Tuesday 16th April 2024

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The Sacred Liturgy… Where Thy Glory Dwells

January 22, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Sacred Liturgy… Where Thy Glory Dwells

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA Part 4 Yes, the liturgy of the Church must be sacred. The Church did not institute the liturgy for our Sunday entertainment, but to give glory to God. Because of its sacredness, it cannot be celebrated just anywhere, as in parks, beaches, or backyards. Today, there is a weird trend — to put it charitably — whereby people choose to celebrate their weddings outside of the church buildings, for reasons of convenience or simply because of a whim. But our Lord Jesus Christ deserves much more than that. He honored the Temple of Jerusalem, and as soon as the Church obtained her freedom in the Roman Empire, the early Christians started to build churches or simply…Continue Reading

The Eucharist — Source And Summit Of Christian Life

January 21, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Eucharist — Source And Summit Of Christian Life

By DON FIER To complete our treatment of Confirmation, it is fitting to end with a concise summary from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on the sacrament’s purpose and the benefits it bestows to help us live a fully Christian life: “Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds” (n. 1316). Just as the apostles were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2) on that first Pentecost, so too…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

January 20, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I noticed people collecting for the Salvation Army at Christmastime. What can you tell me about them? — M.D., Arizona. A. The Salvation Army is known for its charitable works and its role in disaster relief. They spend more than $2 billion a year, and the group in the United States is made up of commissioned officers who proclaim the Gospel and serve as administrators, teachers, social workers, and counselors; about 450,000 “soldiers,” local citizens in communities throughout the United States who help the army’s social service outreach and take part in its musical programs; and many thousands of volunteers. But while the Salvation Army is a relief agency, it is also an evangelical Protestant group that pursues its…Continue Reading

Living The Beatitudes

January 19, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Living The Beatitudes

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Zeph. 2:3, 3:12-13 1 Cor. 1:26-31 Matt. 5:1-12a In the Gospel reading today we hear the beatitudes, all those whom the Lord pronounces blessed for their goodness. Most of us can look at one or two of these and think properly that we may fit into this or that category. Among the saints there are some who are truly outstanding in one or the other of these virtues. However, if we look closely at the lives of the saints, I think that we will see that they live all of these beatitudes. While they may excel in one or two of them, they live them all. This is…Continue Reading

Reservation Of Hosts

January 18, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Reservation Of Hosts

By FR. EDWARD McNAMARA, LC (Editor’s Note: Below is a ZENIT column by Legionary of Christ Fr. Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum University. ZENIT News Agency published the column. All rights reserved.) + + + Q. I’m a member of a religious community, and a question came up about reservation of the Eucharist. We were discussing situations where, despite current guidelines, the presider at Sunday Mass consecrates a single Host, for himself, and then distributes Communion to the faithful from pre-consecrated Hosts. We recognize that the guidelines say that the faithful should ordinarily receive from Hosts consecrated at the Mass in which they are participating. Someone, however, was interpreting that to mean…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Boycott Hollywood

January 16, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Boycott Hollywood

By KEVIN M. CUSICK It was not long ago that Hollywood paid more than lip service to the families who keep it in business. The stars’ mansions, jets, yachts, and private islands that provide great photo ops for gossip tabloids are paid for by the American families who watch Hollywood movies and buy its franchised merchandise — videos and many other products. You wouldn’t know it anymore. Hollywood’s condescension toward ordinary Americans for years has been abundantly evident in its storylines that ridiculed parents and Christian morals and corrupted children. Now it has come to the surface in spades. But let’s take a trip back in time almost 50 years to see just how far removed Hollywood now is from…Continue Reading

What Is Faith?… The Origin Of Life And Of Living Species

January 15, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on What Is Faith?… The Origin Of Life And Of Living Species

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 20 In these lessons we have been considering the bluff of the evolutionist theory. Those who love to uncover dead bones and present them as proof of their own ape ancestry have been sorely disappointed. They see that the sheer lack of fossil and biological evidence for evolution disproves their theories. Even Darwin admitted it. But they do not give up. If one theory fails, they will come up with a new one. And this is what they have done: The absence of fossil records has led some scientists to formulate theories about evolution that ran totally contrary to their previous explanations. Despair led them to imagine that if their supposed gradual small changes…Continue Reading

The Recipient And Minister Of Confirmation

January 14, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Recipient And Minister Of Confirmation

By DON FIER The effects and actions produced by worthy reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation, as has unfolded before our eyes over the past two months of this series, are magnificent to behold in Christian souls who cooperate with the plentiful graces, virtues, and gifts that it confers. Archbishop Luis M. Martinez expresses its efficacy beautifully in his work on the Holy Spirit entitled The Sanctifier: “There is an admirable and very rich cortege that accompanies grace, namely, the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Having these, we have everything necessary to live the Christian life on this earth and to be eternally happy in heaven” (p. 234). When these abiding habits mature, are perfected, and…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

January 13, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. The pastor of my church omits “like the dewfall” in the Second Eucharistic Prayer because he says there is “a theological problem” with the phrase. Would you please tell us what the expression means, why it was inserted into the Mass, and whether any priest has the authority to omit these words? — P.A., New York. A. First of all, no priest has the authority to make such a change. In the words of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (n. 24): “The priest will remember that he is the servant of the Sacred Liturgy and that he himself is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything in the celebration of…Continue Reading

Jesus Is The Light Of Life

January 12, 2017 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Jesus Is The Light Of Life

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Third Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 8:23-9:3 1 Cor. 1:10-13, 17 Matt. 4:12-23 In the first reading we hear Isaiah’s prophecy that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown. St. Matthew uses this same verse in his Gospel, which we hear today, to make the point that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. He is, as St. John says, the light that came into the darkness and the darkness was not able to overcome it. I find Matthew’s adjustment of the prophecy rather intriguing where he changes the “land of gloom” into the “land…Continue Reading