Sunday 24th October 2021

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On Being Light In The Darkness

October 6, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on On Being Light In The Darkness

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this column on September 25 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + Here is a talk I recently gave in Laurel, Md., for the women of the region, titled “Of Friends and Foes: A Homily for the 26th Sunday of the Year.”In this Sunday’s Gospel there is a certain tension between legitimate freedom and truths we must insist upon. We also have a lot to learn in sorting out friends and foes.I. Foe or Friend? — The text begins, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do…Continue Reading

Called To A Greater Holiness

October 4, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Called To A Greater Holiness

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Eighth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11Hebrews 4:12-13Mark 10:17-30 In the Gospel reading today, we hear about a young man who came to our Lord asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Our Lord tells him he needs to follow the Commandments. When the young man answers that he has followed the Commandments from his youth, our Lord looks upon him with love. In so doing, Jesus calls the young man to a greater holiness and invites the man to follow Him.There was only one catch to following our Lord: the young man had to give up everything. Because of his material possessions, the man went away sad. Think about…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

October 1, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. The Bible talks about “trials and tribulations” we must go through. However, I read an obituary of a man who apparently led a wonderful and fulfilling life. Where were his trials? — J.B., Pennsylvania.A. It is unlikely that the obituary would have mentioned the difficult and trying moments in that man’s life, which doesn’t mean that there weren’t any. Will your obituary mention the tribulations in your life? Our obituary will make it appear that we had a wonderful and fulfilling life, which we have had, but it won’t mention the baby we lost at two weeks of age, or the daughter who suffered a brain aneurysm (she has recovered), or the daughter who has breast cancer (she is…Continue Reading

“Great Reset” Targets Christians

September 30, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on “Great Reset” Targets Christians

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Westerners accepted the promise of “freedom” with contraception, abortion, and pornography in the 1960s. Now they are accepting LGBT, transgender, the redefinition of marriage and the family, the increasing ubiquity of porn as freedom.Freedom from what? From God and eternal life. Freedom to go to Hell.Then along comes the vaccine and the promise of freedom from death.False promises granting only enslavement to evil. The ancient lie that God enslaves and sin frees yet beguiles and seduces the concupiscence in man and woman. It was a lie that seduced our first parents.Anyone who doesn’t learn this history is condemned to repeat it. Literally. Condemnation only can follow disobedience to divine command.The Church has been engaged from…Continue Reading

The Lies Of The Devil And The Empty Promises Of The World

September 29, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Lies Of The Devil And The Empty Promises Of The World

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this column on September 14 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + One of the great illusions under which we labor is that if we only get just one more thing from this world, then we will be happy. Perhaps we think that if we just had a little more money, or a better job, or the latest iPhone, or if we were married to so-and-so, or if we lived in a better neighborhood, then we would be satisfied and content at last.But “at last” never seems to come even if we do get some of the things on our list.As Ecclesiastes puts it, “The eye never has…Continue Reading

A New Creation

September 27, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A New Creation

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Genesis 2:18-24Hebrews 2:9-11Mark 10:2-16 In the first reading we have the story of the creation of Eve. There are a couple things to note here. First, God creates all the animals and brings them to Adam for him to name. At this point, Adam is newly created and has no idea that he is the only human person in creation. In naming the animals, he realizes there is no one for him to love and no one in creation to love him.Certainly, he had the love of God, but Adam was made of both body and soul, therefore, it was necessary for him to be able to express…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

September 24, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This completes our lessons on the Commandments and Sacraments. We hope that you found them informative and were able to put them to good use. We will have another series, on Apologetics, ready shortly, but in the meantime, we will continue to welcome your questions for the column. Please send them either to the postal mailing address or the email address below. Special Course On Catholicism And Life — XIV Matrimony is a sacrament by which a baptized man and woman freely bind themselves together for life in a lawful and fruitful marriage. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved His Church, with the grace to remain united…Continue Reading

“Abortion is Murder”

September 23, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on “Abortion is Murder”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK “Be a pastor, don’t go condemning.” was the Pope’s answer to a question from a reporter on the return flight from his recent apostolic journey to Slovakia and Hungary. The context was a question posed: “What must the pastor do?” in reference to pro-abortion politicians. On the subject of abortion, the Pope repeated the Church teaching that procuring such a procedure is “murder.”Defining what it means to “condemn” over against what is “pastoral,” however, is a subject about which one could write a book and more. In short, Our Lord is the example of a Good Shepherd over against which the ministry of every priest is critiqued.As the upcoming annual November meeting of the U.S.…Continue Reading

The Exorcistic Effect… Of The Word Of God

September 22, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Exorcistic Effect… Of The Word Of God

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this commentary on September 8 and it is reprinted here with permission. His blog is found at https://msgrpope.com/.) + + Many often think of exorcism only in relation to driving out demons from possessed people using ancient prayers. But, truth be told, we all have afflictions, oppressions, temptations, and other negative thoughts and drives that are influenced by demons.Such influences may be direct and personal, but there are also sources of error and negativity that come from the world; and the world itself is often under the sway of the “prince of this world” (Satan) who spreads his lies and hate.Among the Lord’s principal weapons in driving demons out is…Continue Reading

Love God With Your Whole Heart

September 20, 2021 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Love God With Your Whole Heart

BY FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR B) Readings: Numb. 11:25-29James 5:1-6Mark 9:38-43; 45, 47-48 In the Gospel reading today our Lord tells us that if our hand or foot causes us to sin, cut it off; if our eye causes us to sin, pluck it out. Obviously, our hand, foot, or eye cannot be the cause of our sin. We can use our hands, feet, or eyes to sin, but that means they are only an instrumental cause of our sin. In the Gospel four weeks ago, our Lord told us it is what comes from within, from the heart that defiles us. So, the desire and the intent to do evil comes from our will.The…Continue Reading