poem hug

Today I feel like this poem says:

Hug

coming home so weary,
working nine to five
with the feeling I must be
the most exhausted Dad alive.
greeted with the knowledge
my dishwasher's on the blink
seeing an avalanche of dirty dishes
piled up in the sink.
how will I ever do it, Lord?
then I feel the answering tug
of a little hand, reaching out for me
God's love within my daughter's hug.


by Deborah P Kolodji


Thank You Jesus.

The catholic church - builder of civilization

Episode 1 - Introduction


Episode 2 - The Church and Science


Episode 3 - Priests as Scientific Pioneers


Episode 4 - The Galileo Case


Episode 5 - The University System


Episode 6 - Does God Exist???


Episode 7 - The Monks


Episode 8 - Catholic Charity


Episode 9 - Western Morality


Episode 10 - Concept of Rights and Law


Episode 11 - Origins of International Law


Episode 12 - Anti-Catholic Atrocities


Episode 13 - Wrap up

December 28th - the fourth day of Christmas

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Wel, I did not receive any of these things. but that ok.... it does not change the fact that it is indeed the fourth day of Christmas. Today is also the solemnity of the slaughter of the Innocents - here is Trinidad, the children carry their toys to Mass for them (and their toys) to be blessed. It is a good thing.

O! hold on a minute it is 8:00pm.... so I guess its not the 4th day of Christmas... it's fourth NIGHT.

Catholic birthday / Christmas gifts - a spiritual bouquet

The Spiritual Bouquet. A great idea for gift giving.

Recently I racked my brain for a gift idea for a couple who I believe needs nothing. My wife and I gave it so much thought: Wine; books; clothes; functional crockery; paintings; or electronics. We could not agree on what would be a good gift for this couple. We did agreed that it should be something special.

After praying about it, an idea came to give the gift of a spiritual bouquet in the form of Masses being offered. Such a gift is not for the physical world but the spiritual. Prayers for oneself, our special intentions or that of others are so important. Prayers offered in the Mass, by a holy man is even more effective. The Bible talks about offering prayers:

Job 42:10 - And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

1 Timothy 2:1 - First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

John 14:13 - Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The Church tells us to offer Masses and the effectiveness of this act to lessen our time in purgatory and help us in our requests to God - remembering that the Mass is offered To the father, Through the Son, With the Spirit, asking the Angels, Saints and Virgin to pray for us:

"In the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Church prays that God, the Father of mercies, will grant His children the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that they may become one body and one spirit in Christ. In raising this prayer to the Father of lights, from whom comes every good endowment and every perfect gift, the Church believes that she will be heard, for she prays in union with Christ her Head and Spouse, who takes up this plea of His Bride and joins it to His own redemptive sacrifice" JPII

"The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death." Pope Benedict XV

“A single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after your death. The merit of the Masses we have offered for ourselves during life will obtain for us a higher degree of glory in Heaven.” – Saint Anselm (Doctor of the Church)

Lastly, the giving of a gift of a Mass, is good financial move. For every Mass offered a donation must be made to the church. Many churches have a suggested donation figure. More masses offered would mean more money in the coffers of the church to maintain the good works that are done by the church... for the upkeep of the buildings, parish and laypersons who labour in the "vineyard". God knows money is always needed for these and other works.

Create Holy Doctors, Holy Lawyers, Holy Engineers.

Years ago I put a chain over my open palm and was told that I would have a daughter and a son. A decade later, after having my daughter and my Son I asked God to grant me another Son that my family name would be carried on and I would by His grace, have one who would become a priest. What a great thing, for one to have a child take Holy orders.

Another Decade Later, my wife and I have four children - A girl and three boys. I have no expectations for my children, other than to become good citizens and good people, what ever course they take. The local saying is that "we make our children, not their minds". It refers to children doing what they want in life, even after the parent has planned another direction for them. So I don't plan. They have ideas about what they want to do in life and I support and pray, as does my wife.

If all my children take Holy orders I would be disappointed not to have grand children, but I would be so proud of them. Archbishop Harris in a homily at the church of Saint Phillip and St James in Chaguanas on December 17th (and reported in the Catholic news of Christmas day) says that Catholics might just be about 19% of the local population based on the recent census. he urged parishioners to encourage young men to consider priesthood. “The priesthood is an endangered species but the Church cannot exist without priests. Pray that your son becomes a priest. Help him imagine himself as a priest.” Parents often encouraged their children to become lawyers, doctors, engineers or other professionals for the financial benefits, he added. “But we need to pray that they become holy doctors, holy lawyers or holy engineers,” so that they could give back to society.

I pray that too Father.

Archbishop of Port of Spain Christmas Message 2011

The following Message was taken from the Website (and the Catholic News) for the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.

Once again we have come around to the celebration of Christmas, which unlike what some persons would like us to believe, is not a secular feast. It is the celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ, for us Christians, our Lord and saviour. The Gospel of St. John tells us that “he came to his own and his own did not receive him but to all who did receive him he gave power to become children of God.” They did not receive him I suppose because they did not recognise him. Who would have thought that the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes was in fact the Son of God yet this infant was in fact Emmanuel God with us.

We celebrate this feast in the midst of trying times for the country. We have just ended the state of emergency, an alleged assassination plot against government figures, threats of industrial unrest and murders which appear to be on the rise again. We must ask ourselves to what does this feast call us. It cannot be that we are simply called to have a good time. That we will do, but we must ask ourselves what gift do we bring to the One whose birthday we celebrate? For us who believe, to those whom he gave the power to become children of God, like the child of God par excellence we have to be Emmanuel, God with us, for all those with whom we come into contact. Like Emmanuel we must bring the love of God to all people, a love not expressed simply in words but much more in action. And this we must do not only at Christmas time but all the year round. This is the gift which the Lord whose birthday we celebrate wants. If we give him this gift we will be doing our land a great favour.

To every single person in this land, a safe, happy and holy Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s richest blessings.

+ Joseph,

Archbishop of Port of Spain

Also taken from the Archdiocese website:

I wish you all a blessed Christmas. May the peace of the Christ Child remain with us all beyond the Christmas season.The Christmas Cycle of the Liturgical Year embraces a number of major themes in Catholic spirituality: the Birth of the Lord, the Feast of the Holy Family (Friday 30), the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God (Sunday, Jan 1) and the Epiphany of the Lord (Sunday, Jan 8). The Christmas cycle closes on Monday, January 9 with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. I ask your continued prayer for Archbishop Gilbert who is recuperating from surgery and will celebrate his 75th birthday on December 26.

I thank you for your usual generosity to the clergy of the archdiocese at this time and for your continuing response to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

Well, Happy Birthday Archbishop Gilbert. We share a great birthday - the feast of St Steven.

Merry Christmas 2011

One year till the end of time

Well, What do you think about that headline? Is it all a lot of baloney? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe you should be preparing to meet Jesus. Scratch that. You should be preparing to meet Jesus. Even if the world does not end a year from today, we all, as Christians, should be preparing to meet Jesus. You never know when it's your turn to die.

Despite end times and end time prophecies, we still have to pay bills. At least, until that very day. So we give to Ceasar what belongs to Ceasar, and we march on in this life, giving praise to God and proclaiming our faith.

And when the end of the world comes.... well, we begin another in joy.

Father Sumich in Trinidad.

Today I met a very interesting man. Father Antony Sumich. He is the rector at St Gregory's Academy and belongs to the Priestly Society of Saint Peter. A remarkable man. Rigid in his belief. Strong in his faith. A directional light for an accommodating world. The above photo was taken from stgregorysacademy.org

Wiki has this about the Priestly Society of Saint Peter: The F.S.S.P. was established on July 18, 1988 at the Abbey of Hauterive, Switzerland by twelve priests and a score of seminarians, led by Father Josef Bisig, all of whom had formerly belonged to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's Society of St. Pius X; they were unwilling to follow that movement into what the Congregation for Bishops and Pope John Paul II defined to be a schismatic act and grounds for excommunication latæ sententiæ due to the consecration of four bishops without a papal mandate.Father Josef Bisig became the Fraternity's first superior general.

These priests say Mass the old way. That is, how it was said before Vatican II. It is the only way they say Mass. The old Mass has returned with variations, but their version of the Mass is really OLD SCHOOL.

Wiki describes this guy and who he is: Antony Sumich, F.S.S.P. (born 1964 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former international Rugby Union and Cricket player for Croatia, skiing instructor and Rugby coach, and is now a Catholic priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Sumich was educated at St Peter's College, Auckland and he completed his training as a civil engineer in Auckland in the 1980s. In 1989 he relocated to Europe, intending to live in Croatia, but because of the war there, he went to Austria and worked there for eight winters as a ski instructer, and elsewhere in Europe while coaching rugby. After the war, he became the coach of the Croatian national rugby team . He also played Cricket for Croatia, being a member of the Croatian National Cricket team in 2001. he was introduced to the "awe-inspiring" Tridentine Mass celebrated by Father Denzil Meuli at Titirangi. Sumich "felt God's call and sought an order using this rite". He was accepted by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and went to their formation house, the International Seminary of St. Peter in Wigratzbad-Opfenbach, Bavaria, but he did most of his studies in Denton, Nebraska at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. After his priestly ordination he was stationed in Orlu, Nigeria where he had also served following his ordination as a deacon.

I wish to say that I had a great discussion with this fascinating man.
God Bless you Father.

Lines of Kids to see Santa but ... where is the Line to see Jesus

Mary realises she's pregant

She's Pregnant. She's wondering what will life have in store for me. "Where to now Lord"

Greater things Mary. Greater things.

French Right Wing Catholics Vs French theatre

Well, When we talk about the church Militant, we are talking about the church on earth, not the Military. It would seem though that there are some very angry Catholics in France who have had enough of turning the other cheek and have chosen to act violently. This is not what Christianity is about. The story in ther UK Guardian pf December 8th gives the story:

One of Paris's most prestigious theatres was being protected by riot police and guard-dog patrols on Thursday after it became the latest target in a wave of Catholic protests across France against so-called "blasphemous" plays.

The head of the Théâtre du Rond-Point on the Champs-Elysées complained of death threats in the runup to Thursday's premiere of the play Golgota Picnic by the Madrid-based, Argentinian writer Rodrigo García. Two men reported to have links to fundamentalist Catholic groups were arrested at the weekend while attempting to disable the theatre's security system.

Several Catholic groups have called for peaceful demonstrations, prayer-vigils and the laying down of white flowers outside the building every night the play is shown, while the archbishop of Paris will lead protest prayers against the play at Notre Dame Cathedral.

The demonstrations over Golgota Picnic come after a rise in fundamentalist religious protest action against some of France's most high-profile theatres, including pelting the audience with eggs, letting off stinkbombs and the invasion of the stage of Paris's esteemed Théâtre de la Ville mid-performance by outraged Catholics carrying banners reading "Stop Christianophobia".

Earlier this year, young French fundamentalist Catholics staged an unprecedented attack on a gallery in Avignon, slashing photographs including Piss Christ by the New York artist Andres Serrano. More peaceful Catholic protests outside theatres, including young people kneeling with wooden crosses outside venues from Lille to Toulouse, have led the French culture pages to question the rise in rightwing and nationalist feeling among hardline Christian groups.

Paris remains sensitive about Christian demonstrations since the fire-bombing of a cinema showing Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988. Political commentators have speculated that some traditionalist Catholics in the demonstrations had broken off from the Front National after the leadership was taken over by Jean-Marie Le Pen's daughter Marine.

Golgota Picnic, which takes place on a stage strewn with burger buns, has several religious references including readings and a crucifixion scene. But Paris theatre critics said it was absurd to call it anti-Catholic or blasphemous and questioned whether its religious critics had actually seen it.

Yet in a move that went further than the recent protests over Théâtre de la Ville's staging of On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God by the Italian Romeo Castellucci, Paris's archbishop, André Vingt-Trois, deemed Golgota Picnic, which he had not seen, "deliberately offensive" and said he would lead a protest prayer at Notre Dame.

Jean-Michel Ribes, head of the Théâtre de Rond-Point, appealed for calm. He said: "The Théâtre du Rond-Point isn't an anti-Christian, anti-Muslim or anti-Jewish place." But he said the role of artists was to fight against "suffocating dogma". Theatregoers have been advised to arrive an hour early to get through the airport-style security before reaching their seats.

Paris city hall's art supremos rushed to defend the theatre community against what it said was fundamentalists holding art to ransom, saying a "silent minority" of Catholics did not share the notion of making threats or stifling freedom of expression.

Civitas, a lobby group that says it aims to re-Christianise France, has called for a large, peaceful street demonstration "against Christianophobia" this weekend.

ANGELS, ARCHANGELS, AND SEVEN OTHER CHOIRS

A popular post that gets lots of hits is called "Enoch and the Arch Angels". "Archangels" is the word that is most often used to link to my page. There seems to be a facination about angels. Apperrently there are nine Choirs of Angels. Catholic.org lists them as follows:

SERAPHIM
These are the highest order or choir of angels. They are the angels who are attendants or guardians before God's throne. They praise God, calling, "Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts". the only Bible reference is Isaiah 6:1-7. One of them touched Isaiah's lips with a live coal from the altar, cleansing him from sin. Seraphim have six wings, two cover their faces, two cover their feet, and two are for flying.

CHERUBIM
Cherubim rank after the seraphim and are the second highest in the nine hierarchies or choirs of angels. The Old Testament does not reveal any evidence that the Jews considered them as intercessors or helpers of God. They were closely linked in God's glory. They are manlike in appearance and double-winged and were guardians of God's glory. They symbolized then, God's power and mobility. In the New Testament, they are alluded to as celestial attendants in the Apocalypse (Rv 4-6). Catholic tradition describes them as angels who have an intimate knowledge of God and continually praise Him.

THRONES
Thrones are the Angels of pure Humility, Peace and Submisssion. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower Choir of Angels need the Thrones to access God.

DOMINIONS
Dominions are Angels of Leadership. They regulate the duties of the angels, making known the commands of God.

VIRTUES
Virtues are known as the Spirits of Motion and control the elements. They are sometimes referred to as "the shining ones." They govern all nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, grace, and valor.

POWERS
Powers are Warrior Angels against evil defending the cosmos and humans. They are known as potentates. They fight against evil spirits who attempt to wreak chaos through human beings. The chief is said to be either Samael or Camael, both angels of darkness.

ARCHANGELS
Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angel" ( Jude 9; 1 Thes 4:16), they are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this or other hierarchies as St. Michael Archangel, who is a princely Seraph. The Archangels have a unique role as God's messenger to the people at critical times in history and salvation (Tb 12:6, 15; Jn 5:4; Rv 12:7-9) as in The Annunciation and Apocalypse. A feast day celebrating the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated throughout the Church Sep 29. A special part of the Byzantine Liturgy invokes the "Cherubic Hymn" which celebrates these archangels and the guardian angels particularly. Of special significance is St. Michael as he has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. He is described as the "chief of princes" and as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers. The angel Gabriel first appeared in the Old Testament in the prophesies of Daniel, he announced the prophecy of 70 weeks (Dn 9:21-27). He appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptist (Lk 1:11). It was also Gabriel which proclaimed the Annunciation of Mary to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour. (Lk 1:26) The angel Raphael first appeared in the book of Tobit (Tobias)Tb 3:25, 5:5-28, 6-12). He announces "I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God." (Tb 12:15)

PRINCIPALITIES
In the New Testament Principalities refers to one type of spiritual (metaphysical) being which are now quite hostile to God and human beings. (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15) Along with the principalities are the powers (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 1 Pt 3:22; 2 Thes 1:7); and cosmological powers (1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; Col 2:15);Dominions (Eph 1:21; Col 1:16) and thrones (Col1:16). The clarity of the New Testament witness helps see that these beings were created through Christ and for Him (Col 1:16). Given their hostility to God and humans due to sin, Christ's ultimate rule over them (ibid) expresses the reign of the Lord over all in the cosmos. This is the Lordship of Christ, which reveals God's tremendous salvation in conquering sin and death at the cross, and now takes place in the Church. (Eph 3:10)

ANGELS
These angels are closest to the material world and human begins. They deliver the prayers to God and God's answers and other messages to humans. Angels have the capacity to access any and all other Angels at any time. They are the most caring and social to assist those who ask for help.

POPE BENEDICT AND SANTA

The Pope was at a Christmas-tree lighting recently when he identified his Christmas Wish list. Now, I don't know if Santa can get these gifts. If he does, then I hope he brings me what I am asking for. Hmmm! Maybe I should just ask the Big Guy in Heaven rather than the Fat Guy in the North Pole. Anyhoo, here according to Zenit News is the Popes 2011 Christmas Wish list:

"My first wish, therefore, is that our gaze, that of our minds and our hearts, not rest only on the horizon of this world, on its material things, but that in some way, like this tree that tends upward, it be directed toward God. God never forgets us but He also asks that we don't forget Him."

"My second wish is that we recall that we also need a light to illumine the path of our lives and to give us hope, especially in this time in which we feel so greatly the weight of difficulties, of problems, of suffering, and it seems that we are enshrouded in a veil of darkness. But what light can truly illuminate our hearts and give us a firm and sure hope? It is the Child whom we contemplate on Christmas, in a poor and humble manger, because He is the Lord who draws near to each of us and asks that we receive Him anew in our lives, asks us to want Him, to trust in Him, to feel His presence, that He is accompanying us, sustaining us, and helping us."

"This great tree is formed of many lights. My final wish is that each of us contribute something of that light to the spheres in which we live: our families, our jobs, our neighborhoods, towns, and cities."

Jain, Jain, Jain....

Well, that's how the old Jefferson Starship song goes.

Zenit news in a december 9th article says that the Vatican is "noting satisfaction over the "mutual respect and friendship" between Christians and followers of the Jain religion."

Well in the grand scheme of things there aren't very many Jainist around: About 4.2 million. Well, size does not matter. Love does.

Apparently the Church (Vatican) has been in dialogue with the Jainists since 1985 and continue to dialogue.

A comunique from The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue noted the items of agreement and principles for working together.

The delegations discussed the Jain principle of "non-violence" (Ahimsa) and that of Christian "charity," "with an aim to find concrete areas of convergence as the basis of collaboration."

"They found some common elements that can motivate and sustain Jain-Catholic collaboration, recognizing the differences between the two principles," ...

"They also recognized that these elements, on a practical level, call upon the followers of both the traditions to promote mutual respect, truthfulness, honesty, freedom, peace, social harmony and to commit themselves to eliminate every form of violence against human beings, in particular injustice, poverty and exploitation of natural resources."

Well, So much for the Jefferson Starship... I gotta read up some more on these Jainists.

Happy Feast Day Cathedral

The Immaculate Conception

Most of what we know about Mary's parents, SS. Anne and Joachim, is derived from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of St. James and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary. St. Anne is the patron of childless people, pregnant women, and grandmothers (her Feast Day is 26 July); St. Joachim is the patron of grandfathers. (In the painting above, St. Anne sits in the chair, and her husband stands at her right. Cleophas is seen in the right-hand corner reading, and Jesus, Mary and Joseph are in front).

As said, at the very moment of Mary's conception in St. Anne's womb, God filled Mary with grace and preserved her from the stain of sin so she might be a pure vessel by whom Christ could enter the world; "Immaculate Conception," then is a title for Mary -- a title reflecting her being and which reveals that the New Adam saved the New Eve from the stain of original sin in an act foretold in the first Book of Scripture:

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

Adam and Eve, Mary and Jesus -- the only four persons with human natures who were, in their first moments, without sin (and, of course, Mary and Jesus remained sinless).

Mary is the All Holy, and it had to be this way: Christ took from her His very Flesh and Blood -- the Flesh that was scourged for us, the Blood that was spilt for us, the Bread of Life that saves us!

Symbols for the day are any of the usual Marian symbols (the color blue, her crown of 12 stars representing the 12 Tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles), but especially those which emphasize her purity, such as lilies and her Immaculate Heart.

There are no special practices today that I know of, but, as with all Marian Feasts, it is a good day to pray the Magnificat, the Litany of Loreto, the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, the Akathistos Hymn to the Theotokos, the Ave Maris Stella (Hail, Star of the Ocean), the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, etc. (You can download the Litany of Loreto in Microsoft Word .doc format, in English or in Latin.)


....taken from Fisheaters.com

Cathedral Renovations

Renovations begin at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Port of Spain Trinidad.

The photos below show the movable Altar erected so that work can begin in the ceiling over the original Altar space.

TRINIDAD EUCHARIST MIRACLE - NO MIRACLE AT ALL

And so the story twists and turns. Yesterday a Priest friend of mine told me that he did not beleive the bleeding host to be bleeding blood. An article in todays Newsday confirms this. But what is the substance and where did it come from. Most importantly... WHO put it there? Here is what the Newsday has to say about the substance:

The red substance found on the wooden carving of the Host and chalice at the Rock River RC, Moruga is not blood.

Reports of “blood” being seen on the symbol of the Holy Eucharist caused scores of people to visit the school to see for themselves. Several people believed it was a sign from God.

Co-Adjutor Archbishop of Port-of-Spain Joseph Harris yesterday said, “It’s not blood it is some synthetic substance, so we will have to deal with that and find out how it got there.” Speaking to Newsday at the Assumption RC Church, Maraval, after officiating at the Mass to celebrate the life of Dr Cuthbert Joseph, Harris said tests were done and he received a report yesterday. Asked if people looked out for signs to increase their faith, Harris said, “Only the truth can increase your faith. Something which is not true can’t increase your faith.” While people may want to interpret certain things as signs from God, Harris said the Church had to be very careful before making any pronouncement and approving anything.

“We did what needed to be done. We secured the image. Tests were done. The doctors who have done the tests, have a written report. It’s not blood.” Harris will convey the findings to the parish priest Fr Jayasaleen Baskar.

On December 1, teacher Eric Lewis, a Standard Two teacher at the Rock River RC spoke to his class about the Holy Eucharist being the body and blood of Christ. Lewis tried to test the students’ knowledge of the Catholic faith and as part of the lesson removed a wooden carving of the chalice and Host from an old cupboard. It was placed on a wall next to a crucifix. Later in the day that Lewis observed a red substance on the Host and asked his pupils why they put paint on the carving. They denied interfering with the carving.

Hey Papa! You not wearing no seatbelt.

This one made me smile, as it did the Pope. Have a read yourself. It was written by JOhn Thavis for the Catholic News Agency:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI greeted with a smile the news that a German citizen had filed a complaint against him for not wearing a seat belt in his popemobile.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said Nov. 30 that the complaint was not being taken seriously at the Vatican.

"It continues to provoke curiosity and smiles of amusements, beginning with the pope himself," Father Lombardi said.

Father Lombardi said it was well known that the popemobile does not travel long distances, moves at a very slow speed and doesn't generally run the risk of encountering other vehicles in its path.

"The pope turns continually to the right and to the left to greet and bless the faithful. Often he gets up and takes in his arms babies to bless, to the joy of the parents and everyone present. All these gestures presume a certain freedom of movement," the spokesman said.

Father Lombardi added that the Vatican was "grateful for the affectionate concern for the pope's safety," but added that the complaint did not seem to reflect much flexibility in interpreting the meaning of the law.

German news reports said the complaint against the pope was filed in the city of Dortmund following Pope Benedict's September visit to his homeland. The pope traveled frequently in his popemobile during stops in Berlin, Erfurt, Etzelsbach and Freiburg.

The complaint said that on all these occasions the pope had failed to use the seat belt as required by German law and that, as a repeat offender, he should be fined the maximum of 2,500 euros ($3,400). According to the German reports, the lawyer who filed the complaint said his client was primarily concerned about the safety of the 84-year-old pope.

Eric Lewis and the Eucharistic Miracle (???) in Trinidad

Who is Eric Lewis? This man who is in the middle of the Eucharistic Miracle in Trinidad. Well an article in the July 21st 2011 Newsday written by Laurel V Williams shines some light on him.

My Brother and his wife know him well. According to my sister in law, "he is the bigger miracle" he is a great guy and a good Catholic. He converted the house left to him by his grandfather to a retreat house. He built a shrine not too far from the house. Here is the Article:

ERIC LEWIS is a young man with many portfolios - primary school teacher, acolyte, painter and artist of restoration of statues, to name a few.

At 25, Lewis has managed to fulfill many of his dreams, one of which was to restore and paint 22 statues of various saints.

At his grandmother’s home, located next to his home in Gran Chemin, Moruga, it looks similar to that of a shrine due to the numerous religious objects.Lewis, in fact, is an acolyte at the St Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church in Moruga where he attends worship nearly every Sunday.

Lewis said that in February he was given the task of painting and restoring several dilapidated statues of saints. The statues were being housed at the Our Lady of Montserrat RC Church in Tortuga.

It was while performing his task, Lewis discovered artifacts as well as newspaper clippings which dated back to as far as 1922. “I think that this may be the first time the statues are being restored. These are some of the oldest in the country. Many of these statues are made of metal and others of plastic,” Lewis said.

Devoting his time to ensure the statues look their best, Lewis on average spends most of his nights working on the statues. So serious is he with is work, he called in assistance from two friends - researchers and painters from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, USA.As it happens Br.Sean,

Eucharistic Miracle in Caribbean Island of Trinidad?

There is a report of a Eucharistic miralce in the Moruga area of our little Caribbean island of Trinidad. Well, there is blood on a wooden representation of the Eucharist. Why? I don't know. It reminds us Catholics in Trinidad of the weeping Virgin... or the statue of the Virgin Mary that wept blood at Corpus Christi Girls College in the Diego Martin Valley. While that occured more than a decade ago, it is not hard to forget once you have been exposed to it.

There is a Vatican approved Eucharistic Miracle from the Caribbean. It occured on the island of Martinique, in a little church in the village of Morne-Rouge. Many lives were spared that day, by the Grace of God.

While this miracle has not revealed itself to be in that league.... you never know what God has planned for us.

The miracle could also be linked to the spiritual attacks on the Moruga High School.

Anyhoo, here is the article as it appears on the Trinidad Guardian of Friday December 2nd 2011. The above photo is also taken from this article written by Radhica Sookraj. The image shows some drops of blood-like substance on the ground which supposedly fell from the wodden Eucharist:

Prayers filled the Rock River RC Primary School, Moruga, yesterday as scores of Roman Catholics flocked to the school compound to view what has been described as an “Eucharistic Miracle”. Teachers, students and villagers, who flocked to the school, fell on their knees in prayer after a red substance, resembling blood, began dripping from a wood carving of the Holy Eucharist. Within hours, a puddle of red liquid had formed at the base of the chalice. Minister in the Ministry of Education, Clifton de Couteau, and two Roman Catholic priests—Father Anthony Baskar and Father Karuna Kumar—arrived at the school within an hour. A picture of the Virgin Mary was set up on a desk with two lighted candles, while a wooden carving of Christ on the Cross was placed next to the “bleeding” Eucharist.

The red fluid was first observed around 10.45 am in the Standard Two classroom. Teacher Eric Lewis said his pupils was having religious education as their first lesson and instead of speaking about Advent (Christmas) he decided to speak about the Eucharist, which Roman Catholics believe to be the the body of Jesus Christ. He said: “I wanted to find out how much people knew about the Eucharist. I told my students the chalice represented a cup of the blood of Christ and the host represented the body of Christ. “I asked my pupils if they had ever seen it and one of them told me there was a wood carving of the Eucharist in my cupboard,” Lewis recalled. He said he took out the carving, hung it up in the classroom and then left to speak to the principal. After recess, he said, he returned to class and noticed something was different with the Eucharist.

“At first I thought somebody put paint on it and I got angry but when I climbed up and looked at it, I realised that something, looking like blood, was dripping down the sides. I touched it and smelt it and it smelt like blood,” Lewis said. Saying he was always like “Doubting Thomas,” the teacher took samples of the fluid to be tested. “I truly believe this is a sign for us in Moruga to have faith. Jesus is showing his power in this way,” Lewis said. He said even if nobody believed the fluid was blood, the incident had reaffirmed his belief in Christ. De Couteau said he arrived at the school immediately after hearing of the “blood-flowing chalice.”
He added: “This is not unusual because sometime ago, we also heard about the Hindu murtis drinking milk.

There is a young man who has taken samples so we shall know whether it is blood—human or animal.” Asked whether he believed the phenomenon is a sign of bad times, De Couteau said: “I don’t want to theorise. This is a strange phenomenon that people go all over the world to see.” Fr Baskar said he too was baffled. He said miracles often happened and the appearance of blood could be an indication that Jesus would come to purify and cleanse. Members of the Livingstone Prayer Group, including Bernadine Alphonso, Dianne Ayers and Yvonne Ragoo, knelt in prayer while pupils were taken in groups to witness the phenomenon. This is the second time a phenomenon has been witnessed at Moruga. In recent months there have been reports that students of the Moruga Secondary School were being affected by evil spirits which gave them super-strength and the ability to climb walls.

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