BIG C CATHOLICS

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

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 ten 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 o

When Obama Met the Pope The Vatican described the half hour meeting between Benedict XVI and President Obama as cordial. The two leaders discussed a range of issues on which there was general agreement; i.e. bringing peace to the Middle East, protecting the rights of minorities there, including Christians, immigration reform that respects the dignity of immigrants, promoting a responsible environmentalism, a humane global economy, and more. The Pope also presented Mr. Obama with a statement on bioethics addressed to the American Church where life issues – a fundamental Catholic concern – have been under assault recently. The actions of the Obama administration in the areas of abortion, euthanasia, redefining the institution of marriage, embryonic stem cell research, and the ability of health care providers to exercises their consciences regarding procedures they are morally opposed to – are cause for concern. Benedict challenged Obama to go beyond the President’s oft repeated “com

Dumb Ox NOTRE DAME: FINAL THOUGHTS What the controversy shows us By and large, the protests and expressions of dissent were peaceful and prayerful. It is good that Catholics made their voices heard. Hopefully Notre Dame alumni and benefactors will express their displeasure by withholding their checks. This would get Notre Dame's attention like nothing else. On a cultural level, devout Catholics can be rightfully proud that the protests were carried out with dignity. Just as important, the holocaust that is abortion was highlighted for the whole world to see. This galvanized pro-life advocates across the nation. The truth is great. It will prevail. In this we can take comfort.

Dumb Ox SHOULD WE BE ASHAMED OF BEING CATHOLIC? According to one reader "Yes," we should! I received this comment yesterday: "Given recent events in Northern Ireland, you should be ashamed of your religion." Ashamed of being Catholic? Umm... No! Never! This gentleman from across the pond did seem rather disgruntled though. I assume he is referring to the 800 plus year old tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. He is also insinuating a common sentiment; that all Catholics everywhere should apologize for the actions of all Catholics everywhere. The following post with Mary Ann Glendon will explain why we should never apologize for being Catholic.

Dumb Ox EXEGESIS FOR EVERYONE A new post series from Big C Catholics. Exegesis for everyone is a new weekly column in which we will consider some aspect of Sacred Scripture or a specific passage from the Bible. St. Jerome said "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." Exegesis for Everyone will help us to know the mind of Jesus Christ. Exegesis is the study and interpretation of Sacred Scripture. In the next installment we will examine the four "senses of Scripture." They are: 1.) the Literal Sense: “[T]he meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture” (Catechism, no. 116), the actual event, person, thing described in the biblical text. The literal sense gives rise to the following three “spiritual senses,” 2.) the Allegorical Sense: How those things, events, or persons in the literal sense point to Christ and the Paschal Mystery, 3.) the Moral Sense: How the literal sense points to the Christian life in the Church, 4.) the Anagogical Sense: How the literal sen

Dumb Ox ENCYCLICAL LETTER FIDES ET RATIO OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND REASON Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves...

Dumb Ox From the introduction to FIDES ET RATIO : "KNOW YOURSELF" In both East and West, we may trace a journey which has led humanity down the centuries to meet and engage truth more and more deeply. It is a journey which has unfolded—as it must—within the horizon of personal self-consciousness: the more human beings know reality and the world, the more they know themselves in their uniqueness, with the question of the meaning of things and of their very existence becoming ever more pressing. This is why all that is the object of our knowledge becomes a part of our life. The admonition Know yourself was carved on the temple portal at Delphi, as testimony to a basic truth to be adopted as a minimal norm by those who seek to set themselves apart from the rest of creation as “human beings”, that is as those who “know themselves”. Moreover, a cursory glance at ancient history shows clearly how in different parts of the world, with their different cultures, there