I got up early to watch the Canonization Mass of St. Teresa of Calcutta on EWTN. I was none too happy to hear Fr. Tom Rosica giving color! I guess Joan Chittister was busy?
Good grief.
I really get the feeling our great friends at EWTN don't have a clue what's going down in catechisis outside of their own refuge. I doubt they know he uses 'salt and light' to push immorality down the throats of our people.
EWTN was truly the place I went to hear faithful Catholicism for at least a decade when things were really bad here in Boston. For many years, it was going 24/7 in the background as I went about my day (much like Turner Movie Classics is now!). It is such a gift to the Church!! Over the past few years, I've felt like it was yet another ministry that was infiltrated by theologically-somphomoric converts launching attacks at catechized Catholics who were more fully explaining why the position they take is inconsistent with our theology. The fact that it went on so long left a bad taste in my mouth, so I haven't turned it on.
If we wanted to see Tom Rosica, we'd turn our televisions to cnn. We tune into EWTN because we expect to hear faithful priests and lay people giving color.
Later, they had Ray Flynn on. I've not always agreed with Ray's politics - we've had a few scuffles! But he is truly faithful to the Magisterial teachings of the Church, a prolife Catholic who also has consistently given service to the poor, a kind and generous man and I was thrilled to see him adding his perspective.
I bet they don't know about Fr. Tom Rosica's antics! I am fairly confident that high-level people were NOT aware of the offensive content of Mark and Simcha. Might be worth putting some stuff together on Fr. Rosica and sending it on up the foodchain!
In any event, what a glorious day in the Church. I loved Mother Teresa, loved the way she loved and taught with consistency. Loved her kindness and gentleness, her humility. I loved that the heart of her ministry was about the people right in front of us, in our own home and world. Loved the tender relationship with St. John Paul II. I loved how uncomplicated her messages were, how easy it is to put the love of God into practice.
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love
"It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start."
Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action."
"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home."
Great love can forgive great sin.
We're mostly on our game when we walk out the door, but at home trying to rush through the madness of chores and keeping a roof over our heads, it's more relaxed and spontaneous. When we kick our shoes off at home, it's a lot harder to stay on our game with the people who matter to us the most. This is the ministry I love the most, what I find to be the most fruitful, the most rewarding. I've put great emphasis in my life into trying to be game-on inside of my home.
This is not to say I've always succeeded! It is a good practice to take an inventory of the people in our lives and remind ourselves how to help the struggling. Having Mother Teresa's quotes fly by my facebook page, I was more aware of my failings last week. How many times I see conduct and not the pain and battle behind it in our comings and goings in the world.
Mother Teresa was always on her game in that respect. Whether it was a person suffering in poverty or a wealthy and powerful world leader, she saw the human suffering and knew just what to say, when and how to say it.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, ora pro nobis!
11 comments:
EWTN was only the "carrier" of the program for North America and elsewhere. The Vatican TV facilities produced it, and the notorious Fr. Rosica is still part of the Vatican stable of announcers - especially for the English-speaking world. Note that his co-announcer was a Brit.
Ohh! So they just picked up the feed! That makes me feel a lot better! Excellent news.
I wondered who on earth the Brit was, but I figured he joined EWTN during the time I distanced myself from it. I missed Raymond, wondered where Fr. Jonathan and other credentialed sane people were!
I didn't recognize anyone but Ray--who looked fabulous and healthy, God bless him.
Thanks for the heads up.
I don't recall EWTN having much to do with Fr. Rosica since he dissed Raymond Arroyo around the time of Ted Kennedy's funeral.
Incidentally, EWTN brings up a crew and does a live broadcast of our March for Life in Ottawa every spring. Salt + Light, which likes billing itself as Canada's Catholic television station... nada
What an excellent post about Mother Teresa. What, indeed, a glorious day this is for the Church! Since Vatican TV were the only ones carrying the feed, I don't know how EWTN would manage this in a situation like that, but I would love to see them distance themselves from Father Rosica, too!
I, too, like Ray Flynn, but I must say that I cannot help but wonder one thing about him: he is a pro-life Dem, and that is heartening, but is he voting in the right way himself? Is he voting outside of his party for the sake of advancing the well-worthy cause of life? For his sake, and that of avoiding scandal, I sincerely hope and pray so!
Last, Carol, you mentioned that you now have TCM on most of the time. If you are looking for a good movie, I have one to recommend to you and your readers: check out "I Am David," with Jim Caviezel, who, of course, played Christ in The Passion. This movie is not too well known, but I really would categorize it among The Best Movie You've Never Seen. Caviezel's role is not that big in it, but still pivotal, and the movie itself is fantastic. You will love it, I am sure! Oh, and it is a family movie, too, but by no means cheesy.
Speaking of Caviezel, he apparently attended the funeral of Mother Angelica, but did not speak to the press, because he did not want the publicly. Frankly, I would not be surprised if he was not at the Canonization Mass of Mother Teresa. I saw him on EWTN at the funeral of JPII in 2005, and also somewhere else recently via EWTN, but I cannot recall where. Oh, yeah, I think it was when the Pope was in NYC, prior to the canonization of St. Junipero Serra. http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2016/04/mother_angelica_laid_to_rest_a.html
As for TCM, I am sure you know that, even with that channel, as with all movies, we must be discerning about what to see and what to avoid. Some months back, I saw a movie on TCM that I really wish I had not, called "The Garden of Allah," in which a Catholic priest and a woman fall in love. Apparently, movies this trashy were even made in 1936. Who knew? So sick and sad!
-Dawn
Tried to watch the rerun in the late evening, but.........fell asleep and MISSED IT!! UGH!!! EWTN is indeed a 'mixed bag' anymore, but Raymond I try to watch whenever he's on, and especially his 'world over', because he 'gets it'. Indeed Saint Teresa of Calcutta pray for us! Another citizen of heaven that I believe is probably already there is Mother Angelica. A feisty wonderful nun who indeed 'got it' and paid the price for her public admonishments. She always wanted to 'pay her purgatory' while she was still here........I believe she may have accomplished that with God's all merciful grace. I wouldn't doubt that some day, she as well will be raised to the Altar of the Church.
Thanks Carol. In the age of Pope Francis let us be thankful to Saint Mother Teresa for the hope and light she brings to the enshrouding darkest of the present time.
TLM, I had EWTN on all day and thought it was fabulous! I'm going to tune in more often!
Anon, thanks for the heads-up on the movie. I wonder if its on demand? I never use that feature but will try to look it up and check it out - always looking for good movies.
TCM is not perfect - I've seen one or two doozies over the past ten years and was very surprised, because it is obvious they are trying very hard to keep the programming preserved from the spiritual and moral insanity. Of recent vintage, I note they are trying to jazz up their studios and added a young woman on Saturday afternoons to try to attract more millennials to their great library of films. We should pray for their efforts! I've been watching to see if they dip in the doodoo, but so far, so good.
Regarding Ray's pro-life democrat politics - I know he supported Hillary and shilling for her several years back. That is exactly what my dust up with him was over. It's the old school of trying to stay in Crete and convert the pagans. These folks cannot recognize the party has flown from Crete to Sodom and Gomorrah and lending their credentials and efforts to it is doing harm to Christ's people and our country. I think most catechized Catholics fled after the last 8 years of communism, atheism, immorality and killing babies and Christians. I could be mistaken but I don't think he was cheerleading for Hillary this round, unless I missed it. I pray he's dusted his feet too!
You have me curious! I only found one article:
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax-Tv/Ray-Flynn-Trump-Hillary-Clinton/2016/06/08/id/733001/
I just turned on Turner Ckassic movies and watched the end of a movie called The Angel Wore Red about two struggling priests trying to save a holy relic of St John's blood in a war torn country. Now watching a 1916 movie called Intolerance-the description below.
.W. Griffith's epic intercuts between four separate stories about man's inhumanity to man. In Babylon, pacifist Prince Belshazzar is brought down by warring religious factions. In Judea, the last days of Christ (Howard Gaye) are depicted in the style of a Passion play. In France, Catherine de Medici presides over the slaughter of the Huguenots. And in California, a woman (Mae Marsh) pleads for the life of her husband (Robert Harron) when he is sentenced to hang for a murder he did not commit.
There is a lot of Catholic substance on this channel.
True, but I think that is less the doing of TCM, and more the fact that Catholic culture was on fire back in the day, and Hollywood responded, in order to make money. Plus, TCM is cleaner than most other channels, but I think that is just because the stuff they air is older, and movies in general were far more moral back in the day. I am by no means naive about them, however, as no orthodox Catholic should be. To me, all the secular networks are pretty much the same. For example, a nun--habited, no less--from the supposedly orthodox Daughters of St. Paul recently hosted a series for TCM in which a marathon of movies was shown, all of which were based on books that the Catholic Church had listed on the Index of Forbidden Books. I have heard different opinions on whether that list is still binding (although I would note that Pope BXVI, a few years back, said it was), but even if it is not, I find the fact that that nun would participate in such a thing, not to mention TCM's having come up with the idea, to be disgraceful! We are to engage the culture, yes, but this surely goes into sin. http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/catholic-nun-fronting-marathon-of-church-condemned-films
Oh, it looks like it was from films condemned by the Legion of Decency, not books from the Index, but BXVI definitely said that about the Index. Anyhow, I stand by my comment before--it is disgusting! Which is not to say that a good Catholic should never watch TCM. No, just that, as with any other network, we must be very discerning and have no illusions, even with ones like them that, on the surface, may seem a bit better.
As to Ray Flynn, thanks for informing me. That is sad! You would think that, as a former Ambassador to the Holy See, he would know that voting as he did is not only imprudent, but has been flatly condemned by the CDF. I wonder if he actually does know this, and still tries to justify it? If so, yikes! http://www.ewtn.com/v/experts/showmessage.asp?number=410695&Pg=&Pgnu=&recnu=
Like you, I, too, pray for his conversion on this vital issue!
-Dawn
Would also recommend "Stroke of Genius," starring Caviezel. Also not a very well known movie, but still really good. Not quite as good as "I Am David," I would say, but still really enjoyable! I also heard recently that Caviezel did a limited release movie called "Savannah," which I am sure is now out on DVD. I have not seen it, but have heard good things about it.
If you do happen to see any of these, I would love to read your reviews!
Until then, here are some links you might enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7EciUsKkec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVtXxrvW1P4
Oh, yeah, and I forgot "When The Game Stands Tall," (very good!) and "Hoosiers" (not with Caviezel). Recently saw them both, and they are great!
Frankly, I am glad his series, "Person of Interest," was cancelled. I never really watched it, but have heard that many serious Catholics were disappointed in it, because it contained impurity, etc. I am glad for the sake of his soul, and those of all the viewers. Putting that aside, though, this guy belongs in movies, not TV. He is a MOVIE STAR. Period! Plus, I personally find that, on a whole, movies are far more moral than TV, because you can pick what you watch.
BTW, another TCM movie to avoid is "The Children's Hour." Innocent-sounding title, but totally glorified lesbianism, even in 1961. You don't know what it is really about until almost the end, and I was really horrified by it! Just a heads-up for you!
-Dawn
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