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Conversions To The Catholic Faith — A Gift From God

August 9, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Conversions To The Catholic Faith — A Gift From God

By JAMES MONTI Many Wanderer readers, I am sure, would concur with me in saying that there are few things more inspiring to read in Catholic literature than accounts of conversion to the faith. The spiritual journey of a convert has a miraculous wonder about it — that in many cases against seemingly impossible odds a man or woman of another religion or devoid of any religion at all should discover the path to truth and eternal bliss, perceiving the gentle invitations of God in the pages of a book, or in the grandeurs of nature, or in the beauty of fine art or music. Most often a convert’s journey to the Catholic faith begins with an intellectual realization that…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Why Amoris Laetitia Is Not Sustainable

August 7, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Why Amoris Laetitia Is Not Sustainable

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Catholics have never been and never should be expected to dodge bullets in order to negotiate an enemy minefield in their search for truth in the hands of the Church’s shepherds. Teaching should be clear consistent and unambiguous. This Amoris Laetitia (AL) is not. Amoris Laetitia cannot be recommended reading for everyone because it is not safe. As a Catholic teaching document it is not sustainable and will one day have to be heavily edited and stringently corrected in order to be a reliable help to souls. We find ourselves in a situation of ecclesial disorientation where, for the first time, a papal teaching document of the highest rank is used to float pet theories…Continue Reading

The Church Of Jesus Christ… The Meaning Of Indefectibility

August 6, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Church Of Jesus Christ… The Meaning Of Indefectibility

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 4 In this final article on the Church founded by Jesus Christ, we will touch on a concept that is not commonly discussed by Catholics. I refer to the indefectibility of the Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1917 gives the following definition of the Church’s indefectibility: “By this term is signified, not merely that the Church will persist to the end of time, but further, that it will be preserved unimpaired in its essential characteristics. The Church can never undergo any constitutional change, which will make it, as a social organism, something different from what it was originally. It can never become corrupt in faith or in morals; nor can it ever lose the…Continue Reading

Indulgences

August 5, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Indulgences

By DON FIER “The whole power of the sacrament of Penance,” teaches the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), “consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship” (n. 1468). It is the primary means provided by an all-loving, all-merciful God for members of His Church to obtain forgiveness and remission of serious sins committed after Baptism. Moreover, as Pope St. John Paul II beautifully expresses in his 1984 post-synodal apostolic exhortation entitled Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, restoration of communion with Christ “takes place before a tribunal of mercy rather than of strict and rigorous justice” (n. 31, 2). Several other marvelous effects, as we saw last week, are also realized by worthy reception…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

August 4, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I was surprised to learn at our last Catholic Daughters of the Americas meeting that our parish Catholic school has a Girl Scouts of America troop. I understand that the values taught by the current Girl Scout leadership are not the values of the Catholic faith. Is there an alternative to the Girl Scouts for our young Catholic girls? — R.D., Pennsylvania. A. While there are local Girl Scout troops that are headed by persons promoting the values traditionally associated with scouting, the national leadership of the GSA is involved in promoting contraception, abortion, and gender ideology through its ties with Planned Parenthood and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). Girl Scouts USA belongs to…Continue Reading

“O You Of Little Faith”

August 3, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on “O You Of Little Faith”

By Fr. ROBERT ALTIER Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a Romans 9:1-5 Matt. 14:22-33 In the Gospel reading today we see our Lord walking on the water while the disciples panic, thinking they see a ghost. When our Lord assures them of who He is, Peter tests Him; he asks to walk on the water as well. Jesus bids him to come to Him, which Peter does. Then, taking his focus off our Lord, and seeing the strong winds, Peter panics again and begins sinking in the turbulent waters. What happens next is quite interesting. Peter calls out to Jesus to save him; Jesus grasps Peter by the hand and pulls him out of…Continue Reading

No Happiness Without The Natural Moral Law

August 2, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on No Happiness Without The Natural Moral Law

By JOHN YOUNG If we attempted to run a machine while ignoring the maker’s instructions, we could expect to end up with a badly damaged machine. Everyone realizes this. Likewise with the human body. Whether one is a theist, an atheist, or an agnostic, there is general agreement that smoking or overeating can damage the body. This is an acknowledgment that we must treat things according to their nature. But that realization ceases when it is a question of ethics, at least regarding many vital issues. Certainly there is general agreement that we should be kind to people, that we shouldn’t steal (at least from individuals), that society should be just. There is no awareness that, even as a society,…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Bishop Schneider On The “Unprecedented Crisis” In The Church

July 31, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Bishop Schneider On The “Unprecedented Crisis” In The Church

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Much speculation followed Pope Emeritus’ Benedict XVI’s eulogy for Joachim Cardinal Meisner with which you may already be familiar through comments here and in many other places in the social media. For those who do not remember, it all began when Archbishop Georg Ganswein represented Benedict at the funeral for his friend, fellow churchman and countryman Cardinal Meisner in Cologne. In comments from Benedict read at the event, the image of a capsizing boat was used to describe the Church. Why such dire imagery? Undoubtedly to highlight the life and work of a great servant of the Church and a fervent holder of the Catholic faith who was being buried that day. Surely this is…Continue Reading

The Church Of Jesus Christ… Defining The “People Of God”

July 30, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Church Of Jesus Christ… Defining The “People Of God”

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 3 These days we find people defining the Church simply as “God’s people,” as if it were merely an assemblage of individuals united by a common set of beliefs in a “faith community.” This minimalist view reduces the concept to something like a Protestant denomination. In reality, the “People of God” is marked by characteristics that distinguish it from every other religious, ethnic, political, or cultural group in history: God has acquired this people for Himself through the Precious Blood of His Son; hence, it is the People of God. A system of simple questions and answers will make it easier to follow. How can the People of God be defined? St. Peter defines…Continue Reading

The Effects Of The Sacrament Of Penance

July 29, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Effects Of The Sacrament Of Penance

By DON FIER As we saw last week, so exacting is a priest’s obligation to maintain the “seal of confession” that it admits no exceptions, even to avert a war or to save the life of oneself or another. Absolute secrecy applies to everything that is disclosed during the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, stresses that confidentiality must be observed “whether the confession was finished or not, whether it was worthy or sacrilegious, and whether absolution was given or refused” (Basic Catholic Catechism Course [BCCC], p. 166). The priest’s obligation to secrecy outside the confessional applies to all persons, including the penitent himself, unless he explicitly gives his permission without being coerced in any…Continue Reading