small independent publishers dream come true. Intelex specializes in complete works of Well-known Authors works and makes them available to researchers on CD-ROM, for both Windows and Macintosh. Our newly acquired CD-Rom of both Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine [A joint venture with New City Press adn Intelex] both part of Intelex Past Masters series, has made research in these spiritual Masters much easier. At the simple typing of any word and a prompt of the query button the whole corpus available of these two authors can be brought up in seconds to show thousands of relevant passages from their works. Moreover, after relevant passages are found a person can create what is known as a SHADOW file which mirrors the original text for personal notes, etc. Anything from pop-up buttons on teh text to stick notes on the side menus or query searches attached to text or program and other links can be added to make research an keeping notes much easier. All of these notes can be calle dup thru the query buton at any later time. Though each shadow file is limited to 1 megabyte it is well worth the effort work. For example, recently I was researching the miracle of transubstantiaion as taught by Aquinas and was reading a passage from the Summa Theologica of Aquinas concerned with the transubstantiation of the species of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ at the consecration. One part of the passage, in which Aquinas indicates that the species of the bread and wine during the consecration cannot return to primary matter which would amount to returning to nothing nor can they remain with the transubstantiated Body and Blood of Christ after the Consecration. In ordet to understand the passage better I had to understand several of the key words and phrases such as 'dissoulution' or 'primary matter' or perceived by the senses.' No problem, 'Folio views,' the software that comes with Intelex' many CD-Rom's makes that easy. Since all of the words are categorized and easily searchable thru simple or boolean searches, it made these phrases easy to find where Aquinas used them in other passages of his works. Rather than having to spend hundreds of hours going thru each volume I was able to seach and find immediately and then narrow my search and choose the relevant passages within an hours time. It is this kind of software that makes reseach more and more manageable for the small independent publisher who hasn't the time or the research staff tomake this possible otherwise. Thanks to Intelex.

Monday, March 07, 2005 ISSN 1553-8257

It is very heard to understand how day after day for certuries now, Christians have met for the Eucharist in such small groups of people as we have today, here at Immaculate Conception. I presume that Christ had this in mind when he instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper. The Eucharist, as it takes place in the Catholic Liturgy is a Sacred Mystery and the Church views all of the actions of the Eucharistic Liturgy as being sacred actions also. For example, the introit, 'I confess to you Almighty God,' the Church dispenses her grace thru these actions, where the people of God confess their sins together with the Priest. [The Church also believes that onece a priest is ordained, whether he is faithful or not, the sacrament is always valid, regardless of the personal life of the Priest.] The Church dispenses grace because as the sacred institute of Christ, the Church is united to Christ as body to the head and thru the actions of the Body the head dispenses grace won by his Sacred Passion, Death and Resurrecion. My experience of the Liturgy goes back to the early 70's when I was able to join the sisters in prayer, and it was those days that put such a profound effect on my life. There is something so awe-inspiring about these actions that even, when I experience a totally silent participation of the Liturgy, there is something so supernatural taking place in the Church at these times. This experience has stayed with me not only here at Immaculate Conception, but also at every parish I have ever been part of. It also coincides with my growth in faith, hope, and charity. As this morning when I attended this Holy Litrugy I felt the pull of the flesh against the spirit and the division in the Mystical Body, for all who attend have some different degree of faith and participation in the Divine Presence of the Lord. Despite the fact that the Liturgy can overall be rather dry and a source of trial for one's faith, for it always calls forth a greater degree of self-gift ot the Incarnate Word who is present in the Church and in the Priest, still there is something that is absolutely uplifting for body, mond, and spirit. Now, none of this will ever make sense unless a person has faith, and when I say faith, I mean just that, the infused gift of faith in Divine Revelation; otherwise, none of this will ever make sense. This faith that we profess, is to some people just a word, like when someone tells me something, I belive it on the word of another. But we have to get beyond the mere human understanding of this word to its divine origins-it is absolutely a gift of God and no one can minic it. It is like trying to minic that you are a rocket scientist, but you only have a first grade education or that you have a law degree from Harvard but have never set foot within a Court Room or never opened a law book. First of all, faith has to come from within in the deepest part of your Spirit. When you practice your faith, you are absolutely vulnerable to God and every other on teh face of the earth; you are at the heart of all creation, you pplace your entire destiny in the hands of God, there is no going bacak, there is only one way forward. Everyone can do whatever they want to you, but it just doesn't matter, since you are there to serve Jesus Christ. The moment that you realize that you are bread for the world and lunch for the worldly, then you start to open the door of faith to the reality that it is-a Mystery of God's Love for Mankind, a Way in which God reveals himself moment by moment to all of us. But more than this way of thinking about Faith, it is YOUR salvation in Christ and it is a key that you have to start to practice moment by moment to make it real. This seems to be sufficient for today!

IP CRL