BIG C CATHOLICS

Whatever your take on the election results, here is a rare public testimony of faith by Ernie Johnson Jr. on Inside the NBA on TNT. His comments were made last November, just days after the 2016 election. (See full transcript below.) "When this campaign season started, I felt like I’d been dealt a bad hand. I had these couple of choices. And there were trust issues with Hillary Clinton I couldn’t get past. And there was this inflammatory rhetoric from Donald Trump which to me was incomprehensible and indefensible. I couldn’t vote for either one. For the first time in going to the polls for 42 years, I hit the write-in button and I voted for John Kasich. And I left knowing that John Kasich wasn’t going to win, but I left with a clear conscience because I hadn’t settled. Number two, I’m hopeful. I watched the video today at CNN on what was going on at the White House with Donald Trump and President Obama. I was hopeful and I was encouraged that there will be a difference ...

Prayer itself, born in Catholic families, nurtured by programs of Christian formation, strengthened by the grace of the sacraments, is the first means by which we come to know the Lord’s will for our lives. To the extent that we teach young people to pray, and to pray well, we will be cooperating with God’s call. Programs, plans and projects have their place; but the discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call. — Pope Benedict XVI ____________________________________________________ A Prayer For Discernment All highest, glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility with wisdom and perception, O Lord, so that I may do what is truly Your holy will. Amen.

On February 1st, the Church in Ireland celebrates the feast of Brigid of Ireland or Saint Brigid of Kildare (c. 450 – 525), also known as "the Mary of the Gael". Along with Saint Patrick and Saint Columba she is one of Ireland’s three patron saints. She was born a slave into a Druid family, the daughter of Dubhthach, court poet to King Loeghaire. St. Bridget is one of the few saints who stands on the boundary between pagan mythology, Druidism and Christian spirituality. Around her name there have been formed hundreds of legends, which could be fittingly described as "the Little Flowers of St. Brigid," the keynote being mercy and pity for the poor. At an early age, Brigid decided to become a Christian, and she eventually took vows as a nun. Brigid’s family expected her to marry, but she disfigured her face, marring her beauty in order to dissuade suitors and serve God in consecrated life. While consecrated religious life was not foreign to the Irish Church prior ...

In the days leading up to the 2017 March for Life, we noted the vast discrepancy between the fourth estates' coverage of the annual pro-life rally and its obsession with the "Women's March". We wrote: "The march is ignored by the media. Star Parker points out the blatant hypocrisy in her weekly column that is worth your time. Calling out the self-centeredness of the 'me' culture, she writes: 'Bringing children into the world and raising them takes three things that don't work well with the 'me' culture: work, sacrifice and love. I wonder why when hundreds of thousands of women show up in Washington to demonstrate for what one Wall Street Journal columnist called "everything under the progressive sun," the press goes bonkers with coverage. Yet, when similar numbers of pro-lifers reportedly show up for the March for Life, as they have been doing every January since the Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973, and as they wil...

EPPC President Ed Whelan, a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and an expert on the Supreme Court confirmation process, will offer extensive commentary on President Trump's Supreme Court nominee immediately following the expected announcement Tuesday evening at 8:00 ET. Be sure to visit Mr. Whelan's award-winning blog, National Review Online's Bench Memos, both tomorrow and throughout the confirmation battle. And follow Mr. Whelan ( @EdWhelanEPPC ) and EPPC ( @EPPCdc ) on Twitter for links to his articles and media appearances as they happen. Sign up for Mr. Whelan's email list for frequent disseminations of his writings. ________________________________ Prayer for the Faithful Witness of Catholics in the United States (By Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke) O Lord Jesus Christ, You alone are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In Your Church You show us the Way, You teach us the Truth, and You give us Your Life. Grant, we humbly beg You, that, always a...

Although it has not published in several years, January's blog of note is Roman Catholic Vocations . Prior to the internet, deciding on which religious order to enter, for one called, was decidedly more serendipitous, if not almost entirely providential. While God has always chosen whom he wills, the notion of entering one religious community over another was owed more to immediate experience, personal encounters or geography than inclination, although the later played a role. At least, this was the case among the religious of previous generations. Modern technology allows current day discerners to simply serf for the best fit. Whether you feel called to be a cloistered nun or a mendicant brother, a diocesan priest or to marriage, Roman Catholic Vocations has something to offer. Faithful to the Magisterium, it's content features prayers, reflections, countless men's and women's religious vocation links and videos. From below the website's masthead: "If ...

My God, fortunate is he who has tasted how sweet it is to work for the salvation of souls! He is not afraid of cold or heat, hunger or thirst, offenses or insults, no, not even of death. O Lord, give me crosses and thorns, persecutions of all kinds, if only I can save souls, and my own among them. Give me souls, Lord, and take all the rest. Only when I know that the devil has given up plotting against souls, shall I cease trying new ways of saving them from his deceits and snares. O Lord, I wish to make a complete sacrifice of my life to You, to work for Your glory until I draw my last breath, bearing patiently all adversities and contradictions in my work. Help me to spend all my strength for the salvation of souls. — St. John Bosco Composed by Saint John Bosco, this prayer expresses the ineffable joys and singularity of purpose that disciples of Christ experience in living their lives of heroic virtue and selflessness for the salvation of souls and the glory of God.

January 31st, is the memorial of Saint John Bosco (1815 – 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco, the 19th century Italian priest, founder, educator and writer, who, as the “Apostle of Youth”, reached out to the marginalized young in establishing religious orders, such as the Salesian Congregation. The Salesians are a community of consecrated brothers and priests that evangelize and educate youth, especially those who are poor and at risk. Don Bosco’s instructional methods departed from the standard of his day in stressing love, kindness, persuasion and authentic religiosity, not strictness and corporal punishments. From an early age, John Bosco knew he was called to the priesthood. When he was 9 years old, he received a series of dreams in which he was told, "You will win friends with kindness and gentleness. You must show people that sin is ugly and goodness beautiful." He once dreamt about stopping a fight between two boys. When separating them didn't work, he used h...

Sermon on the Mount , Henrik Olrik, c. 1880. Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) To be successful in achieving a goal we must take care at the beginning to determine the correct route, which of course, is obvious. What is not so obvious is to ask the right questions, the questions that will accurately focus us upon the right path. If we do not ask the right questions, we will not obtain the correct answers. When it comes to spirituality, we must ask some first questions. One is “Do we find God, or does God seek us out and then present Himself to us?” Another such question is “Do I construct the way to God, or do I accept the way God has given me?” Surrounding us is a huge array of spiritualties — Tibetan prayer wheels, sacred crystals, Tarot cards, Foursquare Christian Fellowship churches, mainline Protestant churches, Confucianism, and many others, not to mention numberless spiritualties presented in a wide range of Christia...

Saint John Bosco, Apostle of Youth, Friend of the destitute, Teacher in the ways of God, Your dedication to empowering the needy, and enlightening the ignorant inspires us still. Help me to work for a better world, where the young are given the chance to flourish, where the poor’s dream for justice can come true, and where God’s compassion is shown to be real. Intercede for me as I bring my needs to you and to Our heavenly Mother, the Help of Christians. Amen. O God, who raised up the Priest Saint John Bosco as a father and teacher of the young, grant we pray, that, aflame with the same fire of love, we may seek out souls and serve you alone. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

In 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared some 18 times to a young uneducated peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France. Through a set of private revelations, Our Lady revealed herself as, "the Immaculate Conception." Saint Bernadette, the Apostle of Lourdes, spread Mary’s message of atonement, prayer and forgiveness to the world, revitalizing the faith of millions. The devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes is most well-known for the miraculous cures and healing of illness and disease. One of the intentions we will pray for during this novena is for healing. In one way or another, we are all in need of it, before we reach Heaven, whether it is the healing of our sins, or our physical infirmities. We will also pray for the conversion of sinners. This was an important intention in Bernadette's life, for which she offered up much of her physical suffering. Lastly, we'll pray for the faith of those who have fallen away from the Church, for those who are ...

January 28th, is the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century Dominican theologian who demonstrated that faith and reason are complementary, not contradictory. Renowned among the greatest theologians of the Catholic Church, his master work, the Summa Theologica , was placed on the altar alongside the Bible and the Decretals at the Council of Trent. Aquinas was both a philosopher and a priest. Confronting new developments in thought, he refused either to lose faith or mindlessly believe, and developed a new understanding of the place of reason in human life. His virtuous example and ethereal theological insights are reasons why in 1568, Pope Pius V proclaimed Saint Aquinas the ‘Angelic Doctor’. Thomas Aquinas was born to a noble family in Roccasecca, Italy in 1225. As a young man with preternatural spiritual gifts. he went to study at the University of Naples and there encountered sources of knowledge which had just begun to be rediscovered, ancient Greek and Roman texts. A...

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche lived from 1844 to 1900. He turned out to be a philosopher of considerable stature — and an atheist. He is probably responsible, more than any other one individual thinker, for the rise of the Nazi Third Reich and all that the Nazis stood for, as well as for the shaping and formation of Adolph Hitler’s mind. He was the generator of Superman — not the comic book character, but rather the sort of character seen in many modern men and women of our day. Nietzsche believed, and taught others to believe, that God is dead… or if not dead, then God is irrelevant, immaterial to our lives and ways of thinking and living. Said Nietzsche: “Two great European narcotics are alcohol and Christianity.” In his last great effort, Nietzsche wrote a book blasting everything associated with Jesus Christ. He titled his book The Antichrist , and in it wrote: “I call Christianity the on...

Orphaned at an early age, Saint Angela Merici devoted her life, her work and her virtue to God. Her selfless humility and dedication to the meek is a model for us to follow. The quotes below reflect the wisdom of a soul completely disposed to being an unfailing disciple of Christ in all things. to all people, at all times. Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve [the poor] than they have of your service. *** Beware of trying to accomplish anything by force. *** Strive to be faithful to that which God has called you. *** We must give alms. Charity wins souls and draws them to virtue. *** Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many Saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life. Pray, and get others to pray, that God not abandon His Church, but reform it as He pleases, and as He sees best for us, and more to His honor and glory. *** Consider that the devil doesn't sleep, but ...

Dear Lord Jesus, I have specific requests that may only partially fill the infinite needs and desires that are in my heart. I ask that You answer me not only for those requests, but also for a greater reliance on You to satisfy the needs and desires that You have given me. Please grant the prayers of all those who prayed this novena with me. Bless them with Your love and make them holy. May I seek You with a sincere heart knowing that it will profit me nothing if I gain the whole world yet lose my soul. Help me to see Your good and gracious purpose in all my trials. Help me to see Your blessings in every day, and help me to love You more. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. For more novena prayers and information go to praymorenovenas.com .

January 27th, is the optional memorial of Saint Angela Merici (1474 – 1540), the 16th century virgin, religious educator and foundress, who established the Order of Ursulines, the first teaching order for women recognized by the Catholic Church. From this Order would later emerge the monastic Order of Ursulines, whose nuns founded convents of prayer and study throughout the world, including North America. From her earliest moments, Angela dedicated herself to fasting, self-sacrifice and prayer; practices she maintained throughout her life. Angela was born in the town of Desenzano del Garda in Lombardy, Italy, the second child of a pious middle class family.  At 15, her parents died, leaving her and her older sister orphans. A short time later, her sister would also die. At some point during this period, Angela dedicated herself to Christ as His bride and became a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She lived simply, sleeping only a few hours a night and spending much of...

January 26th, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Timothy and Saint Titus, bishops and missionaries in the early years of Christianity. The Divine Office recalls that: "Timothy and Titus were converted to Christianity by Saint Paul, and became his companions and helpers. Paul entrusted Timothy with the care of the Christians in Ephesus, and sent Titus to Crete to look after the Christians there. He wrote them the so-called 'pastoral' epistles, giving advice for pastors and people alike." In 2nd Timothy St. Paul instructs Timothy thusly: "I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands" (2 Tm 1:6). Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois reflects on St. Paul's words: " Speaking to Timothy, Paul advises him 'to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So, do not be ash...

Please remember the Holy Father Pope Francis' intentions in prayer throughout the month of February: Comfort for the Afflicted That all those who are afflicted, especially the poor, refugees, and marginalized, may find welcome and comfort in our communities. Beginning in 2017, the Pope will present one prepared prayer intention per month, rather than two. Should an urgent need arise, an additional intention may be added.

The 44th annual March for Life is Friday, January 27th, 2017 in Washington D.C. This march is the largest pro-life rally in the world. Please consider attending or supporting this event in any way possible. The march is ignored by the media. Star Parker points out the blatant hypocrisy in her weekly column that is worth your time. Calling out the self-centeredness of the 'me' culture, she writes: "Bringing children into the world and raising them takes three things that don't work well with the 'me' culture: work, sacrifice and love. I wonder why when hundreds of thousands of women show up in Washington to demonstrate for what one Wall Street Journal columnist called "everything under the progressive sun," the press goes bonkers with coverage. Yet, when similar numbers of pro-lifers reportedly show up for the March for Life, as they have been doing every January since the Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973, and as they will do again this ...

Although Saint Paul shares a martyr’s feast day with Saint Peter on June 29, the Church has recognized the most momentous occurrence in this apostle’s life by also celebrating a separate feast for the conversion of St. Paul on January 25th. What makes the story of Paul’s conversion so compelling is both its swiftness and the profound change it wrought in his life. Born to a devout Jewish family in Tarsus, Saul, as he was then known, saw in this new Christian faith a direct challenge to the Judaism to which he had devoted his entire life. So incensed was he against this new religion that, for a time, Saul became one of its most violent and unforgiving persecutors, "entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment." (Acts 8:3). Acts also records that he was present at the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen. Then, acting on formal orders from the high priest in Jerusalem, Saul set out for Damascus to round u...

Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope as they arise. God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them. He has kept you hitherto, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in his arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination. — St. Francis de Sales

 Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, the moment of our Savior's conception.  Fr. Frank Pavone Reprinted with permission Via Priests for Life The Bible clearly teaches that abortion is wrong. This teaching comes across in many ways and for many reasons. Some people point out that the word "abortion" is not in the Bible, and that is true. Nevertheless, the teaching about abortion is there. This is the case with many teachings. The word "Trinity" is not in the Bible, but the teaching about the Trinity is there. In any case, a person who wants to deny the teaching about abortion would deny it even if the word were there. Let's look at some of the Biblical reasons why abortion, the deliberate destruction of a child in the womb, is very wrong. 1. The Bible teaches that human life is different from other types of life, because human beings are made in the very image of God.   The accounts of the creation of man and woman in Genesis (Genesis 1:2...

St. Francis de Sales was a brilliant disciple of our Lord whose insights into the ways of God won innumerable souls for the Church. His homilies, letters and works are gems of contemplation comprising a treasury of theological wisdom. May the following quotations from this servant of Christ deepen our love for God. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections. *** It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman... It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world.  *** There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust. *** The thoughts of those moved by natural human love are almost completely fastened on the beloved, their hearts are filled with passion for it, and their mouths full of its praises. *** Through devotion, your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes...

January 24, 2017 Day 9 – Pray for us, that our lives will glorify God alone. Saint Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer patients. He was known for his holiness and for a miraculous healing he received. Peregrine was scheduled to have his leg amputated due to a cancerous growth. The night before the surgery, while praying for healing, he received a vision of Christ coming down from the cross to touch his leg. The following morning, he was completely healed. Cancer patients and those suffering from terminal diseases seek his intercession. Dear holy servant of God, St. Peregrine, we pray today for healing. Intercede for us! God healed you of cancer and others were healed by your prayers. Please pray for the physical healing of… (Mention your intentions) These intentions bring us to our knees seeking your intercession for healing. We are humbled by our physical limitations and ailments. We are so weak and so powerless. We are completely dependent upon God. And so,...

January 24th, is the memorial of Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), the 17th century French bishop and Doctor of the Church, whose desire to save souls resulted in the conversion of some 70,000 Calvinists in the region of Chablais (an area comprising parts of present day France and Switzerland). His gentleness of spirit, pastoral zeal and compassion made him a powerful teacher of the Faith. His most famous works Treatise on the Love of God and Introduction to the Devout Life , show holiness is possible for everyone, regardless of station. Born into a noble family of means, Francis studied law in Padua, Italy. Although once cantankerous and choleric in his demeanor, during this period, he became enamored with living in imitation of Christ. Taking a vow of perpetual chastity, he placed himself under Mary’s protection. His devotion to God, while unshakable, put him at odds with his family. Francis’ father expected him to lead the life of a respectable gentleman befitting his class. ...

Here is the Holy Father's message to President Trump offering his prayers that God would grant him wisdom and strength, and America peace, concord and spiritual prosperity. The Honorable Donald Trump President of the United States of America The White House Washington, D.C. Upon your inauguration as the forty-fifth President of the United States of America, I offer you my cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office. At a time when our human family is beset by grave humanitarian crises demanding farsighted and united political responses, I pray that your decisions will be guided by the rich spiritual and ethical values that have shaped the history of the American people and your nation’s commitment to the advancement of human dignity and freedom worldwide. Under your leadership, may America’s stature continue to be measured above all by its concern for the poor, the outcast a...

One of the most brilliant minds in the history of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca, in the present day Lazio region of Italy, the youngest of nine children. Thomas’ father was a man of means and nobility. Thomas's mother would try to prevent Thomas from joining the Dominican Order. His family expected him to enter the Benedictine Abbey where his uncle was the abbot. Thomas Aquinas dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. In honor of his feast day, [January 28] here are twelve things every Catholic should know about the Angelic Doctor. 1. Before Aquinas was born, a holy hermit told his mother that her son would be a great learner and achieve unrivaled sanctity. From, Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Preachers , by Fr. Placid Conway, OP, comes this account of the holy hermit’s prediction concerning the unborn Aquinas’ future life and accomplishments: "The future holiness of the ...