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 Bishop
Talks on Need for
New Apologetics
ATLANTA, Ga. – Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville tackled
four areas that needs new apologetics on his opening keynote speech
to educators during the National Caholic Educational Association’s
103rd annual convention.
The four areas of new apologetics include: to counter what he called
“the new atheism”; to use during time of “human
suffering and the search for meaning”; to understand “the
rapid growth of Islam and the uniqueness of Christianity”;
and to realize “ the priority of Scripture and tradition.”
Apologetics is the branch of theology having to do with the defense
and proofs of Christianity.
According to Bishop Braxton young Catholics are at crossroads in
their spiritual discernment. These teens could come across some
author’s negative descriptions of the bread and wine of the
Eucharist in the cyberspace. Some of these negative descriptions
include “a cracker” a “faded burgundy” and
other mischaracterizations of Catholic teaching.
He added that teens may find the books The Da Vinci Code, The Jesus
Papers, The Passover Plot, the "Left Behind" series of
post-Apocalypse novels, and the recently unearthed Gospel of Judas
fascinating. Catholic teenagers may visit Internet chat rooms to
learn more about the content of those books and the thinking behind
them. Too often to teens, "if it's on the Internet, it must
be true, it must be so," Bishop Braxton added.
Futhermore, Bishop Braxton added that a new apologetics on the Internet,
, would "challenge our teenagers... whenever they are and would
counter the claims made in those works.
"I know that what I am proposing is a high and distant goal
that is not easily fulfilled," Bishop Braxton said. Still,
"the power of the Holy Spirit sustains us as we chart the course
for a new apologetics." |
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| LIVES
OF THE SAINTS |
May
18
ST. JOHN
I
St. John I was a priest of Rome. He became pope after
the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's
ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian. (The Arians did not
believe that Jesus is God.) Theodoric let Catholics alone
at the beginning of his reign. Later, however, he changed
and became arrogant and suspicious of everyone.
May
19
ST. CELESTINE V
Peter di Morone was the eleventh of twelve children.
He was born around 1210 in Isernia, Italy. His father died
when he was small. The family was poor, but Peter's mother
raised her children with great love.
May
20
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA
St. Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in a town
near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor.
His parents died when he was seven.
May
21
BLESSED
EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Blessed Eugene was born in France in 1782. He became
a priest in 1811. Father Eugene was sensitive to the needs
of the poor and he ministered to them.
May
22
ST. RITA OF CASCIA
St. Rita was born in 1381 in a little Italian village.
Her parents were older. They had begged God to send them a
child. They brought Rita up well. Rita wanted to enter the
convent when she was fifteen, but her parents decided that
she should marry instead.
May
23
ST. JOHN
BAPTIST ROSSI
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in 1698 in a village
near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when
a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him.
His parents knew the couple and trusted them. John was happy
to be able to go to their house in Genoa because then he could
attend school.
May
24
ST. DAVID
I OF SCOTLAND
St. David was born in 1080. He was the youngest son of St.
Margaret, queen of Scotland, and her good husband, King Malcom.
David himself became king when he was about forty.
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
Tour
of the Relics of the Passion
(International Center
for Holy Relics)
www.HolyRelics.org
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| REFLECTIONS |
 “Jesus’
Baptism”
Why did Jesus, the sinless one sent from the Father in heaven,
submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke
3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of
the “baptism” of Jesus bloody death upon the
cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning
of his mission as God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah
52:13-15; 53:1-12). He allowed himself to be numbered among
sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s
will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust
and submission to God?
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