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Catholic Replies

May 22, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. While I’ve read letters in religious publications from prisoners begging for Catholic materials, I have never had any success making contact with Catholic chaplains who might have requests for certain items. I’ve tried both prison and diocesan addresses, and no one responds. Any suggestions? — N.D., Illinois. A. Perhaps readers who are involved in prison ministry can recommend places where such religious materials might be sent. Q. Please explain why divorce was permitted before Christ because of the “hardness of your hearts,” but not now when hearts are certainly as hardened? — C.S., Arizona. A. The Bible verse permitting divorce is Deut. 24:1, which says that “when a man, after marrying a woman and having relations with her, is…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… A Pope Francis Primer

May 20, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… A Pope Francis Primer

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK We are immersed in cultural and political wars, with opposing parties engaged in perpetual bickering and posing for effect. On the political front we are faced daily with the spectacle of elected officials who don’t want to work. Instead, they go on the attack and attempt to impeach the reputations of others. False criminal accusations might provide riveting political drama, and may serve somewhat as distractions from the achievements of political rivals, but they also waste precious time for doing genuine good and waste millions of taxpayer dollars. One of the weapons in these wars is fake news. Picking through all the information available on the Internet is difficult. Big legacy networks and news organizations…Continue Reading

Sharing In The Sufferings Of Christ

May 19, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Sharing In The Sufferings Of Christ

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Seventh Sunday Of Easter (YR A) Readings: Acts 1:12-14 1 Peter 4:13-16 John 17:1-11a In the Gospel reading today we have the beginning of the “High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus. This was prayed at the Last Supper, just before our Lord began His Passion. Many important points are included in this prayer, but these will be highlighted for us because of the situation we are in at present. First of all, in this prayer Jesus pronounces that the Father has given Him authority over all people so He can give eternal life to the people the Father has given Him. Authority is given to serve, which is what our Lord is making clear that He is…Continue Reading

Bishop Strickland . . .The Rosary Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

May 18, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Bishop Strickland . . .The Rosary Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

By MOST REV. JOSEPH STRICKLAND In the year 2002, now Pope St. John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter entitled, in English, “The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae). I highly recommend this beautiful letter to all Catholics who want to come to a deeper understanding of the origins and the power of this beautiful prayer and devotion. I also recommend this letter to our Christian friends in other communities who want to understand the reason that Catholics pray the rosary. Pope St. John Paul II wrote: “The Rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation. Developed in the West, it is a typically meditative prayer, corresponding in some way to the ‘prayer…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

May 15, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I have heard the word “sacred” applied to saints or religious objects, but not to bishops, as did a recent article in The Wanderer which talked about the obligation of the laity to voice their concerns about problems in the Church to one’s “sacred pastor (the bishop).” Should this word be applied to bishops? — J.G., Illinois. A. The word “sacred” is applied to a lot of things in the Church, including, obviously, the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Sacred Species. But it is also attached to the names of the various Vatican congregations (e.g., the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) and applied to Scripture, the Liturgy, the Triduum, as well as to the linens…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Love Is Holy Because God Is Love

May 13, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Love Is Holy Because God Is Love

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Our Lady’s month of May is a popular month also for weddings. The “flowers of the fairest” about which we sing when using them to crown our Lady in traditional May devotions are also sought for nuptial festivities, as are all things bright and beautiful. If you grew up with parents who got married in May as I did, then you inevitably think of May as a marriage month. May is also a time when the weather begins to become more pleasant for outdoor activities. Although this year on Mother’s Day weekend in my locale, the temperatures dipped back down into the thirties for a few nights after tantalizing us with highs in the fifties.…Continue Reading

Our Reason For Hope

May 12, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Our Reason For Hope

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sixth Sunday Of Easter (YR A) Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 In the second reading today St. Peter tells us to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” Jesus is holy in an absolute sense, so we cannot make Him holy in our hearts, so what is St. Peter talking about? It is very similar to what Jesus taught us in the Our Father when we pray “hallowed be Thy Name.” God’s Name is holy and it cannot be anything other than holy. So, we are not praying that God’s Name would be made holy, but that we would have the proper reverence for the holy Name of God. The same is…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

May 8, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. We know that Jesus loved all of His disciples (John 13:1), but several times in the Gospel of John, the evangelist is referred to specifically as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” This language is seized upon by some LGBT writers to suggest that there was a homoerotic relationship here. This is a blasphemous assertion and certainly not true, but what is the best response to this allegation? — J.T., North Carolina. A. The allegation show just how desperate are those in the LGBT community to give their immoral lifestyle some justification. It’s like saying that a special love for one’s parents or siblings suggests an incestuous relationship. Such a suggestion would be absurd in the latter case, but it…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Seek The Things That Are Above

May 6, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Seek The Things That Are Above

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK I was with my parents on a sojourn in Italy when the electricity was cut off to the entire “boot” of the Italian peninsula overnight and into the morning hours of September 29, 2003. The blackout was allegedly in retaliation by Switzerland for unpaid Italian bills. We were staying in Orvieto and I woke up to find with chagrin there was no coffee available. You see, the Italian coffee bars use electricity while the homes have gas stoves. One knows these things when one has spent time living in Italy as I did. I maintained an apartment on the coast near Cuma while serving as an active duty Navy chaplain in Naples. It was a…Continue Reading

Out Of Darkness Into Light

May 5, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Out Of Darkness Into Light

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifth Sunday Of Easter (YR A) Readings: Acts 6:1-7 1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12 In the second reading today, St. Peter tells us Jesus is a living stone; more than that, He is the cornerstone upon which we are all built. Regarding this building, St. Peter says we are being built into “a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” St. Peter tells us that this stone, Jesus, which is chosen and precious to God, is of value only for those who have faith. Without faith, Jesus is a stone rejected by the builders who becomes a stumbling stone, a stone that makes them fall. Before…Continue Reading