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A Recipe For Readiness… Thoughts At The Beginning Of Advent

December 8, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Recipe For Readiness… Thoughts At The Beginning Of Advent

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Msgr. Charles Pope posted this article on November 27 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + As we begin the Advent Season, we are immediately drawn into its principal theme of preparation and readiness for the coming of the Lord. His First Coming has already been fulfilled at Bethlehem, and while we should prepare spiritually for the coming Christmas Feast, these first weeks of Advent bid us to focus even more on His Second Coming in glory.As the curtains draw back on the opening scene of Advent, we are warned by the Lord that He will come on the clouds with great power and glory and that we must be prepared. He says, “Beware.…Continue Reading

Joy In The Presence Of The Lord

December 6, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Joy In The Presence Of The Lord

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Third Sunday Of Advent (YR C) Readings: Zeph. 3:14-18aPhil. 4:4-7Luke 3:10-18 In the Gospel reading today we are told by St. Luke that the people were filled with expectation. Some of the people wondered if St. John the Baptist might be the Messiah. Not only did the Baptist crush that idea immediately, but he provided the people with hope. If there was hope and excitement for what they saw and heard from John the Baptist, the joy they would know when the Messiah came would be substantially greater than what they know in the presence of the Forerunner.It is precisely this joy in the presence of the Lord that the Church focuses us on today. When…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

December 3, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. Attending parochial school in the 1950s, we read about Fr. Miguel Pro, who was martyred during the Mexican Revolution. We learned that the revolution was led by the Communists. However, now it seems that it was led by the Masons. Which one was it? Or was it both? — R.K., via e-mail.A. A priest-friend of ours who is from Mexico explained it this way. The Revolution in Mexico was more the result of atheist-masonic thinking that saw the Church as the root of all problems in Mexico. There is a great book that sets the record straight: Saints and Sinners in the Cristero War by Fr. James Murphy (Ignatius Press). I highly recommend this one. This provocative account of…Continue Reading

Chaos In Firm Control Of U.S. Church

December 2, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Chaos In Firm Control Of U.S. Church

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK I am currently working my way through a sociological and psychological work entitled The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. In this academic pursuit of over 400 pages, a Christian professor by the name of Carl R. Trueman attempts to explain, among other things, why so many people are no longer Christian. Or, rather, why a significant number of people who describe themselves as Christian have in fact ceased to assent fully with intellect and will to all that the Church teaches in matters of faith and morals.We’ve seen recently the evidence of the crisis in Eucharistic belief among practicing Catholics. A Pew Research survey found that a mere one-third of Catholics believe Transubstantiation…Continue Reading

Four Common Tactics Of The Devil

December 1, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Four Common Tactics Of The Devil

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: This essay on the Devil’s tactics first appeared on Msgr. Pope’s blog and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + On recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in demonic possession. Movies and books, along with human fears and fascinations, are largely the cause. Although actual demonic possession is somewhat rare, it does occur. Each diocese ought to have an appointed exorcist to assess possession. This exorcist, with the permission of the bishop, should use the Rite of Major Exorcism when true and morally certain possession has been determined.But because actual possession is quite rare, most of us should be looking out for the more common ways that the Devil attacks…Continue Reading

A Spiritual Exile

November 29, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Spiritual Exile

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Second Sunday Of Advent (YR C) Readings: Baruch 5:1-9Phil. 1:4-6, 8-11Luke 3:1-6 In the readings today, we hear the same basic message from three different sources. The words of the Prophet Isaiah are applied to St. John the Baptist regarding his purpose and his message: “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low. The winding roads shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth.” The same points are also made by the Prophet Baruch in the first reading.One can certainly understand the idea of the exiles returning to Israel and God making everything flat and straight so the journey will be an easy one. This can all be understood in…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

November 26, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Kudos to Catholic League President Bill Donohue on his new book The Truth About Clergy Sexual Abuse (available at Ignatius.com). In a statement, Donohue says that his book demonstrates that “the sexual abuse scandal effectively ended decades ago.” This is confirmed, he said, “by the 2020 Annual Report on clergy sexual abuse published by the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Youth of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The data were collected by StoneBridge Business Partners.”During the period July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, said Donohue, “there were 22 current allegations involving minors. Given that there are approximately 50,000 members of the clergy (49,926), and the number of substantiated charges are 6,…Continue Reading

Our Bishops Can Learn From Kyle Rittenhouse

November 25, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Our Bishops Can Learn From Kyle Rittenhouse

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Some things are worth defending.Kyle Rittenhouse, a young man at 17 years of age, knows this fact quite well. He was forced to defend his own life because others threatened to take it away. Kyle is now, as of November 18, awaiting the verdict from his trial but, as is so often the case today, many are attempting to try and condemn him in the media. Defending one’s own life, for many, is now a crime.Kyle was down on the ground, alone against a mob, his safety and, potentially his life, threatened. He used his weapon and killed his attackers in what appears to be self-defense.I believe, now that he has the ignominious status of…Continue Reading

Multitudes In The Valley Of Decision! A Meditation On The Dramatic Battle In Which We Live

November 24, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Multitudes In The Valley Of Decision! A Meditation On The Dramatic Battle In Which We Live

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this column on November 15 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + A grave deficiency of modern times is the loss of the sense that our lives are caught up in a tremendous, epic battle. Yet here we are living in the midst of a great drama — in the greatest story ever told.Behind the scenes is a deadly enemy, one of whom many rarely speak: Satan. Yet, he is active and involved, manipulating both the world and the flesh (our sinful nature). We are on the front lines of a fierce spiritual war, a war that is to blame for most of the casualties you see around…Continue Reading

Be Vigilant And Pray For Strength

November 22, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Be Vigilant And Pray For Strength

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER First Sunday Of Advent (YR C) Readings: Jer. 33:14-161 Thess. 3:12-4:2Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 In the first reading, the Prophet Jeremiah tells us the days are coming when the Lord will fulfill the promise He made to Israel and Judah — that is, He will raise up a righteous shoot to David. That Shoot, of course, is Our Blessed Lord. Jeremiah goes on to say that in His days, Judah will be safe and Jerusalem will dwell secure. On one hand this was certainly true because of the Roman occupation of the Holy Land. At the same time, this is certainly not how the average Jewish person would have understood this passage.Even worse, we know that within…Continue Reading