Saturday 20th April 2024

Home » Our Catholic Faith » Recent Articles:

A Meditation On A Text From Isaiah . . . Five Reasons We Need A Savior

January 4, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Meditation On A Text From Isaiah . . . Five Reasons We Need A Savior

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this commentary on December 12 and it is reprinted here with permission. Even though it will be after Advent and after Christmas when our readers see this column, we think it has something to say for the coming year.) + + As Christmas draws so near, we should ponder why we need a savior. In short, we’ve got it bad and that ain’t good. But praise the Lord, there is a doctor on the way. His name is Emmanuel; His name is Jesus, which means “God saves.”Let’s look at a keynote reading of Advent describing five reasons we need Jesus a savior!I: Distant Sons — Hear, O heavens, and listen,…Continue Reading

We Must Open Our Hearts To The Lord

January 2, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on We Must Open Our Hearts To The Lord

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER The Solemnity Of The Epiphany (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6 Eph. 3:2-3a, 5-6Matt. 2:1-12 In the Gospel reading today we hear about the three Magi who came from the East to worship the newborn King of the Jews. We have all heard this story so many times that we may not have considered the extraordinary nature of what these men accomplished.First of all, we can assume that they probably did not go on a cross country journey every time a new king was born somewhere in the world. We can even think about this ourselves. We might think it is wonderful that a baby is born in England, or wherever, who is the heir to the…Continue Reading

The Open Heart Of The Infant Jesus

December 26, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Open Heart Of The Infant Jesus

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Solemnity Of The Nativity Of Our Lord (YR A) (Midnight) Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6Titus 2:11-14Luke 2:1-14 In the Gospel reading today, we hear the angel announce to the shepherds “good news of great joy” for all people. In a hidden way, in the middle of the night, our Lord chose to be born for us. The work God had undertaken to prepare the world for its redemption after Adam and Eve had sinned had now reached its fulfillment. Certainly, there were still 33 more years before the complete fulfillment of our salvation would be achieved in the death and Resurrection of our Lord, but none of that could happen unless He had assumed our human nature.By choosing…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

December 23, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Many years ago, we read a column about some of the people alive at the time of Jesus’ birth who missed out on that first Christmas because they were preoccupied with other things. We can’t recall who wrote the column or we would give them credit for the idea. But we would like to share some of the insights that we can remember since they have just as much relevance today. Those Who Missed Out On Christmas There is no story in human history more familiar to us than the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. In the Scripture readings at Christmas, we will hear once again the details of this long-awaited and anxiously anticipated event,…Continue Reading

Roma Aeterna

December 22, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Roma Aeterna

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Rome is of course a world capital, and that of Italy wherein one finds 80 percent of the world’s art treasures. As with any city, this former center of empire is many different things to different people. Locals, visitors for business or pleasure, tourists and pilgrims all crowd its ancient streets. There is one reason why Rome is a place of prayer as much, or perhaps more than, anything else.Rome tics off highlights on every cultural list, from masterpieces of architecture and art to singular culinary delights. The Italian capital, however, has one thing which no other city in the world has: the Vatican. Because this city is the global center of the Church, one…Continue Reading

The Perfect Gift

December 21, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Perfect Gift

(Msgr. Charles Pope posted this article on December10 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + What is the perfect gift? We tend to answer this question more in terms of what we want, but today’s Gospel teaches us that the perfect gift is what God is offering. One of the goals of the spiritual journey is to come to value, more than our latest desire, more than our perceived need — more than all else — what God offers.The Gospel opens with John (who is in prison) sending his disciples to Jesus with a strange question: “Are you he who is to come, or should we look for another?” This is a strange question coming from the one…Continue Reading

The Open Heart Of The Infant Jesus

December 19, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Open Heart Of The Infant Jesus

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Solemnity Of The Nativity Of Our Lord (YR A) (Midnight) Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6Titus 2:11-14Luke 2:1-14 In the Gospel reading today, we hear the angel announce to the shepherds “good news of great joy” for all people. In a hidden way, in the middle of the night, our Lord chose to be born for us. The work God had undertaken to prepare the world for its redemption after Adam and Eve had sinned had now reached its fulfillment. Certainly, there were still 33 more years before the complete fulfillment of our salvation would be achieved in the death and Resurrection of our Lord, but none of that could happen unless He had assumed our human nature.By choosing…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

December 16, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. Are people in the Old Testament, like Abraham, Moses, David, and Isaiah, considered to be saints in the Catholic Church? — K.H., Iowa.A. Certainly, since they were people of great virtue who faithfully carried out the mission God gave them. Following the time of Jesus, cults developed around certain holy individuals, like the apostles, the Fathers of the Church, and martyrs, until the persons were proclaimed saints by popular acclamation. The first official canonization by a Pope was that of St. Ulrich by Pope John XV in 993.The current process of beatification and canonization, which is handled by the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, stems back to 1588, when Pope Sixtus V established the Sacred Congregation of…Continue Reading

Il Nostro Pane Quotidiano

December 15, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Il Nostro Pane Quotidiano

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK “Our daily bread.”Italians befuddle. One moment they’re boasting that socialism is the best form of government, while capitalism is by contrast awful. The next they’re complaining about the economic crisis. I’ve never seen the Italians go without their daily “pane,” however. We can easily believe that this is so more out of charity than efficiently functioning bureaucracy, an oxymoron if there ever was one.Italian temperament has certainly not found its apogee in the effective organization of society since the fall of the Roman Empire. The mere frequency of the collapse of one Roman government and the cobbling together of another serves in itself as a unique news cycle. But the fact that one must travel…Continue Reading

St. Ambrose And The Emperor Theodosius . . . An Ancient Bishop Rebukes His Emperor for Crimes Against Life

December 14, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on St. Ambrose And The Emperor Theodosius . . . An Ancient Bishop Rebukes His Emperor for Crimes Against Life

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Pope posted this commentary on December 6 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + On this Feast of St. Ambrose, we do well to reflect on a story from his life. It is a story that should inspire bishops and priests. It is the story of a remarkable event that took place between the Emperor Theodosius and St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan. What makes it remarkable is that it shows an ancient bishop (Ambrose) and a politician (Theodosius) interacting over the dignity of human life. The Emperor Theodosius had the power of life and death over Ambrose the bishop. St. Ambrose knew he had to correct the emperor but also knew…Continue Reading