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The Sacraments Of Christian Initiation

July 30, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Sacraments Of Christian Initiation

By DON FIER Two key features have been always present in the Church’s liturgy, dating back to apostolic times: There is one and the same Paschal Mystery and it is celebrated in a variety of forms. There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:5-6), yet the mystery contained therein “is so unfathomably rich that it cannot be exhausted by its expression in any single liturgical tradition” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 1201). It is most fitting, therefore, that throughout the history of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, “this richness found expression among various peoples and cultures in…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 29, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I recall thinking that when I was younger I understood that G.K. Chesterton alluded to the Church’s cultural diversity when noting that Christianity would be externally different for us had Christ been born in China or elsewhere. The many Christian symbols, such as the dove, the fish, the lamb, and the ship, would have been supplanted by others. The historical fact of the Incarnation meant a particular time, place, and cultural identity. The Holy Land is the soil from which Jesus, the rod of Jesse, has sprung. But if He had come in another cultural setting, there would be those cultural characteristics pertaining to the Incarnation. It will be most helpful if you can cite and direct me to…Continue Reading

Have Trust In God’s Promises

July 28, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Have Trust In God’s Promises

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Wisdom 18:6-9 Heb. 11:1-2, 8-19 Luke 12:32-48 In the first reading today we are told that the ancient Jews knew the night of the Passover beforehand so that they would have courage through the sure oaths that had been made to them. It seems to us to be unfair that they had knowledge of the time when the Exodus was to occur and we do not. In fact, in the Gospel today Jesus tells us that the Master will return at an hour we do not expect. Before we look at our Lord’s point, we have to consider the situation for the Hebrew people in Egypt. During their…Continue Reading

From Casuistry To Mercy… Toward A New Art Of Pleasing?

July 27, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on From Casuistry To Mercy… Toward A New Art Of Pleasing?

By MSGR. MICHEL SCHOOYANS Part 2 (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Michel Schooyans wrote the following essay for LifeSiteNews, which graciously granted reprint permission to The Wanderer. The essay is appearing in two parts because of its length; part one appeared in last week’s issue. (John-Henry Westen, editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews, provided this background information about the essay: (“Msgr. Michel Schooyans, a top adviser to Pope St. John Paul II who was also close to Pope Benedict XVI, has issued a dire warning about the current trajectory in the Catholic Church. [In this essay] Professor Schooyans, a member of several Pontifical Academies and Councils, writes that ‘the Synod on the Family has revealed a profound malaise in the Church.’ (“The retired professor from…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Profile Of A “Saturday Vigil Commando”

July 25, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Profile Of A “Saturday Vigil Commando”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Meet the Saturday vigil commando: She will go to Mass any day of the week, at practically any time of the day, except Sunday. She is a veritable fixture at the Saturday vigil Mass and will even return to the parish on Sundays faithfully once per month to help count the offertory collection, but will never return on Sunday for the purpose of going to Mass. When a member of the faithful goes every week always and only to the Saturday vigil Mass, such a choice cannot possibly be due to necessity, but has become a matter of sheer convenience and a practical alienation from the Church’s obedience to the apostolic teaching to worship on…Continue Reading

The Marvel Of The Catholic Church… The Great Catholic Library: The Bible

July 24, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Marvel Of The Catholic Church… The Great Catholic Library: The Bible

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 10 “Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ,” said St. Jerome, one of the greatest Bible scholars of all times, who translated the whole Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into Latin in the fourth century — over one thousand years before Martin Luther preached his heresies in Europe. Luther and his followers down the centuries have pretended to know the Scriptures without the Magisterium of the Church that gave those Scriptures to them; the result is the myriad of Protestant sects and churches and denominations of our days. But the Bible as such is a Catholic library, put together by the Catholic Church in the fourth century (AD 397) at the Council of…Continue Reading

Liturgical Diversity And Unity

July 23, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Liturgical Diversity And Unity

By DON FIER In considering where the liturgy is celebrated, we saw last week that “the worship ‘in spirit and in truth’ (John 4:24) of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any place because Christ is the true temple of God” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCCC], n. 244). It is through Him that the People of God are enabled to become “the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16) by the action of the Holy Spirit — that they become “like living stones…built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5), with Christ as the cornerstone. At the same time, however, in our earthly condition, the faithful have need of sacred places where they…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 22, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I would like to know where St. Patrick is buried. — M.A., Pennsylvania. A. St. Patrick, who died in AD 461, is thought to be buried next to Down Cathedral in Northern Ireland. Once a former Benedictine monastery that was built in 1163, the church now belongs to the Church of Ireland and is known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Q. The bible refers to so many people under demonic possession in times long past. However, we do not hear very much of this curse in current times. The manifestations were extra strength, speaking in foreign tongues, cursing, etc. It is my thinking that this problem exists in our current society, except the Devil…Continue Reading

Seek What Is Above

July 21, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Seek What Is Above

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Eccl. 1:2; 2:21-23 Col. 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21 “Vanity of Vanities, all things are vanity!” What a great line and what profound insight Solomon shows in writing these words. Most everything that the world holds up to be of some importance is nothing but vanity. Unfortunately, it is very easy to get caught up in the things of the world and suddenly find ourselves thinking them to be important as opposed to being vain. Solomon himself demonstrates this weakness of human nature perhaps better than anyone. We have a man who, in his younger years, was blessed with many graces, great spiritual insight, wisdom beyond anyone who ever…Continue Reading

From Casuistry To Mercy . . . Toward A New Art Of Pleasing?

July 20, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on From Casuistry To Mercy . . . Toward A New Art Of Pleasing?

By MSGR. MICHEL SCHOOYANS Part 1 (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Michel Schooyans wrote the following essay for LifeSiteNews, which graciously granted reprint permission to The Wanderer. The essay will appear in two parts because of its length; part two will appear in this space in next week’s issue. (John-Henry Westen, editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews, provided this background information about the essay: (“Msgr. Michel Schooyans, a top adviser to Pope St. John Paul II who was also close to Pope Benedict XVI, has issued a dire warning about the current trajectory in the Catholic Church. [In this essay] Professor Schooyans, a member of several Pontifical Academies and Councils, writes that ‘the Synod on the Family has revealed a profound malaise in the Church.’…Continue Reading