Quotes

22 Apr 2012

Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Obedience calls for a listening and discerning heart.
—Sister Charlene Diorka, S.S.J., vocationnetwork.org

It’s hard work to let God forgive me. I have to . . . strip away all the cynicism and anger I’ve built up . . . defy my disappointments, and find what is real again.
–Donna Schaper, Stripping Down: The Art of Spiritual Restoration
 

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“If you love your neighbor and are compassionate, are you automatically a Christian? Practicing present-moment awareness does not entail joining any religion or accepting any belief system. As a Catholic, I find mindfulness helps me participate in my religion more wholeheartedly.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, author of the recent book A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit

Source: Religion News Service
15 Apr 2012

Solemnity of the Second Sunday of Easter; Divine Mercy Sunday, Cycle B

Love was meant to be also a sign, a symbol, a messenger, a telltale of the Divine.
—Abp. Fulton J. Sheen, From the Angel’s Blackboard

Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
–Luke 18:22

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“I just need some answers about what happened that night.”

Sabrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. Florida state special prosecutor Angela Corey charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Martin Wednesday, 44 days after the teen was shot to death while walking in a Sanford, Florida gated community.

Source: TIME

8 Apr 2012

Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

I . . . have faith in the cross . . . as the revelation of the “way” or “path” of transformation, as the revelation of the depth of God’s love for us, and as the proclamation of radical grace.
—Marcus J. Borg, The Heart of Christianity

Every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. . . . Be joyful though you have considered all the facts. . . . Practice resurrection.
–Wendell Berry, Manifesto

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
"The things that happen in my country are incredible. After 50 years of telling us the church is bad, now they say it is good, and we get Good Friday off to boot."

Mirta Salgado, a 51-year-old office worker in Cuba who acknowledges not being religious, on hearing that this Good Friday will be a work holiday, per the pope’s request during his recent visit to the island.

Sources: Associated Press, via USA TODAY
1 Apr 2012

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle B

Faith transforms the earth into a paradise. By it our hearts are raised with the joy of our nearness to heaven. Every moment reveals God to us.
—Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675- 1751)
 
Learning to trust—that is the great thing.
–Bede Griffiths (1906-1993)

 

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“The overall image of this war is of U.S. troops mired in quicksand and getting blown up and arbitrarily waiting until 2014 to come home.”

Military expert Michael E. O’Hanlon on public perception of U.S. involvement in the Afghan war. A New York Times/CBS News poll found that 69 percent of Americans surveyed felt the U.S. should stop fighting, up 16 percent from four months ago.

Source: TIME
25 Mar 2012

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible.
--Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself
in the service of others.
--Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“According to multiple campaign sources, Mitt Romney elected to call himself ‘Javelin.’ And Rick Santorum chose ‘Petrus.’ ”

GQ Magazine, revealing the code names chosen by the candidates when they were given Secret Service protection

Source: GQ.com via Religion News Service

18 Mar 2012

Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

You know quite well, deep within you, that there is only . . . a single power, a single salvation . . . and that is called loving.
--Hermann Hesse (1877-1962)

I believe that I can return, no matter how far I've strayed. I believe that I have the inner strength to change. I believe that I can become truly devoted and close to God.
--Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, The Empty Chair

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
"Not one single minute is spent asking questions about how we can help clients. It's purely about how we can make the most possible money off of them."

Greg Smith, Wall Street trader who resigned from Goldman Sachs, in a scathing op-ed article in The New York Times decring a drastic change in culture at the firm, with profits now coming before the interest of clients

Source: TIME

11 Mar 2012

Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

The Temple resembled a citadel, and had its own walls, which were more laboriously constructed than the others. 
--Tacitus (c. A.D. 56-c. 120), The Histories

The One who fashioned together their hearts is the One who knows all their works.
--Psalm 33:15

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“In an earlier time, Saint Augustine captured the sense of what is required in civil discourse: ‘Let us, on both sides, lay aside all arrogance. Let us not, on either side, claim that we have already discovered the truth. Let us seek it together.’ ”

John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, in a letter to the university community in response to Rush Limbaugh's on-air slurs of Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke

Source: The Huffington Post

4 Mar 2012

Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

By virtue of Isaac who offered himself as a sacrifice on top of the altar, the Holy One . . . will resurrect the dead in the future. 
--Mekilta of Rabbi Simeon

God is transfiguring the world right this very moment through us because God believes in us and because God loves us.
--Abp. Desmond Tutu, God Has a Dream

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America.”


Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, announcing Tuesday she would not seek a fourth term because she is tired of the polarization and partisanship that has permeated Washington in recent years

Source: USA TODAY

26 Feb 2012

First Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

When . . . the earth was flooded, Wisdom again saved it, piloting the righteous man on frailest wood.--Wisdom 10:4

Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels . . . .--1 Timothy 3:16

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“I adored Hollywood. I didn’t leave because it was a place of sin. I left Hollywood at the urging of a mysterious thing called vocation. . . . It’s a call of love.”

Rev. Mother Dolores Hart, 73, prioress of the cloistered Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut. God Is the Bigger Elvis, a documentary film about Hart's decision to leave a career as a Hollywood star in 1963 to join the convent, is a nominee for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Hart will attend the awards ceremony.

Source: USA TODAY

19 Feb 2012

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'--Matthew 5:37

Grace has . . . removed the scales covering the eyes; now the eyes acutely perceive . . . the dazzling beauty of virtue.--Saint John Chrysostom (347-407 C.E.)

PREACHING THE NEWS quote of the week
“I really am appreciative of what the president did last Friday. I’m optimistic and hopeful, and I feel the religious liberty issue is addressed.”

Rev. Gregory Lucey, S.J., president of the 28-institution Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, responding to the Obama administration’s accommodation on contraceptive coverage that will require insurers rather than religiously sponsored nonprofits to pay for the coverage. The Catholic Health Association, Catholic Charities, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious also welcomed the step, but the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference said the change was unacceptable.

Source: Washington Monthly

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