Friday 29th March 2024

Home » Our Catholic Faith » Recent Articles:

A Leaven In The World . . . Jesus Gave Witness In The Public Square

February 8, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Jesus Gave Witness In The Public Square

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK “Seems to me that Jesus wants us to love our neighbors and leave the judging up to Him.” This is a typical response of many people when they encounter the Church and her members witnessing to their faith by speaking out on moral teachings in the public square. Christian witness in a visible, public way to the existence of God and to His teachings began with the life, teachings, and mission of Jesus Christ our Lord, particularly as He gave His life on the cross for the salvation of the world. He continues to witness today through His members and, in fact, demands of them that they take up their cross for love of Him.…Continue Reading

An Apologetics Course . . . Hostility Against The Church

February 7, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on An Apologetics Course . . . Hostility Against The Church

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 40 Fourth objection: Why do so many people have hostility to the Catholic Church? Reply: Why was Jesus the object of hostility from so many people? In simple terms, the Pharisees may have refused Him as they could not accept His doctrine and felt threatened by His power to perform miracles. The Sadducees may have felt threatened by the possibility of His taking over the Temple’s authority from them, since He called the Temple “my Father’s house” and used a persuasive argument — the whip — to cleanse the place; the Zealots may have refused Him because He was not interested in armed struggle to overturn the Romans and declare Judah’ independence from the…Continue Reading

Life Everlasting — The Particular Judgment

February 6, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Life Everlasting — The Particular Judgment

By DON FIER In concluding our examination of the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on article 11 of the Creed, we saw that in order “to rise with Christ, we must die with Christ” (CCC, n. 1005). Death, with all the mystery which surrounds this common fate of all mankind, is the gateway to everlasting life. Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, expertly encapsulates all that death means for the Christian through the eyes of faith: It is the consequence of sin, a share in Christ’s death on Calvary, the end of our probation on Earth, God’s calling us to Himself, a precious sacrifice we can make to God, and the beginning of eternal life (cf. The…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

February 5, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. I know that in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we are supposed to practice more fervently the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Most of these are fairly easy to understand, but I wonder about the one that says we are to “admonish the sinner.” How can one do that without judging another person, which we’re not supposed to do? — F.A., Massachusetts. A. This is perhaps the most difficult Spiritual Work of Mercy to carry out, for no one likes to be told that their words and actions may be harmful to themselves, to their families and friends, and to the society around them (consider what happened to the prophets in the Bible). We live in a world…Continue Reading

One Truth, One Lord, One God

February 4, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on One Truth, One Lord, One God

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER First Sunday Of Lent (YR C) Readings: Deut. 26:4-10 Romans 10:8-13 Luke 4:1-13 In the Gospel reading today we hear about Satan tempting our Lord. In the third temptation the Devil offers all of the kingdoms of the Earth to Jesus if He would just bow down and worship the tempter. In response, our Lord quotes Scripture, saying, “You shall worship the Lord your God; Him alone shall you serve.” Notice that He does not say that we are to worship the gods and that we are to serve them. The “the” before “Lord” affirms that there is only one as does the singular “He.” This, of course, corresponds to the First Commandment: “I am the…Continue Reading

Pope’s Address To Roman Rota… Proclaim The Truth Of God’s Plan For Marriage

February 3, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Pope’s Address To Roman Rota… Proclaim The Truth Of God’s Plan For Marriage

VATICAN CITY (ZENIT) — Below is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ January 22 address to the tribunal of the Roman Rota in the Vatican. In his talk, the Holy Father affirmed: “The Church, in fact, can show the indefectible merciful love of God to families, in particular those wounded by sin and by the trials of life and, at the same time, proclaim the inalienable truth of marriage according to God’s plan.” + + + Dear Brothers, I give you my cordial welcome and thank the Dean for the words with which he introduced our meeting. The ministry of the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota has always been to help the Successor of Peter, so that the Church,…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Rest In Peace, Fr. Mark Wayne Ervin

February 1, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Rest In Peace, Fr. Mark Wayne Ervin

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK In a welcome example of bringing greater clarity to moral teaching, Pope Francis is urging us to distinguish sacramental marriage from other unions. As reported by Catholic News Service on January 22: “Pope Francis said there can be no confusion between God’s plan for marriage as an indissoluble bond between one man and woman who are open to life, and other sorts of unions. “ ‘The Church, in fact, can demonstrate God’s unwavering merciful love toward families, especially those wounded by sin and life’s trials, and at the same time proclaim the essential truth of marriage according to God’s plan,’ the Pope said January 22, in a meeting with members of the Roman Rota.” (See…Continue Reading

An Apologetics Course . . . Summing Up And Answering Objections

January 31, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on An Apologetics Course . . . Summing Up And Answering Objections

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 39 Yes, to join the Church of Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation. But we must understand that when the Church teaches that outside her pale there is no salvation, she does not intend to pass judgment on individual cases, nor on God’s mercy and Providence. Whatever is connected as exceptions to the rule in the general economy of salvation, it is God’s business, not ours. We are guided by what He has revealed to us through the Church, not by what we think He meant in this or that Bible verse. The Church is essentially the society of salvation, the ordinary means established by God to save men, and those who desire eternal…Continue Reading

The Resurrection Of The Body

January 30, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Resurrection Of The Body

By DON FIER Part 3 Intrinsic to the tenet of faith we profess in Article 11 of the Creed — the resurrection of the body — is our admittance of the inevitability of death, a certainty from which no human being can escape. Man, composed of body and soul, no matter how strong and robust the health he enjoyed during his transitory time on Earth, will ultimately experience the day when his soul takes leave of his body. His mortal life will end, for “man goes to his eternal home…and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:5, 7). “After death, which is the separation of the body…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

January 29, 2016 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: In his parish bulletin column on the Feast of the Epiphany, Fr. George Rutler of the Church of St. Michael in New York City commented on the dreadful situation facing Christians in the Middle East and warned that we in America may soon become victims as well. He said that “Iran and Syria are strategic allies now, and Christians there and in Iraq have a history no less complicated than the Magi. The head of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Syria’s largest city have issued Christmas letters. Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako writes: ‘This year Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable circumstances . . . victims of segregation and exclusion.’ Archbishop…Continue Reading