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November 16, 2013 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

Q. During the upcoming Christmas season, we are almost certain to have homilies describing the Blessed Virgin Mary as an unwed mother. What is the best way of describing Mary’s marital status, her relationship with Joseph, and her perpetual virginity? — J.D.H., California. A. The best way is to read carefully chapter 1 of Matthew’s Gospel, particularly where he says that when “Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly” (Matt. 1:18-19). Notice that Matthew calls Joseph Mary’s “husband” and says that Joseph had decided to “divorce her…Continue Reading

Is The Rosary A Prayer Of “Vain Repetitions”?

November 15, 2013 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 3 The visit I received from two Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs, for short) gave me the opportunity to demonstrate that repetitive prayer — especially the rosary — is entirely in line with Sacred Scripture. When they walked into my living room and did not miss the sight of my rosary on the mantelpiece, I knew only too well that they were itching to say something about it. And, as sure as death and taxes, one of them asked me if I was aware that prayer of repetition was “condemned by Jesus in the Bible.” In this article I’d like to provide more information I trust will be useful to Wanderer readers to use in their…Continue Reading

God Comes To Meet Man

November 14, 2013 Don Fier, Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By DON FIER Last week, a topic was taken up that was immediately addressed in the first chapter of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC): man’s capacity to know God by reason alone. It was demonstrated in two basic, commonsense ways that “by natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of His works” (CCC, n. 50). The supporting arguments focused around what we can directly observe or easily discern in two of God’s most magnificent works of creation, “the physical world and the human person” (CCC, n. 31). This week, we will turn our attention to “another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of Divine Revelation” (CCC,…Continue Reading

Christ The Redeemer

November 13, 2013 Our Catholic Faith, Sunday Sermons Comments Off

The Solemnity Of Christ The King (YR C) Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Col. 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43 There are two things in the readings today which we need to consider in the context of today’s Feast of Christ the King. The first point comes in the first reading where the people of Israel come to King David to ask him to reign as the King of Israel. At that time the Jewish people were divided into two kingdoms, Israel to the north and Judah to the south. David had been the king of Judah for about seven years, reigning in Hebron; now he was to be king of a united people with his kingship established in Jerusalem. What is important for…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . The Catholic Devotion Of Praying For The Dead

November 12, 2013 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK Visitors to Rome and to its catacombs may learn of the Roman custom of visiting the tombs of departed family members. The Roman family members would take a picnic meal out to the Appian Way, for example, as the dead were buried outside the official city limits. During the meal they would perform a ritual of pouring wine into holes carved into the tomb as a way of sharing the goods of this life to help the dead on their way to eternal life. This “refrigerium,” or refreshment of the deceased, has made its way into our prayer of the Roman canon of the Mass, where we beg God on behalf of the dead that…Continue Reading

Stay Rooted In Prayer

November 10, 2013 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Thirty-Third Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Mal. 3:19-20a 2 Thess. 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-19 As we come to the end of another Church year we once again hear the readings regarding the end of the world. Perhaps it is just me but it seems that the number of people claiming that the end is near keeps increasing. It is easy to write these “crazies” off, but I suppose if they keep it up there will come a day when they will be right. However, that is not now. In fact, the first reading is clearly not about the end of the world. It speaks about the healing rays of the sun of justice rising for…Continue Reading

Is The Rosary A Prayer Of “Vain Repetitions”?

November 9, 2013 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM Part 2 Last week I told the story of the visit of two Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW for short) to my house, and I showed to them that Jesus was in favor of repetitive prayer, because He gave us a prayer to repeat, the Our Father. I left a question unanswered. The younger JW had asked me, “So, are you saying that your rosary is inspired in the Bible?” “Actually, yes,” I answered. “The rosary is simply a way of keeping order, dividing the prayers in distinct sections. Let me give you another example, straight from the Bible. Take Psalm 119 (119, depending on the version). It is the longest psalm in the Bible, having 176…Continue Reading

Man’s Capacity For God

November 8, 2013 Don Fier, Uncategorized Comments Off

By DON FIER Having considered the Prologue of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) in our previous installment, we will now turn our attention to the first of the Catechism’s four pillars: “The Profession of Faith.” It is the longest section of the CCC, comprising 39% of its total volume, and is foundational for the rest, for it is essential to know God and what He has done before we consider how man can and ought to respond. As is the case for each of the four major parts of the CCC, it is composed of two sections. The first, as expressed by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, “lays…the foundation of the subject, while the second further develops the particular themes…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

November 6, 2013 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

Editor’s Note: Regarding a recent reply about whether brothers in a monastery can pray the Confiteor using just the word “brothers” (as in “and to you my brothers and sisters”) when there are no females present, B.R. of Minnesota received the following reply from the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The Secretariat holds that the formula you refer to may be adapted, for example to omit ‘sisters’ if the assembly is all male. This judgment is based on the Roman Missal itself, which adapts the formula in the ‘Order of Mass with the Participation of a Single Minister.’ The concern about doing so would only be a pastoral one, so that a group does…Continue Reading

Catechism Of the Catholic Church: Prologue

November 5, 2013 Don Fier, Our Catholic Faith Comments Off

By DON FIER “Father, . . . this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). This Scripture verse, the opening words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), succinctly and beautifully expresses its very purpose. The CCC’s first paragraph goes on to expand on this teaching of Jesus Christ: “God, . . . in a plan of sheer goodness, freely created man to make him share in His own blessed life. . . . He calls man to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him with all his strength. To accomplish this, . . . God sent His Son as Redeemer and Savior.”…Continue Reading

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