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The New Covenant Of Love

March 12, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The New Covenant Of Love

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifth Sunday Of Lent (YR B) Readings: Jer. 31:31-34 Heb. 5:7-9 John 12:20-33 In the first reading today, we hear a very important statement which was made by God regarding the Israelites. In response to the disobedience of the people, God says that He had to show Himself their Master. What is important about this is that God does not want us to be in a Master/slave kind of relationship. He obviously did not see Himself that way in His relationship with the people of the Old Testament; even more can we say that this is not the relationship He wants to have with us. In the second reading St. Paul says of Jesus: “Son though…Continue Reading

Homily of Charles Cardinal Bo At Our Lady of Lourdes Celebration… “Our Mother Challenges Us To Receive The Spiritual Gifts”

March 11, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Homily of Charles Cardinal Bo At Our Lady of Lourdes Celebration… “Our Mother Challenges Us To Receive The Spiritual Gifts”

YANGON (ZENIT) — Here is the text of the homily given by Charles Cardinal Bo of Yangon (Myanmar) at the 113th Celebration of Our Lady of Lourdes at the National Marian Center of Nyaung Lay Bin. Over 100,000 pilgrims were present at the Mass on February 28, 2015. Cardinal Bo spoke to a crowd of estimated 100,000 pilgrims. This text was made available to Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries, www.churchinneed.org. ZENIT News Agency published this text. All rights reserved. + + + Dear Pilgrims of our Dear Mother from all over Myanmar: We have come…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Navigating Peter’s Barque Through Worldly Tempests

March 9, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Navigating Peter’s Barque Through Worldly Tempests

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Those who already understand the faith well and make sincere efforts to know it better do so by frequent recourse to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as we have been taught to do by Pope Francis. We must, however, together with him, navigate the barque of Peter through, and despite, the worldly machinations of the Church’s enemies and those who might be mistaken as her friends, such as the National Catholic Reporter and Crux news outlet, a subsidiary of The Boston Globe. In the press briefing on his much-discussed flight back to Rome from Rio following World Youth Day, the Pope made known that he considers himself a “son of the Church” and that,…Continue Reading

Are Statues Idols? The Sacred Dwelling And Its Furnishings

March 8, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Are Statues Idols? The Sacred Dwelling And Its Furnishings

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 3 The very same God who condemned idol-making actually commanded that statues be carved. He told the people to show more respect to them than any patriotic American would respect the Lincoln Memorial or any British subject would respect a statue of Queen Victoria. The most sacred place in the world was the Temple sanctuary that lodged the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was so sacred that nobody but the High Priest could touch it. It contained the tables of the Commandments. The presence of the Ark brought God’s blessings to Holy of Holies; the Holy of Holies to the Holy; the Holy to the Temple; the Temple to Jerusalem; Jerusalem to Israel;…Continue Reading

Catechism Of the Catholic Church: Prologue

March 7, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catechism Of the Catholic Church: Prologue

By Don Fier “Father, . . . this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). This Scripture verse, the opening words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), succinctly and beautifully expresses its very purpose. The CCC’s first paragraph goes on to expand on this teaching of Jesus Christ: “God, . . . in a plan of sheer goodness, freely created man to make him share in His own blessed life. . . . He calls man to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him with all his strength. To accomplish this, . . . God sent His Son as Redeemer and Savior.”…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

March 6, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Regarding the question of whether the story of Jonah really happened, R.T. of South Dakota recalled the time that he was a seminary student in Rome and one of his professors said that the story was a myth. R.T. said that one of the other students in the class produced a modern-day newspaper article, which was about a crew that was hunting whales when one man fell overboard and was swallowed up by a whale. They tried to catch the whale, according to the story, and chased it for three days and three nights before harpooning it and catching it. When they cut the whale open, they found the man inside, alive and well. “Obviously,” said R.T., “the…Continue Reading

Practice Mercy And Charity

March 5, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Practice Mercy And Charity

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fourth Sunday Of Lent (YR B) Readings: 2 Chron. 36:14-16, 19-23 Eph. 2:4-10 John 3:14-21 In the second reading today St. Paul reminds us that God is rich in mercy. For this we are all most grateful because without that mercy we would all be headed to a very hot eternity. Sometimes, however, we get impatient with God’s patience and demonstrate that our mercy is miserably less than His. It is the typical human double standard: One standard for me and another for someone else. Coupled with the mercy of God is His infinite love for us. God is our Father who loves us infinitely more that any earthly parent loves his or her children. Parents…Continue Reading

It Looks Like Someone Is Trying To Shout Us Down

March 4, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on It Looks Like Someone Is Trying To Shout Us Down

By JOSEPH CARDINAL ZEN ZE-KIUN (Editor’s Note: The widespread optimism concerning the dialogue between the Holy See and China is largely groundless, according to Cardinal Zen, the archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong. He says that the key issues remain unresolved, namely, episcopal appointments and the fate of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Benedict XVI’s Letter to Chinese Catholics, also cited by Pope Francis, provides guidelines. No agreement is better than a bad agreement, according to His Eminence. (AsiaNews provided this commentary on February 17. All rights reserved.) + + + A Hong Kong Communist daily started spreading the news that the Sino-Vatican Agreement is close at hand. Then the voice of the secretary of state of the Pope adds weight…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Root Of Faith Crisis In Rupture Between Life And Love

March 2, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Root Of Faith Crisis In Rupture Between Life And Love

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Quite a few years ago, I went hiking in the Alps on the border between Italy and France with a group of reformed drug addicts and their family members. One father brought his two sons who observed my delight as I ran up to the snow line ahead of the group and collected fresh snow for filling my water bottle. The boys mistook my good humor and liveliness for superficiality as I offered them a share in my mountain-fresh nourishment. Drug addicts must become experts in spotting superficiality if they intend to live a life without drugs as they seek a life with God. Dealers and addicts have a fundamentally superficial attitude toward others because…Continue Reading

Are Statues Idols? The Meaning Of “False Idols”

March 1, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Are Statues Idols? The Meaning Of “False Idols”

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 2 “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I the Lord, your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:2-5). In this classical text, God our Lord begins by reminding the Hebrews who were gathered around Mount Sinai that He, God, had brought them out of the land of Egypt. And He adds a specific trait…Continue Reading