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Catholic Replies

December 30, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. Can you explain the passage in Luke 7:18-23 where John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He is “the one who is to come,” i.e., the Messiah? I thought John already knew this since he said to Jesus when our Lord came to him for baptism, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me” (Matt. 3:14) — K.R., Connecticut. A. John knew that the Messiah was coming, but he may not have been absolutely certain that it was Jesus. After all, Jesus had gone to great lengths to conceal that He was the Messiah since the people of the time were expecting a warrior-Messiah who would overthrow the…Continue Reading

The Lord Desires Salvation For All

December 29, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Lord Desires Salvation For All

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER The Solemnity Of Epiphany (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6 Eph. 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matt. 2:1-12 Today we celebrate the Epiphany, or Manifestation, of our Lord. Traditionally there are three different aspects of our Lord’s life which are separated by time and distance, but are united in that they are all manifestations of our Lord’s divinity. These three events are the star and the arrival of the Magi, the Baptism of our Lord along with the descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father, and the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana where His disciples first began to believe in Him. In our day these three events are celebrated separately, so…Continue Reading

Pope Francis… Will Visit Fatima To Mark Anniversary

December 28, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope Francis… Will Visit Fatima To Mark Anniversary

By ELISE HARRIS VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) — Though rumors have been floating around for some time, the Vatican confirmed December 17 that Pope Francis will travel to Fatima, Portugal, May 12-13 in honor of the centenary of the apparitions. “On the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Cova da Iria, and welcoming the invitation of the Republic and of the Portuguese bishops, His Holiness Pope Francis will go on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, May 12-13, 2017.” The announcement was made in a December 17 communiqué from the Vatican. Official statements confirming the dates had already been made over the past few days by both the president of…Continue Reading

What Is Faith?… The Origin Of Life And Of The Living Species

December 25, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on What Is Faith?… The Origin Of Life And Of The Living Species

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 16 Where does life come from? Can lifeless matter produce a living organism all by itself, as evolutionists claim, or is it a product of divine creation? I remember the many arguments I had in high school against the evolutionist teacher, who tried his best to persuade the classroom that life can come spontaneously from lifeless matter. It was funny to see his face when I proved to him that as early as 1864, the Catholic scientist Louis Pasteur destroyed the evolutionist theory of spontaneous generation, which had been taken for granted by pretty much everyone, both good and bad, including Catholics. As it was seen as a mere scientific matter, no great Catholic…Continue Reading

Gifts Of The Holy Spirit — Piety

December 24, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Gifts Of The Holy Spirit — Piety

By DON FIER The vital importance of the gift of the Holy Spirit that we considered last week, knowledge and its necessity for salvation, is highlighted in one of St. Paul’s epistles: “God our Savior . . . desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). This salvific knowledge of truth, which is given in an entirely gratuitous manner to members of the faithful who are disposed to receive it, goes far beyond all forms of human knowledge (scientific, philosophical, or theological) that can be acquired through study, reasoning, and experience. It is a knowledge that is attainable only through direct illumination by the Holy Spirit, for, as the Catechism…Continue Reading

Christmas And Poetry

December 22, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Christmas And Poetry

By DONALD DeMARCO Christmas is about birth and rebirth. It is about the birth of our Savior and our own rebirth. It is the great antidote to life that is hurtling toward death. Poetry is also about birth and rebirth. In its own humble way, it, too, is an argument against death being the final chapter of our lives. Virgil, the greatest of the Latin poets, said: “There are tears in things, and all things that are doomed to die touch the heart” (Lachrimae rerum; et mentem mortalia tangunt). But he did not know about Christmas and how the birth of the Christ Child means the victory of light over darkness, love over hate, and life over death. Christmas brings…Continue Reading

The Vatican’s Silence . . . Upcoming Assembly Of Chinese Catholic Representatives Causes Worry

December 21, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Vatican’s Silence . . . Upcoming Assembly Of Chinese Catholic Representatives Causes Worry

By FR. BERNARDO CERVELLERA (Editor’s Note: The gathering of what is termed the “sovereign” body that governs the Chinese Church will be held in Beijing from December 26 to 30. For Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as expressed in his 2007 Letter to Chinese Catholics, that body is “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.” Its function: to affirm that the Church is the “property” of the state [and the party], and further divide the faithful. An example from the past: In 2010 many bishops were kidnapped to force them to participate. (Official and underground Catholics are appealing to the Pope for judgment on this assembly and the episcopal ordinations in the presence of an illegitimate bishop. Catholics around the world must ask the…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Avoid Ecclesial Train Wrecks Through Tradition

December 19, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Avoid Ecclesial Train Wrecks Through Tradition

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK That Catholic fountain of wisdom Gilbert Chesterton once famously wrote that tradition is “the democracy of the dead.” In the Church, however, tradition is more: the democracy of the saints who are now fully alive in Christ. The saints have handed down not only the Scriptures and Tradition, which are the divinely appointed carriers of our saving revelation, but also many other beautiful customs which enable us to live out the saving Word of God and the grace conferred through the Church in little and big ways in daily life. Our sacramentals also include the garb which makes our vocations recognizable. A recent attack from the top on venerable Catholic customs resulted in a reminder:…Continue Reading

An Apologetics Course… More On God’s Creation And Purpose

December 18, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on An Apologetics Course… More On God’s Creation And Purpose

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 16 Those of us who are parents know that when we see a child of ours succeeding in life — receiving a university degree with honors, graduating from a military academy, or living a stable, Catholic life with his or her family — we simply rejoice. It gives joy to us to see the success of our children; it’s natural. A similar thing happens in our relationship to God. We started as His creatures, created in His image and likeness, but after Baptism we became His adopted children, sharing the life of grace with Him. And here is where God’s extrinsic glory is manifested at its best. Yes, of course, the galaxies and everything…Continue Reading

Gifts Of The Holy Spirit — Knowledge

December 17, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Gifts Of The Holy Spirit — Knowledge

By DON FIER Fortitude, as we saw last week, is both an infused moral virtue (one of the four cardinal virtues) and a gift of the Holy Spirit. As St. Thomas Aquinas explains, in order to differentiate the virtue from the gift, “we must be guided by the way in which Scripture expresses itself, for we find there that the term employed is spirit rather than gift” (Summa Theologiae [STh] I-II, Q. 68, art. 1). If we examine the familiar verse from Scripture that enumerates the seven gifts, this is precisely what we see: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, . . . the spirit of counsel and might [fortitude], . . .” (Isaiah 11:2). The word…Continue Reading