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Pope Francis’ Lenten Message 2015 . . . “A Merciful Heart Does Not Mean A Weak Heart”

February 4, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope Francis’ Lenten Message 2015 . . . “A Merciful Heart Does Not Mean A Weak Heart”

VATICAN CITY (ZENIT) — Here is the text of Pope Francis’ Lenten Message for 2015, which reflects on the theme: “Make your hearts firm” (James 5:8). + + + Dear Brothers and Sisters, Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each communities and every believer. Above all it is a “time of grace” (2 Cor. 6:2). God does not ask of us anything that He Himself has not first given us. “We love because He first has loved us” (1 John 4:19). He is not aloof from us. Each one of us has a place in His heart. He knows us by name, He cares for us, and He seeks us out whenever we turn away…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Catholics Going Underground?

February 2, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Catholics Going Underground?

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK It’s a cold winter and a difficult one for those facing a historic snowstorm in the northeast U.S. as I write this week’s missive. Colder still is the climate in the public square for anyone unwilling to redefine nature and submit, even privately in some cases, to the forced imposition of immorality and legislated disobedience of God. At a recent deanery meeting of fellow priests I took part in a discussion about the changing cultural climate wherein a minority is imposing its agenda of immoral “dogma” through unjust laws and policies and captive courts. We were reminded of recent developments in this vein, such as Marquette University’s suspension of a tenured political science professor after…Continue Reading

Mary’s Perpetual Virginity… The “Other Mary” And St. Joseph’s “Other Children”

February 1, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity… The “Other Mary” And St. Joseph’s “Other Children”

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 7 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon? And are not also his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3). So, after all, Jesus appears to have had four brothers, named James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon, as well as two or three sisters, right? Let’s investigate the issue. Three women are called “Mary” in the New Testament: Mary, the Mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; and “the other Mary.” And, because of this, a little confusion has been established, which gave an excuse to anti-Catholic bigotry to raise its ugly head against the perpetual virginity of Our Savior’s Mother. “Then…Continue Reading

The Creeds

January 31, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Creeds

By DON FIER In last week’s column, we laid the groundwork to begin an in-depth exposition of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that we, as Catholic Christians, are called to believe: the one, true faith we profess in the Creeds of the Church. For it is in the formulas of the Creeds that, “through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, peoples, and nations, the Church has constantly confessed this one faith, received from the one Lord, transmitted by one Baptism, and grounded in the conviction that all people have only one God and Father” (CCC, n. 172). Why is this so absolutely essential? Precisely, it is because “communion in faith needs a common language of faith,…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

January 30, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: From time to time, readers want to know how to respond to the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura (“Scripture alone”). This is the notion that the Bible alone is the only authority on matters of faith and practice; if it’s not in the Bible, the theory goes, it isn’t true. This theory rejects Catholic belief in an infallible teaching authority and gives each reader of the Bible the authority to interpret what its passages mean. Catholics have one Pope to explain the Bible; Protestants have thousands of “popes.” This exaltation of private judgment has led to the existence of more than 30,000 Protestant denominations. Why can’t the Bible be the sole rule of faith and the only religious…Continue Reading

The Path To Joy And Fulfillment

January 29, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Path To Joy And Fulfillment

By Fr. ROBERT ALTIER Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Job 7:1-4, 6-7 1 Cor. 9:16-19; 22-23 Mark 1:29-39 When I looked at the first reading today, I was tempted to check the source and make sure that this was really from 3,500 years ago and not from last week. We hear Job whining and complaining about his life being a drudgery, being like a slave longing for shade and a hireling seeking his pay. He says that he does not think he will know happiness again. We have changed the wording of these complaints in our modern world, but the essence remains the same. Job, at least, had some justification for his disposition; most of us do…Continue Reading

Pope’s Address At Meeting Of Families In Manila… Set Out On The Path The Lord Sets For Each Of You

January 28, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope’s Address At Meeting Of Families In Manila… Set Out On The Path The Lord Sets For Each Of You

MANILA (ZENIT) — Here is a translation of the Holy Father’s January 16 address at a Meeting With Families at the “Mall of Asia Arena” in Manila. In his text, Pope Francis praised the courage of Pope Paul VI in writing Humanae Vitae. ZENIT News Agency provided the text; all rights reserved. + + + The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to settle in Nazareth. So too, in our time, God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm. Be attentive, be attentive with the new ideological colonization. There is an ideological colonization that…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World.. Papal Bloopers And Catholic Teaching

January 26, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World.. Papal Bloopers And Catholic Teaching

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Pope Francis continues to grab headlines, not only by setting a new record for drawing the largest crowd in history, but also by his question and answer sessions on the planes to and from his pastoral visits. On the plane to the Philippines, the Pope responded to questions about free speech and violent responses to it in light of the Charlie Hebdo massacre by using the example that, if someone insults his mother, that person should expect to get a punch in the face. Such colorful talk, once unheard of from a Pope, now hardly surprises us as much as it befuddles and sparks agitated musings and animated debate. The Mass in Manila during Pope…Continue Reading

Mary’s Perpetual Virginity . . . The Faith Of The Early Christians

January 25, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity . . . The Faith Of The Early Christians

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 6 What did the Early Christians believe about the Catholic doctrine on the perpetual virginity of the Mother of Jesus? Those men, women, and children who sacrificed everything for the true faith — even their very own lives? They were imprisoned, tortured, murdered. Some were burned alive, racked, beheaded. Others were crucified, flayed alive, or eaten by wild beasts. And they preferred to die rather than to deny Jesus Christ and their belonging to His Church. What did those great Christian heroes believe about Mary’s perpetual virginity? Let us see some examples from the extant documentation: Didymus the blind lived in the fourth century. He taught St. Jerome. In his book on the Trinity,…Continue Reading

I Believe — We Believe

January 24, 2015 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on I Believe — We Believe

By DON FIER Over the past three weeks of this series on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), we have been reflectively examining the characteristics of the indescribably wonderful gift of faith that Almighty God has so generously availed mankind. As so adeptly summarized in the Compendium of the CCC, we know that faith is “the supernatural virtue which is necessary for salvation. It is a free gift of God and is accessible to all who humbly seek it. The act of faith is a human act, that is, an act of the intellect of a person — prompted by the will moved by God — who freely assents to divine truth. Faith is also certain because it is…Continue Reading