18 posts tagged “catholicism”

A google search using “Feast of the Assumption” yielded quite a number of hits as I expected, what I didn’t expect were the number of articles I found on various sites in various contexts that mock this doctrine of our Catholic faith. I scanned a few of these and for the most part can say that they are written by people completely ignorant of the Catholic Faith, much less our Doctrine, beliefs, and Apostolic Tradition. Of course I understand this completely and therefore simply pray that their hearts and minds will be opened to the Holy Spirit whereupon they are likely to become like us, fools for Christ.

I love our Holy Days and Feast days and those associated with our Blessed Mother are my favorite.

The Ark which God has Sanctified

The ark which God has sanctified,
Which He has filled with grace,
Within the temple of the Lord
Has found a resting-place.

More glorious than the seraphim,
This ark of love divine,
Corruption could not blemish her
Whom death could not confine.

God-bearing Mother, Virgin chaste,
Who shines in heaven's sight;
She wears a royal crown of stars
Who is the door of Light.

To Father, Son and Spirit blest
may we give endless praise
With Mary, who is Queen of heaven,
Through everlasting days.
(from Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal)

• We lift up our prayers to be one with the Blessed Mother who today was assumed into heaven:
• That the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, will guide and support all Church leaders with her maternal love.
• That all people will revere the sanctity of human life, and for an end to abortion and euthanasia.
• For blessings on children, especially those who are orphaned or abused.
• For the grace to live modestly and chastely.
• Eternal Word, you taught your mother Mary to choose the part that was best; let us follow her example and hunger for the food of everlasting life.

Loving Father, you have raised up the Blessed Virgin Mary to share in your communion of love. Accept us into that holy embrace through the sacrifice of our prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(from the Women for Faith & Family website)

We who have the privilege of being citizens of truly democratic countries fear the loss of freedoms, the intrusion on our privacy, the false imprisonment by our justice system but we do not generally have to fear that our government will use dynamite to blow up our churches and shrines and arrest the faithful religious en mass.

China, on the other hand, continues its torment of any “unauthorized” religion, religious functions, religious gatherings, or religious celebrations of any kind and in any place that the government has not previously approved. Asianews reports on one of the latest attempts to suppress Catholicism by the Communists in China:

Next July 16th pilgrims and faithful from Henan will not be allowed to go on pilgrimage to the sanctuary in Tianjiajing. The government from the province of Henan has in fact decreed that the historic sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel will be blown up with dynamite; a complete ban on Catholics organizing their annual pilgrimage; a complete ban on any religious gathering or function being celebrated in the area.  A statue of the Virgin, over one hundred years old, is destined to be destroyed along with 14 stations of The Way of the Cross which punctuate the entrance to the shrine.

This shrine was built more than 100 years ago in thanksgiving to Our Lady for deliverance from the threats of the Boxer Rebellion. May Our Lady of Carmel intercede for these faithful and their shrine that they may freely visit and worship.

Henan government: destroy the sanctuary of Our Lady of Carmel in Tianjiajing

 

"It is the United States that is to lead the world to peace, the peace of Christ, the peace that He brought with Him from heaven," Sister Mary Ephrem quoted The Virgin as saying. "Dear children, unless the United States accepts and carries out faithfully the mandate given to it by heaven to lead the world to peace, there will come upon it and all nations a great havoc of war and incredible suffering. If, however, the United States is faithful to this mandate from heaven and yet fails in the pursuit of peace because the rest of the world will not accept or cooperate, then the United States will not be burdened with the punishment about to fall."

"What am I to do, child of my heart, when my children turn from me? The false peace of this world lures them and in the end will destroy them. They think they have done enough in consecrating themselves to my Immaculate Heart. It is not enough. That which I ask for and is most important many have not given me. What I ask, have asked, and will continue to ask is reformation of life. There must be sanctification from within. I will work my miracles of grace only in those who ask for them and empty their souls of the love and attachment to sin and all that is displeasing to my Son. Souls who cling to sin cannot have their hands free to receive the treasures of grace that I hold out to them."

Our Lady of America , Pray for us, Intercede for us, Guide us to your beloved son our Lord Jesus Christ.

"By thy Holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil.”

John Mallon (Mallon's Media Watch) blogs on Archbishop Curtiss’ rebuke of two Creighton University folks who evidently run the University’s Center for Marriage and Family. I’d heard a smattering about it but until I saw this did not realize the import.

I say good for the Archbishop, shame on Mr.  Michael Lawler and Ms. Gail Risch. As with many of those who consider the Church a “Dark Ages” medieval millstone, Mr. Lawler and Ms. Risch advocate young couples who live together outside the sacrament of marriage are not living in the sin of fornication but rather “growing in grace”!

May God protect our children from such as these.

________________________________________________

I stumbled across a National Catholic Register article that gave me cause for great excitement. The article, titled “Priest TV Show Vows Respect” carried the subtitle Karen Hall Amazed by Embrace Of New Cable Project.  Now for those who don’t know her, Karen Hall is a writer/producer, a Catholic, and a Saint Blog’s Parish blogger (Some Have Hats). My hopes were dashed though when I visited Karen’s blog and read this. NCR made it sound like a done deal, Karen makes it sound like an idea barely born! How could NCR get it so wrong? I dunno, but I sure hope they turn out to be right!

So what started me up this time? The New York Time and the Los Angeles Times – two articles that couldn’t be more different and yet more alike.

The LA Times printed what was described by NewsBusters as “a fawning article” about a former Catholic priest named John Carroll. He’s described in the article’s headline as a “Devout Catholic . . .” and then begins with this description of Carroll as

an idiosyncratic Catholic, a former priest who still celebrates his faith yet rejects the very roots of its doctrine, viewing Christianity's promise of eternal life as "destructive" and the cross as a symbol of Roman Emperor Constantine's lust for power.

Ok, so I read this sentence and my first reaction was “this guy’s a crackpot” (read the article, you’ll see more what I mean). But my next reaction concerned the author of the article (Gina Piccalo, Times Staff Writer) who must be either completely ignorant (and I mean completely) about the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church or have a deep dislike for the Church. What else could explain her understanding of this man as “devoted” yet “idiosyncratic”, as someone who “still celebrates his faith” but at the same time “rejects the very roots of its doctrine”. Give me a break. Mr. Carroll is not much better than Jack Chick or Dave Hunt in his devotion to the Church.

In contrast the NY Times published an op-ed that, to me at least, was essentially an admission that it’s (and the Dem’s) pro-choice stance is contributing to the defection of large numbers of Democrats from the party. You’ve got to read this article – as far as I’m concerned it’s the most amazing thing that it was even published!

Over 18 months, I traveled to 20 states listening to women of all ages, races, tax brackets and points of view speak at length on the issues they care about heading into ’08. They convinced me that the conventional wisdom was wrong about the last presidential contest, that Democrats did not lose support among women because “security moms” saw President Bush as the better protector against terrorism. What first-time defectors mentioned most often was abortion.

Here we have an icon of the Liberal Left’s movement publishing something that says exactly the opposite of what it has been preaching loudly for years. We are constantly barraged from the media with so-called “news” that seems to indicate that pro-lifers are the minority! Again and again we hear from Democrats and their friends in the media that virtually everyone in America support “a woman’s right to choose”. Apparently we’ve been lied to, but we already knew that didn’t we?

I’ll leave it to you to read Melinda Henneberger’s article and you’ll be amazed at the point of view she sees the Democrats as having. They apparently have truly been hijacked by the minority simply because that minority manages to scream more loudly than the majority or perhaps it’s because they actively promote their agenda with big dollars.

Perhaps I’ve been a tad incoherent in this post – I apologize. Fundamentally I see in the contrast between these two articles a similarity that extends beyond faith and abortion. In the “devout Catholic” who rejects the core tenets of his faith and the political party who have failed to listen to their constituents about a matter as serious as abortion I see this country and our diverse culture going down the proverbial potty. At the core of each of these articles is someone’s absolute refusal to accept Truth. Why do we typically refuse anything? Because it isn’t what we want! What’d I tell ya.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for our dear country.
Our Lady of Fatima, sanctify our clergy.
Our Lady of Fatima, make our Catholics more fervent.
Our Lady of Fatima, guide and inspire those who govern us.
Our Lady of Fatima, cure the sick who confide in thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, console the sorrowful who trust in thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who invoke your aid.
Our Lady of Fatima, deliver us from all dangers.
Our Lady of Fatima, help us to resist temptation.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us all that we lovingly ask of thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who are dear to us.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring back to the right road our erring brothers.
Our Lady of Fatima, give us back our ancient fervor.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offenses.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring all men to the feet of thy Divine Child.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain peace for the world.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Let Us Pray:
O God of infinite goodness and mercy, fill our hearts with a great confidence in Thy dear Mother, whom we invoke under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and our Lady of Fatima, and grant us by her powerful intercession all the graces, spiritual and temporal, which we need. 
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Italy's Family Day - videos (HT Open Book) (wonderfully uplifting – as is the next link)

The pro-life power of the blog (HT The Hermeneutic of Continuity)

Jerome Lejeune (HT The Curt Jester) (this good soul is the antithesis of the next item)

Down's syndrome and the dark forces (HT The Hermeneutic of Continuity)

Blair to Become Catholic (HT The Hermeneutic of Continuity) (ya gotta read this one!)

“People would be surprised to know that I…” (HT The Curt Jester)

So many blogs, so little time!

Around the world voices are heard loudly decrying violence and persecution and asking for diplomatic negotiations . These voices insist that negotiations with governments can and will yield positive fruit. Thus, it really does seem odd to hear a man say that negotiation cannot be had with his own government - but that is indeed what is being said by Fr. Timothy Finigan, a parish priest in Blackfen and founder of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life [he also writes at The Hermeneutic of Continuity and is a member of the St. Blog's Parish "Clergy"].
Fr. Finigan has been active in the protest against the so-called SORs, or Sexual Orientation Regulations being debated in Great Britain's Parliament. Folks, if you haven't been keeping a weather eye on the world this would be a good time to start. The Protestant Reformation was bad enough, but I'm afraid that the Sexual Orientation Regulations are going to provoke much worse response if you can believe that could happen!

Fr. Finigan has been interviewed several times by Lifesitenews.com including Fr. Finigan's reaction to and analysis of the UK demonstration:

The rally was smaller than previous demonstrations. Fr. Finigan told LifeSiteNews.com, "The only Catholics attending were representatives from the Latin Mass society, the National Association of Catholic Families and the Faith Movement. The Catholic media office has not picked up on the issue and there was no one at the rally from the Catholic media."

The Catholic media "not picking up" on issues is not a new thing and not surprising but in this particular case I believe there's a subtle reason why this is true.

The poor Catholic showing, he said, was likely a result of the determination by the English Catholic hierarchy to negotiate with the government. "The Catholic bishops," he said, "thought they were dealing with reasonable chaps, that a sensible accommodation could be worked out. They didn't know what they were dealing with."
 
The assumption that there would be an accommodation has left the UK's Catholic leadership without any contingency plan. "Our ecclesiastical authorities thought they could negotiate a deal. So there is no plan-B," Fr. Finigan said.

Care to hear the opinion of one aid to a member of Parliament? You can be assured this gentleman is not alone in his opinion and as for his apology, well it isn't worth a tinker's damn.

Christians are openly worrying, however, that the passage of the Regulations will mean a new wave of anti-Christian political activity and legislation. In today’s Daily Mail, the ‘Spy’ column ran the response to a constituent who wrote to Alan Simpson, Labour MP for Nottingham South asking him to oppose the SOR legislation.
 
“You disgust me,” was the reply from the MP’s aide, Paul May. “You are so totally and utterly out of touch with the real world that it is no surprise to me that the Christian faith is fizzling out to nothing in the United Kingdom.”
 
“Perhaps when we have managed to turn all our children gay the problem of religious bigotry affecting our laws will no longer be an issue.” May later apologized and said he was not speaking for Mr. Simpson.

Right. Another NOT apology.
Fr. Finigan, whose weblog, the Hermeneutic of Continuity has been a major resource for Christians and other concerned citizens on the SOR’s, said

“In a way this may be good for us.”
 
“Sooner or later the bishops will have to realize that you can’t negotiate with the government.”

If you're of the mind that this is happening in Great Britain and that's pretty far away and it's nothing to do with us you should give yourself a whack on the back of your head. Great Britain is beginning to see the price that socialism will extract from those drawn to the empty promises it makes. Socialism is generally attractive as it seems to offer that "equality" we all seem to believe that everyone deserves. Here in the U.S. we're talking about it in the sense of our Healthcare system - healthcare for everyone paid for by the government. That's where Great Britain's ills began (to simplify greatly) and look where they are today. [I agree with Pope Leo XIII who advises, in Rerum Novarum, that "it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal."] With the passing of the SORs into law (and it appears that nothing short of the Hand of God will prevent that) it will become possible for the entire population of Christians (and Muslims too by the way) to be locked away in prison and their properties seized and sold at auction to pay the fines and fees and satisfy the mob.

I can hear you now saying "Well that's a bit extreme and over-the-top dontcha think? Perhaps not but we also would never have dreamed that a frenzy of bloody murder would kill millions of tiny infants and it would be done with hardly a protest. Don't say you weren't warned -- before you know it, unless something is done, it will be our problem here in America as well.

Now, before you say "Well what can I do about all this?" I will say to you that God will hear us IF WE ASK, but WE MUST ASK! Remember we are exhorted in scripture to pray constantly - well, now you're finding out why! I implore all my brothers and sisters to pray for Christian strength in this persecution which is about to be set upon the Church in Great Britain. Pray, pray, pray.

Many thanks to Lifesitenews.com for its continuing efforts to report the truth - something we're not getting from those who happily take our money and make millions doing it. You might consider a contribution to Lifesitenews.com to help them out.

I missed Sean Hannity's Lenten apology on his radio show, Father Euteneuer's article about Sean's apology; Father Euteneuer's subsequent interview on Hannity & Colmes, Father Morris' critique of Father Euteneuer article and interview, and Father Euteneur's response to Father Morris' critique. Phew! Just writing about this is exhausting!

Seriously, I don't need the likes of talking heads on television and radio to give my life direction or fill me with the daily blah, blah, blah about this and that. For those who did manage to catch all these things "live", well - more power to ya. For those who did not, good for you - I'm hoping you had better things to do with your time. But in the interest of thoroughness I'll be including links to all the trash talk.

Here's a brief synopsis:

3/2/07 Radio show: Sean Hannity makes an apology on the air for taking a couple of bites of a chicken sandwich on a Friday during Lent.

3/9/07 HLI.org: Fr. Thomas Euteneuer chastises Hannity and says he'd be better off repenting of his public dissent against the Catholic Church's teaching on contraception. Says Hannity's a hyprocrite.

3/9/07 Hannity & Colmes: Sean Hannity throws everything but the kitchen sink at Father Euteneuer pompously denouncing the priest for calling him a hyporcrite while failing to do anything about the Church sex scandal.

3/11/07 Foxnews.com: Fr. Jonathon Morris, a Fox News analyst, takes Fr. Euteneuer to task for his public chastisement of Sean Hannity.

3/12/07 HLI.org - Fr. Euteneuer's follow up.

My take:

- Sean Hannity's livlihood depends on his calling people hypocrites and he does it with vigor. It's a bit unsettling to watch his self-righteous tap dancing when faced with his own hypocrisy.

- Fr. Euteneuer was doing what we need more priests to do. If we don't know what is right we must be taught. If we won't be taught that's our problem, but if we are not taught that's something else altogether.

- I just don't know what to make of Fr. Morris.

My hat's off to Father Euteneuer.

As for Hannity and all the other talking heads (liberal, conservative, etc. ad nauseam) well, I couldn't watch television any less than I do now so all's well in that arena.

There are plenty of Catholic bloggers commenting on these episodes - Google to your hearts content.

 

 A copy of The Mass Revealed arrived in the mail today and I got several surprises. The first was the box it came in -- my first thought was I had received the wrong order. I opened the box and where I expected to find a DVD there were instead three separate items - the DVD (with a complementing CD containing an audio only version of the program); an audio CD of the soundtrack; and lastly a booklet - the print version of the program. Finally, the best surprise of all - the quality of the presentation. The music, the commentary, the treatment of the Holy Mass throughout the entire DVD was superb and often very moving.

This program came to my attention while I was listening to the latest Rosary Army podcast. Greg and Jennifer talked about The Mass Revealed  - my curiosity was piqued enough that I visited the website of Thy Kingdom Come - the company who put together this wonderful presentation. After viewing the sample video trailers I decided to place an order.

Once I began to watch the DVD I couldn't turn it off -- it's that good. I've got to say this is hands down one of the best, if not THE best presentation on the Holy Mass of the Catholic Church that I've ever seen. If you are a Catholic this is a must see; if you are not Catholic you need to see this presentation to get an understanding of the what the Holy Mass is, what it is not, what we do, and why we do it. My thanks to the folks at Thy Kingdom Come for a beautiful presentation on the Holy Mass.