BIG C CATHOLICS

May the blessing of Christmas be with you and your loved ones - now and forever.

Dr. Peter Kreeft is a convert to the Catholic faith from Dutch Calvinism. He teaches philosophy at Boston College and has authored a number of books on matters of faith and reason. Many of his writings and talks are available at www.peterkreeft.com. His lecture "7 Reasons to be Catholic" focuses on why one might consider full communion with the Catholic Church

Dr. Peter Kreeft teaches Philosophy at Boston College and is a convert to the Catholic faith. This audio overviews reasons for considering Catholicism.

Pope Benedict XVI has weighed in on a heated debate over gay marriage, criticising new concepts of the traditional family and warning that mankind itself was at stake. In the fight for the family, the very notion of being – of what being human really means – is being called into question," the Pope said in Italian during an end-of-year speech. "The question of the family ... is the question of what it means to be a man, and what it is necessary to do to be true men," he said. The Pope spoke of the "falseness" of gender theories and cited at length France's chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, who has spoken out against gay marriage. "Bernheim has shown in a very detailed and profoundly moving study that the attack we are currently experiencing on the true structure of the family, made up of father, mother, and child, goes much deeper," he said. He cited feminist gender theorist Simone de Beauvoir's view to the effect that one ...

Fr. John Riccardo , a priest from Plymouth, Michigan, was invited to speak at Kensington Community Church , a local Non-denominational church. He gives an awesome 30 minute sermon on the importance of knowing Jesus, rather than just knowing about Jesus.

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.  Amen.

Here is a short list of some saints whose commemorations come during or just before early Advent, depending upon the year. Each has an Advent message. MARY Most of us readily think of St. Mary, Mother of God, during Advent. After all, Mary is the one closest to Jesus. Two Marian feasts fall during Advent: the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12). From Mary we learn the greatest traits of the Christian: love, humility, justice, openness to God's grace and willingness to act. ST. FRANCIS XAVIER (DEC. 3)  He tirelessly evangelized in the Far East. Busy as he was, he took time to set religious truths to verse and fit them to popular tunes in the countries he served. This was such a successful way of spreading the Good News that his songs were sung in the streets. Xavier invested his missionary zeal in a way that yielded a harvest long after he left. This didn't happen without hours spent in silence...

Holy Innocents, you died before you were old enough to know what life means, pray for all children who die young that God may gather them into His loving arms. Holy Innocents, you were killed because one man was filled with hatred, pray for those who hate that God may touch their hearts and fill them with love. Holy Innocents, you experienced a violent death, pray for all who are affected by violence that they may find peace and love. Holy Innocents, your parents grieved for you with deep and lasting sorrow, pray for all parents who have lost young children that God may wrap a warm blanket of comfort around them. Holy Innocents, those around you certainly felt helpless to prevent your deaths, pray for all who feel helpless in their circumstances that they may cling to God for courage and hope. Holy Innocents, you who are now in Heaven, pray for all of us that one day we may join you there to bask in God's love forever.

1. Think Fast 2. Baby Yawning in the Womb 3. Silent No More 4. The Final Frontier of the Civil Rights Movement 5. Aaron

Can you imagine what it would be like to be out walking one day and suddenly see a woman of perfect demeanor, her clothes shining like the sun? Well, this is pretty much what happened in 1531. Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a recent native convert, on Tepeyac Hill, in what is not Mexico City. She asked that Juan go to his bishop and ask that a church be built there, a “house for her son.” When the bishop asked for a sign, the woman told Juan to fill his cloak with flowers that appeared miraculously on the hill. Returning to the bishop, Juan opened his cloak to find not only the flowers but also an image of Mary, “clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet,” on his cloak. On Tepeyac Hill, Mary identified herself as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and she appeared at a time when human sacrifice was part of the native Aztec culture. It has been estimated that one out of every five children was sacrificed to the Aztecs’ gods. The image on Juan Diego’s cloak conveyed an important message to ...

According to John Paul II holiness isn’t simply one option among many; it is the essence of being Catholic. To be Catholic is to be called to holiness. Holiness can be summed up in one word – love. Christ calls his disciples to authentic love – love of God and love of neighbor. Saying this is one thing. Living it is another. We might think that holiness is the stuff of priests and nuns. We might think of living a holier life as something we will do tomorrow or sometime in the future. This is wrong. Sacred Scripture tells us the time to be holy is now! 1.The spiritual journey is entirely dependent on God. It is a gift God gives us. It is a grace. Going to Mass doesn’t make us holy. Neither does saying a million rosaries. God sustains us in life – in everything we do. We are entirely dependent on his mercy. 2. Our effort is necessary. What we can do to place ourselves in the presence of Christ we should do. Daily prayer is essential. Reading the scriptures is another key that unloc...

Novena Prayer for Life to Our Lady of Guadalupe ( Click here for Spanish -- En Español ) Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of Life, We honor you as Our Lady of Guadalupe. Thank you for pointing us to Jesus your Son, The only Savior and hope of the world. Renew our hope in him, That we all may have the courage to say Yes to life, And to defend those children in danger of abortion. Give us your compassion To reach out to those tempted to abort, And to those suffering from a past abortion. Lead us to the day when abortion Will be a sad, past chapter in our history. Keep us close to Jesus, the Life of the World, Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen