Tuesday 20th August 2019

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A Leaven In The World… Spiritual Materialism Cannot Save Your Soul

August 19, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Spiritual Materialism Cannot Save Your Soul

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Some call it cafeteria Catholic. It manifests itself as a demand to take one thing Christ handed down in the Church while rejecting others likewise handed down. The Eucharist is the Real Presence of the Lord and it is thus the source and summit of our faith. The sight of the faithful going forward at Mass and receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord is deeply rooted in Catholic experience. Which is awesome, considering who it is we thus receive! If we truly understood that the One greater than which cannot be imagined was before us, we might be seized by an immobilizing fear of offending Him and remain in our pews, bent knees…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

August 16, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Regarding a recent discussion in this column of Communism and socialism, and the sway that these collectivist ideologies hold over many Democrat politicians today, D.M. of Virginia sent along an excerpt from Whittaker Chambers’ 1952 book Witness that accurately describes the nature of Communism and its impact on the world over the past century, when its practitioners caused the deaths of more than 100 million people. Chambers was a former Communist who brought down on his head the wrath of the left for exposing the Communist ties of Alger Hiss, who had become a high State Department official and adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt and was a member of the Washington elite in the 1940s. In describing himself…Continue Reading

Pope Benedict XVI . . . The Legacy Of John Paul II On Marriage And Family

August 14, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope Benedict XVI . . . The Legacy Of John Paul II On Marriage And Family

(Editor’s Note: Below is the address of Pope Benedict XVI to members of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family on the occasion of the institute’s twenty-fifth anniversary. Pope Benedict delivered this historic address on May 11, 2006 in the Hall of Blessings. (Following the address are some quotations from John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio, an apostolic exhortation dated November 22, 1981. Familiaris Consortio therefore also celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2006. (Both texts are from Libreria Editrice Vaticana. All rights reserved.) + + + Your Eminences, Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, Dear Brothers and Sisters, I meet you today with great joy on this twenty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of…Continue Reading

Live Truth In Charity

August 13, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Live Truth In Charity

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twentieth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Jer. 38:4-6, 8-10 Heb. 12:1-4 Luke 12:49-53 In the Gospel reading today, Jesus says something quite startling. The Prince of Peace said: “Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” The division Jesus speaks of is about truth and charity. Some people want a false peace, a peace that exists only if we do not bring truth into the equation, if we do not make judgments about what is right and wrong. We are just supposed to be “nice” and allow evil to flourish while saying and doing nothing to counter it. We need to recognize the…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Thou Shalt Not Kill

August 12, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Thou Shalt Not Kill

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Violence — whether perpetrated by means of a gun or any other weapon — and the anger and hatred which give rise to it do not have a color. The victims do: They come from a variety of backgrounds of various races, religions, and languages. This week the funerals of the slain continued. There is still hope for us if we can avoid becoming morally numb in the face of these killings which continue to mount adding victims upon victims. Perhaps seeing the bogeyman of white supremacy as the reason for the spate of gun violence is a distraction. The red flag bill now making its way through Congress may help to decrease violence while…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

August 9, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. A recent Mass reading talks about Abram’s interaction with Melchizedek, the king of Salem. What do we know about Melchizedek? — F.A., via e-mail. A. Melchizedek was a king and priest who lived at the time of Abram (later Abraham). When Abram learned that a group of kings had seized all the food and possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and had taken his nephew Lot prisoner, he mustered more than 300 men, defeated the kings in battle, and rescued Lot. When he returned from his victory, Abram was greeted by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who brought out bread and wine and blessed Abram with these words: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, / the creator of heaven…Continue Reading

What Is A True Scandal?… No One Has A Right To The Holy Eucharist

August 7, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on What Is A True Scandal?… No One Has A Right To The Holy Eucharist

By BISHOP ATHANASIUS SCHNEIDER Part 2 (Editor’s Note: Here is the second half of Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s commentary on the working document of the Amazon Synod. That synod is set to take place in Rome from October 6-27, with most of the synod fathers stemming from the Amazon region. Bishop Schneider is the auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan. (The first half of the Schneider commentary appeared in last week’s issue. (Bishop Schneider joins a growing list of episcopal critics of the working document, or Instrumentum Laboris, of the October synod.) + + + St. Irenaeus is already a witness in the second century for the unity of the Faith and of discipline in the Church, and to be such among…Continue Reading

The Faith Of Abraham

August 6, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Faith Of Abraham

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sunday Sermon for August 11, 2019 Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Wisdom 18:6-9 Heb. 11:1-2, 8-19 Luke 12:32-48 In the readings today we hear about faith, its necessity and its reward. St. Paul speaks of faith as “the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” He goes on to talk about Abraham, the Father of the Jewish Faith and of our Faith. Abraham left his homeland after being called by God. This was already an act of faith, but it was even greater since he did not even know where he was going. God did not even tell him to go south or east; He just promised…Continue Reading

Catholics In Hong Kong . . . Caught Up In Protests Against China

August 5, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholics In Hong Kong . . . Caught Up In Protests Against China

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Fr. Vincent Woo is a native of Hong Kong. I met him recently during his stay in the United States for the purpose of studying at Catholic University. He will return to his diocese after earning a canon law degree. He is unsure about the future of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, which has historically been as one in union with Rome. The Patriotic Church created by the Communist Party never took root in Hong Kong. The attempt to grab judicial power in Hong Kong is related to the experience of the Church in China. The so-called Patriotic Church, for joining which Pope Francis has given the green light to Chinese clergy, is still…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

August 2, 2019 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: From time to time, we have quoted from William Kilpatrick, former college professor, author of several books, including Christianity, Islam, and Atheism, and frequent contributor to Catholic publications. You should visit his site turningpointproject.com if you are seeking information about the threat to our Church and our country from the forces of Islam. Kilpatrick argues that a major problem facing us is “stealth jihad,” which is “a long-term campaign to spread Islamic law and culture by influencing and eventually co-opting key social institutions.” He says that “stealth jihadists have also been at work for decades in the U.S., burrowing into government, schools, the media, and even churches. After decades of multicultural conditioning about the benefits of diversity, many…Continue Reading