All shall be well,
All shall be well,
And all manner of things shall be well. - Julian of Norwich
Very inspiring!
Pope seeks to beatify John Paul
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"The cause for the beatification of John Paul II is open," the new Roman Catholic leader told priests meeting at Rome's Basilica of St John in Lateran. The Pope waived the usual rules which require a five-year wait before the Church begins to make someone a saint. John Paul II died on 2 April, leading to widespread calls from Catholics worldwide for him to be made a saint. Standing ovation
The Pope read out a letter from Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the official in charge of sainthood, in which it said that Benedict XVI himself had authorised the start of the beatification process. The news was met with a standing ovation from the priests attending the meeting. It comes on the anniversary of an assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981, when he was shot in St Peter's Square by a Turkish gunman. Life examined Information will now be gathered on the former pope's life and teachings, including all private writings from the period before he became pope, and checked for orthodoxy to ensure that he expressed no heretical views.
If a two-thirds majority agree with John Paul II's beatification Pope Benedict XVI will then be called upon to give his own approval. But Vatican expert Michael Walsh told the BBC that for the process to be complete the Vatican authorities will then have to establish that a miracle has been ascribed to Pope John Paul II. "They have to prove someone has been miraculously healed... by his intercession, by praying to John Paul II, he or she has recovered from cancer or something of that sort," he said. Miracle needed In the days following his death Italian media carried a number of reports of alleged miracles attributed to Pope John Paul II, including one claim that an American man suffering from a brain tumour was cured after receiving communion from the late pontiff. But the alleged miracles occurred during the Pope's lifetime, and the beatification process studies those occurring after the candidate's death. Beatification allows public veneration of the person and for the person to be known as "Blessed". For actual sainthood, proof of at least two miracles is required.
However, John Paul II dispensed with this rule himself when in 2003 he beatified Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The entire process was completed just six years after her death. On Friday Pope Benedict XVI also announced who would succeed him as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Sixty-eight-year-old William Levada, Archbishop of San Francisco, is the first American to hold the post as the Vatican's chief watchdog of orthodoxy. |
Hi, Inday, & Nonoy,Today (18th) marks Mama's (Caring) 40th anniversary and thought of writing you guys about it.When Mama came back from the States in September'68 wth Lola Ceria ( both Bless their Souls), I remember how I feel about it and how more loving she was with us, experiencing the good life in the States, attending the wedding of Tita Helen and (the late) Tito Carding and how wonderful to meet relatives and friends living here in the US. But one memorable thought that was planted in my brain then that Mama shared with me and still with my habits after 40 long years was something passed on from a priest, a chaplain in the Lourdes Hospital, and goes something like these... "everytime you see (meet) people in the streets, and everywhere, specially the handicapped, the sick, the poor, and the elderly... whisper in prayer... Bless this person with what he needs most... Bless him in his difficulty,... Bless him with better opportunity,... and Bless his soul." And you will be Blessed as well in return.Lola Ceria is marking her 18th death anniversary tomorrow (19th) and allow me to remember her as well and one of her words of wisdom,"Pray for good and better opportunities" not money or material things, as they will come by with you later...I thank them for these words of wisdom today and God Bless you all.Much Love,Bambi
This is a beautiful letter by my cousin, Bambi, to his younger sister, Inday, and brother, Nonoy, on the 40th anniversary of their Mom's death. With his permission, I'm posting it here in her memory. I had just written a post, On Their Anniversaries...