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True Wisdom From Above

September 18, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on True Wisdom From Above

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 James 3:16-4:3 Mark 9:30-37 In the second reading today, St. James tells us that where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. As we look around, we can certainly see an abundance of disorder and foul practices. To eliminate these problems, however, we need to get to the root of the problems. As St. James reminds us, disorder and foul practices are really the effects of a deeper cause; we need to attack jealousy and selfish ambition. The first reading demonstrates for us the clouding of the mind that occurs when we give in to pride and selfishness that are…Continue Reading

A Book Review… Why Evangelists Need An Interior Life

September 17, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Book Review… Why Evangelists Need An Interior Life

By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY Spiritual Handbook for Catholic Evangelists: How to Win Souls Without Losing Your Own, by Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (Sophia Institute Press, 192 pages, Amazon paperback and Kindle). This is a new version of an old spiritual classic, originally written about a century ago, but still valid for today’s Church, and particularly for those involved in evangelization. The main thesis of the author, a French Trappist monk, is that those involved in a life of active evangelism must develop an interior life of prayer if they are to have any success, and that in fact their active life must be founded on a solid interior life. For Dom Chautard, it is the interior life which makes fruitful the…Continue Reading

The Sacrament Of Confession… Confession Among The Early Christians

September 16, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Sacrament Of Confession… Confession Among The Early Christians

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 4 Here are some more testimonies from the Early Christians about the Sacrament of Confession, how they understood the sacrament and how it was administered by the priests to the people when they sinned. Those writers are known in history as the Fathers of the Early Church, the theologians and Bible scholars of the first centuries, before the Bible was formed as we know it today in the Council of Carthage in 397. There is no doubt that their interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures carries immensely more weight and authority than those of contemporary Protestant pastors and individuals who have little knowledge of the history of Christianity. Theodore of Mopsuestia (+ AD 428) catechetical…Continue Reading

The Cardinal Virtues — Prudence

September 15, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Cardinal Virtues — Prudence

By DON FIER In beginning our consideration of the virtues last week, we saw that the word virtue, in general, can be defined as “a firm and habitual disposition to do good. It allows a person not only to perform good actions,” explains Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, “but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his bodily and spiritual powers. He pursues and chooses this good in concrete actions of daily life” (The Faith, p. 161). A person who lacks virtue will, at best, do good only sporadically. Conversely, through the habitual practice of virtue, a person will progressively improve not only what he does but who he is. German philosopher…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

September 14, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. Regarding your recent reply about good catechetical materials, it is my understanding that there are some great religious education materials available from Dynamic Catholic. You can get more information at info@dynamiccatholic.com. — B.W., Michigan. A. Thank you for the information. This apostolate of Matthew Kelly is indeed a valuable source of good Catholic books. Q. I agree that the two Ignatius Press textbook series are excellent for use in the Catholic school classroom. However, for use in religious education classes that meet only once a week, the Christ Our Life series from Loyola Press can’t be beat. It is better than their Finding God series. — C.U., via e-mail. A. Thank you for your recommendation. We have used both…Continue Reading

U.S. Bishops… Offer Statements In Support of Archbishop Viganò And An Investigation

September 12, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on U.S. Bishops… Offer Statements In Support of Archbishop Viganò And An Investigation

(Editor’s Note: Below are several of many statements from U.S. bishops testifying to the personal credibility of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò and calling for an investigation of his claims concerning the Pope and sex abuse crisis. As Archbishop Joseph Naumann’s commentary was quite long, we are only presenting excerpts of it. See lifesitenews.com for updates on bishops’ statements.) + + + Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver issued the following letter expressing his support for USCCB President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo’s and the Executive Committee’s call for an independent investigation in the wake of Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano’s testimony: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Many of you are aware that this past weekend the former papal representative to the United…Continue Reading

The New Crown Of Thorns

September 11, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The New Crown Of Thorns

By DEACON JAMES H. TONER (Editor’s Note: Deacon James H. Toner, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Air War College, and author of Morals Under the Gun and other books. He has also taught at Notre Dame, Norwich, Auburn, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He serves in the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C.) + + + In his superb science fiction novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, author Walter Miller Jr. has an abbot plaintively ask, “What is the fundamental irritant, the essence of the tension?” In other words, why do things almost always go wrong? What must be altered or repaired so that we might live in genuine peace? As…Continue Reading

The Church Will Not Be Put To Shame

September 10, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Church Will Not Be Put To Shame

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Isaiah 50:5-9a James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35 The Church is calling everyone who has faith to step forward and demonstrate their faith through works, as we hear in the second reading. These works will be manifold, so there is no way to predict what each person may be asked to do. For some it will depend upon the gifts God has given for prayer, for counsel, or for leadership. For all of us much will depend upon our circumstances, because God will use our situations as a means to serve others. The Church herself is going to demonstrate her fidelity to the Truth and her love for her Spouse,…Continue Reading

The Sacrament Of Confession… Confession In The New Testament

September 9, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Sacrament Of Confession… Confession In The New Testament

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 3 (Editor’s Note: Last week’s column by Raymond de Souza should have been titled “Confession in the New Testament,” and it was part two, not part one, of de Souza’s series on “The Sacrament of Confession.” Below is part three.) + + + We all know that at the Last Supper, Jesus gave to His apostles the power to consecrate bread and wine into His Flesh and Blood. The whole chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel proves ad nauseam that He meant it literally, not symbolically. But something that is often overlooked is the fact that, after the Resurrection, Jesus gave the apostles three very specific powers: To forgive sins; to preach His doctrine…Continue Reading

Virtue In General

September 8, 2018 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Virtue In General

By DON FIER “The aim of our charge,” proclaims St. Paul, “is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). But as we saw last week, even with a well-formed conscience, one must be vigilant to guard against making judgments in difficult or perplexing situations that depart from the natural law that is written upon our hearts or from God’s divine law. Basic and sure norms that must be followed in every case are listed by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC): Evil may never be done to produce a good result; follow the Golden Rule, “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them” (Matt.…Continue Reading