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Catholic Replies

September 5, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I am unaware of any Democratic congressman who is both pro-life and anti-“gay marriage.” Do you know of any? — R.B.K., Virginia. A. Not without going through the voting records of all 435 members of the House of Representatives. We know that Democratic Cong. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois is pro-life, but we don’t know his stance on same-sex “marriage.” In an interview that appeared in the Knights of Columbus magazine Columbia this past July, Lipinski said that “my way of dealing not only with the life issue, but also other issues, is to be respectful of others, yet to be very firm in what I believe. From the first day that I was running for office, I said unequivocally…Continue Reading

The Cross Shows God’s Love For Us

September 4, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Cross Shows God’s Love For Us

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER The Feast Of The Exaltation Of The Cross (YR A) Readings: Numb. 21:4b-9 Phil. 2:6-11 John 3:13-17 As we celebrate this glorious Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Cross, we must first recognize that it is not the tree or the wood that makes up the cross of Christ that we are celebrating. This is indeed important to understand because the cross is the primary symbol of our holy faith. When we come into church, we see the cross front and center. In our homes we have a crucifix prominently displayed and usually have one in every bedroom. Many people wear a cross around their neck daily. These practices are all excellent and they…Continue Reading

Pope’s Message To Rimini Meeting . . . Signs Of Thirst For God And The Ultimate Meaning Of Life

September 3, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope’s Message To Rimini Meeting . . . Signs Of Thirst For God And The Ultimate Meaning Of Life

VATICAN CITY (ZENIT) — Below is a translation of the message Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin sent August 23 on behalf of Pope Francis for the occasion of the 35th Edition of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, August 24-28, in Rimini, Italy. The meeting had the theme: “Towards the Fringes of the World and of Existence: Fate Has Not Left Man Alone.” It was sent to Bishop Francesco Lambiasi of Rimini. ZENIT News Agency provided the text and the translation from Italian; all rights reserved. +    +    + Most Reverend Excellency, On the occasion of the 35th Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, I am happy to send you, the organizers, the volunteers, and all those who will participate,…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… The Natural And Supernatural “Keys Of The Kingdom”

September 1, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… The Natural And Supernatural “Keys Of The Kingdom”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK In the Gospel of Holy Mass on a recent Sunday we heard again the beautiful and consoling words by which the Lord consigns a gift to Peter and his Successors for the benefit of us all: the “Keys of the Kingdom.” We learn that these “keys” open the doors of Heaven to us because of the grace of the sacramental life made possible through Christ in the Church. Many of us have seen the papal coat of arms on the flags which adorn our church sanctuaries and often in connection with Vatican City and our Holy Father in the media. The Gospel teaching of Christ is the source of this symbol of the office of…Continue Reading

Priestly Celibacy: Unnatural? Or…Supernatural? The Levitical Priesthood

August 31, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Priestly Celibacy: Unnatural? Or…Supernatural? The Levitical Priesthood

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 2 The second type of priesthood in the Old Testament was the Levitical priesthood. It was established by God on Mount Sinai — whereto Moses took the people to offer sacrifice to God. There is one aspect of the Levitical priesthood that is often overlooked by those who read the Bible through anti-celibacy eyes: God our Lord imposed three conditions for the people to receive the priesthood, to become a priestly kingdom, a holy nation (Exodus 19:3-6). They were to a) be sanctified, symbolized by the washing of their garments (verse 10); b) keep themselves away from the holy mountain, and not even touch it, under penalty of death — it was God’s sanctuary,…Continue Reading

God Reveals His Name

August 30, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on God Reveals His Name

By DON FIER In last week’s installment of this series on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), we examined the fundamental significance of coming to know that all that we believe begins with God and ends with God. “I believe in God” is the first affirmation of the Apostles’ Creed, and likewise, Sacred Scripture begins with the words, “In the beginning God. . . .” (Gen. 1:1). Believing in the one, true God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength is central to the Catholic faith and is the basis for each of the 12 articles of the Creed. It is upon professing our belief in God that the “other articles help us to know God better as…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

August 29, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. My nine-year-old grandson asked why, on August 15, the Gospel of Luke about the Visitation was read when it was the Feast of the Assumption. What should I tell him? — E.C., via e-mail. A. You can tell your grandson that there is no Gospel reading about the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven because that event is not recorded in the Gospels. Catholic belief in Mary’s Assumption, body and soul, into Heaven at the end of her life can be traced back at least to the sixth century, although it was not formally proclaimed by the Church until 1950. This dogma is related to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which says that Mary was free from original…Continue Reading

Justice And Charity

August 28, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Justice And Charity

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Third Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Ezek. 33:7-9 Romans 13:8-10 Matt. 18:15-20 In the second reading today, St. Paul tells us that we are to owe nothing to anyone except to love one another. The fact that St. Paul puts this into the category of something that is owed to another person is of great importance. Because each person is created in the image of God, each person is made to love and to be loved. Therefore, to love another is not like a debt that we owe to someone; rather, it is a matter of justice flowing from our very creation. Since love requires that we do always what is the best for…Continue Reading

Pope’s Address To Young People Of Asia… “Today Christ Is Knocking At The Door Of Your Heart”

August 27, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope’s Address To Young People Of Asia… “Today Christ Is Knocking At The Door Of Your Heart”

SEOUL (ZENIT) — The Holy Father gave the following address to the young people of Asia on August 15. Pope Francis visited South Korea from August 14-18. ZENIT News Agency provided the text and translation of his address; all rights reserved. +    +    + Dear Young Friends, “It is good for us to be here!” (Matt. 17:4). These words were spoken by St. Peter on Mount Tabor as he stood in the presence of Jesus transfigured in glory. Truly it is good for us to be here, together, at this shrine of the Korean Martyrs, in whom the Lord’s glory was revealed at the dawn of the Church’s life in this country. In this great assembly, which brings together young…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Changing Papacy Under Changing Demands

August 25, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Changing Papacy Under Changing Demands

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Who would have thought that a 21st-century Pope would be accused of leading the charge of a new crusade? Not me. But that’s what has happened in the wake of U.S. air strikes on Iraq in defense of religious minorities at Mount Sinjar and in the effort to retake Mosul Dam. Pope Francis undoubtedly felt himself backed into a diplomatic corner as a result of the stupendous ferocity of the ISIS attacks upon Christians and others in Iraq and elsewhere in the Levant, and this led to his support for limited defense of those persecuted. That this amounts to a call for a new crusade is rubbish, of course, as no Christians are enlisting at…Continue Reading