From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
    -- Romans 8:14-17 --   
      
       ...because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.   
   For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear,   
   but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,   
   Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are   
   God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of   
   God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in   
   order that we may also share in his glory.   
   ______________________________________________________   
   We are no longer cringing and fearful slaves to fear and burdens of   
   this life; instead we are the Master's children. What a privilege!   
   Because we are God's children, we share in great treasures as   
   co-heirs. God has already given us his best gifts; his Son,   
   forgiveness and eternal life; and he encourages us to ask him for   
   whatever we need.   
      
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   May 25th - St. Bede the Venerable   
      
   St. Bede is a confessor and doctor of the Church. He rivaled St.   
   Isidore of Seville as one of the wisest and more illustrious men of   
   his time. Because his great sanctity was widely recognized during his   
   lifetime and he could not be called saint, he was known as Bede the   
   Venerable. The name was conserved after his death and canonization. He   
   was born in 672 at Jarrow, on the borders of England and Scotland, and   
   died in 735.   
      
      
   Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)   
      
   Given that this selection is very short I will comment on the title of   
   venerable conferred upon St. Bede. What does venerable means? When can   
   a person be said to be venerable?   
      
   First, venerable was a title of honor attributed by the Church to a   
   person whose process of canonization was underway. The application of   
   this title has varied through the centuries. For some time, a person   
   whose process had been introduced was called venerable. Later, the   
   Church replaced this with the title servant of God to refer to the   
   first stage of the process of canonization.   
      
   The next levels of this process are beatification and canonization.   
   The person was beatified and received the title of blessed after the   
   Church had exhaustively examined his or her life and works and   
   concluded that the person practiced the theological and cardinal   
   virtues in a heroic degree. A first miracle was also required to be   
   declared blessed. Since the beatification included a moral certainty   
   that the person was in Heaven, the Church used to permit some kind of   
   cult in the place where the person had lived or exerted influence, for   
   instance his city or religious order.   
      
   The person was canonized and declared a saint, the last step, when new   
   miracles, usually two in number, were verified. When they were   
   confirmed by an exacting board of scholars, the person was canonized,   
   i.e., he or she was declared saint and pointed to as a model for   
   Catholics and presented for the cult of the universal Church.   
      
   Venerable was used, therefore, for one whose process had been   
   introduced. In the good times--before Vatican II--when everything was   
   serious, the word signified that the person was worthy of great   
   consideration and respectability, in a word, worthy of veneration. It   
   was already a great honor to have one's name introduced for the   
   process of canonization.   
      
   Second, in common usage, without any canonical implication, one can   
   say that a person is venerable in many cases. Let me give some   
   examples:   
      
       * A man or woman is called venerable when he or she has advanced   
   in years and conserved the seriousness and dignity that this age   
   requires. So, we venerate an 80-year-old man who always fulfilled his   
   duties in the formation of his numerous family. To call him venerable   
   means that his long and continuous practice of these virtues generates   
   respect.   
      
       * A man who displayed heroic behavior in combat or a general who   
   won many battles also deserves to be called venerable, because such   
   men carried out valiant actions that deserve respect. In principle,   
   anyone who risks his life for the Church or the State has realized an   
   outstanding action and is venerable in this respect.   
      
       * Another example would be a religious woman who took care of   
   lepers for a long period of time, running the imminent risk of being   
   contaminated by the disease. We call her venerable for her long   
   selfless service.   
      
   Therefore, in common usage, venerable is used for the person who has   
   an extraordinary will, temper of spirit, and constancy that enabled   
   him to exercise an upright behavior for a long period of time even in   
   face of adverse circumstances and at the risk of his life, health, and   
   comfort.   
      
   This person inspires a special admiration in those who deal with him.   
   They feel that justice demands that they pay him some tribute of   
   respect.   
      
   This kind of respectability results from seriousness, strength and   
   abnegation. To reach such a high level of fulfillment of his duties,   
   the person must have been serious, strong and abnegated.   
      
   A good example of venerability can be found in the statue of St.   
   Benedict that is placed in downtown São Paulo outside the grandiose   
   Monastery of St. Benedict. The statue of St. Benedict stands outdoors   
   looking at the city that stirs and passes at his feet. He is portrayed   
   in his sixties or seventies with a great long beard and a shepherd's   
   staff in his hand. His person inspires meditation, profound thoughts,   
   seriousness, and stability. He is the faithful image of the venerable   
   patriarch.   
      
   Unfortunately, a large number of statues we have in our churches do   
   not inspire veneration, due to either the sentimental style of such   
   statues influenced by the Sulpician movement of the 19th century, or   
   the modern style that was imposed everywhere after the Council. But we   
   can still find venerable statues worthy of our admiration here and   
   there.   
      
   http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j074sdBede5-27.htm   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Never read books you aren't sure about. . . even supposing that these   
   bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me   
   ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just   
   because it was offered to you in a golden cup?   
   --St. John Bosco   
      
   Bible Quote   
   "Cruel is wrath, overwhelming is anger; but jealousy, who can   
   withstand that? [Proverbs 27:4]   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   PRAYER   
      
   Loving Father, faith in Your Word is the way to wisdom.   
   Help me to think about Your Divine Plan   
   that I may grow in the truth.   
   Open my eyes to Your deeds,   
   my ears to the sound of Your call,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)