Sunday 1st August 2021

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Transgenderism Is Not A Victimless Ideology

July 14, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Transgenderism Is Not A Victimless Ideology

By FR. SHENAN J. BOQUET (Editor’s Note: Fr. Shenan J. Boquet is president of Human Life International [HLI]. He wrote this July 5 essay on transgenderism for hli.org. It is reprinted here with permission.) + + One step forward, two steps back. That’s how the culture wars sometimes feel these days. Last week I was pleased to write about a Supreme Court decision that protected the right of a Catholic adoption agency to abide by Catholic beliefs in only adopting children into families with a mother and a father.This week, I have to tell you about a troubling (non)decision by the Supreme Court. In a notice a few days ago, the Supreme Court said it would not consider an appeal…Continue Reading

Sheep Without A Shepherd

July 12, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Sheep Without A Shepherd

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Jer. 23:1-6Eph. 2:13-18Mark 6:30-34 In the first reading today, God speaks a word of woe through the Prophet Jeremiah to the shepherds who mislead the Lord’s flock entrusted to their care. God says that these shepherds scattered the flock and drove them away and did not care for the flock. If we compare this to the condemnation of the wicked shepherds in Ezekiel, we can say these shepherds were selfish, caring for themselves and not for the sheep.It is amazing that things have not changed over 2,500 years of history. We are still plagued with shepherds who care more for themselves than for the flock. We have pastors…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 9, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic, we were unable to hold weekly classes for 22 tenth-grade Confirmation students, so we prepared a series of 14 lessons on the material, along with some questions to answer. If these lessons are of value to you, put them to whatever use you can. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well, so please send them along and we will interrupt this series to answer them. At the bottom of this column, see the postal mailing address and the email address where you can send your questions. Special Course On Catholicism And Life — VII The Seventh Commandment (“You shall not steal”) forbids taking what does not belong to us,…Continue Reading

Confession And Eucharistic Coherence

July 8, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Confession And Eucharistic Coherence

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK There has been much talk of Holy Communion in recent days, but very little of the Sacrament of Confession by comparison. We have seen the tussle within the USCCB leading up to their June discussion over crafting a “Eucharistic coherence” document, which motion passed and therefore perhaps, as a result, we’ll see something come of it in November.Meanwhile the whole issue started because of those who, despite being conspicuously unworthy, are conspicuously receiving Our Lord in the Sacrament. To make matters worse, a number of these, such as Biden, Pelosi, and Lieu among 60 other Democrats, are publicly and defiantly doubling down.They have made clear that they will decide their own worthiness to receive our…Continue Reading

Says China’s Killing Of Hong Kong Paper… Has “Serious Implications” For Religious Liberty

July 7, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Says China’s Killing Of Hong Kong Paper… Has “Serious Implications” For Religious Liberty

LONDON (CNA) — A human rights activist has said that the Chinese Communist Party’s “killing” of a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong has “serious implications” for religious liberty.Benedict Rogers, the co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, told Catholic News Agency that the suppression of Apple Daily, founded by Catholic billionaire Jimmy Lai, was not simply a blow to press freedom.“The killing of Apple Daily by the Chinese Communist Party regime represents the death of media freedom in Hong Kong,” he said via email.“This is yet another chapter in the regime’s dismantling of freedom itself in Hong Kong, in all its forms, in total, flagrant and repeated violation of an international treaty, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is registered at the United…Continue Reading

For The Greater Glory Of God

July 5, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on For The Greater Glory Of God

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Amos 7:12-15Eph. 1:3-14Mark 6:7-13 In the first reading we hear about Amos whom God called to be a prophet. When the priest tells Amos to leave the Temple and make his living by prophesying elsewhere, Amos responds that he had not been a prophet nor was he a member of a company of prophets. Instead, he says, he was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees.When we hear this description Amos gives of himself, he is the person in society who would be the least expected to be chosen by God. To be a shepherd or a dresser of sycamores is definitely unskilled labor and the lowest…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

July 2, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic, we were unable to hold weekly classes for 22 tenth-grade Confirmation students, so we prepared a series of 14 lessons on the material, with a summary of each commandment and sacrament along with some questions to answer. It occurred to us that this material might be of interest to our readers, so we are passing the lessons along for whatever use you can find for them. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well, so please send them along and we will interrupt this series to answer them. See the postal mailing address and email address at the bottom of this column. Special Course On Catholicism And Life — VI…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Dear Biden: Communion Is Not A “Private Matter”

July 1, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Dear Biden: Communion Is Not A “Private Matter”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK It didn’t take long for the misrepresentations and evil spin to overwhelm the conversation after the U.S. bishops’ discussion of Communion reception at their virtual June meeting. Even a group of Democrats in Congress released a statement enumerating the so-called “principles” of their diabolical deception. It was publicized so rapidly in response that one suspects it was prepared and ready to launch even before the episcopal Zoom meeting commenced.Twitterati howled in reaction to the threat of sacramental censure. Cong. Ted Lieu of California, among others, doubled down by publicly declaring himself pro-abortion on the social app and daring the bishops to withhold Communion from him. Others boasted of their rejection of Catholic moral teaching, listing…Continue Reading

Bishop Paprocki On Communion Debate . . . “There Should Be No Unity With Iniquity”

June 30, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Bishop Paprocki On Communion Debate . . . “There Should Be No Unity With Iniquity”

By ALEJANDRO BERMUDEZ DENVER (CNA) — In a statement published on Wednesday, June 23, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois lambasted recent media coverage of the USCCB vote to draft a document on the Eucharist.Among the errors pointed out in the statement were claims by several media outlets that the “Vatican had warned the Catholic bishops of the United States not to pass this proposal.”Said Bishop Paprocki, “That is simply false.”To clarify the issue, the bishop continued, “In fact, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, SJ, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had written to the president of the USCCB calling for ‘dialogue . . . first among the bishops themselves, and then between…Continue Reading

The Son Of God Has Been Among Us

June 28, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Son Of God Has Been Among Us

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fourteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Ezek. 2:2-52 Cor. 12:7-10Mark 6:1-6 In the first reading today God tells the Prophet Ezekiel that He is sending the Prophet to the people of Israel. That sounds like something we would expect to hear. However, the Lord then qualifies the situation, so the Prophet knows exactly what he is being asked to do and to whom he is preaching. God tells Ezekiel that these people are “rebels who have rebelled against me.” He also says the people are “hard of face and obstinate of heart.”When we look at some of the other prophets God chose and sent to the people, we hear similar things. The work of…Continue Reading