BIG C CATHOLICS

Saint Thomas Aquinas To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. — St. Thomas Aquinas

June’s blog of note emanates from the mind of noted Catholic blogger Julie Davis. Julie has contemplated Art, Literature, popular culture and all things Catholic on her blog Happy Catholic since 2004. Her other noble ventures (listed at the end of this post), are well worth your time. Her book, Happy Catholic – Glimpses of God in Everyday Life , is a consideration of quotes from The Simpsons to Saint John Paul II, wherein she discerns how everyday people and events reveal God. I interviewed Ms. Davis about her blog, her latest pursuits, her faith journey and the role of Providence in her life. In your conversion story you mention how the Lord changed your heart without any reading or influence from outsiders; it was just between God and you. What do you tell others who are considering or curious about Catholicism? I tell them to honestly ask God for a sign. And then to wait with an open mind. I didn't dwell much on my "bet" with God since I really put no constr

Father Gabriele Amorth In an interview for the Italian blog  Stanze Vaticane , the Vatican's Chief Exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, answered questions about his soon to be beatified mentor, the persecution of Christians by ISIS, and why a loving God would allow the existence of Hell. (I have highlighted in red Fr. Amorth’s most profound observations about the devil and the nature of evil.) Father Amorth we are going through a time of violence and persecution against Christians by ISIS: Is the hand of the devil behind it? Ah, to be sure! Where there is evil there is always the devil. He always is, where there is evil, any evil, great or small, it is always at the suggestion of the devil. These people are manipulated by Satan  then ? ISIS, Sure, I am convinced of it. Where there are wars and destruction, behind these, there is always the devil laughing. God would never allow it. God wants only good things. And these people would also shoot the Pope without qualms... [

René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH "Take it; this is my body." (Mark 14:22) Image from Juanes' The Last Supper , 1562 ( Click here for today’s readings ) I presume all the adults reading this have made a will, your “last will and testament.” Perhaps you made it a long time ago and it is no longer serves the purpose you had in mind. Nothing prevents you from changing it if you so choose. And if you do, you will then have your very own “old testament” and “new testament.” For many years now, the word formerly translated as “testament” in the Bible is more often given as “covenant.” The meaning, in English at least, is actually quite different. When you write a will, you can do that on your own, with or without the help of a lawyer, but you are not required to involve the persons to whom you will be leaving that jewelry or that moose head or your millions. There is no covenant, no contract with them. A contract or covenant, on the

Today, June 5, 2015, the United States Postal Service is issuing a commemorative stamp honoring Flannery O'Conner. It is the 30th stamp in the Literary Arts series. O’Connor penned unsettling, darkly comic stories, in a Southern Gothic style, about how the potential for enlightenment and grace are available to both saint and sinner. She wrote two novels, "The Violent Bear It Away" and "Wise Blood," 32 short stories, a number of reviews and commentaries. O’Connor was a three-time winner of the O. Henry Award and posthumous winner of the 1972 National Book Award for Fiction for "The Complete Stories." She relied heavily on regional settings and grotesque characters. Her writing reflected her deeply held Catholic faith, and frequently examined questions of belief and morality. The stamp shows O’Connor surrounded by peacock feathers—in  homage to O’Connor’s love for the birds that she tended on her mother’s farm. She wrote about them in a 1961 essay en

Flannery O'Connor Christ was crucified on earth and the Church is crucified by all of us, by her members most particularly, because she is a church of sinners. 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 each and every priest won’t teach error, but that the whole Church speaking through the Pope will not teach error in matters of faith. The Church is founded on Peter who denied Christ three times and couldn’t walk on the water by himself. You are expecting his successors to walk on the water. From a letter by Flannery O'Connor in response to a friend's criticism of the Catholic Church's shortcomings.

Courtesy of uCatholic :  Tantum Ergo is the last two stanzas from the Eucharistic Hymn ( Pange Lingua ) composed by St. Thomas Aquinas and is used at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The response and the prayer at the end is a later addition used at Benediction. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it and a plenary indulgence is granted to those who recite it on Holy Thursday or Corpus Christi.   Latin Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui. Genitori, Genitoque Laus et iubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. V. Panem de cælis præstitisti eis (on Corpus Christi, 'Alleluia' is added). R. Omne delectamentum in se habentem (on Corpus Christi, 'Alleluia' is added). Oremus: Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili, passionis tuæ memoriam reliquisti: tribue, qu