Sunday 5th May 2024

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Three Underappreciated Acclamations Of Eucharistic Piety

February 2, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Three Underappreciated Acclamations Of Eucharistic Piety

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this commentary on January 25 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + Let’s consider three rather humble but important moments that are often lost in the minds and hearts of the faithful — the Mystery of Faith, the Amen, and the Agnus Dei. They rise in importance because they are moments that belong especially to the faithful rather than the clergy. I. The Mystery Of Faith (Memorial Acclamation) In the Ordinary Form of the Liturgy, an acclamation of the people has been added just after the consecration. The priest bids them to acclaim the paschal mystery that has just been made present in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.In effect, this…Continue Reading

The Faith Of St. Peter

January 31, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Faith Of St. Peter

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 6-81 Cor. 15:1-11Luke 5:1-11 In both the first reading and the Gospel, we see the reaction of two holy men in the presence of the Lord. Isaiah pronounces a woe on himself because he is a man of unclean lips and he is looking upon the Lord of Hosts. Peter sees the catch of fish and clearly realizes something more than human senses can perceive, falls before the Lord, and pronounces himself to be a sinful man.In the first instance, Isaiah believes that he is going to die because no one can look upon the Lord and live. But the seraph comes to him with the…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

January 28, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Q. Regarding the Magi following a star to Bethlehem, was this an actual star in the constellations or was this a one-time event? My second question refers to the statement in Matthew 1:25, “He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.” Does this mean that Mary and Joseph had sexual relations after Jesus was born? I thought she was ever a virgin. — R.M., via e-mail.A. On the first question, Pope Benedict XVI, in his book Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, said that astronomers, such as Johannes Kepler (died 1630), have suggested that around the time Jesus was born there was a conjunction of the planets, accompanied by a supernova or…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Transgendering The Mass

January 27, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Transgendering The Mass

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK What is not of necessity has an extraneous agenda. Or a malign purpose.Sex matters: “God made them male and female.” Our sexuality is not a secondary characteristic. It is constitutive of the person and enters into all we do. When a woman does anything, it is the act of a person who is a woman, a feminine action. And likewise for a man.The sexuality of the acting person is manifested by the words and deeds, thoughts and actions along with the entire person who thinks, acts, and who speaks, never as an afterthought. The idea of neutral gender is pure fantasy, nonexistent in the human species.Feminism brings with it the ideology that anything men do…Continue Reading

Biblical Basics About Mother Mary

January 26, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Biblical Basics About Mother Mary

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this column on January 15 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + In this Sunday’s Gospel passage of the wedding feast at Cana, there is a theological portrait of both Mother Mary and prayer. Let’s look at the Gospel along five lines:The place that Mary has — The text says, “There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee and the Mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the wedding.”A fascinating thing about these opening verses is that Mary almost seems to dominate the scene; the presence of Jesus is mentioned only secondarily. St. Thomas Aquinas notes that at Cana, Mary acts as…Continue Reading

The Truth And Love Of Jesus

January 24, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Truth And Love Of Jesus

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Jer. 1: 4-5, 17-191 Cor. 12:31-13:13Luke 4:21-30 In the first reading, God tells the Prophet Jeremiah that he is to tell the people everything God commands him to say. The Lord follows this up by telling Jeremiah not to be crushed on account of the people. He is to preach to kings, princes, priests, and people. God tells Jeremiah they would all fight against him, but they would not prevail.In the Gospel, we hear about Jesus going to Nazareth, His hometown. The people liked the beauty of His words, but they did not want to believe in those words. Jesus told them no prophet is accepted in his…Continue Reading

Catholic Replies

January 21, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This series on Apologetics is based on the book Catholicism & Reason. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. You can send them either to the postal mailing address or to the email address below, and we will interrupt this series to answer them. Special Course On Catholicism And Reason (Chapter 9) One of the most important things Jesus did while He was on Earth was to start a Church to carry on His teachings and to administer His sacraments. It wouldn’t have made sense for Him to go through all He did and then leave people to figure out for…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World… Stop Fear; Choose Faith

January 20, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on A Leaven In The World… Stop Fear; Choose Faith

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK  There are many things we should fear; the inevitable is not one of them. It is a fact that death comes for all who live. We began this new year of 2022 with continued abuse of trust through lies and scaremongering on the Internet and social media in connection with the dangers of COVID.There used to be a tight wicket through which potential news had to pass before it could appear in what was once a plentiful field of newspapers thriving in healthy and self-policing competition.This paper is one which continues that gold standard of factual basis required before publication. Integrity also requires retraction when errors are discovered.The Wild West of the Internet has made…Continue Reading

The Bountiful Blessings Of Baptism… A Homily For The Baptism Of The Lord

January 19, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Bountiful Blessings Of Baptism… A Homily For The Baptism Of The Lord

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this column on January 8 and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + Today’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a moment to reflect not only on the Lord’s Baptism but on our own. In an extended sense, when Christ is baptized, so are we, for we are members of His Body. As Christ enters the water, He makes holy the water that will baptize us. He enters the water, and we who are members of His Body go with Him. In these waters He acquires gifts to give us.Let’s examine the Gospel for the Baptism of the Lord in three stages:The Fraternity of Baptism — The…Continue Reading

The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon You

January 17, 2022 Our Catholic Faith Comments Off on The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon You

FR. ROBERT ALTIER Third Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR C) Readings: Neh. 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-101 Cor. 12:12-30Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 In the second reading today, St. Paul states: “You are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” This truth is of great importance to all of us, but we need to look at the Gospel reading to see what God teaches us about this truth on an even deeper level. In the Gospel, Jesus reads from the scroll of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. What is important for our considerations is the line that says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me. . . .”If you are a member of Christ, as St. Paul…Continue Reading