Fr. Richard McBrien But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ.   I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men?      -1 Corinthians 3; 1-4                                                                                                                     IN THE SMOKE OF SATAN, I WROTE: "Lest we forget...

Earlier I posted on the release of the book version of Fifty Shades of Grey . The movie version is due out St. Valentines Day next. It is not getting good reviews ...

Following Luther’s 1517 revolt, Protestants rejected both what they perceived to be abuses in Church practice and the liturgy of the Church, choosing to break away from Sacramental worship in favor of the reading of Scripture and preaching and the adoption of the vernacular in worship. This produced an anti-liturgical revolution in breaking away from the historical evolution of the liturgy in conjunction with the reformer’s heterodox beliefs. The Church responded to the Reformation at the Council of Trent from 1543-1563, adopting liturgical reforms which remained substantially unchanged for the next four hundred years. In studying the history of reform of the liturgy, it is important to note that the Council of Trent manifested reforms true to the traditional principles of organic development of the liturgy, as noted by a well-known liturgical authority: The Tridentine liturgical reform, initiated in order to correct abuse and ensure doctrinal orthodoxy, was thoroughly traditional...

On July 25 the Church celebrated the 46 th   anniversary of Humanae Vitae , the encyclical written by Pope Paul VI which re-affirmed the Church’s teaching against abortion and contraception and upheld the Church’s defense of the sanctity of marriage. Before anyone is tempted to quit reading due to a belief that no  Catholic  female in her right mind would not contracept after marriage, read this please! Humanae vitae is not very long, but it is prophetic, so if you haven’t read it,just do so!. The Church reminds us that for love to be real and truthful, it must be free, total, faithful, and fruitful (FTFF) .   Jesus is the faultless model of free, total, faithful, and fruitful love. At Calgary we see that Jesus gave up His life for us freely, a total gift of Himself in perfect fidelity to His Heavenly Father and to us. His death on the Cross was and is perfectly fruitful, because it redeems us from our sins and gains for us eternal life. In Catholic ...

Paul VI and Karol Wojtyla I am reading Peter Hebblethwaite's  biography of Paul VI.  Clearly, Hebblethwaite writes as a historian sympathetic to "the spirit of Vatican II" in his account of Paul's life. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile read for one capable of recognizing those personal asides where the author's' objectivity leaves much to be desired. Also, I was amazed also to read that Paul, sensitive to criticism from both orthodox and heterodox Catholics over his 15-year pontificate, boldly predicted that one day he would be referred to as a prophet! How right he was.  Paul VI’s beatification come October 2014 offers us an opportunity to reintroduce the world to the prophetic nature of Battista Montini, Paul VI. As readers know, in my book I describe in detail  why the word “prophetic” is used to describe his final encyclical,  Humane Vitae.  Not only did it fall to Paul to complete and promote Vatican I...

"The life of prayer calls for continuous battles. It is the most important and the longest effort in a life dedicated to God.  This effort has been given a beautiful name: it is called the guard of the heart.  Dom Augustin Guillerand The human heart is a city; it was meant to be a stronghold.  Sin surrendered it.  Henceforth it is an open city, the walls of which have to be built up again.  The enemy never ceases to do all he can to prevent this.  He does this with his accustomed cleverness and strength, with stratagem and fury.  He puts before us such happy thoughts (and occasionally useful ones), pictures so attractive or frightening, and he clothes it all with reasons so impressive that he succeeds all along the line to distract us and entice us away from the divine presence. We must always be starting again.  These continual recoveries, this endless beginning again, tires and disheartens us far more than the actual fighting.  We...

As a single male who has longed to have a helpmate, but has never been able to find one, I am intrigued by recent findings on young American men and women .  Catholics believe that marriage comes as a gift from the hand of God. The Catholic vision of marriage is rooted in Sacred Scripture and is expressed in the teachings and practices of the Church. It has these main elements: Marriage unites a couple in faithful and mutual love Marriage opens a couple to giving life Marriage is a way to respond to God’s call to holiness Marriage calls the couple to be a sign of Christ’s love in the world In Mulieris dignitatem St. Pope John Paul II wrote:  When we say that the woman is the one who receives love in order to love in return, this refers not only or above all to the specific spousal relationship of marriage. It means something more universal, based on the very fact of her being a woman within all the interpersonal relationships which, in the most varied wa...

Whenever I hear fellow Catholics defend abortion or the death penalty, or same sex "marriage," for that matter, I always speak out to defend the faith charitably. Certainly if some Catholics were chanting “death to  Muslims"  and "nuke Islamic nations", all  Catholics would be required to speak against this offense to our Catholic faith.   Watch this video , (NOT LIKELY TO BE AIRED ON CNN) and then pray that moderate Muslims find it in their hearts to condemn this abomination. Here is an upddate....

Just ran across this preview from Fr. Paul of Courage ,  portraits of Catholics who try to navigate the waters of self-understanding, faith, and homosexuality:          Dan, a gregarious artist who spent his life hiding a deep sense of isolation from those who loved him;           Rilene, a successful businesswoman who realized that twenty-five years with her partner did not provide the fulfillment she had hoped for;           and Paul, an international model who, after a life of self-indulgence, found grace in the last place he expected.   Austin Ruse of C-Fam has a nice write-up as well....

I am currently reading Pontiff: The Vatican,the KGB, and the Year of the Three Popes, which recounts the latter years of Paul VI’s pontificate, as well as the two conclaves electing John Paul’s I and II and the intrigue surrounding both papal elections. The book contains an in-depth look at the brief pontificate of Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I. During his papacy as a young man I had fallen away from the Church, and so knew nothing of his view of his role as the Vicar of Christ on earth. Reading about his time at the Vatican, I thought to myself, this account of JPI’s papacy could well be describing how the media portrays Pope Francis: the pope of the poor, enemy of of uncontrolled free-market capitalism, agitator engaged in shaking up the Roman Curia, ecclesiological modernizer committed to consultation, collegiality and decentralization in the governance of the Church. This description fits the present Holy Father well, as far as it goes. As I note frequently in these p...

In The Smoke of Satan in the Temple of God , I wrote of 2 of Pope Paul VI's sagacious recollections of Catholic teaching., made late in his pontificate, when he became wise to the fruits of "the spirit of Vatican II," post- Humanae vitae/Credo of the people of God.  They are: 1) The Mystery of Iniquity, i.e., that some evils exist that cannot be explained by human reason alone and must be  attributed to the influence of the demonic. I observe these in my theme of "Dancing with Mr. D." Here is an example. 2) That the unchecked human libido is a crack through which Satan can enter the human experience. These come under Libido Redux. Check out a recent example  here . To see all just enter either or both of these phrases in the search engine at right.

As it happens, a Planned Planned Parenthood counselor was caught telling what she thought was a 15-year-old girl about the sexy side of defecating. Here is an investigative video presenting what Planned Parenthood “counselors” teach minors in the name of “sex-ed”: sexual bondage and sadomasochism, and steering them to sex stores to “get educated.” In the latest video, a counselor told the investigator (posing as a minor) that “sexual exploration is normal” – and suggested defecating and urinating on men as an possibility. According to the counselor, “sexual exploration” is “normal” and “can be really fun.” For accepted wisdom to imitate, she referred to “50 Shades of Grey” as well as pornography. She also offered some personal techniques: “There are so many different fetishes out there…. Like, some guys like for women to urinate on them” or “pooping.” Talk about defining deviancy down….

A new book is out which is for the layman on "reasons for the hope that is in us." One main reason to be Catholic for one believing in Jesus Christ is that, in it’s 2000 year history, though the Mystical Body of Christ has been far from perfect, most recently involving the priest homosexual scandals in the United States, the Catholic Church, despite saints and sinners, good choices and bad, has survived and will continue to survive, as we have Our Lord's Word on this! Another point. The Catholic Church is THE ONLY Church which traces its roots back to Jesus Christ. No other religion can lay claim to that. Read about many more reasons here ! One reason NOT to be Catholic is if you are easily upset, for, as I can attest, you will be looked down on by many for your faith- BUT-- fear not, JESUS IS WITH US UNTIL THE END OF THIS AGE. Here is a current example:

As a high school teacher I witness regularly parents, especially moms, waxing emotional as they prepare to say goodbye to their firstborn, off to those wonderful institutions of higher learning, American colleges. I even helped a friend of mine move her daughter into one, though I must admit, our preparation most certainly did n ot include, but should have, sage advice given by Matthew Hennessey!   Here is why you should check this out, should you be in this group....

Catholic philosopher  Peter Kreeft  wrote a very interesting and entertaining article a few years ago called Satan's Battle Plan for the Third Millennium He doesn't say how it fell into his hands, but he claims it's actually the transcript of a speech written by Satan himself to his demons. Very interesting reading. Part of it goes like this: Ever since I began our great war by asserting my rights, my freedom, and my self-actualization against the narrow-minded, bigoted, tyrannical, fascistic, chauvinistic, racist, sexist, homophobic dogmatism of the Enemy, ever since I proclaimed the Profound Philosophical Principle of Absolute Relativism and persuaded you to follow this Super-Enlightened Program of Revolutionary Political Correctness, we have won victory after victory. Conclusively and repeatedly we demons have demonstrated that Straight Is Stupid and Crooked Is Clever. Of course, there was that minor, temporary setback when we were forcibly ejected fr...

Donny Pauling has rightly  observed: "....our enemy in the fight against porn is  not  the pornographers who produce it, or the people who participate in creating it. As St. Paul states in his letter to the Ephesians, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, powers, forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of evil in the spiritual realm.  Trying to fight porn by going after pornographers is like trying to treat one symptom of a disease rather than finding its cure.  Pornography has a cause, rooted in the condition of our own hearts.  To fight it, we must start with ourselves, being willing to face the part we play. We must let our hearts be changed." 

The Pill of Pills OK, being a human of the male gender, I am merely going to post for your private reading enjoyment two recent entries in the contraception wars. The first comes to you from Rachel Evans ( Note : admirable is the wisdom of Jenna in this portfolio). The second  is from the pen of Jessica Valenti of The Guardian , and for me is by far the more realistic, enlightening reading on why most women contracept.

A t times I wallow  in sadness over the the  high rate of divorce  and the reality that many dating and engaged couples have experienced their own parents’ divorce It is clear that many couples shy from commitment to marriage at present. One idea often discerned centers around this question:  should couples cohabit to see if they are compatible?  Doesn't it seems reasonable that  cohabitation  would offer a good preview of marriage?. However, sociologists have discovered that the “expectation of a positive relationship between cohabitation and marital stability . . . has been shattered in recent years by studies conducted in several Western countries.” ( William G. Axinn and Arland Thornton, "The Relation Between Cohabitation and Divorce: Selectivity or Casual Influence?" Demography 29, 1992, 357-374). So- the data show that if  one wants  a successful marriage, one is better off living together after the we...

N ormally on the Sabbath from time to time I like to mention the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in  the extraordinary form, today being the Fifth Sundayafter Pentecost . But I also peruse reflections on readings from the Missale Romanum , and today’s Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time teaches us what is at the heart of why the world we live in is the way it is.   As background, in the Gospel according to St. Mark, we read: “…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.  Here the word "kingdom" literally means "sovereignty" or "reign" and the power to "rule" and exercise authority. Repentance has to do with turning from our life as we live it and to will to open our hearts to God’s reign over us. The Gospel for this Sunday (Parable of the Sower and the Seed) asks us to look at why it is some Christians hear th...

The chief fear that Satan has about his tactics misfiring is his memory of the warning of God about enmity from a woman, and about his “head being crushed,” in Genesis 3:15. Perhaps, too He might also feel disquiet about interference from that Woman mentioned in Revelation 12:1, arrayed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and crowned with twelve stars, as prayed in the Rosary’s Glorious Mysteries. For those of us hoping for salvation in spite of a world descending into mire, praying the Rosary offers a solution to the spiritual  derangement  mentioned in previous blogs on this topic. I am reading James Hitchcock’s The History of theCatholic Church . As professor Hitchcock takes up twentieth- century modernism and the aftermath of the 1960s, the event that caught my attention was the story, which I discussed at length in my book, of the destruction of the order of the California Immaculate Heart Sisters. As I take up in my chapter on religious li...

A nother diabolical but admittedly wise tactic of the Devil’s would appear to be the semi-ecumenical ententes with Islam, encouraged by Catholics willfully ignorant of the history and main tenets of Islam. Conversation with Islam in any “ecumenical” vein, as it professes to be out to destroy or subordinate all other religions, compromises ecumenical efforts as set down in Vatican II documents. These teach that ecumenism must focus on our “separated brethren”—especially the Orthodox sister churches, which share Apostolic Succession with Catholics. It goes without saying that the final reunification of Christians would mess with Satan’s plans for domination of the Kingdom of Darkness. Any dialogue with Islam thus makes even less sense than dialogues with Buddhism or Mormonism, which are much less prone to violence. If this were the 11 th century, in the face of news of the Church burnings, murders and abductions being committed against Christians in the Middle East, a Crusade...

T he Catholic faith holds that God created an angelic world, composed of beings that are pure spirits. At Christmas we sing that we have heard their song on high. Some remained faithful to God and reached their heavenly destiny, while others, though gifted with divine grace, lost it and were thereby condemned to eternal punishment. It is part of God's providence to have the heavenly angels minister our needs and assist us in reaching heaven. It is also part of divine permissive providence to allow the fallen angels to try and tempt us into sin in order to keep us from heaven. Thus, though it is often ignored, the Church does teach that there exists a dark kingdom,  employing the  same intelligence and power as have the heavenly angels, to prevent  the spread  of God’s kingdom, get more recruits, and unite the powers of evil in  the world .   It has been said: we are as ants to them (Good news: demons are as ants to Christ).  Indeed, in L...