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Be Doers Of The Word

July 7, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Be Doers Of The Word

Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Gen. 18:1-10a Col. 1:24-28 Luke 10:38-42 Today’s Gospel reading about Martha and Mary has been one of the most misinterpreted and, therefore, misused of all of the passages in the Gospels. It has been used to show that the contemplative life is better than the active life, it has been used to try to dissuade people from doing acts of charity, and it has even been used to justify some types of heresy, such as quietism. Needless to say, all of these interpretations are wrong. In the first reading we have a glimpse of what Middle Eastern hospitality is about. When Abraham sees the three men walking near his tent, he runs…Continue Reading

Where Is The Liturgy Celebrated?

July 7, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Where Is The Liturgy Celebrated?

By DON FIER The Liturgy of the Hours, as we saw last week, is the Church’s response to the Lord’s command to pray without ceasing. Just as St. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians, so too are the faithful encouraged to “rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). “Composed mainly of psalms, other biblical texts, and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters,” explains the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the Liturgy of the Hours…is the public and common prayer of the Church, the prayer of Christ with his body, the Church” (n. 243). Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Liturgy…Continue Reading

Addresses For 65th Anniversary Of Pope Emeritus’ Ordination… Continue To Contribute “With Vigor And Wisdom” To The Church’s Growth

July 6, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Addresses For 65th Anniversary Of Pope Emeritus’ Ordination… Continue To Contribute “With Vigor And Wisdom” To The Church’s Growth

(Editor’s Note: Below is Pope Francis’ address to Benedict XVI at a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of Pope Emeritus’ priestly Ordination. The event was held at noon on June 28 in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace. (Benedict XVI is 89 years old. He was ordained on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, in 1951. (Following Francis’ address are remarks from Angelo Cardinal Sodano and Gerhard Cardinal Mueller, and an expression of appreciation from Benedict XVI. (ZENIT News Agency provided the texts and the translations. All rights reserved.) + + + Holiness, Today we celebrate the history of a call that began sixty-five years ago with Your Priestly Ordination, which took place in the Cathedral…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Martyrdom: Terror That Leads To Life

July 4, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Martyrdom: Terror That Leads To Life

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Acts of terrorism and horrors brought with immediacy into our lives through the Internet and social networks make us seem surrounded as never before with life-threatening dangers. A smart phone in the Istanbul airport videos a terrorist blowing himself up — and minutes later the action is viewed around the world. The overwhelming horror of the destruction of human life, an abomination in the sight of God, through excessive and constant overexposure can become as banal and sanitized as a recreational movie. And living every day with scenes of violence and terrorism at the click of a button encourages a feeling of being unprotected and of free-floating uncertainty in daily life. After the Istanbul airport…Continue Reading

The Marvel Of The Catholic Church . . . Martyrdom Across The Centuries

July 3, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Marvel Of The Catholic Church . . . Martyrdom Across The Centuries

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 7 “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church” (Tertullian, AD 197). From the Edict of Milan (AD 313) by the Emperor Constantine, which gave freedom to the Church and brought persecution to an end, the Church grew so much in numbers that, among other things, it became necessary to hold a council to determine, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which ones among the various Gospels and Epistles that were in circulation were authentic, and which ones were not. This is an often-forgotten point in salvation history: The New Testament was not given to the Church as we know it today. There were many versions of Gospels and Epistles…Continue Reading

Liturgical Seasons And Cycles

July 2, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Liturgical Seasons And Cycles

By DON FIER Part 2 Liturgical time, as we saw last week, refers to certain days and seasons specially dedicated to the corporate worship of God. Dating back to the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament, the People of God have unfailingly observed fixed feasts, beginning with Passover. The liturgy and liturgical time, however, took on new meaning with the coming of Christ and the age of the Church. “Between the Passover of Christ already accomplished once for all, and its consummation in the kingdom of God,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), liturgical celebrations on fixed days and seasons now bear “the imprint of the newness of the mystery of Christ” (n. 1164). The events and mysteries…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 1, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: We have in the past tried to explain why a good and loving God would allow the existence of evil and suffering and would allow bad things to happen to good people. It is a mystery that we will not fully understand in this life. However, some understanding of this mystery can be found in a book by Mark Giszczak entitled Light on the Dark Passages of Scripture, which is published by Our Sunday Visitor. We highly recommend this book for addressing many of the difficult-to-understand passages in the Bible and offer the following excerpt as an example of the book’s value: “Of course, we could write a thousand books about suffering and evil, but the principles for…Continue Reading

The Two Greatest Commandments

June 30, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Two Greatest Commandments

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Deut. 30:10-14 Col. 1:15-20 Luke 10:25-37 In the Gospel reading today, a scholar in the Law comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Our Lord answers by asking how the man understands what is written in the Law. He responds by reciting the two commandments that encapsulate everything in the Law: to love God with one’s whole heart, and soul, and strength, and to love one’s neighbor. After our Lord tells him that if he lives by these commands, he will have eternal life, the man presses onward in his questioning, wanting to justify himself in the sight of our Lord and…Continue Reading

The Distribution Of Communion Through The Ages

June 29, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Distribution Of Communion Through The Ages

By FR. EDWARD McNAMARA, LC (Editor’s Note: In this September 21 question and answer column provided by ZENIT News Agency, Fr. Edward McNamara explains here that reception of Communion was long considered a logical part of the Mass. (Fr. McNamara, a Legionary of Christ priest, is a professor of liturgy and the dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum University.) (All rights reserved.) + + + Q. Your mention in one of your columns [October 20, 2015] that “until relatively recent times Communion was generally not distributed to the faithful during the celebration of Mass itself” caught my eye and made me realize how little I know of the history of the Church’s discipline in regard to Communion. Perhaps it…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Christ Preaches Ideals And So Must His Church

June 27, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Christ Preaches Ideals And So Must His Church

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK (Editor’s Note: Because of its timeliness, Fr. Cusick’s column appears on the front page this week, instead of its usual place on p. 2B. In that spot we are reprinting an article by Fr. John Flynn, LC, on “Parenthood in an Age of Surrogacy.”) + + + “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Gospel proclaimed at all of our Traditional Latin Masses on the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost makes clear that ideals are part and parcel of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome news after the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia seemed to spend so much moral capital apologizing for…Continue Reading