The Catholic Church's position on capital punishment has evolved considerably over the centuries. And as a result, "it is not a message that is immediately understood -- that there is no room for supporting the death penalty in today's world," said a Vatican's expert on capital punishment and arms control. Because the church has only in the past few decades begun closing the window -- if not shutting it completely -- on the permissibility of the death penalty, people who give just a partial reading of the church's teachings may still think the death penalty is acceptable today, said Tommaso Di Ruzza, desk officer at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. St. Thomas Aquinas equated a dangerous criminal to an infected limb thereby making it "praiseworthy and healthful" to kill the criminal in order to spare the spread of infection and safeguard the common good. However, over the centuries, justice has evolved from being the smiting arm of revenge toward a striving for reform and restoration, much like today's medical science, where amputation is no longer the only recourse for curing an infection. Modern-day popes have reflected that change in attitude. As far back as the 19th and early 20th centuries theologians pondered the seeming paradox between the Fifth Commandment, "You shall not kill," and the church's dark history of condoning state-held executions to deal with heresy and other threats and crimes. Pope Paul VI took concrete action in distancing the church from this form of punishment, first by formally banning the use of the death penalty in Vatican City State, although no one had been executed under the authority of the Vatican's temporal governance since 1870. Pope Paul also spoke publicly against planned executions and called for clemency for death-row inmates. Pope John Paul II also would punctuate his Angelus and general audience talks with impassioned appeals to spare the life of a prisoner on the verge of execution. It was the Polish pope who "earnestly hoped and prayed" for a global moratorium on the use of capital punishment and the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. Pope Benedict, too, continues to send appeals for clemency in high-profile cases via telegrams either through a country's bishops or nuncio, and he has praised a U.N. resolution calling upon states to institute a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. The 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church recognized "as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty." At the same time, it said, "bloodless means" that could protect human life should be used when possible. The "extreme gravity" loophole was tightened with changes made in 1997, which reflected the pope's 1995 encyclical, "Evangelium Vitae." It specifies that the use of the death penalty is allowed only when the identity and responsibility of the condemned is certain and if capital punishment "is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor." However, given the resources and possibilities available to governments today for restraining criminals, "cases of the absolute necessity of the suppression of the offender 'are very rare, if not practically nonexistent,'" it says. Pope Benedict, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, had a major role in drafting the 1992 Catechism and, especially, its 1997 revised passages. When he told journalists about the changes in 1997, he said while the principles do not absolutely exclude capital punishment, they do give "very severe or limited criteria for its moral use." "It seems to me it would be very difficult to meet the conditions today," he had said. When a journalist said the majority of Catholics in the United States favor use of the death penalty, Cardinal Ratzinger said, "While it is important to know the thoughts of the faithful, doctrine is not made according to statistics, but according to objective criteria taking into account progress made in the church's thought on the issue." Di Ruzza said the divergence of many Catholics in the United States from the church's current position is a sign that "the universal church must also accompany the particular churches a little bit" and help guide them on this "journey of purification," which is more a process of "maturity rather than a revolution or change in tradition." Without reading Popes John Paul and Benedict's clear condemnations of the death penalty, the catechism will "unfortunately have the risk of being ambiguous or taken out of context," he said. The church upholds the inherent dignity of all human beings, even the most sin-filled, and believes in hope, conversion and mercy, he said. There is always room for conversion, he said, and forgiveness does not mean being naive about the real evil the human being is capable of committing. The death penalty does not solve much; a victim still feels loss and crime is not deterred, he said. Communities must strive to promote the common good, and it's dubious "that you can kill someone for the good of all," he said. "The beauty of forgiveness must also be truly discovered; it's this that saves us," said Di Ruzza. Otherwise, "by killing the just or the unjust without understanding that they have dignity, we will find ourselves after 2,000 years in the same courtyard shouting, 'Kill him!,' like they did with Jesus." "God forgave us. He did not call us to death. Jesus let us overcome death" so as to more fully embrace life, he said.

Do you know the seven gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit? I know that sounds like a conformation question or even worse, Baltimore Catechism. But it is something that we as Catholics should know. So the answer is the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude (or courage), knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Although looking it up in the Bible wouldn't hurt you either. In fact, that is how I came upon it in First letter to the Corinthians in chapter 12. The Bible tells us that "to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." We know that the Holy Spirit is our advocate. We know that we are a temple for the Holy Spirit. Realizing that the Holy Spirit brings us gifts is something that we often forget. The Bible is also clear about the fact that we don't usually receive all of these gifts. That is something that many parents seem to forget very often. Each child comes with a TAG (talents, abilities, and gifts). Very often, we as parents want to add things to the TAG that our children may not have been given. This can cause some very serious problems. It places severe pressure on our children to try to meet the expectations of their parents when God clearly had another plan. I am not saying that we shouldn't set clear benchmarks for our children. We should also encourage them to be the best that they can be. That is where the two sides need to converge. What does your child's original TAG look like? How has the Holy Spirit been generous to your child? Take a closer look at that and then help you child realize her/his potential within that realm. That will make for a much happier childhood and provide you with a solid foundation towards building a life-long relationship of love and trust with your child. Treat your child as your Father treats you. The abundance of gifts is another indication that God wants nothing but the best for us. he showers us with love and gifts and we should respond accordingly.

Psalms 103: 8-12 tells us," Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger, abounding in mercy. He will not always accuse, and nurses no lasting anger; He has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our wrongs deserve. For as the heavens tower over the earth, so his mercy towers over those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us." I was drawn to this passage because I was listening to the Casting Crowns song East to West this morning. It is a beautiful song filled with longing and pain. But it also has a redeeming tone. The scripture passage is filled with comforting reassurances that our Lord is just and merciful. Knowing that God forgives our sins and then moves them away from as as far as the "east if from the west." brings comfort. Thinking in the broad context of how far the east is from the west is what the writer is trying to evoke here. The east and the west never meet. They are polar opposites. The space between them is endless. Often we hear things like this and dismiss them with a surface understanding. This passage invites us to dive deeper. God nurses no lasting anger. He proved this again and again when He forgave the Jews throughout the Old Testament despite their humanness. He is still forgiving us each and every nano-second of the day. How lucky are we that our God is slow to anger? Where would we be if He were not? Casting Crowns sings "The chains of yesterday surround me, I yearn for peace and rest, I don’t wanna end up where you found me." This speaks straight to my heart. Don't we all yearn for peace and rest? God brings peace and rest. So many folks are lost searching for peace and rest and it is waiting for them if they would only turn to God. That is the task of our every day. We must tell our brothers and sisters about the peace and rest being offered by God. We must tell them about His graciousness and mercy. And we must remind them that God forgives and moves their transgressions away as far as the east is from the west.

St. Francis of Assisi appeals to believers and nonbelievers alike because they long for a world where people see each other as brothers and sisters and where they recognize and respect creation as a gift to all, said the superior of the Franciscan convent in Assisi. Conventual Franciscan Father Giuseppe Piemontese, custodian of the Sacred Convent of St. Francis, was one of eight religious leaders who spoke about "The Spirit of Assisi" during an interreligious meeting September 11-13 in Munich. The meeting was sponsored by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Rome-based lay movement. To mark the 25th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II's gathering with religious leaders in Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI has convoked a new gathering in the Italian town October 27. Father Piemontese said the encounter will underline how important Blessed John Paul's gathering was for promoting dialogue and collaboration among religions, but it also will be a "reminder of what still remains to be done" to ensure true collaboration, respect and mutual support among peoples. Holding the gathering in Assisi makes sense to people because St. Francis "incarnated those high aspects of humanity, simplicity, humility" that enable people to recognize each other as brothers and sisters and to see all of creation as the work of the same hands that made them, he said. Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of Aleppo, Syria, said marking the anniversary of the 1986 Assisi meeting "challenges us to reflect on these last 25 years. They were brimming with fruitful experiences" and helped religious leaders "strengthen their faith and enrich their enthusiasm and enhance their collective vision." The Assisi gatherings, he said, are a reminder that "supplication to the creator" is something that unites all faiths. "We are all exhausted by the needless and endless wars around us. If the aim of our prayers is peace, then it is the loftiest of goals that we are aiming for," he said. Oded Wiener, director general of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, told those gathered in Munich, "The darkness and violence cannot be chased away with sticks (and) certainly not with knives and guns," but only with "the light of faith and the light of positive action on the part of religious leaders." "This is, in fact, the spirit of Assisi," he said. "Religious leaders and their views are of unique importance and strongly influence the interreligious mosaic," he said. "At many events, we have found that where politicians and statesmen have failed, religious leaders have succeeded in inflaming or calming down various groups." Gijun Sugitani, a leader of Japan's Tendai Buddhist movement, said that after the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended -- events that occurred after the first Assisi meeting -- "people expected the swift arrival of world peace." Instead, he said, there have been new conflicts based on ethnicity, ideology and rage. Returning to Assisi in October is important, he said, because "we have a responsibility to spread the spirit of Assisi that transcends differences between the ethnicities and religions and unites us all." Mohammed Amine Smaili, a Moroccan professor of Muslim dogma and comparative religion, told the gathering that the 1986 Assisi meeting "marked a decisive and memorable about-face in our history" because the world's religions established a consensus that dialogue is the only way that humanity can understand itself. He said the democratic reform movements sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East also have reflected the spirit of Assisi as they bring people of different religions together to promote greater freedoms and human rights. Religious leaders, he said, "must speak of the holiness of peace and the curse of disrespect and hatred." St. Francis has always held special meaning for me. He embodies what we should all strive for in our lives. There would be a lot less suffering in this world if we adopted Francis' code for living. Let's pray that these meetings turn into a world-wide movement that brings people to Jesus Christ through the example of St. Francis.

A poll released today found 77 percent of voters believe prayers can help someone heal from an injury or illness. That is a very comforting statement. We hear so much negativity about religion today but it appears that most of us realize the value of having a relationship with God. Talking with our Father through prayer is one of the most basic things that we can do as Christians. It is something that most of us learn very early through the example of our parents. It is usually an immediate reaction when something bad happens. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the terror attack of September 11th, I am reminded of how people came together in prayer. It was a reflex to help us deal with the unknown. It was part of who we are as a people and we lean on our prayer life in times of distress. What I have been trying to do lately is to make it more of my regular life. Being in a loving relationship with God is very important to me. One of the ways we maintain our relationships is through conversation. So talking with God in a conversational way should be a natural occurrence to anyone who is looking to solidify their relationship with God. There has also been research that documents the benefit of prayer in healing situations. Scientists have documented that patients who pray and truly believe that God will heal them, generally recover a lot sooner. It makes perfect sense. Our Lord asks us to lean on Him for everything and to trust Him. Doing what He asks would obviously produce the results He promises. Mark 11:24 says, "Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." 1 John 3:21-22 says "Beloved, if [our] hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." The Bible is our road map and God is telling us that we should ask for help through prayer. The recent poll is comforting but it also points out that we have work to do. Twenty percent of the folks who responded to that survey said they did not believe that prayer helps. We must continue to carry the message of Jesus Christ to everyone so that they too can enjoy a loving relationship with Him.

Stay away from the darkness. It is a line in a song I heard one morning about two weeks ago and it has stayed with me. When you begin to look at how people slide into a life filled with sin, there is usually a tipping point. Something sets in motion this turn to the darkness. Very often it is a decision made in a moment without a lot of thought. Rarely, if ever, is there prayer involved and if there is, it is usually something superficial or fleeting. If you have ever been involved in a support group of any kind, you know this is true. We talk about how we got to the darkness and it typically involves making decisions without our God. Why do we do that when He offers us the complete support we seek? He knows what it is we need, yet we still make these decisions that can have a terrible effect on our lives. Some people never recover. Staying away from the darkness sounds like a great plan. How we do it is another thing entirely. Become critically reflective in everything you do. Figure out what is pushing you to the darkness. It is not about blaming others for your sins but merely making adjustments in your life so that you are relying on God and not others to help you make these decisions. A frank conversation with God can lead to some pretty drastic changes in your life. Are you ready to do that? It might mean ending a friendship or avoiding a certain event. If there are worldly things replacing God in your life, you will be drawn to the darkness. We love to be part of the crowd. We love to feel a part of something. What we don't love are the repercussions of our actions. We don't like feeling used and depressed about ourselves because of our actions. The Holy Spirit is alive in you. Will you listen to His advice? Avoiding the darkness is very much like avoiding other things that are not good for you. Smoking increases your chances of getting cancer. Avoiding cigarettes and those who smoke decreases your chances of getting cancer. It is the same thing with the darkness. Stay in the Light. Seek out the Light. Jesus Christ is the Light and we are naturally drawn to him. He will help you stay away from the darkness. Today is a good day to reignite your friendship with Jesus Christ. I am praying that we all receive wisdom from God to stay away from the darkness.