties to the White House for drinks as he continued to lobby for the legislation.

Earlier, Obama declared, “We don’t have a moment to spare” as congressional allies hastened to do his bidding in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

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