Saturday 20th April 2024

Home » Our Catholic Faith » Recent Articles:

The Senses Of Scripture

June 28, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Senses Of Scripture

By DON FIER Part 2 The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that the spiritual sense of interpreting Sacred Scripture can be subdivided into three senses: allegorical, moral, and anagogical. Last week, we discussed the allegorical sense in some detail and found that through its use, as expressed by the Catechism, “we can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ” (n. 115). The specific historical event cited as an example of the application of this interpretative technique was the recognition of the hidden, deeper meaning of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites during their flight from Egypt. In light of the coming of Christ, this Old Testament event can be…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

June 27, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. A Catholic friend recently gave me a copy of the magazine Signs and Wonders for Our Times. It contained some very interesting articles. Are you familiar with this publication and, if so, what do you think of it? — D.M., Virginia. A. We were not familiar with the publication until a Catholic friend recently gave us a copy of the 80-page spring 2014 issue, which we read from cover to cover. It is published by the Signs of the Times Apostolate in Herndon, Va., and the editor-in-chief and publisher is Maureen Flynn, author, with Ted Flynn, of the book The Thunder of Justice, which discusses “The Warning, The Miracle, The Chastisement, and The Era of Peace,” and author herself…Continue Reading

God Is Perfectly Simple

June 26, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on God Is Perfectly Simple

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fourteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Zech. 9:9-10 Romans 8:9, 11-13 Matt. 11:25-30 In the Gospel reading today, our Lord praises His Father for revealing to the simple the things that have been hidden from the learned and the clever. There are certainly many examples among the saints where those with little or no formal education have been granted knowledge of the mysteries of God with an insight and an understanding that baffle theologians. When we look at the history of the Church, however, we recognize that God has raised up great saints from among those who are also very intelligent and very learned. The distinction we need to make is between being simple…Continue Reading

Francis’ Message For 88th World Mission Day . . . “Let Us Not Be Robbed Of The Joy Of Evangelization!”

June 25, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Francis’ Message For 88th World Mission Day . . . “Let Us Not Be Robbed Of The Joy Of Evangelization!”

VATICAN CITY (ZENIT) — Here is the text of Pope Francis’ message for the 88th World Mission Day, which this year will take place on October 19. ZENIT News Agency provided the text on June 16; all rights reserved. +    +    + Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today vast numbers of people still do not know Jesus Christ. For this reason, the mission ad gentes continues to be most urgent. All the members of the Church are called to participate in this mission, for the Church is missionary by her very nature: She was born “to go forth.” World Mission Day is a privileged moment when the faithful of various continents engage in prayer and concrete gestures of solidarity in support…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Faith Is About Love And Love Is Inconvenient

June 23, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Faith Is About Love And Love Is Inconvenient

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK On a recent Palm Sunday, the drone of a nearby lawnmower cut through the sounds of the faithful gathered to prepare for the pre-Mass procession. A stone hitting a blade silenced the mower, and the priest on hand for the Palm Sunday celebration approached the man who had been attempting to trim his lawn, asking if he thought the incident of the stone may have been directed by the hand of God. Humor aside, the conversation continued when the priest recollected he had not seen the individual at the previous evening’s vigil Mass which he was accustomed to attending and confirmed the man’s absence. The beautification of the lawn was a prelude to a Sunday…Continue Reading

Raiders Of The Lost Art

June 22, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Raiders Of The Lost Art

By Raymond De Souza, KM Who does not remember the action-packed first Indiana Jones movie — Raiders of the Lost Ark — that delighted adventure and archeology-lovers in the early 1980s? The idea of finding the Ark of the Covenant — the most sacred object in the ancient world — did certainly attract the attention of millions who were — and still are — puzzled about its loss in the Old Testament. The first Indiana Jones movie certainly did a great deal to reawaken the curiosity and desire among many to know what happened to the mysterious Ark. The challenging tune chosen for the movie (especially the trumpets, in my opinion) added a touch of enthusiasm second to none in…Continue Reading

The Senses Of Scripture

June 21, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Senses Of Scripture

By DON FIER Last week’s installment introduced the two main senses which the Church’s Magisterium instructs are to be used for faithful interpretation of Sacred Scripture: the literal sense and the spiritual sense. The spiritual sense can be subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses; thus, the senses of Scripture are classically referred to as fourfold. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explains: “The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church” (CCC, n. 115). We ended by embarking on an explanation of the literal sense, which according to St. Thomas Aquinas is the foundation of all the senses of Sacred Scripture. When one interprets the literal…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

June 20, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. In your book Catholic Replies, you gave an answer to a question about the priest breaking the Host before the elevation, but you did not explain why he cannot do so. Please explain. — J.N., Texas. A. The priest cannot break the bread before elevation of the Host because such an action at that time is contrary to the rubrics of the Mass (cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 83). The proper place in the Mass for what is called the “Fraction” was explained in the 2004 Vatican document Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 73: “In the celebration of Holy Mass, the breaking of the Eucharistic Bread — done only by the priest celebrant, if necessary with the help…Continue Reading

Martyrdom In The Early Church

June 19, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Martyrdom In The Early Church

By FR.  ROBERT ALTIER The Solemnity Of Saints Peter And Paul (YR A) Readings: Acts 12:1-11 2 Tim. 4:6-8, 17-18 Matt. 16:13-19 Today we have the joy of celebrating the two great saints who led and built up the nascent Church: Peter its leader and Paul its greatest missionary. We see that right from the beginning the Church was hated by the worldly powers. It makes sense when you think about it. Recall that when Satan tempted our Lord, one of the temptations was to show Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world and all the glory of them; the Evil One stated that all of these belonged to him and that he would give them to anyone he…Continue Reading

Catholic-Orthodox European Forum… Gospel Principles And Human Values Are Not Opposed

June 18, 2014 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic-Orthodox European Forum… Gospel Principles And Human Values Are Not Opposed

ROME (ZENIT) — The IV Catholic-Orthodox Forum on Religion and Cultural Diversity: Challenges for the Christian Churches in Europe was held in Minsk, Belarus, from June 2 to 6. The forum was organized with the support of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church under the co-chairmanship of the Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Peter Cardinal Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, president of the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. Following the positive experiences of the first three gatherings of the Catholic-Orthodox European Forum (Trent, Italy, December 11 to 14, 2008; Rhodes, Greece, October 18 to 22, 2010; and Lisbon, Portugal, June 5 to 8, 2012), participants from the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches in…Continue Reading