Wise Words on Wednesday: Silence & Solitude

Sheen Preaching

“…there come moments, at night or when alone or in the silence of the country, where we cannot help but pass judgement on ourselves. But those whose consciences are no good avoid this by immersing themselves in externals. Hence the reluctance of such persons to be alone with themselves. They search for constant distractions, or something ‘to make one forget’, anything to keep the wound below the surface, and the memories from flying upward into consciousness” – Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “Guide to Contentment”, Page 53

USCCB appoints new spokesman for Meatless Fridays

Two days ago, Cardinal Dolan gave his presidential address to the US Bishops. In his speech, he focused on the need for penance and suggested the possible reintroduction of the traditional Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays:

What an irony that despite the call of the Second Vatican Council for a renewal of the Sacrament of Penance, what we got instead was its near disappearance….

The work of our Conference during the coming year includes reflections on re-embracing Friday as a particular day of penance, including the possible re-institution of abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent.

It appears that Cardinal Dolan is moving forward with this initiative, since we have just heard on Facebook that the bishops have appointed a new advocacy spokesman, Gollum:

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TOT: Mary, Saints, Angels and more!

On October 16th, as part of our recent Theology on Tap series, Kimberly Barber spoke to us on the topic of “Mary, Saints, Angels and more: Getting to know the heroes of our faith in a new way”.

Saints and Angels

Here are the MP3 audio files available for download:

Main Talk (Download)

Q&A (Download)

Kimberly is a Master Catechist for the Diocese. She grew up in Southern California and attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville for her undergraduate degree and then went to Fuller Theological Seminary for her postgraduate study. She now lives in San Diego with her three children and her husband Dr. Michael Barber, Professor of Theology at John Paul The Great Catholic University who himself has spoken at Theology on Tap in the past.