Catholic Writing, Articles, Blogs, Gifts, Personals & Family

Our Easter journey continues as we move towards the 3rd Sunday of
Easter.

Listed below are the content and posts featured for this week. We
hope to add more as we get better ideas working in this new format
and content organization in the web site.

For those interested to review the content of last week’s features
on WordPress blog home pages and increasing visitor traffic to
one’s Catholic web site or blog, check Promoting Catholic articles
with WordPress.

In maintaining a Catholic site or blog, we have to keep the level
of interest high in what we do, or we may have what is commonly
called “writer’s block”.  One way to overcome this is to keep
on writing in order not to lose our momentum in writing Catholic
articles and blog posts.  Also, reading books and articles will
help keep our mind fresh and active.  But the most vibrant
inducer of energy in writing is inspiring films, VHS or VCDs.
Below is a list of books, films, VHS and VCDs.

This post features:

• 
  VHS: Sts. Bernadette & Edith Stein, “The Mission”, and More
• 
  Passion of the Saints
• 
  Confessions of St. Augustine

VHS: Sts. Bernadette & Edith Stein, “The Mission”

Watching films is one of the best educating experiences in our new
age of media and communications. Featured on this page are two
popular and important saints in our modern times: St. Bernadette
Soubirous and St. Edith Stein.  St. Bernadette Soubirous was a
visionary who saw the Blessed Mother at a grotto in Lourdes,
France.  It was through her vision that the Lord made her
instrumental in the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception - the fifth of the five dogmas on the Blessed Virgin.
Because of her life of holiness, the Lord gifted St. Bernadette
with the grace to remain incorrupt even after her death.  Like
St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, and many others,
her remains are still intact as it was at the time of her death.

St. Edith Stein was a Jewish philosopher-professor who converted
to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun.  When the Germans
captured all of the Jews, St. Edith was included and was executed
together with her fellow Jews.  Her life teaches us to seek the
wisdom of Christianity more than the wisdom of philosophy, and to
be ready to witness to Christ even if it means pain and suffering,
or even death.

Another VHS featured on this page is “The Mission”.  This movie
is a very classic example of the option for peaceful non-violent
means in our witnessing to the gospel.  The context and background
of the movie is 18th century South America, when Jesuit missionaries
evangelized the tribes in that area.  In that political scenario,
the tribes whom the Jesuits were taking care of was caught in
the political struggles of the time.  Rather than take to the
sword, one Jesuit missionary led the tribe in a peaceful
procession to signify their commitment to Christ’s cause for
peace.  This movie stars famous and popular actors Robert de
Niro and Jeremy Irons.

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Passion of the Saints

This VCD on Martyrs in our Catholic tradition is very awe-inspiring
and helps us see that there is more beyond human courage in their
heroic acts.  Featured are St. Thomas a Beckett, St. Joan of Arc,
St. Stephen [the first Christian martyr], St. Appollonia, St. Agnes,
and the modern martyr, St. Maximillian Kolbe.  The documentary is
a series from Discovery and has many distinguished and respected
commentators who are specialists on this subject.

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The Confessions of Saint Augustine
This autobiographical work by St. Augustine of Hippo himself is
a veritable classic that has inspired not only Catholics but
many who do not belong to the Catholic faith.  Though the language
of the autobiography is quite antiquated, it is still understandable
with careful reading.  In this autobiography, we learn of St.
Augustine’s journey from a life of licentiousness to one that is
centered in Christ. 
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