Bob Newhart sketch

I have, from time to time, heard Americans talking about Bob Newhart but never really understood. Now I do, thanks to this video which I saw at Catholic Minority Report.

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A personal message from Fr Charles Briggs

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While we were away this week on a short break to Eastbourne, I assisted Fr Briggs in drafting this message. He wanted it to be published here for the benefit of friends that he may not be able to see personally.
A message from Fr Charles Briggs Dear friends,

I must let you know that my health has recently taken a turn for the worse. Just over two weeks ago I woke up to find that a tooth had fallen out. After a visit to the hospital, I was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw.

Since then, events have moved quickly. After some investigation, the doctors have told me that there is no effective treatment for my condition and that the tumour is growing fast. Although it is difficult to predict with accuracy how quickly things may develop, it is likely that I may have only months, or weeks, left for this world. My mobility has further decreased since my diagnosis and quite soon I will need to move into nursing care.

Your prayers would naturally be very much appreciated. As a priest, I am well f…
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St Gaspar del Bufalo and the Precious Blood

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Saint Gaspar del Bufalo (1786-1837) was an apostle of devotion to the Precious Blood. Imprisoned for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to Napoleon, and notable in charitable works, he preached with such power that the banditti came to lay down their weapons at his feet. Devotion to the Precious Blood is of fundamental importance. The talk quotes from St Gaspar, St John XXIII and our great English priest, Father Faber.
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Here is the text if you prefer just to read it:

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[Text] St Gaspar del Bufalo and the Precious BloodSt Gaspar del Bufalo was born on the feast of the Epiphany in 1786, so his mother named him Gaspar, Melchior Balthasar when he was baptised (on the same day). His family worked in service and lived opposite the Church of the Gesù in Rome, so the young Gaspar would have known the painting there of the Sacred H…
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Plenary indulgences not impossible

Dilexit Prior in Letters from a Young Catholic asked some useful questions today about indulgences. I thought it would be best to do a post here especially to cover the controversial question of detachment from venial sin. But first the other questions:

The conditions for gaining a plenary indulgence
Pope Paul VI set down a number of norms relating to indulgences at the end of Indulgentiarum Doctrina. Norm 7 states:
To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfil three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even to venial sin, be absent. If this disposition is in any way less than complete, or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be only partial, except for the provisions contained in n.11 for those who are “impeded.”It is worth reading the other norms because …
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Medieval Squints and Adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

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The term “ocular communion” is a new one to me, but I can see what is meant by it, and I liked Fr Z’s treatment on his blog yesterday, to which I refer you if you are puzzled by it. ASK FATHER: Ocular Communion. His post concludes with the excellent point,
"While sacramental, physical Communion is wonderful for those who are in the state of grace, there is a great deal to be said for looking with longing on the Host, at the elevation or exposed. It could be part of a process of a return to the state of grace or else of far better sacramental Communions." The practice of elevating the Sacred Host after the consecration developed in response to the development of the doctrine of the real presence. Although this is usually dealt with in sacramental theology, it can be forgotten in the rush to deprecate medieval devotion, that the development of doctrine came about because of theological errors that needed to be corrected. Chief among these was the error of Berengarius who mai…
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How to make an act of perfect contrition

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How can you go from imperfect to perfect contrition? Gabriella D from Australia asked me this on Twitter today and I want to give an answer because I think that many people misunderstand what we mean when we talk about “perfect contrition.”

Perfect contrition is sorrow and detestation of sin arising out of the love of God. One way of exciting this contrition in our hearts is by considering the passion of Jesus Christ and making acts of love for Him. We can also think of the infinite love which God has for us, and express sorrow in our heart in the presence of this great love which we have offended.

Imperfect contrition is sorrow and detestation for sin arising from a consideration of the ugliness of sin or out of the fear of hell. Disgust at the ugliness of sin is more common today than fear of hell. That is because we do not preach enough, or with sufficient conviction about the four last things.

If a person commits an act of impurity, for example, perhaps by deliberately looking at a…
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