http://www.optionc.net christian, catholic, conservative in the deep south Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:22:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Okay, so it's official -- we can hold our breath -- Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth) is coming out. According to the Vatican Information Service, it will be officially presented at a July 7 press conference. http://www.optionc.net/2009/07/encyclical-to-be-released-next-tuesday/ At 10:45 am today, President Obama is to meet with eight reporters and editors from Catholic media, according to this National Catholic Register blog entry. Apparently, all those invited are from print media, including National Catholic Register publisher Father Owen Kearns, who explained that the meeting is unprecedented. The article ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/07/president-obama-to-hold-roundtable-with-catholic-press-today/ Apparently, St. Paul is buried there, according to scientists and as reported by FoxNews.com. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the scientific team's carbon dating, saying, "This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul." Benedict announced the findings at a ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/06/whos-buried-in-st-pauls-tomb/ We all know that this world is full of trouble – and these days there is plenty to be anxious about. In worry-filled times, it’s important to remember the promises of God: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/06/deliver-us-from-all-anxiety/ Today kicks off the "Year for Priests". Here is the opening of the pope's recently issued letter: Dear Brother Priests, On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy –, I have decided ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/06/the-year-for-priests-inaugurated/ June 29 has been set as the release date for Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth). Don't hold your breath, though, as this encyclical has been delayed several times in the past. (I'm sure Borders and Barnes & Noble will have to be loose in ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/06/new-encyclical-slated-for-june-29-release/ Leaders of certain Catholic colleges are "lobbying U.S. Bishops to withdraw their 2004 policy banning pro-abortion speakers," according to today's National Catholic Register. In the article, Cardinal Newman Society president Patrick Reilly is quoted as concluding: It is sadly all too clear that the many secularized Catholic colleges and universities are ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/06/catholic-colleges-trying-to-do-away-with-the-rules/ Many non-Catholics object to our use of the title “queen of heaven” in reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They do so because in the Old Testament, a false goddess – apparently Ishtar, the Assyro-Babylonian fertility goddess – was called the “queen of heaven” (see Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17-19, and 44:25). ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/05/the-queen-of-heaven-and-the-king-of-kings/ Just found some good Catholic humor online: Theology 911 Final Exam. My favorite question: St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo decide to rob a bank. The note to the teller is 1,200 pages long, not counting footnotes, complete with a promise of damnation if the teller does not accept ... http://www.optionc.net/2009/05/catholic-theology-final-exam-question/ I ran across this inspiring quote today and thought I'd share it: "The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrise, and through the cross brought death to life." - St. Clement of Alexandria (from his work Exhortation to the Heathen) http://www.optionc.net/2009/05/sunsets-into-sunrise/