Cinema Catechism: St. Th?r?se and Our Relationship with the Lord

In the discussion following the first episode of Fr. Barron's Catholicism, where we noted that Christianity is primarily about establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ, and not merely adopting His ideas, we asked what type of relationship (or relationships) is that supposed to be? There are many types of relationships, many models to follow, but there is one in particular that we should consider, the one whereby we become one with the Lord, a fruitful loving communion of persons in one Body.

Today is the feast day of St. Th?r?se of Lisieux, Th?r?se of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. Last year, Cinema Catechism showed the film Miracle of St. Th?r?se in connection with our exploration of the theme of Marriage and Family. This is a theme that is just as timely now, perhaps more so given that this is election season, with marriage and family continuing to be under assault.

Although she remained in the cloister, St. Th?r?se is the patron saint of missionaries, so in the New Evangelization, it is right that we should look to her example in how to better understand and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ with respect to the truth of marriage and the human person.

Marriage and Family: St. Th?r?se and the Vocation to Love
originally posted October 7, 2011

This season of Cinema Catechism, we are exploring the theme of Marriage and Family, and the film for October is Miracle of St. Th?r?se.

St. Th?r?se?? OK, I can see what Th?r?se Martin has to do with the family part -- she came from a very devout and pious Catholic family, her parents are both beatified, her four surviving siblings all went on to become nuns. But Th?r?se was a cloistered nun, what does she have to do with marriage?

Quite a lot actually. True, she did not enter into a earthly human marriage with a man, but she did have a spouse. She loved with a spousal love in a spousal relationship. And to understand that, we must first understand the idea of "marriage as primordial sacrament," in the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II.

A "sacrament" is an outward visible sign of a mystical nonvisible reality. And in the marriage of man and woman, we see the primary model for God's plan for humanity.

Indeed, there is a spousal meaning revealed in the human body, as shown both in natural observation of the human body and as explained in the opening chapters of Genesis. "Man," male and female, made in the image of the Trinity, is by "his" nature a social being, made for relationship. It is not good that man should be alone -- in solitude, he is missing an essential element, he is incomplete. Man is made for relationship; hence he (singular) is made both male and female (plural). Thus, it is not just any relationship man is made for, where they (plural) are male and female (plural), but he is specifically oriented toward a spousal relationship, a loving communion of persons become one that is fruitful, just as the Trinity is a loving communion of three persons in one divine being who is procreative. Again, in the human marriage of man and woman, we see the primary model for God's plan for humanity.

In scripture, in the story of Salvation History, we can plainly see God's relationship with humanity in general, and Israel in particular, described in spousal terms. The Annunciation to Mary has often been described as a kind of marriage proposal by God to her, with Mary saying "yes" on behalf of all mankind. The first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding, and many of His parables involved marital imagery. Jesus is, of course, the Bridegroom, having taken as His virginal Bride, the Church. And in the eschatology of the Book of Revelation, life after the resurrection of the body is described in the spousal terms of the wedding banquet of the Lamb. So, marriage is clearly the model by which to understand God's plan for us.

There is a spousal meaning to the human body, every human body. Since we all have a human body, we are all made for a "spousal" relationship of some sort, we are made to love and be loved in that pure and complete fullness of love that is both unitive and procreative, that involves a communion of persons that bears many fruits. This might manifest itself in the human marriage of the flesh, the marriage of a male and female, especially in the Sacrament of Matrimony, resulting in physical children. But it also manifests itself in the spousal relationship that a priest has, in the manner of Jesus, with His Bride, the Church, whereby, in that virginal marriage, there is a loving communion of persons that is fruitful, that results in spiritual children. Likewise, this spousal relationship might manifest itself in a spiritual marriage with Jesus, as we see with Sister Th?r?se and other consecrated women religious.

But what about the rest of us? Those who are still "single," who have yet to discern their vocation (marriage or religious life) or who have discerned that they are called to marriage, but, for some reason, it has not happened? Or what about those with a same-sex attraction?

Single people have a vocation too, but it is not a vocation to solitude. It is not good that man should be alone -- in solitude, he is missing an essential element, he is incomplete. Each of these single people also has a spousal meaning in his or her very body. They too are called to that vocation which is the primary vocation of all -- the vocation to love. They too are called to love and be loved in a relationship of pure and complete love, the fullness of love with the Lord that is communion with Him and is fruitful. So, if they cannot enter into a human marriage, for whatever reason -- if, for example, they have not found anyone who wants to marry them or because they are same-sex attracted -- they are still called to a relationship of spousal love. If they wish to be true to the person that are made to be, even if they do not pursue the consecrated religious life, they should still seek to love the Lord and His Bride as a spouse loves his or her beloved, fully and completely, in a dynamic and fruitful loving communion of persons.

The Story of a Soul
St. Th?r?se of Lisieux

Chapter 8
It was the Nativity of Mary. What a beautiful feast on which to become the Spouse of Jesus! It was the little new-born Holy Virgin who presented her little Flower to the little Jesus. Everything was little on that day except for the graces I received and the joyful peace I felt as I gazed at the stars in the evening sky and thought that I should soon ascend to heaven and be united with my divine Spouse in eternal happiness.

On September 24, I took the veil. . . . Eight days after I took the veil, our cousin, Jeanne Gu?rin, married Doctor La N?ele. Some time later, as we were talking in the parlour, she told me of all the care she lavished on her husband. Her words stirred me and I said to myself: ?It?s not going to be said that a woman will do more for her husband, a mere mortal, than I will do for my beloved Jesus.? I was filled with fresh ardour and made greater efforts than ever to see that all I did was pleasing to the King of kings who had chosen me as His bride.

When I saw the letter announcing Jeanne?s marriage, I amused myself by composing an invitation which I read to the novices to make them realize what had struck me so forcibly: how trifling are the pleasures of an earthly union compared to the glory of being the bride of Jesus.

ALMIGHTY GOD
Creator of Heaven and Earth
Supreme Sovereign of the Universe
and
THE MOST GLORIOUS VIRGIN MARY
Queen of the Court of Heaven
Announce to you the Spiritual Marriage of their august Son
JESUS
KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS
with
Little Th?r?se Martin

Source: http://cinemacatechism.blogspot.com/2012/10/st-therese-and-our-relationship-with.html

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HBT: Is there wrong answer in Cabrera vs. Trout?

Except this time, the shoe is on the other foot.

2001 was probably the height of the steroid era. Over in the NL, Barry Bonds had his record 73-homer campaign, with Sammy Sosa chipping in 64 and even Luis Gonzalez hitting 57. Things weren?t quite so silly in the American League, but consider that Rafael Palmeiro had 47 homers and 123 RBI and finished tied for 14th in the MVP balloting.

There were five legitimate candidates for AL MVP that year, none necessarily head and shoulders above the others:

Roberto Alomar (2B Cle): .336/.415/.541, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 30 SB in 575 AB
Bret Boone (2B Sea): .331/.372/.578, 37 HR, 141 RBI, 5 SB in 623 AB
Jason Giambi (1B Oak): .342/.477/.660, 38 HR, 120 RBI, 2 SB in 520 AB
Alex Rodriguez (SS Tex): .318/.399/.622, 52 HR, 135 RBI, 18 SB in 632 AB
Ichiro Suzuki (RF Sea): .350/.381/.457, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 56 SB in 692 AB

Most correctly figured the balloting would come down to Ichiro and Giambi. Ichiro had the narrative, having just arrived from Japan in time to lead the Mariners to a record 116-win season. He was also vying to become the first player since Fred Lynn in 1975 to win both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP in the same year. Giambi was second to Ichiro in average, first in OBP and first in slugging, all for a 102-win A?s club. Maybe Rodriguez was truly the AL?s best player, but his Rangers won 73 games; he ended up finishing sixth in the balloting.

Of course, statheads at the time believed Giambi was more valuable than Ichiro. We weren?t quite so noisy about it then, but it seemed pretty obvious to us. No amount of speed and defense from a right fielder was making up for 300 points of OPS. In fact, Ichiro wasn?t even the Mariners? best player; Boone had pretty much the same OBP, an extra 100 points of slugging and probably the greater defensive value of the two.

Alas, Ichiro won in a close vote. He got 11 of the 28 first-place votes, compared to eight for Giambi, and he won 289 points to 281. Boone got seven first-place votes and finished third. Alomar, playing for a first-place Cleveland team, got the remaining two first-place votes and finished fourth.

11 years later things have swung the other way around. The 2012 AL MVP will come down to these two guys:

Miguel Cabrera (3B Det): .325/.390/.601, 43 HR, 136 RBI, 4 SB in 612 AB
Mike Trout (CF LAA): .321/.395/.557, 30 HR, 80 RBI, 48 SB in 546 AB

And now the statheads favor the all-around player. It?s not hard to see why. Ichiro and Giambi were separated by 300 points of OPS. Cabrera and Trout are separated by 40. Defense and baserunning certainly makes up for that.

As for the Triple Crown, it?s really neat, but in the end, it wouldn?t make Cabrera any less valuable if someone else in the league had hit .360 or finished with 50 homers. Cabrera isn?t outpacing the rest of the league this year like Giambi did in 2001. Giambi had 97 points of OPS on anyone else in the league. Cabrera has 39. Giambi?s OPS+ was 199, Cabrera?s is 164. Cabrera had higher OPSs and OPS+s in both 2010 and ?11.

And Trout, obviously, is hitting a whole lot better than Ichiro did in 2001. He?s second in the AL in OPS. Ichiro was 26th. Trout has a 167 OPS+, Ichiro was at 126.

There is one complicating factor: because Trout opened the year in the minors, Cabrera has played an extra 22 games. That carries quite a bit of weight in my mind. I?d still vote Trout, but I?m not going to be all that disappointed when Cabrera wins.

It seems to me that everyone dug in on Trout vs. Cabrera weeks ago, which is a shame, because it really has rendered September irrelevant.?It?s also pretty sad, since it seems like no one can write a column defending their choice without attacking the other side.

Here?s the way I see it: Trout is having a historic season, with a legitimate flaw in that he was a non-factor in April. Cabrera is having a Cabrera season; he?s one of the game?s three best hitters and thus is worthy of MVP consideration on an annual basis. He?s about due to win one. He hasn?t been the best player, but he has been awfully good for 22 more games than the other guy. And one imagines Trout will be a candidate a few more times before he?s done.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/30/cabrera-vs-trout-brings-to-mind-2001-al-mvp-battle/related

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Kiribati government promises to work with seafarers? union on climate change

ITF translations available: Deutsch, Espa?ol, Fran?ais, Svenska

Google free translation: Italiano, Norske, Portugu?s, T?rk, ???, ???, Bahasa Melayu, ???????, ?????, ????, ?????, Kiswahili, ???????, ???????

Kiribati government promises to work with seafarers? union on climate change

26 September 2012

The Kiribati government has pledged to work with seafarers? unionists in an effort to tackle the impact of climate change in the Pacific region.

Government representatives made the promise at the first ITF workshop on climate change in the region, which took place from 6-8 September in Kiribati. Also attending the seminar were seafarers from the ITF-affiliated Kiribati Islands Overseas Seafarers? Union (KIOSU), the Fiji Maritime Workers? Association and the Tuvalu Overseas Seafarers? Union as well as representatives from an environmental campaigning group.

Opened by Pinto Katia, Kiribati minister of commerce, Mark Davis, ITF Asia Pacific deputy regional secretary and Ioteba Tekee, KIOSU general secretary, the workshop focused on the causes and global impact of climate change, responses to the issue and the ITF work programme.

During the event, the Kiribati government representatives agreed to work with the KIOSU on climate change issues; an island nation consisting of 33 low lying atolls, Kiribati is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, while seafarers make a key contribution towards the economy of the state. The government, they said, would continue to deliver training on climate change and would involve the union?s members in adaptation initiatives and consultation on climate change. In addition, it would improve communication and work more collaboratively with both non-governmental agencies and the KIOSU.

Workshop participants also drafted an action plan for the KIOSU and agreed to establish a climate change task force, which would meet with core partners, including government, to further the work.

For more information, visit: www.itfglobal.org/climate_change_blog/?p=245

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Source: http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/7923?frmSessionLanguage=ENG

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Malin Akerman Pregnant With Her First Child!

Malin Akerman Pregnant With Her First Child!

Malin Akerman has announced her pregnancy, admitting she wasn’t thinking she would get pregnant so easily. The “Couples Retreat” star, who is three months pregnant [...]

Malin Akerman Pregnant With Her First Child! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/09/malin-akerman-pregnant-with-her-first-child/

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Video: How Obama plans to fix the U.S. economy

In Afghanistan, who is in charge?

??On Saturday night, an Afghan soldier approached Americans, killing a soldier and a contractor; with that, the number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan is around 2,100 in the United States? 11-year-war in the country. Insider attacks have become increasingly common ? and no one seems to have a good answer about how to stop them. NBC?s Lester Holt and Richard Engel report from Kabul.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/49229995#49229995

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HBT: Millwood contemplating retirement

Kevin Millwood pitched decently for the Mariners this this season before a sore shoulder put an early end to things this month, but the impending free agent told Greg Johns of MLB.com yesterday that he?s not sure whether he wants to come back for another season.

?I?m going to go home and just relax and play with my kids and see what happens, see how I feel and see what pops into my head,? Millwood said Friday. ?I don?t have any definite plans right now on next year, but I?m sure at some point in the offseason it?ll hit me on what I want to do.?

?I knew I wanted to play this year,? he said. ?But like I said, now I?m just trying to figure out physically if I can do it. I still definitely believe I can get people out, but whether it?s time to stay home and spend more time with my kids or try it again, I don?t know the answer to that yet.?

Millwood signed a minor league deal with the Mariners last offseason and made the team out of spring training. The 37-year-old right-hander ended up posting a 4.25 ERA and 107/56 K/BB ratio over 161 innings in 28 starts. And he wasn?t just a Safeco Field creation either, as his ERA was only slightly higher on the road (4.35) than it was at home (4.15). Still, it?s unlikely any team will give him much of a guarantee at this point, so he?s understandably thinking about whether it?s worth trying to put his body through another season.

Millwood has a 169-152 record and a 4.11 ERA over 16 major league seasons. While he has averaged an unspectacular 6.9 K/9 for his career, he ranks 59th all-time with 2,083 strikeouts. He is the active leader in strikeouts among right-handed pitchers.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/29/kevin-millwood-is-thinking-about-retirement/related

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US, Mexico in food fight over tomatoes: How messy will it get?

American tomato growers, upset at Mexico's growing share of the US market, are taking steps that could lead to new tariffs on Mexican tomatoes. Mexico's ambassador threatened retaliation.?

By Ron Scherer,?Staff writer / September 28, 2012

Tomatoes grow in a hothouse in San Luis de la Paz, Mexico, in February 2012.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor

Enlarge

The tomato, one of America?s favorite vegetables, is the focus of a burgeoning cross-border food fight that Mexican officials say could escalate into a broader trade war.

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Mexican exporters currently supply about half the tomatoes consumed in the US. American growers, upset over what they see as a steady incursion of low priced Mexican produce, are trying to quash a deal that has kept the price of Mexican tomatoes low. The move could lead either to new tariffs on Mexican tomatoes or an agreement by the Mexicans to sell their produce at higher prices.

The Mexican government is threatening retaliation if the US tacks on any new tariffs.

?If Mexico?s interests end up being affected, Mexico will respond,? said Arturo Sarukhan, the Mexican ambassador to the US in a statement. ?When Mexico aims, Mexico hits the target.?

What does this mean for US consumers? Whether the US action results in higher tomato prices is hard to say. In public filings over the issue, large buyers of tomatoes, such as Wal-Mart, worry that any disruption of a stable and predictable supply of tomatoes from Mexico will hinder their ability to provide consistent pricing to the US consumer.

But the US growers say those fears are unfounded, maintaining that the US has the ability to grow enough tomatoes to keep every salad bar stocked at a reasonable price.

?I don?t anticipate consumer prices will be impacted significantly at all,? says Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, which represents growers there.

The Mexican government, meanwhile, is deeply suspicious over the timing of the tomato flap since it involves growers from politically sensitive Florida. Mexico?s minister of the economy, Bruno Ferrari, told Reuters this week it was ?obvious? the request was timed to put political pressure on the White House ahead of the election.

Over the last several months, the Obama administration has become more aggressive in charging importers with dumping. This summer the US charged Chinese companies with unfair trade actions regarding cars and auto parts. The president touted that trade action while campaigning in Ohio, but Mitt Romney called it too little too late. Romney says he would get tough on China regarding trade issues if elected president.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/krHgBWA-e3c/US-Mexico-in-food-fight-over-tomatoes-How-messy-will-it-get

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Inquest opens into death of man in custody / Britain / Features ...

Twenty-five-year-old Jacob Michael, from Widnes, called police in an agitated state on August 22 2011, saying his family had been threatened.

When the police arrived at the house, they forced their way into his bedroom, spraying him in the face with pepper spray.

Mr Michael ran out of the house and down the street with officers pursuing him and striking him with batons before restraining him and putting him in the back of a police van to take him into custody at Runcorn police station.

He was left face down on the floor of a police cell for several minutes with police officers standing on his legs, where he died. Much of the incident was captured on CCTV.

Mr Michael's family said they hoped the inquest would answer serious questions concerning the officers' actions, the failure to treat him as a medical emergency rather than take him to the police station and the overall attitude of police to a young man who was "clearly confused, frightened and unwell."

Mr Michael's mother Ann said: "My son called the police for help and they sprayed him with pepper spray and arrested him.

"Two hours later there was a knock on my door by the police to say that he had passed away. He was a fit 25-year-old man. I want to know why. I just can't understand it."

Campaign group Inquest co-director Deborah Coles said: "Yet again, we begin an inquest into a death following restraint in police custody of a young black man.

"This is a particularly disturbing and distressing death, made all the more so by the existence of CCTV footage for much of his last minutes alive.

"Serious questions must be asked about how a young man in distress came to be hit with batons, restrained and disregarded while he lay dying on a police cell floor.

"It is vital both for Jacob Michael's family and the public that this is a far-reaching and thorough inquest into his death."

Source: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/content/view/full/124438

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A one day conference for all manufacturers

7:00 am Education News

All the manufacturers who deal with the printing and typing of manuals are invited to a one day conference on the importance of being careful with the printing of professional manuals. This is a conference that will focus on workshop manual operations and benefits of working towards attaining a good manual for products. The guest speakers in the ceremony will be major manufacturers of some of the highest recognized companies in the state. You are all invited to learn more about making manuals and ensuring that instructions are interesting and can be followed by clients and customers. It is an opportunity to advance as a manufacturer personally and also learn more about your department on how to handle manual presentation in a more professional manner.

Source: http://www.newlyweddedwife.com/education-news/a-one-day-conference-for-all-manufacturers/

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