Saturday 22nd February 2020

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Catholic Replies

February 21, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: In his weekly Bulletin at the Church of St. Michael in New York City, Fr. George Rutler listed some of the false predictions of the climate alarmists and noted their refusal ever to admit being wrong: “Inevitably, the list of mistaken predictions keeps growing. We may remember being told in the 1960s that, within twenty years, overpopulation would cause universal starvation. Instead, we now have crises of empty cradles and obesity; birth dearth and increased girth. As the new year begins, we can reflect on a prediction of the president of Exxon USA in 1989 that by 2020 our national oil reserves would be practically nil, while the solid fact is that those reserves are far higher than…Continue Reading

“What Will There Be For Us?” Amazon Synod Doesn’t Like The Answer

February 19, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on “What Will There Be For Us?” Amazon Synod Doesn’t Like The Answer

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Many of you know I happily served as a Navy chaplain for years. Some of my assignments were with Marine units. I found Marine officers were always very happy to have a priest along because, being celibate, he could more easily pick up and move with the unit at any time they were called upon to deploy or train. Non-Catholic chaplains were typically married with children and had family matters to attend to before they could get away for a deployment or field exercise. More significantly, sometimes they might be called away during a deployment for a family emergency, having as they did military dependents for whom they served as primary caretakers. The Catholic priest…Continue Reading

The Temple Of God Is Holy

February 18, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Temple Of God Is Holy

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Lev. 19:1-2, 17-18 1 Cor. 3:16-23 Matt. 5:38-48 In the first reading today, God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites that they were to be holy because the Lord God is holy. This makes sense on several levels. First, we are made in the image and likeness of God, so we will find fulfillment by becoming more like God in whose image we are created. Second, the people of Israel were the Chosen People of God. They had entered into covenants with Him, so they were to be more like Him than any other people. St. Paul, who was educated by one of the greatest Jewish rabbis, Rabbi…Continue Reading

Bishop Strickland . . . Mary, Mother Of God And The Church

February 17, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Bishop Strickland . . . Mary, Mother Of God And The Church

By MOST REV. JOSEPH STRICKLAND I write this column on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of many Marian memorials in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. That is because Mary is, and always has been, deeply loved and honored by Catholic and Orthodox Christians. It was only in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, that this special love and honor began to diminish among some other Christians. There are many reasons for this, but it is a sad turn of events. Because to love and honor the Mother of the Lord Jesus does not detract, but rather enhances, our love for her Son and Savior, Jesus Christ. On the 102nd anniversary of the final apparition…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

February 14, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. In an exchange with a fellow on Facebook, he wondered how God could be a loving Father when He abandoned His Son Jesus on the cross. How can I answer him? — R.Q., Massachusetts. A. Your questioner is referring to Jesus’ words from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). But Jesus was not being abandoned by His Father. Christ knew exactly what He was doing, namely, carrying out the Father’s will by offering His life for us. He knew His sacrifice would not be in vain, but He wanted to experience the deepest depths of desolation and mental agony, as if He had been completely forsaken, so that He could encompass all…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Our Path Forward Is Clear

February 12, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Our Path Forward Is Clear

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK A couple of sudden deaths have hit the Catholic community in the United States in recent weeks, giving a moment to pause and reflect for those of us willing to take a lesson. First is a Catholic priest, young, devout with nearly his whole life of ministry yet ahead of him. We were stunned with the shocking and disheartening news of the manner of his death, allegedly by his own hand. His bishop later issued a statement, revealing that Fr. Harkins had been on meds for three weeks to address a physical problem but with extreme, deleterious mental side effects, possibly including suicidal thoughts. With evidence that the priest was not in his right mind,…Continue Reading

Choosing The Lord

February 11, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Choosing The Lord

BY FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Sirach 15:15-20 1 Cor. 2:6-10 Matt. 5:17-37 In the second reading today, St. Paul speaks of a wisdom that is obtained by the spiritually mature. It is not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age. Instead, it is divine wisdom. Even more to the point, Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Wisdom of God. So, when speaking of a divine Wisdom, we are speaking of Jesus. Certainly, He is known to many, but how many actually know Him? We live in a world where very few can claim they do not know who He is, but very many have chosen to reject Him, ignore…Continue Reading

Bishop Strickland . . .The Sacraments At The Service Of Communion And Mission

February 10, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Bishop Strickland . . .The Sacraments At The Service Of Communion And Mission
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By MOST REV. JOSEPH STRICKLAND As we continue our series on Guarding the Deposit of Faith, we have been examining the great gift of the sacraments of the Catholic Church, through which Jesus Christ continues His ministry, in and through ordained ministers of His Mystical Body, the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC, n. 1131). This simple but powerful statement should shake us to the bone, and draw us to our knees in prayer and gratitude. Jesus Christ is not dead. He is alive. And, He is ministering to us in every sacrament of…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

February 7, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editors’ Note: In his weekly bulletin at the Church of St. Michael in New York City, Fr. George Rutler is once again the voice of reason: “In recent days, a woman in Britain gave birth, although she was bearded after hormonal treatments that made her appear as the man she had ‘transitioned’ to be twelve years before. Her partner is ‘non-binary’ — which means neither male nor female, and the ‘sperm donor’ was a man who thinks he is a woman, while the obstetrician, according to vague reports, was either a man who claims to be a woman or a woman who claims to be a man. “Thus, our rattled culture poses a dilemma: Either these people are mentally ill,…Continue Reading

Seeking Union With The Lord

February 5, 2020 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Seeking Union With The Lord

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10 1 Cor. 2:1-5 Matt. 5:13-16 In the second reading today St. Paul tells the Corinthians that when he came to them, preaching the mystery of God, he did not come with sublimity of words or wisdom. Instead, he decided to preach about nothing but Jesus Christ crucified. This demonstrates that the faith of the Corinthians was not based on human wisdom, but on the power of God. In our present situation, we are faced with many challenges to our faith. As we witness the exodus of many people from the Church, one has to wonder if their faith was based on human wisdom or on the power of God. There is no doubt…Continue Reading