BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) We spend enormous amounts of our resources, time, and energy on things that give us a sense of security. We buy expensive insurance policies to protect ourselves from any and every sort of disaster. We have high-tech alarm systems in our businesses, homes, and automobiles. Some of us work and even live in buildings surrounded with security fences. Closed circuit television eyes balefully stare at every living thing from the nooks and crannies of our habitats continually recording every movement. And still we are not secure. Moreover, no amount of money, protection systems, medical effort, or bodyguards can protect us from the ultimate confrontation we each will individually face. For each one of us, you along with me, will one day stand face to face before Christ at the end of our earthly existence. Yet we live our lives awash in distractions, busily engaged in a whole lot that’s see

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Catherine Labouré. She was a member of the Daughters of Charity. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her three times in 1830 and commissioned her to have the Miraculous Medal made and to spread its devotion. She humbly dispensed her duties, devoting herself especially to the care of the elderly men in the poor Paris suburb where the Daughters ministered. The discovery that her earthly remains were intact spurred calls for her sainthood. St. Catherine Labouré was canonized in 1947 by Pope Pius XII. Her incorrupt body is encased in glass beneath the side altar in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, France. The Life of St. Catherine Labouré St Catherine Labouré was born May 2, 1806 in Fainles-Moutiers, a village of Burgundy, France. She was the ninth of eleven children. God made known the choice of this soul by marking her at an early age with the seal of suffering. She was only nine years-old she lost her mother.

The 21 Coptic-Christian martyrs of Egypt. We have observed in recent years increasing attacks on Christianity and public expressions of Christian belief by militant atheists, academia and secular authorities in the United States. Today’s climate of government intrusion on the Church, fueled by political correctness, means Catholics must prepare to be mocked, ridiculed and even jailed for living their faith. Yet, as bad as things seem, we must remember that in other parts of the world Christians are fairing even worse : I received the following from a reader in Canada [where the currents of secularism and radicalization are stronger] which I submit for your consideration: _____________ A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. Very few people were true Nazis, but many enjoyed the return of Ger

O God, the beginning and the end of all things, Who are always the same, and Whose promises fail not. We kneel in adoration before You, and offer You our deepest thanks for the fatherly care with which You have watched over us during the past year, for the many times You have protected us from evils of body and soul, and for the numerous blessings, both temporal and spiritual, which You have showered upon us. Please accept the homage of our grateful hearts, which we offer You in union with Your divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You forever and ever. Amen.

In preparing to celebrate the liturgical season of Advent, consider former Vatican Chief Exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth’s articulation of the reasons for Christ’s Incarnation. Fr. Amorth asserts Jesus became man to: destroy the works of the devil, free man from Satan's slavery, and establish the kingdom of God. This is part 2 of " An Exorcist Tells His Story: Fr. Gabriele Amorth on the Power of Satan ." I have put excerpts in, "The Power of Satan,"(pages 25-36) from  An Exorcist Tells His Story   into the following "interview" format: What harm can the devil cause to the living? Ordinary activity . This is "temptation", which is the most common activity of the demons, and it is directed against all men. When Jesus allowed Satan to tempt him, he accepted our human condition. I will not talk about this common diabolical endeavor, because the purpose of this book is to highlight Satan's "extraordinary activity", which can tak

On February 3, 2015, Pope Francis asked Cardinal Angelo Amato to officially authorize Archbishop Oscar Romero's decree of martyrdom, a major step toward his beatification. (A miracle is not required for beatification candidates who the Pope decrees as martyrs to be beatified.) Romero’s beatification was held in San Salvador on May 23, 2015. CNA/EWTN News  reports that:  On Oct. 30th, Pope Francis reflected on the life and death of Blessed Oscar Romero, who was recognized as a martyr earlier this year, stressing that each Christian ought to be ready to give their life for the faith. "A martyr is not born. It's a grace that the Lord allows, and that in a way concerns every baptized person," Pope Francis told a group pilgrims from El Salvador. Bl. Oscar Romero was Archbishop of San Salvador from 1977 until his March 24, 1980 martyrdom. Quoting a phrase of Bl. Romero, the Pope said that "We must be willing to die for our faith, even if the Lord does n

As we prepare to celebrate the liturgical season of Advent, it is appropriate that we consider the threefold reason for Christ’s Incarnation: 1.) to destroy the works of the devil, 2.) to free man from Satan's slavery and 3.) to establish the kingdom of God. Fr. Gabriele Amorth was the Vatican's Chief Exorcist. In that capacity he performed thousands of exorcisms through which he has garnered innumerable insights into the works and slavery of the devil. I recently read Fr. Amorth's An Exorcist Tells His Story . To highlight his wisdom, I have reframed excerpts from, "The Power of Satan,"(pages 25-36) in An Exorcist Tells His Story into a Q & A or "interview" format: Some priests rarely mention Hell and the power of Satan, preferring instead to focus on the love and forgiveness of Christ. Why is that bad? Christ is the center of the universe. Everything was created for him and in view of his Coming, in the heavens (angels) and on earth (the t