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A Leaven In The World . . . Public And Private Spheres Get Confused With Dangerous Results

February 16, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Public And Private Spheres Get Confused With Dangerous Results

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The pattern is well established: a talented, wealthy, successful, famous, and usually beautiful public figure reveals his or her same-sex attraction and everyone gets in line to “canonize” and congratulate this person for heroic honesty and integrity. The glamorization of this endless parade of self-congratulatory egomaniacs is nearly limitless. It can provide somewhat amusing entertainment as a kind of modern circus, but there the diversion ends. The results for young people and families of this kind of exhibitionism can be devastating. For our young people just starting out in life, acting out and speaking out on their feelings which can very well be transitory and very likely can change, following the examples they see lionized…Continue Reading

Debunking The Sola Scriptura Myth . . . Sola Scriptura Is Unscriptural

February 15, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Debunking The Sola Scriptura Myth . . . Sola Scriptura Is Unscriptural

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 2 Is the Bible alone sufficient for us to know all about divine Revelation? Is the written word of God the sole rule of faith? What does the Bible itself have to say about it? The fact is that, according to Sacred Scripture itself, the Bible is not, and was never meant to be, the only source of divine Revelation and sole rule of faith. Jesus, in His infinite bounty and love for us, gave us much more: the Apostolic Tradition and the Magisterium of His Church. To demonstrate this truth, let us establish a basic, simple premise with which all baptized Christians agree: Everything that Jesus said or did was God speaking to…Continue Reading

The Characteristics Of Faith

February 14, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Characteristics Of Faith

By DON FIER Faith, or the obedience of faith, was characterized in last week’s installment on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) as man’s most fitting and proper response to God’s self-revelation. Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, concisely defines this assent to all God has revealed as “the free submission to God’s Word because its truth is guaranteed by God, Who is Truth itself” (The Faith, p. 35). Our previous column appropriately closed with a brief reflection on the human person whom the Church sets before us as the “most perfect embodiment” (CCC, n. 144) of the obedience of faith — the Blessed Virgin Mary. Is it possible to conceive of a more apt expression to describe “our mother…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

February 13, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. A question in a recent edition renewed a bit of ire I have had for some time concerning Food For The Poor appeals for donations. How can any organization claim such greatly charitable work while paying out huge salaries? Mr. Mahfood earns $391,627 yearly, and I am not going into all the other paid employees. Their web site lists an income of $939.5 million and claims Mr. Mahfood’s salary is only .04 percent of all expenses (data from their web site). Is this “charity” using the poor for a very lucrative business? Is it honest to rake off such large sums for employees, even if it is a small part of the take percentage-wise? While I wish I could…Continue Reading

In His Holiness’ Service . . . Why Diplomatic Relations Matter

February 12, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on In His Holiness’ Service . . . Why Diplomatic Relations Matter

By FR. JOHN L. UBEL (Editor’s Note: Fr. John L. Ubel is the rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, Minn. The following commentary appeared in the February 2, 2014, cathedral bulletin, and it is reprinted here with permission. All rights reserved.) +    +    + I’d be a lousy diplomat, mostly because I lack the necessary skills to refrain from offering my own opinions! Diplomacy requires significant restraint and a willingness to represent another without regard for one’s own personal opinions. The history of U.S. relations with the Vatican is long, involved, and complicated. As the central government of the Church, the Holy See has a legal personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the juridical…Continue Reading

The Holiness Of The Wisdom Of God

February 11, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Holiness Of The Wisdom Of God

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Lev. 19:1-2, 17-18 1 Cor. 3:16-23 Matt. 5:38-48 In the first reading Moses relates the words spoken to him by the Lord Himself when He told Moses to instruct the people of Israel to “be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” To be holy is to be like God. So, the more one grows in likeness to God, the holier that person becomes. In order to fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts or, to put it another way, to become the persons God made us to be, it is necessary that we grow in holiness. This precept of God telling us to be holy…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . The Pope Reminds Us: “Communion Is Essential”

February 9, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . The Pope Reminds Us: “Communion Is Essential”

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Recently Pope Francis reminded us that “Communion is essential” in an address delivered to members of the Neocatechumenal Way. Communion is experienced in two senses in the Church and both are essential. These two senses of communion are interdependent and cannot exist without each other. The communion of the Body of Christ comprising the members of the Church and the Communion of the Real Presence of the Body of Christ which is the Eucharist are these two senses of “communion.” They always have an interior connection. Contemporary treatment or understanding of the value of community or the common good affects the sense of Communion made possible by the Eucharist and vice-versa. The various aspects of…Continue Reading

Debunking The Sola Scripture Myth

February 8, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Debunking The Sola Scripture Myth

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 1 “I am convinced by the Scriptures!” shouted Martin Luther, as he unleashed his revolution against the Church of Rome. A great many people followed him to make a new church, officially based upon the Scriptures alone, with neither Popes nor councils. But people did not read the fine print in Luther’s revolt: “I am convinced by the Scriptures . . . as I interpret them.” Officially, Sacred Scripture was to be open to all Christians and consequently no teaching Magisterium was necessary or even allowed: Each and every Christian became able to read the sacred text and interpret it correctly. The Holy Spirit would make sure of that, we’re told. No Popes, councils,…Continue Reading

The Obedience Of Faith

February 7, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Obedience Of Faith

By DON FIER For the past ten weeks of this series, we’ve been unpacking the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) on how God comes to meet man through His divine Revelation. As the Catechism, citing Dei Verbum (DV), so beautifully expresses it, “the invisible God, from the fullness of His love, addresses men as His friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into His own company” (CCC, n. 142; DV, n. 2). Just this one statement is a mystery of our faith that one could meditate on for a lifetime: How is it that the “King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim. 1:17) could so love mankind, sinful…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

February 6, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: In the January-February issue of Catalyst, the journal of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, League President Bill Donohue offered a quick synopsis of the facts about priestly sexual abuse that we think would be helpful to our readers. Myth: Children have been the main victims of priestly sexual abuse. Fact: Since more than 95 percent of all the victims of priestly sexual abuse, as reported by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, are not prepubescent, that means that adolescents have been the primary victims. Myth: Pedophile priests have been the problem. Fact: Homosexual priests have been the problem. Proof: 81 percent of the victims have been male, and more than 95 percent have been…Continue Reading