Friday 19th April 2024

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Members Of Jesus Christ

May 1, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Members Of Jesus Christ

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sixth Sunday Of Easter (YR B) Readings: Acts: 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 1 John 4:7-10 John 15:9-17 In the readings today we are reminded of our great dignity and of the way we are to act in accordance with that dignity. We begin with what our Lord tells us in the Gospel: We are no longer slaves, but friends. This is quite a promotion! What is even more remarkable is that it was completely undeserved. Normally friendship is two people seeking the good of one another. In this case I do not think we can claim humanity was seeking the good of the Lord. Of course, God was always seeking our good. To be friends is to…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Alfie Evans And The “Conspiracy Against Life”

April 30, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Alfie Evans And The “Conspiracy Against Life”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK “. . . It is possible to speak in a certain sense of a war of the powerful against the weak: a life which would require greater acceptance, love and care is considered useless, or held to be an intolerable burden, and is therefore rejected in one way or another. “A person who, because of illness, handicap or, more simply, just by existing, compromises the well-being or lifestyle of those who are more favored tends to be looked upon as an enemy to be resisted or eliminated. In this way a kind of ‘conspiracy against life’ is unleashed” (Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae). The Gospel is of and for life, as Pope John Paul…Continue Reading

The Sacraments Instituted By Christ… Delving Into The Mystery Of Transubstantiation

April 29, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Sacraments Instituted By Christ… Delving Into The Mystery Of Transubstantiation

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 26 The more we learn about the Blessed Eucharist, the more there is to be learned. It was the greatest gift Jesus left to us after the redemption. It is a matter to be investigated with piety and devotion, since the more we know, the more we can love, and the more we can be in His service. The Blessed Eucharist involves the mysteries of the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation of God the Son as well as the mystery of Transubstantiation. The Eucharist is often and fittingly called “the mystery of faith,” because it does put our faith in Jesus’ words to the test: it has three aspects; it is the severest test…Continue Reading

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

April 28, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

By DON FIER The first Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3), in its essence, consists in the recognition of our total dependence on God for everything — not only our physical, material needs, but our spiritual needs as well. Whether rich or poor in this world’s goods (including personal talents, the esteem of others, or any other “thing”), one who possesses true poverty of spirit treats “creatures” with humility and even a certain indifference, fully realizing they are divine gifts to be used only in accord with the holy will of God. In an insightful and eminently practical little volume entitled Heaven in Our Hands: Living the Beatitudes (HOH), Fr.…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

April 27, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I can remember learning six Precepts of the Church when I was young. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that there are only five. What happened to the sixth precept? — P.R., via e-mail. A. You are correct that in the Baltimore Catechism, six Precepts were listed. They were: (1) To assist at Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation. (2) To fast and abstain on the days appointed. (3) To confess our sins at least once a year. (4) To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time. (5) To contribute to the support of the Church. (6) To observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage. When the Catechism of the Catholic Church came…Continue Reading

Cardinal Burke’s Talk On The Limits Of Papal Power

April 25, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Cardinal Burke’s Talk On The Limits Of Papal Power

By DIANE MONTAGNA Part 1 (Editor’s Note: Raymond Cardinal Burke gave the address below on April 7 at a conference in Rome called “Catholic Church: Where Are You Heading?” His Eminence gave his talk in memory of Joachim Cardinal Meisner. Given the length of the talk, we are publishing it in two parts. Also, we eliminated the footnotes, which can be found in LifeSiteNews’ report of April 13, www.lifesitenews.com.) + + + ROME (LifeSiteNews) — What is the extent of papal power? Are there any limits, and if so how is the violation of those limits judged and corrected? These and other questions were addressed by Raymond Cardinal Burke Saturday, April 7, at a conference in Rome titled “Catholic Church:…Continue Reading

Act In Deed And In Truth

April 24, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Act In Deed And In Truth

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifth Sunday Of Easter (YR B) Readings: Acts 9:26-31 1 John 3:18-24 John 15:1-8 In the second reading today, St. John tells us we are to love in deed and truth as opposed to in word and speech. In other words, it is fairly easy to talk about charity, but to practice it is a far more difficult endeavor. On the Day of Judgment, however, we are not going to be rewarded for our eloquent waxing on the topic of love, but we will be rewarded for our truly loving actions and we will have to answer for the times we failed to act in love. The first point that pops off the page today is…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Amid Weeds, Fruit That Will Last

April 23, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Amid Weeds, Fruit That Will Last

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The lush and tender growth of early spring bursts forth new and green, full of promise. The signs of renewed life surrounding us in city and country romance us with nature’s seductive beauty. The Creator’s handiwork is beautiful in every season. The unique appeal of spring, however, seems to lie in its beckoning lure to the coming attractions of fruit and flowers. Life must be sustained if it is to continue. Every human being desires deeply that which sustains the gift of life; the supernatural life of God is powerfully figured forth through nature’s “eternal return.” T.S. Eliot described April as “the cruelest month” because it stirred “dull roots with Spring rain.” It might be…Continue Reading

The Sacraments Instituted By Christ . . . More On Christ As The Fulfillment Of The Old Law

April 22, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Sacraments Instituted By Christ . . . More On Christ As The Fulfillment Of The Old Law

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 25 The Sacrifice of the Cross was a true and perfect sacrifice. It was unique, because in the Sacrifice of the Cross, Our Lord Jesus Christ was at once the Priest and the Victim, the one who offers, and the one who is offered; being divinely chosen and appointed for each of these offices. It was in itself a Redemptive Sacrifice. It was the price He paid (ransom) for our liberation from sin; therefore, He did not offer it for Himself, as the Old Testament High Priests did, but He offered it for us sinners. It is a remarkable combination of events: As a Priest, He offered His life to God for the sake…Continue Reading

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

April 21, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

By DON FIER Last week we saw that the eight Beatitudes, as recounted in the Gospel of St. Matthew (see Matt. 5:3-12) as a prelude to the Sermon on the Mount, “are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching and they take up and fulfill the promises that God made starting with Abraham. They depict the very countenance of Jesus and they characterize authentic Christian life” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 360). They do not abrogate the Ten Commandments received by Moses on Mt. Sinai (see Exodus 20:1-17), but “repeat them and deepen how they are to be lived. . . . They promise that Christ’s way of life leads to true happiness — beatitude or blessedness”…Continue Reading