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A Leaven In The World… Celebrating Life On The Moon: But Here?

July 22, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Celebrating Life On The Moon: But Here?

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Media through news and commentary are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the first landing of a man on the moon this month, a great achievement indeed. Neil Armstrong’s great feat proved that we could travel into the solar system and see new places beyond planet Earth. The possibility of human life on the moon and the mission to travel deeper into outer space, however, is not the only frontier that yet needs to be conquered: We still have a lot of work to do simply to assert the inviolability of the sacredness of human life right here on Earth. I remember, at six years old in 1969, fighting sleep, up late at night with my…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 19, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I am a senior citizen who has a collection of old prayer books, holy cards, leaflets, and pamphlets, as well as large-size holy pictures that are nicely framed. I will be moving soon and our local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store is no longer there. Can you help me to find some person or organization who would be interested in these treasures? — J.S., Indiana. A. If any of our readers knows of some person or organization who would be interested in these holy items, please let us know and we will put you in touch with J.S. Q. It strikes me as wrong on so many levels to say that a mother deserves Heaven for giving an…Continue Reading

Cardinal Zen Warns Pope Francis . . . Vatican Directives For Church In China May Lead To “Death Of True Faith”

July 17, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Cardinal Zen Warns Pope Francis . . . Vatican Directives For Church In China May Lead To “Death Of True Faith”

By BREE A. DAIL HONG KONG (LifeSiteNews) — The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong has spoken out forcefully against the Vatican’s newest “pastoral document” for the Chinese Church which gives reasons for why priests should register with the Communist government. Joseph Cardinal Zen presented nine criticisms to Pope Francis and Pietro Cardinal Parolin on a recent trip to Rome, July 1, that outline his concerns about the document. “A text is signed against the faith and it is stated that the intention is to promote the good of the community, a more suitable evangelization, and the responsible management of Church assets. This general rule is obviously against all fundament[al] moral theology! If valid, [it] would justify even apostasy!” stated the cardinal…Continue Reading

Serve Others With Charity

July 16, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Serve Others With Charity

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Gen. 18:1-10a Col. 1:24-28 Luke 10:38-42 In the Gospel reading today, we hear about Martha welcoming Jesus and serving Him. Martha became burdened with the task of serving and asked the Lord if He did not care that Mary, her sister who was sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him, had left Martha to do all the serving. Jesus replied that Martha was anxious and worried about many things and that Mary had chosen the better part. We can contrast this with the story in the first reading when Abraham welcomes the three men who were walking past his tent. Abraham brought water to bathe…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Sexual Immorality Begins With Teaching Failures

July 15, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Sexual Immorality Begins With Teaching Failures

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. “But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction” (Mal. 2:7ff) The Church exists to preach Christ and Truth: These two things always go together; it is impossible to have the one without the other. Truth involves both what we believe and…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 12, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Answering a question in a recent column about the meaning of “Jesuitical,” we said that it can mean “dissembling or equivocating, in the manner associated with Jesuits.” We cited as an example of an attempt to skirt around some clear moral teaching of the Church a 2017 comment by the superior general of the Society of Jesus. When he was asked about the Lord’s statement that a divorced person who marries again commits adultery, Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal said that “there would have to be a lot of reflection on what Jesus really said. At that time, no one had a recorder to take down His words. What is known is that the words of Jesus must be…Continue Reading

Before And After the Pill . . . Its Redefinition Of Human Sexuality And Impact On Society

July 10, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Before And After the Pill . . . Its Redefinition Of Human Sexuality And Impact On Society

By FR. SHENAN J. BOQUET (Editor’s Note: Fr. Shenan Boquet is the president of Human Life International. He travels around the world spreading the Gospel of Life. Fr. Boquet was ordained in 1993 and is a priest of the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese in Louisiana, his home state, where he served before joining HLI in August 2011. (This commentary first appeared July 1, 2019 at HLI.org and is reprinted here with permission. All rights reserved.) + + + “When couples, by means of recourse to contraception, separate these two meanings that God the Creator has inscribed in the being of man and woman and in the dynamism of their sexual communion, they act as ‘arbiters’ of the Divine plan and they ‘manipulate’…Continue Reading

Love God And Love Neighbor

July 9, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Love God And Love Neighbor

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Deut. 30:10-14 Col. 1:15-20 Luke 10:25-37 Toward the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses pleads with the people of Israel: “If only you would heed the voice of the Lord your God….” It was the failure of the people to follow the Commandments of the Lord that led them into exile. In fact, chapters 27 and 28 of Deuteronomy lay out the blessings for following the Law and the curses for failing to follow the Law. This plea of Moses to heed the voice of the Lord has rung in the ears and hearts of the Jewish people for over 3,500 years. However, it is not a…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Traditional Latin Mass And Confession Of Sins

July 8, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Traditional Latin Mass And Confession Of Sins

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Franciscan Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the very well-educated, longtime preacher to the papal household. I also attended an evening session at a parish in a neighboring state where he spoke at length about his experiences in Rome, and elsewhere, giving retreats and preaching during liturgies for the Pope and his collaborators through many years of such service to the universal Church. Something that stayed with me after hearing his remarks was his description of his experience of first coming into contact with the charismatic movement. He had been approached with a request to do pastoral work in support of them but had initial misgivings. He was in…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 5, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Since this column is dated on the day we celebrate the birthday of our nation, and it comes at a time when mention of God and freedom of religion are under attack in our country, it might be worth recalling how important God was to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, who put their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor on the line 243 years ago. On no less than four occasions in that brief document did our Founders mention the role of God in their bold proclamation. In the first paragraph of the Declaration, the signers said that they were acting “to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station…Continue Reading