De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

This is the title of an enlightening and, at times, distressing article from The Times about a French priest's quest to investigate the numbers of Jews killed by Nazis and their collaborators using roaming firing squads (outside of the concentration camps) across Central and Eastern Europe during the 2nd WW. In the context of disgraced SSPX prelate Bishop Williamson's comments about the Holocaust and how the numbers of murdered Jews had been exaggerated, it is good to hear of scientific research that will hopefully offer unequivocal clarification that whatever the final numbers, the extermination of the Jews involved systematic, wilful targetting and a level of depravity in terms of the behaviour of the murderers (or at least those who gave the orders - see below) that makes it quite clear that they treated the Jews as a sub-human species. This reminds me of something that I will have to blog about at some point: the question of why executors tend to cover the eyes of their vic...

I've been trying to avoid writing (or even thinking much) about this topic in recent days, though I have been praying for the victims and, yes, the perpetrators. The events related are too close to home in terms of what members of my own family suffered. But just as graces have been received by us through at last after many years sharing with each other the sufferings that each one bears, so too I believe that this report and the shocking revelations it carries within its pages had to be made public so that lessons could be learned and that the victims be offered at least a chance of some kind of closure. However, it is such a shame (and indicative of anti-Catholic feeling in certain quarters of the press) that "reputable" newspapers like The Times had to then twist the words of our new Archbishop, who had in fact given - off the cuff - what I thought was one of the strongest, unequivocal calls for justice in favour of such victims as I have ever read from a member of the...

Another little plug for Liverpool's very own award-winning Fly With Vampires (inc. 3 former pupils of ours) - a promo that they put together to accompany a new track, "Call It A Night". Great track + great harmonies, guys!

I'm still grinning from ear to ear after having seen Star Trek. Nostalgia mixed with rollercoaster action, stunning visuals, great acting (especially the 2 leads) and Leonard Nimoy back as the old Spock. What more could you ask for?? :-) I think the following review nails how I feel about the film (click on the link). Film review: Star Trek [Thinking Faith - the online journal of the British Jesuits]

The question of Pope Pius XII's attitude towards the Jews during the 2nd WW and his supposed tacit support of Hitler's regime has come back into the news in recent months with the release of various documents from the Vatican archive and elsewhere that categorically show how in fact he helped to save the lives of 1,000s of Jews. Our friend at the Creative Minority Report blog ties together some of the different strands of this story here below: *************************** Wait. Hitler Hated Hitler's Pope? If one were only to get their news from mainstream sources and the culture at large this story would make little sense to you. If you believe that Pope Pius XII was "Hitler's Pope" because some anti-Catholic author wrote it in order to sell books, then you might be shocked to read that Hitler had a plot to kidnap the Pope. According to the UK Telegraph : Pope Pius XII told senior bishops that should he be arrested by the Nazis, his resignation would beco...

Oh, I just love the below... and this is from someone who does actually love sport + exercise. But you have to admit, it is funny :-) Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables ? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable ). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. ! Q: Should ...

Ola! While waiting in Madrid airport for a connecting flight to Bilbao (not boasting, honest) for a weekend of De La Mennais Brothers meetings for the "younger" elements amongst us, I thought I would post this classic tale that I was sent by a friend the other day but that I first read some time ago: **************************************** Why Go To Church? A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years ...