Tuesday 19th March 2024

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A Beacon Of Light… The Parable Of The Prodigal Son

July 25, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Beacon Of Light… The Parable Of The Prodigal Son

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON, Jr. Over the last few weeks, the readings for daily Mass have offered us a much-needed opportunity to reflect on God’s mercy. So often we can take for granted the mercy God is willingly offering us. Sometimes I hear people ask, where in the bible does God talk about mercy. God’s abundance of mercy can be found in both the Old and New Testaments. Just like Jesus did over two-thousand years ago, today we will hear of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.The Parable of the Prodigal Son, also known as the Parable of the Lost Son, is one of the most well-known parables of Jesus’ public ministry, because it teaches us lessons we can…Continue Reading

Salvation And The Transfiguration

July 24, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Salvation And The Transfiguration

BY FR. ROBERT ALTIER Feast Of The Transfiguration(YR A) Readings: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-142 Peter 1:16-19Matt. 17:1-9 Today we break from the normal Sunday schedule of Masses to celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord. There are only a few feasts that take precedent over Sunday; those that replace a regular Sunday celebration of Mass must be related to our salvation. So, we must begin our considerations by asking what the Transfiguration has to do with our salvation.The Transfiguration is the only time in the life of our Lord that He allowed His divinity to be revealed. Throughout the life of our Lord, His divinity was hidden behind His humanity. Even on this occasion, only three of our Lord’s Apostles witnessed the…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 21, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This first lesson on medical-moral issues is taken from the book Catholicism & Ethics. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. See the contact information at the bottom of this column. Special Course On Catholicism And Ethics (Pages 13-20) Before taking up specific ethical and moral issues facing us today, particularly in the fields of medicine and health, a general introduction to ethics is necessary. Ethics is the science which guides our judgment concerning the morality of human acts. When it involves medical questions, it is known as medical ethics. It employs the power of human reason to determine whether certain…Continue Reading

“Sound Of Freedom” Raises Alarm On Child Trafficking

July 20, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on “Sound Of Freedom” Raises Alarm On Child Trafficking

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Grossing more than current competitors on one of the biggest weekends of the summer, the indie movie The Sound of Freedom starring Catholic favorite Jim Caviezel, has drawn critics in Hollywood. What else is new in the world capital of vanity, envy, pride, and every other cardinal sin?After abortion, the number one crime against baby humans, the greatest evil afflicting the young is illegal trafficking, and sexual and labor slavery.In defense of the film, however, one industry insider, the singer Jewel, is chanting a different note, so to speak. Fox News reported that she is practically raving with praise about the film, set to gross $40 million in receipts, dwarfing current Hollywood offerings. She urged…Continue Reading

A Response To Past Problems In Catechesis

July 19, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Response To Past Problems In Catechesis

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Pope posted this essay on July 2 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + Earlier, we reflected on some of the historical problems related to catechesis and how they have negatively impacted us in the aftermath of the cultural revolution that swept through beginning in the late 1960s. Even prior to that time, some of the strategies and pedagogical philosophies common were problematic in that they tended to remove catechesis entirely from the home, and also focused almost exclusively on the education of children. This left adults (including parents) little opportunity to deepen their own understanding and move to a more mature experience of the faith.I present here a model for…Continue Reading

Analysis . . . How To Interpret Pope Francis’ Choice Of New Cardinals

July 18, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Analysis . . . How To Interpret Pope Francis’ Choice Of New Cardinals

By ANDREA GAGLIARDUCCI ROME (CNA) — With his ninth consistory in 10 years of his pontificate, Pope Francis will lock down his influence on the College of Cardinals for the next conclave, considering the overwhelming majority of cardinals will have been created by him.As of June 2, there were 121 cardinals with the possibility of entering the conclave. Nine were created by John Paul II, 31 by Benedict XVI, and 81 by Francis. With the 18 new cardinal electors, 99 cardinals created by Pope Francis can enter the conclave to choose the next Pope.Between now and the end of the year, another seven cardinals will turn 80 and lose the possibility of joining the conclave. They are: Giuseppe Versaldi, Angelo…Continue Reading

The Wisdom Of Solomon

July 17, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Wisdom Of Solomon

By FR.ROBERT ALTIER Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12Romans 8:28-30Matt. 13:44-52 In the first reading today, we hear about God speaking with Solomon and giving Solomon the opportunity to ask the Lord for anything he wanted. We can see the intelligence and the charity of Solomon as he recognizes his own inability to govern the people of Israel, so he asks for understanding to be able to be a good king to the people. God commends Solomon for not seeking something selfish; since he was seeking something that would allow him to serve the people, God blessed him with wisdom and understanding beyond what has been, or ever will be, given to anyone else.Before…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 14, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. In a recent column, you quoted paragraph 437 of the Catechism as saying that “God called Joseph ‘to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit’.” The Catechism is wrong, for in Matt. 1:20 it says, “take Mary your wife.” The wording “as your wife” insinuates that Mary wasn’t married. I have over the years corrected Christians and Catholics, and even a priest, on this matter. Why does the word “as” appear in the Catechism when it is not in the New American Bible, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, or the Douay-Rheims Bible? — D.P., New Jersey.A. We don’t know, but we thank you for pointing out this discrepancy. Further…Continue Reading

Pope Francis, Sexual Abuse, And The Fernandez Inversion

July 13, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope Francis, Sexual Abuse, And The Fernandez Inversion

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The Cambridge English Dictionary defines “inversion” as “a situation in which something is changed so that it is the opposite of what it was before, or in which something is turned upside down.”Many have described the Church for some time now as “upside down” under Pope Francis. What was good is bad and what was bad is good. What was the Church before is over and that which was not the Church and the Faith before is what it is now. This comes to mind also when considering the words of the man who has been named the new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.The word “inversion” comes to mind in…Continue Reading

Four Disciplines Of Worthy Disciples

July 12, 2023 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Four Disciplines Of Worthy Disciples

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Pope posted this commentary on July 1, and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + In the Gospel this Sunday, the Lord gives four important principles for a disciple. He also teaches on the concept of being worthy of Him. We tend think of being worthy as acting in a way that meets a certain standard, but the Greek word for “worthy” involves more than merely external behavior, important though that is. To be worthy of the Lord is to ascribe worth and give proper weight to who He is and what He teaches. Let’s take a look.First: The priority of a disciple — The text says that Jesus said to His…Continue Reading