Author: Richard Chonak

Here’s a quick translation of some excerpts:
(10)… I trust this encyclical will contribute effectively to dispel the shadows of unacceptable doctrines and practices, that the Eucharist show forth brilliantly in all the splendor of its mystery….
(25) The worship given to the Eucharist outside of Mass is of inestimable value in the life of the Church. This worship, is inextricably united with the celebration of the eucharistic Sacrifice. The presence of Christ under the sacred species which continues after the Mass — a presence that endures as long as the species of bread and of wine subsist — derives from the celebration of the Sacrifice and is directed toward sacramental and spiritual communion. It is for the Pastors to encourage, including with their personal testimony, eucharistic worship, particularly the exposition of the Most Holy Sacrament and the adoration of Christ present under the eucharistic species.
It is beautiful to be with Him and, leaning upon his breast as did the beloved disciple, to feel the infinite love of his heart. If Christianity needs to distinguish itself in our time above all by the “art of prayer”, how shall we not feel a renewed necessity to spend much time in spiritual conversation, in silent adoration, in an attitude of love, before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How many times, my dear brothers and sisters, have I had this experience and in it have encountered strength, consolation, and support! …
(38)… The Eucharist, being the supreme sacramental manifestation of communion in the Church, requires that it be celebrated in a context of integrity of the links, including the external ones, of communion. In a special way, in order that it be “the consummation of spiritual life and the end toward which all the sacraments are directed”, it requires that the bonds of communion in the sacraments be real, particularly Baptism and priestly Ordination. No one may give communion to an unbaptized person or to one who rejects the integral truth of the faith regarding the eucharistic Mystery. Christ is the truth and gives testimony to the truth; the Sacrament of his body and his blood does not permit fictions.”

The Holy Father’s encyclical on the Eucharist is scheduled to be released on Holy Thursday.
A copy in Spanish is circulating on the net (Acrobat/PDF format, 114 KB).

SciAm: “…reproductive cloning of primates, including humans, is unachievable using current techniques.”

This news is a year old, but I just happened to hear about it today. After 168 years in their current home, the Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook Abbey (Worcester, England) have decided to sell the property and move. Maybe the place is too much for a community of only 28.
Here’s a piece telling the story of how the nuns bought the property in the first place, hiding their identity from the unfriendly owner.

…including Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, whose family spoke about their Catholic faith in an interview March 25. (AP photo)