BIG C CATHOLICS

To speak of the Church using political labels is a fatuous pursuit. You are either faithful to the teachings of the Church or you are unfaithful. Public opposition to the Magisterium is dissent. Then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith observed, "These doctrines require the assent of theological faith by all members of the faithful." The quotes below show that being a disciple of Christ requires total fidelity to Christ and Christ's Church. The teaching Church does not invent her doctrines; she is a witness, a custodian, an interpreter, a transmitter. As regards the truth...she can be called conservative, uncompromising. To those who would urge her to make her faith easier, more in keeping with the tastes of the changing mentality of the times, she answers with the apostles, we cannot do so. — Pope Paul VI, General Audience, January 12, 1972 It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhe

Catholic Cultures' Philip Lawler, (the editor of Catholic World News ) has written a most insightful commentary about dissenters from the Church. He sums up the motives of so called "Progessive Catholics" who insist on spreading their errors within the Church. At least Martin Luther, Lawler notes, had the decency to leave: "Whatever else you might think or say about Martin Luther, give him credit for this much: having broken with Catholic teaching, he broke away from the Catholic Church. Today’s dissenting Catholics rarely show the same consistency. Even after rejecting the fundamentals of Catholic doctrine, they continue to masquerade as Catholics. Do you ever wonder why? Take the case of Donna Quinn, the object of a sympathetic profile last week in the Chicago Sun-Times . She describes the Catholic priesthood as a 'hoax.' She sees no difference between the Eucharist and a grandparent’s embrace of a grandchild. She is, however, absolutely firm in her

Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) Of all of the evils that Jesus confronted one of the greatest was the evil of hypocrisy. His strongest language was directed at hypocrites; they provoked his greatest anger. Furthermore, the greatest damage to our Church, at least during my time as a priest, has been the sexual abuse scandal, and the cloud of hypocrisy that has surrounded it. In the first reading of today’s Mass we heard fearful words from the prophet Malachi, thunderous words coming from one of God’s most famous prophets, words directly targeting priests: A great King am I, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. And now, O priests, this commandment is for you: If you do not listen, if you do not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send a curse upon you and of your blessing I will make a curse. You have turned aside from the way, and have caused many to falter by

Memorial - October 17th On this day, the Church commemorates one of the most significant Apostolic Fathers of Christian antiquity, who lived less than a century after Christ. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, (c. 35 – 107) a disciple of the Apostle John, was the third Bishop of Antioch (a city in present day Turkey) from 70 to 107, the date of his martyrdom. Tradition holds Ignatius, as a child, was blessed by Our Lord. He is patron of the Catholic Church in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. Ignatius is credited with coining the term 'Catholic' in reference to the universal Church. "Wherever Jesus Christ is", he observed, "there is the Catholic Church" (Smyrnaeans, 8:2). He is best known for the seven letters he wrote to six early Christian communities and to Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, defending orthodoxy, urging unity and warning against heresy as he journeyed to his death from Antioch to Rome — a treasure passed down from the 1st century

On October 13, 1973, Our Lady of Akita (Japan) told the visionary Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa that heresy would occur within the Catholic Church: "The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their conferees (other priests)... The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord." Our Lady concluded with these hopeful words, echoing her message at Fatima: "Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved." Holy Mary, pray that the Church remains faithful starting with ourselves. _____________________________________________ Prayer for a Holy Church and Priests O my Jesus, I beg You on

Optional Memorial - October 11th One of the least likely popes, not only of the twentieth century, but perhaps in the history of the papacy itself, was Pope Saint John XXIII. Born of peasant stock in 1881, this humble and unassuming priest would, in the last months of his life, be the architect of one of the most sweeping ecumenical councils of the modern world, whose reverberations are still being felt throughout the Church to this day. It was his humility and “ordinariness” that endeared Angelo Roncalli (the pope’s name before he ascended to the papacy) not only to Catholics, but to the world at large. The oldest son of a farming family from northern Italy, the future pope was ordained to the priesthood in 1904. His duties at the time included working as secretary to the bishop, teaching Church history in seminary, and publishing the diocesan paper. These experiences were integral preparation for the papacy. Drafted into the military in 1914, he served as both stretcher be

"What is tolerance? Tolerance is an attitude of reasoned patience toward evil and a forbearance that restrains us from showing anger or inflicting punishment. But what is more important than the definition is the field of its application. The important point here is this: Tolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons. Tolerance applies to the erring; intolerance to the error. America is suffering not so much from intolerance, which is bigotry, as it is from tolerance, which is indifference to truth and error, and a philosophical nonchalance that has been interpreted as broad-mindedness. Greater tolerance, of course, is desirable, for there can never be too much charity shown to persons who differ with us. Our Blessed Lord Himself asked that we 'love those who calumniate us, for they are always persons,' but He never told us to love the calumny. In keeping with the Spirit of Christ, the Church encourage

Memorial - October 4th Saint Francis of Assisi, the 13th century Italian friar, preacher. and stigmatic, who founded the Franciscan Order, is perhaps the best-known saint of the Catholic Church. Indeed, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. It has been said that of all the holy individuals the Church has canonized, it is this "poor man of Assisi" who most closely resembled Christ Himself. In humility Francis never accepted the priesthood, but remained a deacon his entire life. So much has been written about Francis that the basic outline of his story is well known. Born into wealth and privilege in the town of Assisi, Italy in 1181, this handsome and popular young man spent his youth in living selfishly. Intent on seeking fame, Francis embarked on an ill-fated bale with the neighboring town of Perugia. When that failed, he set off instead on the Fourth Crusade, but never got further than one day’s ride from Assisi. As the result of a drea

The eight classes of unbelievers are as follows: 1. Atheists, who deny there is a God; 2. Deists, who admit there is a God, but deny that He revealed a religion; 3. Agnostics, who will neither admit nor deny the existence of God; 4. Infidels, were never baptized, and who by want of faith, refuse to be so; 5. Heretics, were baptized Christians, but do not believe all the articles of faith; 6. Schismatics, are baptized and believe all articles of faith, save papal authority; 7. Apostates, who reject the true religion, they formerly held, to join a false one; 8. Rationalists and Materialists, who believe only in material things. ( From the Baltimore Catechism #3 Lesson 30 - Q. 1170 .) Outside the Church There is No Salvation The straight forward but constantly misinterpreted doctrine that " Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus ": " Outside the Church there is no salvation ", is the source of much confusion among many Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Pope Saint Pius X’s papacy was both courageous and immensely consequential. The Modernist crisis in biblical exegesis occurred during his reign. Using new methods of historical and literary criticism scholars challenged the meaning of Scripture. Such methodology led to erroneous conclusions that called into question many Church dogmas. St. Pius X published the encyclical, Pascendi dominici gregis , denouncing the Modernist heresy. He also instituted the Oath Against Modernism to be sworn to by all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries. The oath addressed five solemn tenets central to the Catholic Faith . It reads in part: "I believe with equally firm faith that the Church, the guardian and teacher of the revealed word, was personally instituted by the real and historical Christ when he lived among us, and that the Church was built upon Peter, the prince of the apostolic hierarchy, and his successors

By Father Thomas Mattison There is no such thing as a Church teaching that is not social. Once upon a time the bishop of the Diocese of Burlington was named Robert F. Joyce. He was a native of Proctor and installed as bishop of Burlington in 1957. He resigned as bishop after 15 years at age 75. He would not have been grateful to be called an ecclesiologist — an expert in the theology of the Church — but he was just that. At every Confirmation ceremony he gave the same sermon -- every one! And he would make everyone in church repeat the message after him: Don’t go to heaven alone; take someone with you. RFJ clearly understood that there is in each of us a tendency — a temptation — to think of ourselves before thinking of anyone else and, even, to the exclusion of everyone else. But he understood, too, that such a focus on the single self was absolutely antithetical to Christianity. Just being a Christian means being — at very least — connected to Jesus. We have no connect

Memorial - August 21st St, Pius X did great things for the Church during his relatively brief pontificate — he was pope from 1903 until 1914. He is perhaps best remembered as the "pope of the Eucharist," because he transformed the way ordinary Catholics regarded reception of Holy Communion. Among the modifications he introduced included lowering the age at which children received their first Communion to seven, the "age of reason." He believed that earlier reception of the Eucharist would lead to an earlier and deepened devotion to Jesus Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament. He was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto on June 2, 1835, in the village of Riese near Venice, Italy, the second of ten children to a poor postman and his wife. He was baptized the following day. Though exceedingly poor, his devout parents valued education. At every stage of study, Giuseppe's intelligence and high moral character attracted notice. On September 18, 1858, Father Sarto wa

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. [T]here is nothing cute about the exchange between Jesus and the Canaanite woman in this Gospel. I once read an author, bent on finding humor in the Bible, who claimed that this was just a friendly little repartee, what Webster’s Dictionary describes as “amusing and usually light sparring with words.”  I couldn’t disagree more. The scene presented here by Matthew is no game of wits! Let me digress briefly with a little trip down memory lane: [Click on this link:] Kyrie eleison from the Missa de Angelis The point isn’t the music, the Gregorian chant or any other classic settings. The point isn’t the Latin Mass vs. English. It isn’t even that “ Kyrie eleison ” isn’t Latin at all, but Greek. What is the point? It’s that we find those very same Greek words in today’s Gospel, and the point is especially what they mean. The woman says “ Eleison me kyrie .” This is translated in the Lectionary as “Have pity on me, Lord,” but it means equally well, “Ha

By Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Psalm 85; Romans 9:1-5, Matthew 14:22-33 “Lord, save me!” (Mt 14:31) Imagine the scene. You are one of the disciples whom Jesus has sent out to sea on a boat. While out there, a storm kicks up and rocks the boat. It is dark. In the distance, you see what looks like the silhouette of a person walking toward you. As the person nears the boat, you realize it is Jesus! And He is walking on top of the water! “Take courage,” He says, “it is I!” Peter, overwhelmed with emotion at this scene, asks the Lord to allow him to walk on the water, which Jesus allows. Peter, of course, becomes frightened. Jesus asks, “Why did you doubt?” Falling in, he calls out to Jesus, who saves him.  The story for this weekend’s Gospel as recounted above is the classic journey of faith. That journey often involves three steps: loving Jesus, faltering due to human imperfection, and calling out to the Lord. So, (1) Peter obviously loved Jesus,

"Receive the book of the gospel whose herald you have become. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach…" These words are part of the ordination rite for the holy diaconate. The Bishop professes this solemn instruction to the newly ordained as they kneel before him, and he presents them with the Book of Gospels. These words of ordination should be the personal credo of all who call themselves Catholic and who seek to live in sincere imitation of Jesus. Truly, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." Although often described as such, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the Book”, but of the Word of God, Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, born of the Father before all ages. We do not merely subscribe to a millennia old collection of objective moral commands. We bow to a Person, a historical and ever-living “Someone”, who won our salvation by paying the ultimate ransom for man’s sins. In the words of Saint Bernard of C

(While many saints are canonized by the Church, most are known only to God.) The process of documenting the life and virtues of a holy man or woman cannot begin until five years after his or her death; this insures that the person has an enduring reputation for sanctity among the faithful. The pope may waive the waiting period. The bishop of the diocese in which the person died can petition the Holy See to allow the initialization of a Cause for Beatification and Canonization. If there is no objection by a department of the Roman Curia, permission is communicated to that bishop. When the cause begins, the individual is called a “Servant of God.” Testimony about the life and virtues of the person are gathered, and his or her writings are examined. This documentary phase of the process can take years and concludes with the judgment of a diocesan tribunal and the decision of the bishop that the heroic virtues of the servant of God have or have not been demonstrated. The resul

By Father Thomas Mattison Galileo created a new hierarchy of truths. Tradition, authority, Scripture, philosophy, theology, all the well-known sources of truth, goodness and beauty were now to be subjected to one single new criterion – scientific proof. Thus, did the good become the useful; the true, the practical; and the beautiful, the appealing. Modern science has challenged Galileo’s deductions, but modern education and, certainly, the education that many of us received, is still frozen in the icy grip of the 16th century. Which brings me to yoga. A world and culture that values nothing but its own material-based experiences cares nothing for the claims of religion or the origins of classical spiritualities and the views of God and man that underlie them. Thus, any eighth grader will tell you that he likes this part of this religion but another part of another; and the fundamental incompatibility of the religions that he has dismembered and reassembled into what he calls

June 29th Saints Peter and Paul are often seen as complementary figures and are regarded as "pillars" of the Church (Gal 2:9). Peter represents the institutional Church, while Paul represents the charismatic or spiritual Church. Both are associated with the Church in Rome. But what binds them together, above all else, was their utter dedication to the message of Christ. They were martyred in Rome under persecution ordered by the Emperor Nero in 64 and 67 respectively due to their fearless proclamation of the Gospel. Today we recall especially their holy deaths. __________________________________________ The New Testament often portrays Peter as rash and headstrong. One minute, he is a paragon of faith; the next, he has completely misunderstood what Jesus wants. He frequently does not seem to get what is going on, and he even denies Jesus when Jesus is about to be executed. And yet, despite his shortcomings and weaknesses, he has a heart for the Lord. He is the Prin

LifeSite reports on an opinion piece by a former Vatican official discussing Pope Francis’ refusal to answer the dubia issued by four of his cardinals concerning the doctrinal implications and proper interpretation of Amoris Laetitia , the post-synod apostolic exhortation on the family. The confusion that emerged in the wake of Amoris ’ release has resulted in myriad conclusions and widespread uncertainty . The LifeSite article begins: "Why doesn’t the Pope respond to the Dubia? The former director of the Vatican Bank thinks he knows why. Ettore Gotti Tedeschi suggests that Francis is sending two messages through his silence: that he can contradict himself if he likes and that he wishes to impose a 'New Catholic Morality' on the Church. This new morality would be based not on doctrine but on the subjective opinions of the individual conscience... Ultimately, Francis’ silence — which allows doubts to continue to flourish — is a denial of objective truth." Mr.Te

The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. the Archbishop of Philadelphia presented this Brigham Young University forum address on March 22, 2016. He discusses the difficulties faced by believers in America today and the assaults on religious freedom perpetrated by the government and secular forces. Below is a partial transcript of Archbishop Chaput's remarks. They are well worth your time. Starting at 4:32: I want to begin by giving you some background on the Catholic experience in this country. I’ll do that through the lens of a particular Catholic bishop – me. I don’t claim to speak for all or even most Americans who describe themselves as Catholic. But my comments do reflect the views of many Catholics who rank their Catholic faith as the most precious thing in their lives — and actually live that way. So let’s start with a simple fact: Catholics have never entirely “fit” in America. We’ve tried, but the results are mixed. In fact some years ago Stanley Hauerwas