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Showing posts from November, 2014

There's No Place Like Home!

As I approach the beginning of the end of life here on earth (God willing), I am thankful this Advent season that God's grace brought me home some time ago, and that I did not miss out on all the riches He has given me until it was almost too late. Why not prepare for the coming of Our Lord into your life this Advent by reflecting on the message at Catholics Come Home.org ? It is a powerful video. Here is a little intro: Our belief in God is not just an emotional, religious feeling—it’s a conviction grounded in logic and reason understood by billions of people around the world who desire to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Over 2,000 years ago, God sent his only son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that all of us may have everlasting life. Condemned to death on the cross, Jesus conquered death and rose from the tomb, establishing a body of Christ-followers known as the Church. It is through Jesus we discover a life free from sin and open our hearts to love, compassion

A Defense of Marriage by An Elder Brother

Here is an enlightening view from the perspective of our elder brethren, the people of Israel, of marriage, which is very close to our own  Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks understanding, and goes a long way in revealing the truth embedded in the order of creation. Watch the video shown inside the text away down, and take heart--marriage will survive, as it is in the image of the Eternal One.

What Are We To Make of Pope Francis?

Having written on the causes of the crisis of faith bordering on apostasy in many Catholic circles in these troubled times, and troubled times are nothing new to the faithful disciple of Christ, I from time to time watch "Church Militant TV." Now, mind you, do not be dissuaded by use of the term "militant." If we are in a spiritual war, and we are, then the fight against evil we are all called to by virtue of our baptismal promises will from time to time employ bellicose terminology: From St. Paul to the Ephesians: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Now, to the subje

What Went On at Vatican II?

As I recount in my book, a school of thought exists which interprets Vatican II as an “event,” i.e. , that the Council canonized an overriding and ongoing dynamic process of change—overriding, that is, the specific provisions of conciliar constitutions and the contexts in which they were formulated, and ongoing in that this view mandates that conciliar texts must be re-interpreted today in the light of this dynamic: “What would the Council have said now,” etc . This elevation of process into a hyper-hermeneutic, however is foreign to the historical reality of Council itself. This following of a so-called “ spirit of the Council ” rather than its “letter” is a way of reading into the Council documents whatever one wishes regardless of what t hey in fact say.  There remains at present a very widespread attitude in the life of the Church―not only in respect to the Sacred Liturgy―that “Vatican II changed all that.” This is the popular slogan that summaries what Benedict XVI called “

Hell Hath No Fury....

I n Catholic theological circles historically there has been the question of whether or not hell has any occupants. Much of this can be traced to the proposal of the “Anonymous Christian”, the controversial notion introduced by the Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner that declares that people who have never heard the Christian Gospel might be saved through Christ. Non-Christians could have "in [their] basic orientation and fundamental decision," Rahner wrote, "accepted the salvific grace of God, through Christ, although [they] may never have heard of the Christian revelation. I find all of this difficult to square with a close reading of Sacred Scripture, of which Monsignor Charles Pope offers only one example . Read and live each day God has given you as though it were your last....

As we Await the ExraordinarySynod on the family....

The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family will meet at the Vatican Oct. 5-19, bringing together the presidents of national bishops' conferences, the heads of Eastern Catholic churches and Vatican officials. The world Synod of Bishops, which will include more bishops -- many elected by their peers -- will meet at the Vatican Oct. 4-25, 2015. Clearly the traditional family has been under attack for some time.  The Holy Father has remarked the the devil is trying to“destroy” the family because that is where children are born and learn to love.  Pope Francis spoke of how the devil “attacks the family so much. The demon does not love it and seeks to destroy it.” Less than a month after the end of a turbulent Synod of Bishops on the Family, Pope Francis will thus return to the Vatican’s synod hall on Nov. 17 to revisit the controversies raised by that summit from the perspective of how men and women relate to one another. The key idea of the three-day meeting is “complem

Pope Francis and the Devil (Again)

I n his homily of October 30, once again Pope Francis returned to a favorite theme, saying that the devil is more than an idea, and in order to fight him, Christians must follow St. Paul’s instructions and “put on the armor of God” which protects us: “In this generation, like so many others, people have been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an idea, the idea of evil. But the devil exists and we must fight against him,” said the Pope. The day’s first reading was from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, in which the apostle warns against the temptations of the devil, telling Christians to clothe themselves with the armor of God so they can resist. The Holy Father said that a Christian life requires both strength and courage, and needs to be defended because it is a constant battle with the devil, who tempts with worldly attractions, the passions and our flesh. “From whom do I have to defend myself? What must I do?” he asked, saying that St. Paul tells us to “

LIBIDO REDUX: "Why Can't We Just Let Teenage Girls Enjoy Their Sexuality?"

Here is why we cannot. And the remedy to the ever-present saturation? Explore here .

Advice in Defense of Marriage

How can the pro-family movement – pro-family individuals – effectively fight back? Can the homosexual pseudo-marriage steamroller be stopped? Here is sage advice from Life Site News: Understand the “gay marriage” battle.  In the short run the “gay marriage” fight is all about forcing the normalizing of homosexuality on society. In their own way, that’s even how the courts see it. If you already concede that “domestic partners” or “civil unions” are fine, or that the behavior is not destructive and must be respected, then logically you eventually lose the argument. In the long run it’s about removing the timeless basis of morality from all our laws. We mustn’t let it get that far. Change your mindset to offense, not defense.  Our side spends all its time in a defensive posture, reacting to things. Constant defense leads to eventual surrender. That’s become our mindset. We need to start becoming aggressive, taking ground, and charging forward. And think that way. That’s easier sa