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February 9, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

Editor’s Note: In a recent reply about the Alpha program, we said that all we knew about it was what appears on the Alpha website, namely, that it is a 10-week course about basic Christian teachings, with small groups usually facilitated by a layperson, and that it includes a retreat. It claims to serve “as a refresher course for practicing Catholics and a point of re-entry for lapsed Catholics.” We said that the value of such courses would depend on the materials used and the knowledge and orthodoxy of the facilitators conducting the sessions. We have since received some very thoughtful comments from a woman who took part in the Alpha program in her Catholic parish in Michigan and who…Continue Reading

The Waters Of Baptism

February 8, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER First Sunday Of Lent (YR B) Readings: Gen. 9:8-15 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15 I had to smile when I read today’s Gospel where it tells us “the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert” to be tempted. We have recently heard that the bishops of several countries have decided to change the penultimate petition of the Lord’s Prayer (lead us not into temptation) because God would never lead us into temptation. It is astounding to think we can change the prayer Jesus taught us! But before we can consider changing the Lord’s Prayer we have to believe one of two things: Either we know better than Jesus or we believe He was just plain wrong.…Continue Reading

Message Of Pope John Paul II For Lent 1998… Christ Gives Himself To Us As Nourishment

February 7, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

(Editor’s Note: Twenty years ago, Pope St. John Paul II offered this Lenten Message, with a theme that is even more timely today: (“Another equally serious form of poverty exists. It is not the lack of material means but that of spiritual nourishment, of a response to essential questions, of hope for one’s own existence. This poverty touches the soul and brings about grave sufferings. (“The consequences of this are right before our eyes and are often very sad, a life void of meaning. This kind of misery is mostly found in environments where people live in comfort, materially satisfied but without a spiritual orientation.” (The text of this message comes from the website vatican.va. All rights reserved.) + +…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Extraordinary Parish Life

February 5, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK I have had a most extraordinary experience in parish life. Not simply because of the “Extraordinary” Form of the Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, which has become the liturgical cornerstone of our life with doubled attendance over the course of my seven-year tenure. The Holy Mass is one part of the equation; what is needed to tell the full story of any parish are the faithful souls who are blessed by, and are the reason for, any apostolate. Although the missa antiquior is the authentic tradition of the Church, its purity as a source finds its earthly end in the young people and families it draws, as well as the wise and…Continue Reading

The Sacraments Instituted By Christ… The Disciples Understood Jesus’ Words On The Eucharist

February 4, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 14 How did the disciples understand Jesus’ words about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood? Did they understand them in a merely figurative way? Or did they understand Him literally, and were scandalized? A simple reading of St. John chapter 6 shows ad nauseam that they understood Him perfectly well, that is, literally. Because if they had mistaken His meaning, and taken it figuratively, He would have shown them their error. He would have explained it to them, as He explained His teaching about being born again to Nicodemus. But He did not. Instead, He insisted again and again on the literal meaning, that they had not misunderstood Him. All they had to…Continue Reading

Mixed Marriages And Disparity Of Cult

February 3, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By DON FIER Preparation for reception of the Sacrament of Matrimony, as portrayed by Pope St. John Paul II in his landmark apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio, encompasses three stages: remote, proximate, and immediate. As we saw last week, it is a gradual and continuous process that should ideally begin during a child’s formative years “in the heart of their own families [where] young people should be aptly and seasonably instructed in the dignity, duty, and work of married love” (Gaudium et Spes, n. 49 § 4). “Parents and families have the primary duty to provide this preparation by their example and teaching,” affirms Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ. In today’s society, however, “pastors and the Christian community are especially to…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

February 2, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

Q. Some years ago, The Wanderer printed a story on the feminist Psalter, which contained inclusive language. What is the status of this Psalter now? It seems odd that one can hear contemporary artists performing Christmas songs on secular radio in the original verses, and then at Mass on Christmas to hear the same songs edited to appeal to the politically correct. — M.S., Michigan. A. As far as we know, this translation of the Book of Psalms, which is known as the Grail Psalter, has never been officially approved for use in the liturgy of the Mass in the United States. It was given an imprimatur in 1995 by William Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore, the president of the National…Continue Reading

In Good Company

February 1, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Lev. 13:1-2, 44-46 1 Cor. 10:31-11:1 Mark 1:40-45 In the first reading, Moses instructs the people that anyone who is diagnosed with leprosy must tear his clothes, keep his head uncovered, muffle his beard, dwell apart from others, and cry out “unclean, unclean.” The purpose of this was to keep the disease from spreading to other people. However, another effect of this law was the isolation of the lepers from the rest of society. This provides context for the healing of the leper in today’s Gospel reading. First of all, that Jesus would allow this man to come close to Him was unusual. Second, the fact that our…Continue Reading

Roe V. Wade Anniversary… Marching Towards Life And Victory Over Death

January 31, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

(Editor’s Note: Below are excerpts from homilies and statements by members of the clergy marking this forty-fifth anniversary of Roe v. Wade.) + + + From Fr. Frank Pavone’s homily at the National Prayer Service on January 19, 2018 in Washington, D.C., as posted at LifeSiteNews: We’re not just marching in defense of life, we are marching towards life. . . . Our starting point in this movement is the victory over death that Jesus Christ has already won. We would not be here, we would not be the Church, we would not be the Body of Christ, and we would not be the Pro-Life Movement, if it were not true that He came out of His own tomb, having…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… The March For Life Is Not Enough

January 29, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Republicans and presidents are using pro-life support to get elected. President Trump even addressed the Washington, D.C., March for Life this year via live feed from the Rose Garden. Wonderful. But it wasn’t enough. It was a beautiful day in Washington for the March this year not only because the weather cooperated with unseasonably warm temperatures and sunshine but also because the movement continues to promise continued strength for many years to come due to its large and growing component of youth. But this is not enough. Peaceful, prayerful protesters continue to picket abortion clinics and even block access to them, risking arrest. But this is not enough. None of these efforts are enough because…Continue Reading

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