The Catholic Eco-Confession

Source: EDP24


I hadn't been to confession in a long time. I'm not sure why. Probably because I keep repeating the same faults over and over again. So, reading about the eco-confession caught my attention. The U.K. EDP24 reports:

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned… I have not recycled my tin cans and I have booked a holiday to Australia.

It may not be a typical confession, but it is exactly what you will hear next weekend when people line up to admit their green sins. The eco-confessions will be a new attraction at the Waveney Greenpeace fair, which will be attended by thousands of people.

And on hand will be none other than a Catholic priest, Fr Anthony Sutch, to hear confessions...

Fr Anthony joked: “I don't know what the bishop will say!”

When I lived in Australia, my neighbors and I took the recycling of cans, bottles and paper very seriously. Neither Dallas nor Beaumont are big on recycling. I feel guilty because I drink many bottles of water and Diet Coke. I hope my next neighborhood or city of residence is an eco-friendly place.

A Prayer For Healing and Hope

Almighty God, we give You thanks,
for You are the Creator
of all life and goodness.

We praise You for the world
You have made for us
to build up and enjoy.

Loving God, help us to be
faithful heralds of Healing and Hope.

Grant us the awareness of the healing
needs of those around us
and the compassion to respond
willingly to those needs.

We ask this through Christ,
our Healer and Source of all Hope.

Amen.

Source: Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

The Little Girl and The Wrinkles

A little girl is sitting on her grandpa's lap and studying the wrinkles on his old face. She gets up the nerve to rub her fingers over the wrinkles. Then she touches her own face and looks more puzzled.

Finally the little girl asks, "Grandpa, did God make you?"

"He sure did honey, a long time ago," replies her grandpa.

"Well, did God make me?" asks the little girl.

"Yes, He did, and that wasn't too long ago," answers her grandpa.

"Boy," says the little girl, "He's sure doing a lot better job these days, isn't He?"

Source: Comedy Central

The Pope And The Iraqi Soccer Team

This week, the Iraqis partied, danced and laughed joyfully after their team won The Asian Soccer Cup. This rejoice caught the Pope's attention. AsiaNews reports:

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “Just as so many times I have cried with the Iraqi people, on this occasion I rejoiced with them”: the Iraqi football team’s victory in the Asian Cup was unusually evoked today by Benedict XVI before he turned his attention once again to expressing his closeness to the war wracked nation. The Pope’s congratulations for a football event came at the end of his general audience, when Benedict XVI spoke of “the popular explosion of joy” across the country “in the face of this historic success for Iraq, for the first time football champions of Asia”. It was an “enthusiasm that spilled over onto Iraq's streets”, and “This experience of joyful sharing reveals the desire of a people to have a normal and serene life”. “It is my hope that this event, with everyone's support, may contribute to a future in Iraq of real peace in liberty and mutual respect. Congratulations!”

It feels good to know the Pope thinks of the Iraqi people, their suffering and moments of joy. It also helps that the German people are into soccer :-)