BIG C CATHOLICS

  Jesus Christ in Glory, 14th c. Cretan Icon (See full icon below post) Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Of the four Gospel accounts written by Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, St. Luke’s has been characterized by some scripture scholars as the most beautiful of them all. St. Luke’s Gospel contains accounts of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, for instance. Mary, the mother of Jesus has a special place in his Gospel. Moreover, St. Luke has a special regard for women, for the hurting, the outcasts, and those who were seen to be at the bottom of the social heap in those days. The tender and compassionate heart of Jesus is prominent in St. Luke’s accounts of His life. Given that context it’s startling to hear the words in today’s Gospel account taken from St. Luke. Whatever happened to the Christmas message about peace on earth and good will toward all men and women? How do we understand the words of the Prince of

Ever wonder which saint you most resemble? Are you a Joan of Arc or a Thomas Aquinas? A Thérèse of Liseux or a Francis of Assisi? Are you made for modernity like Thomas Merton or a "man for all seasons" like Thomas More? Find out HERE . Almighty ever-living God, by whose gift we venerate the merits of all the Saints who see you face to face in heaven, bestow on us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, an abundance of the reconciliation with you for which we so earnestly long. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns together with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Imagine if a Jewish or Islamic nominee with impeccable credentials, beloved by her students and colleges, were questioned by a Republican senator about her "dogma". The left would be apoplectic. Yet this is precisely what happened earlier this week when Democratic senators questioned federal appeals court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. At the very least, they were alarmed by her Catholicism. Senator Dick Durbin, (D-IL), a Catholic who readily demeans the teachings of the Magisterium, asked Barrett: "Do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?", as if being so were a cause for concern. Senator Al Franken (D-MN. questioned her appearances before law students at an event sponsored by Alliance Defending Freedom (a group that provides legal counsel to protect First Amendment rights). Franken called the ADF a "hate group"  and likened the appearance to speaking at an event organized by despot Pol Pot . A few minutes later, as the stupidity of the analogy beg

Catholics for whom the faith is non-negotiable may feel with Mr. Trump's election that their precariously beleaguered religious liberty was given a much need reprieve. Prior to the vote, it seemed as if, for those who professed traditional Christian values, religious freedom was in grave danger. Indeed, last February, Father Paul Scalia, the son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, delivered a heartfelt eulogy at the funeral for his father in which he observed the following: "[Justice Scalia] knew well what a close-run thing the founding of our nation was. And he saw in that founding, as did the founders themselves, a blessing, a blessing quickly lost when faith is banned from the public square, or when we refuse to bring it there. So he understood that there is no conflict between loving God and loving one's country, between one's faith and one's public service." The problem is that the forces of secularization, and those who occupy the commanding

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

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Of the four Gospel accounts written by Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, St. Luke’s has been characterized by some scripture scholars as the most beautiful of them all. St. Luke’s Gospel contains accounts of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, for instance. Mary, the mother of Jesus has a special place in his Gospel. Moreover, St. Luke has a special regard for women, for the hurting, the outcasts, and those who were seen to be at the bottom of the social heap in those days. The tender and compassionate heart of Jesus is prominent in St. Luke’s accounts of His life. Given that context it’s startling to hear the words in today’s Gospel account taken from St. Luke. Whatever happened to the Christmas message about peace on earth and good will toward all men and women? How do we understand the words of the Prince of Peace that we just heard in today’s Gospel? There are those who think of

St. Thomas More Defending the Liberty of the House of Commons, Vivian Forbes, 1927, St. Stephen's Hall, Parliament, London. St. John Paul II' s 1995 encyclical,  Evangelium vitae , reiterated the Catholic Church's age-old teaching: that "lawmakers have a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that contradicts humanity's fundamental right to life." Among the most ardent abortion proponents are Catholic politicians. To change their minds we must convert their hearts. Pray the Litany of St. Thomas More for the conversion of pro-choice politicians. Litany of St. Thomas More Martyr and Patron Saint of Statesmen, Politicians and Lawyers V. Lord, have mercy R. Lord have mercy V. Christ, have mercy R. Christ have mercy V. Lord, have mercy R. Lord have mercy V. Christ hear us R. Christ, graciously hear us V. St. Thomas More, Saint and Martyr, R. Pray for us (Repeat after each invocation) St. Thomas More, Patron of Statesmen, Politicians an

A faint faith is better than a strong heresy. *** The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. *** An absolutely new idea is one of the rarest things known to man. *** If honor were profitable, everybody would be honorable.  *** I would have people in time of silence take good heed that their minds be occupied with good thoughts, for unoccupied they will never be. *** Every tribulation which ever comes our way either is sent to be medicinal, if we will take it as such, or may become medicinal, if we will make it such, or is better than medicinal, unless we forsake it. *** But no matter how high in the clouds this arrow of pride may fly, and no matter how exuberant one may feel while being carried up so high, let us remember that the lightest of these arrows still has a heavy iron head. High as it may fly, therefore, it inevitably has to come down and hit the ground. And sometimes it