BIG C CATHOLICS

Pope Sylvester I and Emperor Constantine December 31st, is the optional memorial of Saint Sylvester I (??? - 335), the 4th century pontiff, who guided the Church during a period of violent persecution and challenges to doctrine at the hands of various heretics. According to legend, he baptized Emperor Constantine. Born in Rome, the son of devout parents Rufinus and Justa, he was instructed in Christian piety by his virtuous mother. Later, under the guidance of Carinus, a priest of great ability, Sylvester learned the truths and practice of religion in studying Sacred Scripture. Entering the Roman clergy, he was ordained a priest by Pope Marcellinus on the eve of widespread Christian persecution under Diocletian. Sylvester's papacy saw trial and triumph. The feast day of St. Sylvester is one of the oldest in the Church’s calendar, so great was his witness in the minds of the laity. His exemplary piety and concern for others, particularly the poor, endeared him to the faithful

Everyone knows that the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given to Peter. Upon his faith and teaching the whole fabric of the Church will continue to be built until we all reach full maturity in Christ and attain to unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God. ... Remember then how our fathers worked out their salvation; remember the sufferings through which the Church has grown, and the storms the ship of Peter has weathered because it has Christ on board. Remember how the crown was attained by those whose sufferings gave new radiance to their faith. The whole company of saints bears witness to the unfailing truth that without real effort no one wins the crown . A letter by St. Thomas Becket, written days before his martyrdom.

Angels Announcing the Birth of Christ to the Shepherds , Flinck, 1639. Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Homily originally delivered in 2010 While Christmas is delightful for children and it is nice that we get caught up in their joy, Christmas is something that we adults vitally need. We celebrate Christmas this difficult year with dark clouds of terrorism looming over our heads. The gloom of the recession darkens our spirits. Our broken governmental establishment in Washington spends our future incomes on earmarks attached to spending bills that stagger our comprehension. Joblessness and hunger are not confined to Third World countries, they stalk our own populace. Amidst all of this darkness let there be light. I give you the message of the angels. There is also another darkness that afflicts many of us – an inner darkness of spirit, of heart, and of soul. Many folks have spoken to me about the pace of life i

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) My dear brothers and sisters, all of our ideals, all of our dreams of what we want to be, and of what our world can be… all of our visions and understandings of God, and of God’s ways with us, are focused now on a child… God’s Anointed One, God’s Christ. For a child us born unto us, a son is given us, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying powerless in a manger, there being no room for him elsewhere in our world for his birth. It is a sacred moment into which we now enter, a precious moment, a holy hour observed all over the world in Midnight Masses. Midnight Mass gathers so many different people in a lovely moment of peace and happiness – Blacks and Whites, Asians, Africans, Latinos and Anglos…. Catholics, both active and devout as well as marginal and estranged, Protestants, members of others great faiths, and even doubtful believers with hesitant faith. It is a transcendent moment when

December 8th, the Church celebrates the most holy solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With Mary's "yes" to the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel, all creation celebrated the imminent arrival of its Savior. Free from all taint of original sin, the "new Eve" benefited uniquely from the work of Christ as the most perfect Mediator and Redeemer. The first redeemed by her Son, Mary shares his holiness in full; she is already what the Church hopes to be. Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved imm

The Crushed Bones has a thoughtful article "To Conscience First" , that is well worth your time. With all the concern over Pope Francis' propensity to "make a mess" (see here and here ), it should be remembered that no pontiff can unilaterally overturn Church doctrine. Some timely insights from the post: "It is frighteningly easy for priests, bishops, cardinals and Popes to misuse their authority in many and varied ways, but in particular regard to the Papacy, cause for anxiety is very well-founded because the Pope oversees not simply a parish or a Diocese, but is Supreme Pontiff for the whole Universal Church. If the Shepherd goes astray, the multitude of sheep who follow him will likely go astray too. ... 'Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam .' 'You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.' One cannot help but feel that the omission of the clause 'et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam

Editor's note: We present this post from last November for your consideration. The time frame for obtaining the indulgences discussed below has passed, however, our prayers for the poor souls in purgatory are always efficacious.  November is when Holy Mother Church prays especially for the faithful departed who are in Purgatory (the Church Suffering). Below are various links on the state of purification that is Purgatory, beginning with a reflection by Father James Kubicki, " The Process of Purgatory ", in which he quotes Pope Benedict XVI. (What follows is a transcript of the video): November begins with the Feast of All Saints and is followed by the Feast of All Souls on which we remember all those who have died and are in Purgatory, but the whole month is dedicated to prayer for them. ... As we pray for those who have died, it’s important that we have a better understanding of this process that we have traditionally called Purgatory. It’s not a physical place, be

ChurchPOP discusses a little known fact: "Most of the time when people think of exorcisms, they think of dramatic situations like those depicted in movies like The Rite or The Exorcist . But did you know that an exorcism is performed with something as common as the rite of baptism? There are two kinds of exorcisms: major exorcisms and minor exorcisms. A major exorcism is a solemn ritual performed by a priest when a person is believed to be possessed by a demon. They are rare and are only performed by authorized exorcists. A minor exorcism, on the other hand, is a more general exorcism performed even if the recipient is not believed to be possessed and is included in the baptismal rite." More Thoughts on Baptism from the Catechism "Since the time of early Christianity, Baptism has been the rite of initiation into the Christian community of the Church. In Baptism, the 'one Spirit' makes us members of the Body of Christ and of 'one another.'&quo

October 22, is the optional memorial of Saint John Paul II. He was elected Pope on 16 October 1978. On 22 October, he began his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church. His papacy was a consequential one, earning him the designation St. John Paul the Great. Here is a retrospective on his life and his deep love for God. Karol Józef Wojtyła was born 96 on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, the youngest of three children, to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Wojtyla, (née Kaczorowska). The future pope's father was a non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Royal Army and a Polish Army captain. His mother had a premonition about her youngest child saying, "Karol is destined to be a great man."  Young Wojtyla, c. 1929 Date of birth: May 18, 1920 Date of death: April 2, 2005 Birth place: Wadowice, Poland Education: Doctorate in Philosophy, Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Jagiellonian University Feast Day: October 22 (date of papal inauguration) Apostolic Mott

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 .

In the wake of revelations that Democratic political operatives tried to pressure the Catholic Church by instigating a "Catholic Spring" in opposition to its most fundamental beliefs, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, released a statement condemning such activity as a gross infringement of religious liberty in violation of the 1st Amendment: At this important time in our nation's history, I encourage all of us to take a moment to reflect on one of the founding principles of our republic – the freedom of religion. It ensures the right of faith communities to preserve the integrity of their beliefs and proper self-governance. There have been recent reports that some may have sought to interfere in the internal life of the Church for short-term political gain. If true, this is troubling both for the well-being of faith communities and the good of our country. In our faith and our Church, Christ has given us

Before everything else, fidelity to the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Jesus did not found several churches, but one single Church. ***  The family, founded upon marriage freely contracted, one and indissoluble, must be regarded as the natural, primary cell of human society. The interests of the family, therefore, must be taken very specially into consideration in social and economic affairs, as well as in the spheres of faith and morals. For all of these have to do with strengthening the family and assisting it in the fulfillment of its mission — Pacem in Terris,  1963 We are not on earth as museum-keepers, but to cultivate a flourishing garden of life and to prepare for a glorious future.  ***  To have accepted with simplicity the honour and the burden of the pontificate, with the joy of being able to say that I did nothing to obtain it, absolutely nothing; indeed I was most careful and conscientious to avoid anything that might direct attention to mys

As the moral and linguistic confusions, subterfuges, and just plain falsehoods surrounding a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Colorado graphically illustrate, euthanasia kills more than a disturbed human being facing life’s most challenging moment. The proponents of the culture of death are persistent and assiduous in their efforts to undermine and replace Christian values. George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, in an article for National Review Online , explains what is at stake as Colorado voters prepare to decide on Proposition 106, the "End-of-Life Options Act," that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in the Centennial State. Weigel notes that the citizens of Colorado should bear in mind the unintended consequences and implicit dangers of such a law. He writes: "The more apt mot about all of this lethality masquerading as compassion, however, is from the quotable quotes of... [Fr.] Richard John N

Pope Francis has authorized the Archdiocese of Rouen, Rev. Dominique Lebrun, to begin investigating a cause for the beatification of Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest killed while saying Mass by two ISIS terrorists. Archbishop Lebrun made the announcement while presiding at a service of reparation at the church of St. Etienne du Rouvray, which was reopened for the first time since the July 26 terrorist attack in which Fr. Hamel was martyred. Normally, the Church requires a 5-year waiting period after the person’s death before opening a cause for beatification. Pope Francis has waived that wait, responding to pleas from French Catholics. During his in-flight press conference, October 2 , returning from Azerbaijan, the Pontiff confirmed that he has asked the Congregation for the Doctrine of Saints to begin Fr. Hamel's beatification process. Fr. Jacques Hamel, a revered and devoted priest, is a martyr for the faith. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual l

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter , Caravaggio, 1600-01.  [Christ said unto them] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you . — John 15:20 The word martyr derives from the Greek word meaning "witness." A martyr is one who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his Faith. The one thing all martyrs for Christ share is that they would rather die than lie. Despite being crucified, stabbed, stoned, dragged, skinned and burned, every Apostle of Jesus (save Judas) proclaimed the truth of Christ’s Resurrection until their last breath. In refusing to abandon their beliefs in the face of vicious persecution, today’s Christian martyrs give their lives to grow the Church. The Holy Father has said , "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church… It is true that during the times of Nero many Christians were persecuted, and today there are just as many." Francis explained the role martyrs play as witnesses: "We know that there is no growth without the

July's blog of note, Speak the Truth in Love , originates in  Alberta, Canada, and began publication in May, 2010. It features articles on a wide range of topics of interest to Catholics regarding the Church, and current issues within society that enervate the culture. Blog author, Randy, a convert from a reformed protestant tradition, who is "trying to understand Catholicism and help others understand it," offers original, thought-provoking commentary. This husband and father of six knows the joys and challenges of raising a Catholic family amid the increasingly hostile secular mentality. His most recent post: " The Stoning of Soraya M " discussing the film of the same name about an Iranian women who is stoned to death after being falsely accused of adultery; contains this insight that is worth pondering: What happens when moral principles lose out to sentimental stories? Morality goes backwards a few thousand years. Really with the 10 commandments and a f

The following Protestant leaders were among those who believe the Catholic Church and the papacy are the Antichrist referenced in Sacred Scripture. (See end of post for a Catholic response.) Martin Luther (1483-1546) Lutheran "Luther … proved, by the revelations of Daniel and St. John, by the epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Jude, that the reign of Antichrist, predicted and described in the Bible, was the Papacy." From History of the Reformation of the Sixteen Century , J. H. Merle D’aubigne, Book VI, Chapter XII, p. 215. "[N]othing else than the kingdom of Babylon and of very Antichrist. For who is the man of sin and the son of perdition, but he who by his teaching and his ordinances increases the sin and perdition of souls in the church; while he yet sits in the church as if he were God? All these conditions have now for many ages been fulfilled by the papal tyranny." From First Principles , pp. 196-197. John Calvin (1509-1564) Presbyterian

June's blog of note, Domine mihi hanc aquam! , has long been a fixture of the Catholic blogosphere. Since November, 2005, Fr. Philip Neri Powell, a Dominican seminary professor, formation advisor and parish priest, has preached and commented about Christ, the Church, popular culture and events of consequence. Featured are Fr. Powell's thought provoking homilies through which readers know and love the mind of Christ. The wide ranging scope of HA's subject matter is reflected in a quote from Pope Benedict XVI displayed on the blog's masthead: "A [preacher] who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they are necessarily reflected in his [preaching]." In addition to faithful homiletics, readers are just as likely to see advice for discerning a religious vocation , a presentation of original paintings or a polemic against the "Culture of Death." Domine mihi hanc