Theology of the Body

• Written by Fr. Robert Streveler

   The day after his wedding, after having consummated his marriage the night before, a man was in tears after receiving the Eucharist.  When His new bride asked he said: “For the first time in my life I understood the meaning of Christ’s words, “This is my body given for you.”

   In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read these words “The flesh is the hinge of salvation.”  We believe in God who created us, we believe in the word made flesh, we believe in the resurrection of the body. 

   Many Christians grow up believing their spirit to be good and their body to be bad.  The idea that the human body is bad is actually a heresy known as Manichaeism.  Actually Christianity says “the body is so good that you can’t even fathom it.”

   In the sacraments we bathe the body with water in baptism, anoint the body with oil in baptism, confirmation, holy orders and the anointing of the sick, we eat and drink the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we have the laying on of hands in holy orders and the anointing of the sick, we confess with our lips and man and woman are joined in one body in marriage. When Pope John Paul speaks of the body as a sacrament, he means it is a sign that makes visible the invisible mystery of God.  For him all the sacraments have a “nuptial” character since their purpose is to unite Christ the bridegroom with his bride, the church

   Christianity is the religion of God’s union with humanity.  It’s the religion of the Word made flesh! In the body of Jesus ‘we see our God made visible and so are caught up in love of the God we cannot see. (CCC. N. 477)

Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive

• Written by Denise Cook

The Knights of Columbus of Jackson County had their Tootsie Roll drive the weekend of April 25th.  This included the churches of Immaculate Conception of Alma Center, St. Joseph’s of Fairview, St. Kevin’s of Melrose and St. Joseph’s of Black River Falls.   They took donations at Wal-mart, Kwik Trip and Burnstad’s in BRF with the help of five students from St. Joseph in Black River Falls that are to be confirmed on May 14, 2008.  Hannah Ripp, Tyler Roskos, Lizzy Cook, Brian Smetana and Seth Windsor braved the cold to help with this yearly project.  This helped them fulfill hours of service needed before Confirmation.  Charles Casper, a student from Alma Center also volunteered some time along side his dad. 

Read more: Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive

Pope Benedict XVI Prayer At Ground Zero.

• Written by Pope Benedict XVI

O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain.

We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here --the heroic first-responders: our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion to bring healing to those who, because of their presence here that day, suffer from injuries and illness. Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

Read more: Pope Benedict XVI Prayer At Ground Zero.

Pope Benedict XVI addresses the United Nations

• Written by EWTN

Pope Benedict said Friday that respect for human rights is the key to solving many of the world’s problems.

Address to the United Nations General Assembly (source: EWTN.com)

Speaking first in French and then in English, the Holy Father delivered the following address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, 18 April 2008.

[In French]
Mr President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I begin my address to this Assembly, I would like first of all to express to you, Mr President, my sincere gratitude for your kind words. My thanks go also to the Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, for inviting me to visit the headquarters of this Organization and for the welcome that he has extended to me. I greet the Ambassadors and Diplomats from the Member States, and all those present. Through you, I greet the peoples who are represented here. They look to this institution to carry forward the founding inspiration to establish a “centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends” of peace and development (cf. Charter of the United Nations, article 1.2-1.4). As Pope John Paul II expressed it in 1995, the Organization should be “a moral centre where all the nations of the world feel at home and develop a shared awareness of being, as it were, a ‘family of nations’” (Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on the 50th Anniversary of its Foundation, New York, 5 October 1995, 14).

Essay Contest - "A Case for God”

• Written by America - The National Catholic Weekly

As part of "America - The National Catholic Weekly's" centennial celebration, the editors of America are pleased to announce the America Essay Contest, open to writers of all ages and occupations. At a time when atheism and religious belief have become prominent issues of discussion and debate in both our nation and our church, the editors have chosen as a general topic for response the following theme: "A Case for God.”

The winning manuscript will approach that topic or the various issues surrounding it with creativity, precise argumentation and literary flair. Essays should be written with a general audience in mind, but can be from any perspective, including personal, professional, academic, apologetic or devotional.

Through a generous bequest from an America donor, the author of the winning essay will receive $3,000, and their submission will be published in a future issue of the magazine. Submissions must be original, unpublished work of no more than 2,500 words, and must be received by June 16, 2008. The winner will be announced in October, 2008. Submissions should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , subject line: America Writing Contest. Or mail to America Writing Contest, 106 W. 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.