BIG C CATHOLICS

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is May 30th. The Divine Family that is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is the central mystery of our Christian faith. The mystery of the Trinity is the life that dwells in us and sustains us. ___________ "God in his deepest mystery is not a solitude but a family, since he has in himself fatherhood, sonship and the essence of the family which is love." — St. John Paul II The Exchange of Persons in the Trinity The three-leaf clover used in religion classes to explain the mystery of three Divine Persons in one God does not begin to penetrate the incomparable majesty, boundless love, and total communion, which the Church in her Tradition and creeds ascribes to the Trinity. To the early Church Fathers the idea of perichoresis (the exchange of Persons in the Trinity), was indispensable to understanding God. This sublime, metaphysical concept is central to John Paul’s Theology of the Body. The inner life of Fa

Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism Fr. Anthony Pillari JCL, MCL, STD Lesson 3: On the Unity and Trinity of God Welcome to the third lesson of Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism – On the Unity and Trinity of God. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. O Jesus, I choose to live this day, for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen. In our last lesson we began to learn about God and His perfections. Today we will learn about the unity and Trinity of God. That is, we will begin learning about a mystery that we can only know because God has revealed it. We can only know it because God has taught it – that He is three Persons in one God. Listen to what happened when Jesus came to John the Baptist in the River Jordan and gave us a glimpse of the Holy Trinity. John the Baptist, the cousin of our Lord, had been given the mission of preparing people for the

Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism Fr. Anthony Pillari JCL, MCL, STD Lesson 2: On God and His Perfections (The following is a transcript from the Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism with Fr. Anthony Pillari . Each presentation focuses on a lesson from the Baltimore Catechism. While these catecheses are intended for young Catholics, a prayerful study of the subject matter and materials provided would greatly benefit anyone. This video series is available free online.) Welcome to the second lesson of Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism – On God and His Perfections. Let us begin with the prayer taught by our Lady to the children of Fatima, praying it slowly and well, so that you might help save souls even now, as you study your Catechism. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. O Jesus, I choose to live this day, for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism Fr. Anthony Pillari JCL, MCL, STD Lesson 1: On the End of Man (The following is a transcript from the Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism with Fr. Anthony Pillari . Each presentation focuses on a lesson from the Baltimore Catechism. While these catecheses are intended for young Catholics, a prayerful study of the subject matter and materials provided would greatly benefit anyone. This video series is available free online.) Welcome to the first lesson of Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism – On the End of Man. You are beginning today a great journey through the entire Baltimore Catechism. Through a challenging program of formation that will lead your soul to become stronger in the Lord and in His might. The keys to the success of this program will be your willingness to work hard at your studies, your willingness to make sacrifices, your willingness to persevere, and your determination to not become discouraged. Because in this pro

In honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas' feast day, [January 28th] here is the Angelic Doctor’s consideration of Islam and the teachings of its prophet Mohammed. It is noteworthy but hardly surprising that one of the most brilliant theologians in the Church’s history was beholden to truth, not morally devoid political correctness. Aquinas rarely discusses Islam expressly, save for two instances.* In one, he defends Christianity against Muslim objections [See Summa Contra Gentiles ] noting that; the blood of Christian martyrs leads to coverts, whereas Islam is spread by the sword. Moreover, Aquinas compares and contrasts Christ’s selfless divinity with Mohammed’s ruthless inhumanity. To wit, in Aquinas’ own words: He [Mohammed] did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth. On the contrary, Mohammed said that he was se

November 25th is the optional memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the brilliant 4th century apologist and virgin, whose arguments and courageous witness for the Faith won many souls for Christ. Popular piety memorializes her heroic virtue and holy death. She is the patron of apologists and philosophers. ______________________________________ The account of her martyrdom is legendary and defies every attempt to cull out the historical kernel. Old Oriental sources make no mention of her. In the West her cult does not appear before the 11th century, when the crusaders made it popular. She became the patroness of philosophical faculties; she is one of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers" [invoked against disease]. The Breviary offers this: Catherine, virgin of Alexandria, devoted herself to the pursuit of knowledge; at the age of 18, she surpassed all her contemporaries in science. Upon seeing how the Christians were being tortured, she went before Emperor Maximin, upbraid

This idea of Christians and the Christian Church as the soul of the world, a people set apart, animated by a divine calling that is discipleship — evokes the scriptural imagery of salt and light, found in the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount. As Christians we are expressly called to be in but not of the world. Our Lord tells us: You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Mt 5:14-16) Tertullian of Carthage, "the father of Latin Christianity", a prolific early Christian apologist and successful polemicist against heresy, in a tract from his theological treatise , discusses the Christian’s duties in a way reminiscent of Our Savior: So we sojourn with you in the world, abjuring neither forum, n

It is ironic, perhaps, that it was the witness of the martyrs that helped inspire the conversion of St. Justin from paganism to the Christian faith; it was because he clung to and defended that faith that his own life would end in martyrdom in 165. Though his exact birthdate is unknown, scholars surmise that he was born into a pagan family sometime around the year 100. As a young man, he was drawn to the study of philosophy as a way of discovering truth, and he spent a great deal of time reading and contemplating the works of Plato. Still, those works did not satisfy his desire to understand the basic questions he was asking about life. It was a chance meeting on a beach that led him to the answers he was seeking. There he fell into conversation with an old man who shared with him the message of Jesus Christ. This, coupled with the witness of the Christian martyrs, convinced him that the truths he sought could be found, not in the ethereal speculations of philosophy alone, but i

April's Blog of Note is   Fr. Gary Coulter, the home page of a Catholic priest and parish pastor . Father Coulter is a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska and a graduate of Mount Saint Mary's Seminary. His website features numerous topics of interest to Catholics seeking information and insight concerning the faith; including apologetics, book recommendations, resources on Catholicism and marriage, current issues, Latin, recommended links, and more. As one reviewer stated, the site: "is a valuable resource for almost anyone. Homeschooling families will delight in checking out the recommended reading list, Latin students will find help in their studies and married couples will find sound direction." Among the offerings, of particular note to priests and seminarians is Fr. Coulter's thesis The Presbyterium of the Diocese , in which he writes: "Addressing the U.S. Bishops of Detroit and Cincinnati on their Ad Limina visit (May 6, 2004) Pope John P

In an exchange that has gone viral, the conservative commentator Ben Shapiro brilliantly articulates the pro-life argument in cases of rape, and in the process, eviscerates the abortion dogma of pro-abortion advocates. LifeSiteNews reports : "During an April 3 talk at the University of Florida, a female student asked how Shapiro would advise a woman who’s been raped and has no access to abortion." Shapiro replied, "The answer is that [rape] doesn't actually change the calculus, meaning that obviously, what happened to this person is an awful, awful horrible thing. And as I said earlier, the person who raped her should be tracked down, captured, killed or castrated. So that's number one,"  "If you don't think it's a life, then you can do whatever you want with it. If you do think it's a life, then you can't do anything with it." "As far as what she does with the baby, that's up to her. It's obviously go

Consider the following: Our original state of grace was forfeited when our first parents rejected God's love in favor of the Devil's lies. God loves us so much that even if you were the only person to have ever lived, Christ would have suffered and died just for you. We cannot deny God's love, but we can deny, ignore and perpetuate our own sinfulness. The former is inscrutable. The later, undeniable. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1836) and C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) were not collegial contemporaries save for a brief period when their respective philosophies illuminated (to varying degrees) the firmament of modern Christian apologetics. Reputedly, when  The Times  (of London) sent out an inquiry to famous authors inquiring, "What is wrong with the world today?", Chesterton honestly replied: Dear Sirs, I am. Yours, G.K. Chesterton Regarding our fallen nature and propensity to sin, C. S. Lewis was equally candid. His essay. " The problem with X... " discu

Christ never said that the Church would be operated in a sinless or intelligent way, but that it would not teach error. This does not mean that...every priest won’t teach error, but that the whole Church speaking through the Pope will not teach error in matters of faith.  —  Flannery O'Connor in response to criticism of the Church's shortcomings . Articles on our APOLOGETICS PAGE  explain the beliefs, practices and history of the Catholic Church. As the above quotation notes, it is important to remember that the Church is a human institution with a divine mission. We hope that this information will lead you to a deeper love and greater appreciation for Christ and His pilgrim Church. Answers to questions about the Faith are a click away .

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen discusses the Devil's incessant attempts to turn our heats away from God. May we never forget that Satan, the father of lies, is a cruel deceiver of men whose only desire is our destruction. Below is a partial transcript of Venerable Sheen's remarks. Starting at 4:43: I thought perhaps you might be interested in hearing about the Devil from a sound philosophical and theological point of view. I'm going to describe to you the Devil, first from the psychiatric point of view, and secondly from the biblical. First the psychiatric. It is interesting that as we drop things in the Church the world begins to pick them up and distorts them. Now we, for example, the nuns drop the long habits, the girls put on maxi coats. We stop saying the beads, hippies put the beads around their neck. And, as theologians dropped the demonic, the psychiatrists picked it up. [Dr.] Rollo May of Rockefeller Institute has several chapters in his work on psychia

Saint Justin the Martyr is considered Christianity's first apologist. He was a pagan philosopher, who after becoming Christian, spent his life explaining the faith to the pagan world. One of his writings about the Eucharist, the First Apology written by St. Justin in 150 AD, shows that from the beginning, the Church believed that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. St. Justin wrote: The apostles, in their recollections, which are called Gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that He took bread, gave thanks and said: “Do this in memory of Me. This is My body.” In the same way He took the cup, He gave thanks and said: “This is My blood.” The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through His Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

Since April 2009, the blog, Shameless Popery , has provided inquiring Catholics faithful, thoughtful articles about their faith . These include theological commentary, apologetics, scriptural exegesis and more. With writing that is clear and concise, Joe Heschmeyer, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, tackles questions of interest from the controversial to the sublime. Recent post titles include "It’s Time to Re-Re-Evangelize the World", "The Incomprehensible Love of the Holy Trinity", "The Catholic Church Doesn’t Look Like the Early Church? Good." and "Why I’m a Theist, a Christian, a Catholic, and a Seminarian". The later, a 35 minute video, is worth watching. High school students especially would benefit from Heschmeyer's testimony. The Catholic blogosphere hosts thousands of websites. Shameless Popery is among those that present Catholicism's rich intellectual heritage alongside contemporary analysis