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> Italiano> English> Español> Français> All the articles of Settimo Cielo in English * (s.m.) The previous post on the “strange shufflings” at the top of the Vatican congregation for the Oriental Churches has aroused considerable interest, in particular regarding the hypothetical creation of a “Church of the Ruthenians” in the sub-Carpathian region at the junction of Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine. Alessandro Milani, a scholar well versed in religion and politics in Eastern Europe, has written us to challenge this hypothesis, but above all to illustrate the many ethnic and liturgical particularities of that region, which cannot be compressed under a single banner. Milani is “maître de conférences” and “docteur associé” of the GSRL (Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités), whic...

Better than nothing, I guess. Here is the original GetReligion post on this latest example of a familiar debate in Associated Press style and newsroom politics. <div class="sqs-block video-block sqs-block-video" data-block-json="{"blockAnimation":"none","layout":"caption-hidden","overlay":true,"description":{"html":"Sasse: You can't defend the indefensible."},"hSize":null,"floatDir":null,"html":"\n","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RY0k2uD6lw","width":854,"height":480,"providerName":"YouTube","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0RY0k2uD6lw/hqdefault.jpg","...

The Gospel today says that Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert. Hebrews 4:15 also affirms, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. How exactly a divine person, with a sinless human nature, experiences temptation is somewhat mysterious, and yet the text affirms that He does. A Lenten antiphon from the Breviary teaches that He did this, or allowed this, for our sake: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering (Invitatory Antiphon for Lent). Hence, even without pondering too deeply the mystery of how He was tempted or experienced it, we can still learn what Jesus teaches us about how to endure temptation and be victorious over it. (Mo...

No, you can’t really “dig to China.” But what if you could ride the so-called gravity train through the center of the Earth to the opposite side? How long would it take? By Sabrina Stierwalt, PhD February 25, 2020 5-minute read Episode #364 How Long Would It Take to Fall Through the Earth? Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Hide player As children growing up in the US, we often made attempts to “dig to China.” If we could just have a little more time on the playground or out in the backyard, maybe, just maybe, we could dig a hole deep enough that it would take us all the way to the other side of the Earth. We always hoped there were Chinese children on the other side digging to get...

Every year in Lent I’m reminded of how healthy repentance is. The default setting for the human being is to blame someone else. “He did it first!” or “She did it too!” or “Everybody does it” or when we’re unhappy to blame somebody else for our problems. “It’s my wife, my husband, my kids, my parents, the president, the republicans, the democrats, the whites, the blacks” whoever, but it’s never me. It’s not my fault. I’m not to blame. This is the basic kink in human nature. It’s the twist of pride and it was there from the beginning. Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the serpent. It’s worse than that. Adam actually blames God. “It was the woman you gave me who made me do it!” Repentance turns that on it’s head. We’re required to stop and put up our hand and own up. It’s my fau...

For anyone who had paid attention to his writing and ministry with people with intellectual disabilities, the recent revelations that well-respected philosopher and founder of the L’Arche movement Jean Vanier had used his position to manipulate and abuse women who went to him for spiritual direction is heart-piercing. I, for one, felt an immediate guilt. I had written about him, even encouraged that he be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And I was not alone. People called him a living saint and one of the great lay Catholics of the 20th century.  It’s clear now that we weren’t seeing the whole picture. It’s a devastating news story for so many who lived with him and followed him, who were inspired by him. There’s a point after taking in so much of this kind of scandal and betrayal, that...

How can we end the world’s coronavirus outbreak? These two saints might be the answer. Two saints miraculously cured plagues: St. Roch and St. Rosalie. Below are their incredible stories, as well as prayers invoking their powerful intercession. St. Roch Born of a noble family, tradition says St. Roch was miraculously born with a red cross on his breast. St. Roch gave all of his fortune to the poor at age 20 after his parents died. In 1315, he assisted plague victims in several Italian cities, miraculously curing people with the sign of the cross. While helping the sick, he also contracted the disease. However, the saint survived after a dog helped him in the forest. The dog brought him food and licked his wounds. He was later mistaken for a spy and spent the rest of his life in prison. Acc...

With the news that the coronavirus is spreading, it’s only a matter of time before people start to think—wait, do I have the coronavirus? At this point it’s still extremely rare, and your cough is far more likely to be a cold or flu. Still, here’s what you should do. Check if your symptoms actually match While the coronavirus is a respiratory disease similar to a cold or flu, there’s a notable symptom that’s missing in nearly all cases: a runny nose. Advertisement If you’re sniffling and sneezing up a storm, it’s very unlikely you caught COVID-19. As the World Health Organization points out, so far 90% of patients had a fever and 70% had a dry cough; these are the typical symptoms. Even if you have a fever and a cough, please don’t panic. Colds and flu circulate year round and increase eve...

The great English Dominican friar, Bede Jarrett, once gave a series of Lenten conferences based on the theme “Here we have no abiding city” (Hebrews 13:14). Jarrett explained, “If you are traveling, the whole secret of a happy journey is to remember always that you are a traveler.” The temptation, of course, is to try to settle down in this life, to pretend like the here-and-now is all that there is or will be.  But there’s no permanent rest to be had in this life. We are called to further our progress, to pursue Christ above all. And yet, the temptations remain: to linger, to dally, to be stagnant. Among the many pernicious temptations which haunt the darkened corridors of our souls, three are, at the present time, especially nefarious. The first is the perennial temptation to doubt ...

A brief observation of the first two days in Lent reveals militaristic, even violent imagery in the battle against sin and the unruly passions of the flesh. The Collect (opening prayer) of Ash Wednesday provides an image of troops mustering for battle: Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. “Battle,” “weapons,” and “armed” all clearly have military connotations, but so does the phrase “campaign of Christian service” if we look at the Latin text: praesidia miltiae Christianae. The service or action (prae...

The good folks here at Magis Center were gracious enough to suggest that I become a more regular contributor, so I’m looking forward to exploring some exciting topics in the coming months. And, in the spirit of a preliminary entry, I’d like to address the following, because I hope it will set a positive tone in the discussion going forward.   Over the years, in discussions with atheists and agnostics, I have been frequently accused of seeing everything in a way that supports my position that God exists. Since I want God to exist—the argument goes—I consistently dismiss any reason, logic, or scientific evidence that might contradict my belief. Initially, I took this personally, but over the years, I came to realize that this was a fairly common accusation—and one that makes it int...