The Weekly News In
Review
Newsletter is a
compilation of the news articles that have appeared
on the Understand The Times website during the
previous week.
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August 26 - Get Your "Passport" Ready for Heaven, Says Pope
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
Stamp It
With Works That Show
Friendship With Christ
VATICAN CITY, AUG. 26, 2007 -
Heaven is an
equal-opportunity destination,
but to gain entry
one needs a
"passport" stamped with virtues such as
humility, mercy and
truth, says Benedict
XVI.
The Pope said this today in a
reflection he gave on the "narrow gate,"
before reciting the midday
Angelus with several thousand people gathered
in the courtyard of the papal
summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.
The Holy Father said that the
message of Christ is that everybody has an
equal chance of entering
through the narrow gate, "but it is 'narrow'
because it is demanding, it
requires commitment, self-denial and
mortification of one's own
egoism."
Christ invites all to heaven, he
said, "but with
one and the same condition:
that of making the effort to follow him and
imitate him, taking up one's
cross, as he did, and dedicating one's life
to the service of our
brothers."
Benedict XVI makes the point
that "we will not be
judged on the basis of
presumed privileges, but by our
works."
"True friendship with
Christ," he added, "is expressed by one's
way of
life: it is expressed by
goodness of heart, with humility, meekness and
mercy, love of justice and truth,
sincere and honest commitment to peace
and reconciliation."
The Pope adds, "This,
we might say, is the 'I.D. card' that
qualifies us as
authentic 'friends'; this is the 'passport' that permits
us to enter into eternal
life."
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August 26 - Scientists' plea to use new hybrid embryos
Article: Cloning And Genetic Engineering
Britain's leading
scientists have made a final plea for
the right to create the first
animal-human embryos for
medical research using eggs taken from dead
cows.The Human Fertilisation and Embryology
Authority will announce its
decision next week on whether to give
permission to UK laboratories
to create the hybrid embryos to advance
the understanding of genetic
diseases.
The issue
is controversial
because it involves scientists
taking an animal egg, removing its
genetic material and putting
DNA from a human cell into it. This
can be used to create lines of
stem cells which can then be made part of
studies into incurable genetic
diseases such as motor neurone disease.
However, it
has caused controversy as some campaigners
and religious groups argue
that it is unethical to
mix human and animal cells in
this way.
Dr Stephen Minger has
applied for a licence to do work using hybrids,
in order to understand more
about a range of neurological diseases,
including Alzheimer's disease
and motor neurone disease.
'To me, it
seems just very practical to use the cows'
eggs, as a by-product of a
process [the animals' slaughter] that is
already happening.' Another
scientist, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge,
head of genetics at the
National Institute of Medical Research in
London, said: 'I can see absolutely no reason why
these sorts of experiments
shouldn't proceed. I think the scientists
wishing to carry them out have
made a very clear case for them.'
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News Alert - False Appearances of "Christ"
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
Comments For
Understand The Times
Understand
The Times has been sounding the alarm with
regard to alleged appearances
of the "Eucharistic Christ" in reference
to the warning given by Jesus,
Matthew 24: 24-26:
For there shall arise false Christs,
and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I
have told you before.
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he
is in the desert; go not forth:
behold, he is in the secret chambers;
believe it not.
The
following article provides an example of what to
expect in the future as
"lying signs and wonders" associated with
false
appearances of a
"Jesus" will become more
prevalent.
August 27 - Image
of Jesus reported on host at
chapel
LAREDO -- The Rev. Jose Maria Weyne
had an unusual question for his
congregation to open Wednesday's
morning Mass.
"Who saw something out of the
ordinary here?" he asked the group of about
70 faithful, pointing
to the altar at the
Laredo Medical Center chapel.
Thirty people raised their hands, saying they could
see the image of Jesus Christ.
And how many thought the image they
saw was a mere reflection, a trick of
the light?
No one.
After the Mass, people lined up at the
altar, hoping to make out the
image in the
consecrated host displayed in a gold
monstrance. Their reports varied:
some said they saw Jesus in black
and white, others said they saw a baby
Jesus, and some insisted that Jesus
appeared wearing a crown of thorns.
"I've got chills. It makes me very
emotional," said Laura Hovel, a high
school teacher. "He appeared here
because there are so many people who need
help."
Hundreds of people have visited the
hospital's small chapel in recent
days, prompting an investigation by
Bishop James Tamayo of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Laredo. It's the latest
in a long list of such
sightings. Among them are a mournful
face of Jesus seen on a tortilla, a
grilled cheese sandwich said to bear an
image of the Virgin Mary and a
backyard tree many believe resembles a
crucified Jesus. In Fort Worth in
2005, a window was moved from a north
Fort Worth apartment to a River Oaks
church after hundreds of people caused
traffic problems when they
flocked to see what
was reported to be the image of
Jesus.
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August 27 - Praying at Our Lady of Tewatte to heal sick people and a sick nation
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
May the
"Lord heal us
and Our Motherland" was
the theme of the National Day for the Sick
celebrations held at Our Lady
of Lanka Basilica in Tewatte.
Some
500,000 Christians from around the country as
well as people from other
faiths were present at the event, all keen on
praying for peace in the
country.
During the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
and the Rosary, pilgrims
called upon Our Lady to give inner peace and
health but also to heal the
country from its many ills.
"This is my tenth year of
attending the
blessing of the sick and I
totally feel the touch of Mother Mary's love
for me," said 78-
year-old, wheelchair-bound Colin Emmanuel from
Kirimatiyana parish in the
diocese of Chilaw, 125 km north of the
capital.
According to Fr Merl Shanti
Perera, who manages the basilica,
"people from other faiths were
present at the
celebrations."
"Our Lady saved our wonderful
country once
before from war,"
said a female student, "and so I believe
She can
save it again now in this crucial moment"
in its
history.
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August 24 - Catholic and Muslim youths together for peace in Asia
Article: One World Religion
Legazpi
(AsiaNews) -Dominicans and major Muslim
leaders in the Philippines have
been working together to set up a forum
where young Catholics and Muslims from
around
South-East Asia could meet
and engage in dialogue. Their efforts
are likely to be rewarded very
soon.For Fr Ramonclaro Mendoz, OP,
president of the Dominican-
run Aquinas University told AsiaNews, the
"purpose of bringing together
young Muslims and
Christians is to foster a strong
sense of solidarity and belonging in
the region."
Under the umbrella of the
Church several initiatives have already
been taken to bring Catholic
youths together. This new venue is meant to
enable them to share their life experiences, hopes
and aspirations whatever their
religion with the programme focusing on
how youth can be agents of
peace and solidarity.
Once the first meeting is
over, the next will extend to young people
from all
the religions of the region.
Father Mendoz concluded
by saying that "young
people want to co-operate and
play a role in making sure the project is
successful. It is crucial to tear
down every barrier between religions
if we want to achieve true
peace and social harmony."
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August 30 - US warns Iran of nuclear holocaust
Article: Wars And Rumors Of Wars
PRESIDENT George W. Bush
warned yesterday that
Iran's pursuit of the atomic
bomb could lead to a nuclear holocaust in
the Middle East and
promised to confront Tehran "before it is too
late".
Mr Bush's
remarks, the starkest warning he has made
about Iran's nuclear ambitions,
came just hours after Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
said a power vacuum was
imminent in Iraq and that
Tehran was ready to fill it.
Mr Bush
said: "Iran's pursuit of
technology that could lead to
nuclear weapons threatens to put a region
already known for instability
and violence under the shadow of a nuclear
holocaust.
"Iran's actions threaten the
security of nations everywhere,
and the United States is rallying
friends and allies to isolate
Iran's regime to impose economic
sanctions. We will confront this
danger before it is too late,"
he told war veterans in
Nevada.
"The
political power of the occupiers is collapsing
rapidly," Mr Ahmadinejad
said.
"Soon, we will see a huge power
vacuum
in the region ... we are
prepared to fill the gap."
Although Mr
Ahmadinejad revels in making provocative
statements, his latest remarks
will increase the fears in Washington and
among the US's moderate
Sunni allies in the region that an
Iranian-dominated Iraq would trigger a regional
war between Sunnis and
Shias.
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August 29 - Ecumenism Gets Boost in Latin America
Article: Ecumenical Movement - Protestants Uniting With Roman Catholics
An ecumenical
conference held in prominently
Catholic Argentina gave Christians a chance to
proclaim their common faith in
Christ and the mandate to announce Jesus'
name.
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos
Aires and primate of
Argentina, told the 4th Encounter of the Renewed
Communion between Evangelicals
and Catholics in the Spirit (CRECES) to not
"privatize" the Gospel, and that a
correct understanding of Christianity means
announcing and sharing the name of
Jesus.
The cardinal was one of the featured speakers at last
week's CRECES conference,
a gathering that aims to unite
Catholics and Protestants
in worship and expressions of solidarity.
CRECES arose from an Italy-based organization, the
Community of Jesus, which has
been promoting reconciliation
between Christians for more
than two decades.
Its founder, Matteo Calisi, spoke with ZENIT,
seconding Cardinal Bergoglio's
appeal.
"Announcing the Gospel is
a right and a duty of all
members of the kingdom of God who have been
baptized in Christ and who,
therefore, are the children of the only heavenly Father
and our brothers and
sisters, even if they are not yet fully in communion with
the Catholic Church,"
Calisi said.
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August 28 - Alzheimer's Patients Lining Up for Microchip
Article: One World Government
In response
to such concerns, a Florida-based company
has developed an FDA-
approved microchip that can
be implanted in an Alzheimer's
patient's arm, allowing critical medical
details to be accessed
instantly.
Up to 200 Alzheimer's patients living near
Palm
Beach, Fla., will be implanted
with the VeriChip for free in the next
week.
Some privacy groups
argue that the VeriChip,
which uses the same
technology as devices that track wayward pets,
strips Alzheimer's patients of
their dignity.
"I don't think that
because it's useful in animals is a reason why we
should do it in human
beings," said Katherine Albrecht, the founder of
AntiChip.com. "There is a distinction between
an
animal and a human
being."
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August 27 - Chandler Church is 'Bringing Sexy Back'
Article: Apostasy
A king-size bed with a
silky spread dominated the
church's stage. A sign outside the sanctuary
doors warned, "PG-13. Parents strongly
cautioned:
Some content may not be
suitable for all children."
Since Senior Pastor
Linn Winters introduced the series Aug. 12,
weekend attendance at first
four and now five services per weekend has
climbed to past 6,500, or about
2,000 more than average.
The
series is promoted with an edgy Web site -
www.howsexyami.com - and a
Loop 202 billboard showing two sets of feet
projecting from under bed
covers.
While adults are hearing about
fantasies, women's needs and men's sexual
wiring, the children coming to church are in a
children's center getting age-
appropriate teaching tied to the six-week
series. Meanwhile,
Cornerstone is offering eight fall classes and
gatherings on such topics as
"Valiant Men, "Intimate Issues" and
"Every
Woman's Battle."
But God, he said, intended that
when men and women share a bed, their
souls come together. "God says that when we begin
to honor the soulishness of
the sexual encounter, all of a sudden this
thing changes and becomes
what we describe as 'big bed sex.'"
"The world offers a little
bed," Winters said.
"God offers big bed sex."
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September 1 - Pope: Loreto, young people's spiritual capital
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
Our Lady of Loreto
slowly made its way through a
huge crowd of almost 300,000 young people,
amid
their applause and enthusiasm.
Organised by the Italian
Bishops' Conference in preparation of the 2008
World Youth Day in Sydney,
the statue symbolises
the gathering, the agora.
"Look upon Mary,"
he suggested, who, in saying "yes" to
God
found Herself at the
"centre of humanity." "Looking upon
her, meekly
following her, you shall
discover the beauty of love, not a disposable
one, transient and deceptive,
prisoner to a selfish and materialistic
mentality, but one that is true
and deep."
I say this tonight:
the Mother of God, the
Community of Believers and the Pope stand by you
and pray that the crisis that
affects today's families not turn into an
irreversible
failure."
"In the night
that awaits us,
at the
foot of Her Holy House, Mary shall again
tell each one of you, my dear
young friends, the same words She heard
from the Angel: Don't fear!
Don't be afraid! The Holy Spirit is with you
and shall never abandon you.
To anyone who places his trust in God,
nothing is impossible. This is
true for those who are meant to marry; it
is even more so for those to
whom God proposes a life of total
detachment from earthly things
and a full commitment to his Kingdom."
"Let us pray that the
Lord who does all
kinds of wonders may let many
of you to be there. May He give me and you
such an opportunity! This is
but one of the many dreams we have and
which
tonight we shall entrust in Mary as we pray
together." &nbs
p;
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We hope the Weekly News In Review has been a
blessing to you.
In Jesus, Roger Oakland
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