A Leaven In The World… Ubi Petrus, Ibi Ecclesia

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK

“Where the Pope is, there is the Church.”
One of the reasons why this Latin adage has remained in use is that it addresses in a succinct manner a perennial struggle experienced by faithful Catholics everywhere. Human criticism of the actions of a Pope goes all the way back to St. Paul as recorded in the Scriptures. Even Christ Himself took St. Peter, the first Pope, to the woodshed over his threefold denial of the Lord in the aftermath of the crucifixion.
Struggling with the human foibles and styles of the men who accept the office of Vicar of Christ on Earth is therefore not new and one of the crosses each Pope must carry in his personal call to holiness.
Some of our readers may be aware of the ongoing fracas involving Michael Voris, the über-Catholic version of Bill O’Reilly, whose videos get heavy patronage among activist Catholics. He has come under attack from a group of other self-styled über-Catholics of a more traditionalist bent who also like to keep Pope Francis in their gun-sights. … Continue Reading

The Catholic Church And Scripture Reading

By JOHN YOUNG

I heard a priest declare in a homily that in the days before Vatican II that Scripture reading was a “no-no” for Catholics. Other Catholics, whether clerical or lay, while not going that far, believe that the Church before Vatican II didn’t encourage lay people to read the Bible.
Frank Sheed, in his book The Church and I, published in 1974, states that even the committed laity, before the Second Vatican Council, “…saw theology as all-sufficient, Scripture as a quarry from which we could dig out supporting texts” (p. 288). According to Sheed, Catholics in general simply didn’t appreciate Scripture as something that should permeate their lives and vitalize their theology. … Continue Reading

Thoughts On Son Of God Movie

 By PEGGY MOEN    

     I saw the Son of God movie on March 9, after its opening weekend with a second-place box office rank.       Its strongest point is its portrayal of the intrigue and politics leading up to the Passion. The cowardice of Caiaphas in the face of Pilate’s threats and brutality, and then Pilate’s fear of Caesar, are well scripted and well acted. Judas delivers the immortal line “What’s in it for me?” when Caiaphas approaches him to betray Jesus.       Also strong is the movie’s beginning and ending with a monologue by St. John the Evangelist, setting forth salvation history through the Word at the beginning, and the martyrdom of all the apostles except John at the ending.       Some critics faulted the movie for being somewhat episodic in its presentation of the events of Christ’s public ministry. I didn’t find that bothersome, however.       John Mulderig, film reviewer for Catholic News Service, called Son of God an “epochal event” and had this to say about its treatment of the institution of the Eucharist:       “And, though the portrayal of the Last Supper seems somewhat noncommittal as to the meaning of the Eucharist, a rough-and-ready celebration of the sacrament is shown to be the chosen moment for the Lord’s first post-Resurrection appearance to the Twelve.”       Mulderig also said that Catholics “will also appreciate the unqualified acknowledgment of St. Peter…as the leader of the apostles.”       I thought Petrine primacy came through in the portrayal of Peter after the Resurrection, when Mary Magdalen approached him with the news and Peter became the first of the apostles to enter the tomb. This was after Peter had exhibited both conceit and cowardice in his reaction of the arrest of Jesus.       Son of God didn’t show an angel at the tomb, which I missed, and I also would have liked something more about the early years of Jesus, such as the Finding in the Temple. The film moves from the Nativity to the public ministry, with clips of the Child Jesus and His Mother running alongside the film credits at the end.       Actor Diogo Morgado portrays the love and the suffering of the Lord in a way that Pope Francis would admire.       Overall, Son of God, beyond its script, acting, and stunning scenes, has that indefinable something extra that will move and uplift viewers.       A final note is that the scenes of the Passion are graphic and brutal, making the movie unsuitable for underage viewers.

Religious Conscience Bill… Massive Lies Leave Media In Need Of A Cleansing

By DEXTER DUGGAN

PHOENIX — Arizona’s entrenched establishment was prepared to do serious economic damage to its own Grand Canyon State in order to win what it wanted with massive lies.
That’s the worrisome conclusion after Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed SB 1062 on February 26 amid gales of false assertions that the bill would mean widespread, unconstitutional discrimination against homosexuals, thus setting off “devastating” economic repercussions to Arizona.
It was an “anti-gay bill” whose bigotry affronted business executives and potential tourists by allowing religious extremists simply to refuse to give homosexuals any customer service, the establishment claimed — and the liberal national media echo chamber reverberated.
“I know the entire business community is galvanized, in a way that I’ve never seen, against this legislation,” Arizona’s senior U.S. senator, “maverick” Republican John McCain, was quoted widely. … Continue Reading

Words As Weapons

By DONALD DeMARCO

I may be pegged as being ultraconservative for saying this, but, nonetheless, I dare to say that the primary purpose of words is to express thought. “One of the disadvantages of wine,” Samuel Johnson once remarked, “is that it makes a man mistake words for thought.”
The inebriate spouts drivel, even though he may be deluding himself into thinking that he is waxing eloquently. It may also be said that one of the disadvantages of supporting an unsupportable ideology it that it, too, makes a man mistake words for thought. Thus, gobbledygook substitutes for thoughtful expression.
“Choice” is not a thoughtful defense of abortion. “Compassion” does not justify euthanasia. “Equality” does not give legitimacy to same-sex “marriage.” These terms are designed to prevent thoughtful communication. Such thoughtless words, in turn, tag all dissenters as, respectively, “anti-choice,” “lacking in compassion,” and “bigoted.” The dialogue is over before it ever gets started. In the standoff, the ideologists carry off the flag of victory. … Continue Reading

The Kerfuffle At Fisher More College

By REY FLORES

Earlier this week, there was a big kerfuffle about the Traditional Latin Mass being prohibited at the very traditional Fisher More College by newly appointed Bishop Michael Olson in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas.
The initial reports in cyberspace had Bishop Olson painted as a Latin Mass-hating bishop, taking orders from the Vatican and its allegedly left-leaning Pontiff.
Later reports had the president of the college, Michael King, as a scoundrel who made a bad real estate deal that left the school with the proverbial barrel and suspenders around the remaining student body and faculty.
As of my writing this column, there is still much speculation, as well as hard feelings and a damaged Catholic collective. … Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Rights To Traditional Mass, Reception Of Communion Stir Controversy

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK

When has going to any Mass been considered a problem? The mission of the Church is the salvation of souls in Jesus Christ which, practically speaking, means getting them to Mass where He is truly present in the Eucharist and speaks in the Word through the Holy Spirit. But at a small Catholic college in Fort Worth, Texas, this appears in the eyes of the bishop to be a problem, not a solution.
The episcopal crackdown on Fisher-More College became public last week in a post on Rorate-Caeli.blogspot.com. The ordinary, Bishop Michael Olson, has demanded that celebration of the Extraordinary Form Mass offered daily at the college chapel for years cease immediately and that only priests approved by him are to celebrate Mass there and then only in the Ordinary Form Rite. Why not both? … Continue Reading

The Liberal Counteroffensive On The Obamacare Mandate

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK

I don’t know why the supporters of Obamacare’s mandate requiring Catholic institutions to provide insurance coverage for contraception and abortifacients have not been forced in public to defend the stark inconsistency of their position. You would think the liberals who support Obamacare would be scrambling to explain their double standard. It is, after all, the American left that has been defined for nearly a half-century now by their stand for dissent and the rights of the individual.
They were the ones who told us that opponents of America’s military campaigns around the world should not be forced to serve in those wars; who told us that Jim Crow laws need not be obeyed by those who objected to them for moral reasons, and that censorship laws were a violation of the freedom of conscience of individuals whose moral codes clashed with those in authority. … Continue Reading

Pope’s Interview With Corriere Della Sera . . . Kindness And Mercy Are The Center Of The Gospel

 VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) — Find below an English translation, by Catholic News Agency’s Estefania Aguirre and Alan Holdren, of the March 5 interview of Pope Francis with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

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Q. Holy Father, every once in a while you call those who ask you for help. Sometimes they don’t believe you.
A. Yes, it has happened. When one calls, it is because he wants to speak, to pose a question, to ask for counsel. As a priest in Buenos Aires it was more simple. And, it has remained a habit for me. A service. I feel it inside. Certainly, now it is not that easy to do due to the quantity of people who write me.
Q. And, is there a contact, an encounter that you remember with particular affection? … Continue Reading

The Way Back

By LAWRENCE P. GRAYSON

(Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of four articles concerning America’s cultural and moral decline. Lawrence P. Grayson is a visiting scholar in The School of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America.)

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For nearly two hundred years from its founding, America could be considered a Christian society. Although church and state were separate, the public life of the nation was conducted in conformity with Christian principles: God was welcome in the public venue; actions of political and business leaders were guided by a common sense of virtue and morality that formed the ethos of the general public; churches were free to conduct their social and charitable works according to the norms of their religion. … Continue Reading