30th Sunday of the Year (B)

(Edited) Reflections for 30th Sunday of the Year (B), October 28, 2012
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm 126
Hebrews 5:1-6
Mark 10:46-52

To be posted and published soon.

Memorial of Saints (October 26)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Lucian and Marcian, martyrs;
• Rusticus of Narbonne, bishop;
• Cedd, bishop;
• Eata, bishop;
• Bean, bishop

St. Rusticus of Narbonne (d. ca. 461 A.D.) became a well-known preacher in Rome before he became a monk at Lérins. He was ordained and made bishop of Narbonne in 427 A.D. St. Rusticus wanted to resign because of internal conflicts among the orthodox of his see and the spread of Arianism in the wake of a Gothic siege. However, Pope Leo I dissuaded Rusticus. Rusticus attended the synod at Arles which approved St. Leo's Epistola dogmatica that denounced Nestorianism.

(Nestorianism claimed that there were two distinct persons in Christ - one human, the other divine. The Church, however, held the orthodox claim that Christ was a divine person who assumed a human nature). St. Celestine I held a council in Rome in 430 A.D. to condemn the Nestorian heresy. It was finally achieved in the General Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. - which formally condemned Nestorianism. Despite being officially condemned by the Catholic Church, Nestorianism persisted in its influence. Learn more.

Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Book: "Crossing the Threshold of Hope", a compiled text of the interview made with John Paul II by Vittorio Messori.

The book explains with clarity important truths of the Catholic faith. It is composed of responses made by St. John Paul II to the interview of Vittorio Messori.

Issues addressed by the competent authority of John Paul II

Issues relevant to our contemporary times are made clearer by the Pope's citation of truths based on Scriptures and Tradition. Much of the concerns and moral issues that are plaguing the Church at present, which are making it difficult for bringing more members, are the scandals which the late Holy Father discusses.

To get an idea of the topics in the book, here is a list of the titles:

• "The Pope": A Scandal and a Mystery
• Praying: How and Why
• How Does the Pope Pray?
• Does God Really Exist?
• "Proof": Is it Still Valid?
• If God Exists Why Is He Hiding
• Is Jesus the Son of God
• What Has Become of the "History of Salvation"?
• The Centrality of Salvation
• Why is There So Much Evil in the World?
• Why Does God Tolerate Suffering?
• What Does "To Save" Mean?
• Why So Many Religions?
• Buddha?
• Muhammad?
• Judaism?
• A Minority by the Year 2000
• What is the "New Evangelization"?
• Is there Really Hope in the Young?
• Was God at Work in the Fall of Communism
• Is Only Rome Right?
• In Search of Lost Unity
• Why Divided?
• The Church and the Council
• A "Dialogue of Salvation"
• A Qualitative Renewal
• The Reaction of the "World"
• Does "Eternal Life" Exist?
• What is the Use of Believing?
• Human Rights
• The Defense of Every Life
• The Mother of God
• Women
• "Be Not Afraid"
• Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Learn more about the life and mission of St. John Paul II. Check the list of his life and work from 1920, his birth, until 2005, his death.