|
Events that happened Today in Church History
Today is the 1,410th anniversary of the election in 590 of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, the 64th in the line of Peter who would begin the era of "temporal power" in the Church by reaffirming civil authority of the Supreme Pontiff. During his fourteen-year pontificate that bridged the sixth and seventh centuries, he established a new liturgical practice in the Church which would be called Gregorian Chant. During his reign there was a terrible plague that afflicted Rome and after praying for deliverance, an angel appeared to Gregory on the castle above the Tiber which was the Emperor Hadrian's tomb. From that time on Gregory decreed it would be called Castel Sant'Angelo. It would be a formidable fortress over the centuries and recently it has been reopened to pilgrims to traverse its many hallways and passageways leading to the tallest turrets and entrance to the secret passageway along the wall from the castle to the Vatican. Gregory would die on March 12, 604 and be acclaimed by the populace a saint before his successor Pope Sabinian was elected. death in 827 of Pope Eugene II, the 99th successor of Peter who was elected on May 11th, 824. For more on St. Gregory, we recommend The Gregorian Era For other time capsule events that happened Today in Church history, see MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES
 God can reason with anyone
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".
"God speaks more frequently through our subconscious mind, probably, than through our conscious mind, simply because our self-consciousness puts up obstacles to Him. God can guide us quite naturally in a particular direction without our being aware of it. What was it, for example, that induced Paul Claudel, an agnostic and unbeliever, to enter Notre Dame Cathedral at midnight on Christmas, and ultimately to receive the gift of faith? Here was a reasonable man who was guided unreasonably. Very often stupid people come to God through very reasonable arguments, and reasonable people come to God through no argument at all."
|