BIG C CATHOLICS

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

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

On October 3rd, 2000, a viewer called into EWTN's  Mother Angelica Live program asking whether Catholics were obligated to vote, and if so, "for whom?". In her answer, the late Mother Angelica urges us to vote judiciously in accordance with the teachings of Christ, and expresses her steadfast opposition to the culture of death, which she condemns as unbending and without love: (See video below.) Beginning at 0:50: "I'm not going to vote for candidates. I vote for life. ... I vote for life. Because it's an abomination to God, the culture of death. ... I cannot vote for death. I vote for life. I vote for the God who gave us life and has a right, the only one who has a right, to create life, and call it forth to Himself. The only one! You don't have a right, I don't have a right, nobody has a right to call death on someone God has called to life. If we don't stand for the principles of God, you will be next, because you're getting too old

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 and in all things, we may be faithful to You in Your Holy Church, and to Your Vicar on Earth, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis. Grant also, we beg You, that, in these times of decision, all who profess to be Catholic and who are entrusted with the sacred duty to participate in public life, may, by the strength of Your grace, unwaveringly follow Your Way and faithfully adhere to Your Truth, living in You with all their mind and heart, for Your greater glory, the salvation of souls, and the good of our nation. Amen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, Pray for us. Saint Thomas More, Patron of Religious Freedom, Pray for us.

As we prepare to elect our civic leaders — ever mindful of the assault on religious freedom and the growing threat posed by laws that endanger the unborn, the unwanted, the infirm and the elderly, let us pray to the Patroness of the United States — the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: O Immaculate Mother, Queen of our Country, open our hearts, our homes, and our Land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of God’s light shining in and about you. Be our Leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior, Who loves us with infinite charity. We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the

Jesus at Herod's Court , Duccio, c. 1310. October 30, 2016 Novena Prayer for the 2016 Election:  Day 1 Saint Jude, Patron of Impossible Causes, join us in praying for this election and these intentions: [State your intentions here.] 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 and in all things, we may be faithful to You in Your Holy Church, and to Your Vicar on Earth, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis. Grant also, we beg You, that, in these times of decision, all who profess to be Catholic and who are entrusted with the sacred duty to participate in public life, may, by the strength of Your grace, unwaveringly follow Your Way and faithfully adhere to Your Truth, living in You with all their mind and heart, for Y

The 2016 election is almost here. Since the outcome will very profoundly affect religious liberty in the United States, as well as the protection of the vulnerable in our society; the unborn, the ill and disabled, and the elderly, we should pray that God's will be done, and that those who are voting will do so with a well-formed conscience. To that end, Phil Lawler asks a timely question about Progressives and the apparent inability of some to acknowledge God . For examples, (including one referenced by Mr. Lawler ,) go here , here , here and here . Saint Thomas More, Patron of Religious Freedom, Pray for us.

The 2016 Election is nearly upon us. It is crucial that we, as Catholics speak with a unified voice because of the reality that certain laws directly contradict Church teaching, the natural law and the good of society. Catholics should carefully consider the role that judges play in deciding issues like abortion, marriage and religious freedom. Judges and other unelected officials all too often take these debates out of the democratic process and decide them for themselves leaving concerned citizens with no recourse. Since this election will affect religious freedom in the United States, as well as the protection of the most vulnerable in our society; the unborn, the ill and disabled, and the elderly, we should pray that God's will be done in the election, and that those who are voting will do so with a well-formed conscience. The novena for the election starts October 30th. Remember that our prayers and petitions, when offered to God sincerely, are always efficacious. Click

It is crucial that we, as Catholics faithful to the Magisterium, speak with a unified voice because of the reality that certain laws directly contradict Church teaching, the natural law and the good of society. In our country over 1 million unborn children are killed by abortion every year. All Catholics have a moral obligation to keep this human rights catastrophe at the forefront of their minds when voting. Catholics must also open their eyes to the attacks upon religious freedom that are proliferating in our society. More and more, government agencies are attempting to punish individuals and institutions that adhere to the truth that marriage can only be between a man and a woman, and that every child needs and deserves a mother and a father. Finally, Catholics should carefully consider the role that judges increasingly play in deciding issues like abortion, marriage and religious freedom. It is now the case that judges and other unelected officials all too often take these deb

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

A year before becoming Pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a confidential memorandum to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick entitled Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles that became public shortly thereafter. His Eminence Cardinal Ratzinger, explaining the norms for reception of the Eucharist, states in part: A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons. At issue was whether Catholics who vote for pro-choice and/or pro-euthanasia politicians are complicit i

In a much awaited decision, the State Department has finally declared that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is committing genocide against Christians. For a detailed report on the persecution see, " Genocide against Christians in the Middle East ", compiled by  In Defense of Christians and the Knights of Columbus . It offers irrefutable evidence of the ongoing atrocities at the hands of militant Islamic extremists. Our persecuted brothers and sisters in faith face intimidation, torture and death for being disciples of Christ. We must assist them any way we can, even if only in prayer. Our prayers are always efficacious no matter how desperate the situation or the fact that God does not always grant our petitions. To help, visit ChristiansAtRisk.org and Nasarean.org .

March's blog of note is Catholic first and always while also incorporating gems of our nation's Judeo-Catholic heritage. Spirit-Digest is an online clearinghouse of information, bringing you insightful content from across the Catholic blogosphere. If you appreciate faithful posts of interest to orthodox Catholics, with a focus on theology, the complementarity of reason and revelation, and other issues in the life of the Church, Spirit-Digest is a website worth your time. Articles about our constitutional republic and the liberties found therein, as well as threats to freedom/ human dignity at home and abroad, are also featured. Further down the page are links to various Catholic resources. The content is updated daily from a variety of sources. For this reason, Spirit-Digest is one of the sites I visit everyday. [Plus, all visitors are prayed for in a daily rosary. Grace + information!]

Recently, several orthodox Christians from numerous denominations formulated and signed the following declaration. To read the declaration in full and sign it go here : Declaration We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image. We set forth this declaration in light of the truth that is grounded in Holy Scripture, in natural human reason (which is itself, in our view, the gift of a beneficent God), and in the very nature of the human person. We call upon all people of goodwill, believers and nonbelievers alike, to consider carefu

Peter Kreeft (Dr. Peter Kreeft teaches philosophy at Boston College and has authored over forty-five books. He is a renowned Catholic apologists and an unapologetic big C Catholic. The following is an excerpt from an article in his series Pillars of Unbelief. The first article considers Niccolo Machiavelli and the impact of Machiavellian philosophy. It can be read in its entirety here .) Machiavelli - Inventor of "the New Morality" Niccolo Machiavelli (1496-1527) was the founder of modern political and social philosophy, and seldom in the history of thought has there been a more total revolution. Machiavelli knew how radical he was. He compared his work to Columbus' as the discoverer of a new world, and to Moses' as the leader of a new chosen people who would exit the slavery of moral ideas into a new promised land of power and practicality. Machiavelli's revolution can be summarized in six points... For all previous social thinkers, the goal of p