Tuesday 29th November 2022

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Life Is Beautiful With Final Judgment In View

November 10, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Life Is Beautiful With Final Judgment In View

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The prospect of final judgment brings negative impressions, images, or emotions to mind for many. Sometimes it also does so for some who claim our Catholic faith. As a step along the way to spiritual maturity, we must often be purged of our childish or worldly impressions. With an authentic and deeper faith, the prospect of meeting God, the ultimate arbiter of good and evil, at the end of our lives is something not only to look forward to, but which is helpful in daily life.Acknowledgment of the fact of final judgment comes to the fore each November when we turn from the first day of the month, celebrating all the saints in glory, to…Continue Reading

To Make A Long Story Short

November 9, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on To Make A Long Story Short

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this article on October 29 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + The Gospel today features the endearing story of Zacchaeus, a man who climbs a tree because he is too short to see Jesus. By climbing this tree (of the cross), he encounters Jesus and is changed.The danger with familiar stories is that because they are familiar, it is easy to miss their remarkable qualities. Let’s look at today’s Gospel with fresh eyes, searching for the symbolic in the ordinary details.Shortsighted Sinner — Zacchaeus is physically short, so short that he cannot see the Lord. Do you think that this detail is provided merely to describe his…Continue Reading

A “Day Of The Lord”

November 7, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A “Day Of The Lord”

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Thirty-Third Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Mal. 3:19-202 Thess. 3:7-12Luke 21:5-19 In the Gospel reading, our Lord tells His apostles about the destruction of the Temple and, ultimately, the end of the world. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year AD 70 Along with the Temple, the entire city of Jerusalem was destroyed. More than a million Jewish people were killed, and the city was burned to the ground.This is important for us to understand for two reasons. First, Jerusalem is the only city in the ancient world to be burned to the ground. Second, the destruction of Jerusalem is a prefiguration of what will happen at the end of the…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

November 4, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. How does the priest make sure that no consecrated wine at all remains in the vessel after there are no more recipients of the Blood of Christ? There is almost always a drop of wine or so left in a wine bottle after it is said to be empty. — K.M., Nevada.A. The priest pours water into the vessel that contained the Blood of Christ, drinks what remains in the vessel, and then wipes it clean so that no trace of Our Lord’s Blood is left. Here is the pertinent passage from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (n. 279):“The sacred vessels are purified by the priest, the deacon, or an instituted acolyte after Communion or after Mass,…Continue Reading

Biden An “Apostate On The Abortion Issue”

November 3, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Biden An “Apostate On The Abortion Issue”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK We are, with official approval, giving Communion to apostates. That is, according to Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap.The retired ordinary of Philadelphia spoke on October 22 at a Eucharistic Congress in the Diocese of Arlington, Va. A Catholic News Agency article quoted him: “Mr. Biden’s apostasy on the abortion issue is only the most repugnant example. He’s not alone. But in a sane world, his unique public leadership would make — or should make — public consequences unavoidable. When you freely break communion with the Church of Jesus Christ and her teachings, you can’t pretend to be in communion when it’s convenient.”In at least two dioceses, Washington and Wilmington, the bishops have spoken out explicitly…Continue Reading

Of A Lesser-Known Gospel Story That Is Pretty “Cool”

November 2, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Of A Lesser-Known Gospel Story That Is Pretty “Cool”

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Pope posted this article on October 26 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + Recently I was talking to a group of young adult Catholics and mentioned a Gospel passage that they said they had never heard. It is the Gospel of the Temple Tax and how Jesus told Peter to go catch a fish and, in its mouth will be a coin that will pay the Temple Tax for Jesus and Peter.In a certain sense it is one of the more charming Gospel passages and kind of “cool.” It shows Jesus’ sovereignty over creation and the rather interesting twist of finding money in the mouth of a certain fish from…Continue Reading

Perseverance In The Love Of God

October 31, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Perseverance In The Love Of God

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Thirty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: 2 Macc. 7:1-2, 9-142 Thess. 2:16-3:5Luke 20:27-38 In the second reading today, St. Paul prays that the Lord would direct our hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ. The love of God makes sense to us, but the endurance of Christ might sound a bit strange. However, when we recall the sufferings that St. Paul had to endure himself, as well as that of all of the other apostles, we begin to understand why he would pray this way for the people. We also recall our Lord speaking about the need to persevere to the end. This perseverance is certainly in the love…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

October 28, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This series on the Bible is from the book Catholicism & Scripture. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. Special Course On Catholicism And Scripture (Chapter 6) Angels are highly intelligent spirits who can and do take on human form on occasion. They are primarily messengers from God and have been the subject of many books, movies, and TV programs. They are mentioned 300 times in the Bible, and they are not fat little babies with wings, but rather powerful warriors whose sudden appearance frightens people. That is why the first words from an angel are often, “Do not be afraid.”Angels…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Life Is Beautiful With Final Judgment In View

October 27, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Life Is Beautiful With Final Judgment In View

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The prospect of final judgment brings negative impressions, images, or emotions to mind for many. Sometimes it also does so for some who claim our Catholic faith. As a step along the way to spiritual maturity, we must often be purged of our childish or worldly impressions. With an authentic and deeper faith, the prospect of meeting God, the ultimate arbiter of good and evil, at the end of our lives is something not only to look forward to, but which is helpful in daily life.Acknowledgment of the fact of final judgment comes to the fore each November when we turn from the first day of the month, celebrating all the saints in glory, to…Continue Reading

Sins Of Priests… As Described In The Book Of The Prophet Malachi

October 26, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Sins Of Priests… As Described In The Book Of The Prophet Malachi

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Msgr. Charles Pope posted this article on his website. It is reprinted here with permission.) + + Sinful, misleading, and even heretical clergy are nothing new, yet this remains a profound sadness. It is a rare week when someone does not contact me from somewhere in the country to say that his or her parish priest is preaching or teaching something that is a half-truth, erroneous, heretical, and/or scandalous. Add to this the silence of many other priests and bishops and we have a flock that is often disheartened and confused. Woe to clergy who mislead, pervert the truth, or spread error and confusion.Last week in the Office of Readings we read from the Book of…Continue Reading