BIG C CATHOLICS

The following Protestant leaders were among those who believe the Catholic Church and the papacy are the Antichrist referenced in Sacred Scripture. (See end of post for a Catholic response.) Martin Luther (1483-1546) Lutheran "Luther … proved, by the revelations of Daniel and St. John, by the epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Jude, that the reign of Antichrist, predicted and described in the Bible, was the Papacy." From History of the Reformation of the Sixteen Century , J. H. Merle D’aubigne, Book VI, Chapter XII, p. 215. "[N]othing else than the kingdom of Babylon and of very Antichrist. For who is the man of sin and the son of perdition, but he who by his teaching and his ordinances increases the sin and perdition of souls in the church; while he yet sits in the church as if he were God? All these conditions have now for many ages been fulfilled by the papal tyranny." From First Principles , pp. 196-197. John Calvin (1509-1564) Presbyterian

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) In reflecting on today’s gospel, I spent way too much time reading about Torti v. Van Horn. This was a California court case, in which a “Good Samaritan” was sued for injuries she allegedly caused when pulling a friend from a car after an accident. The friend later wanted to sue her, a lower court said no, but the California Supreme Court said the suit could be allowed. The decision began with these words: “Under well-established common law principles, a person has no duty to come to the aid of another.” In the light of that principle, the priest and the Levite in today’s parable did nothing wrong. In the light of Torti v. Van Horn, they actually did the sensible thing. In any case, now I know why the scholar of the law asked the questions he did. It’s what lawyers did in those days. It’s what lawyers still do today. The

Ryan Bomberger, creative director of the Radiance Foundation , a pro-life advocacy group, has written a powerful commentary on society's selective outrage regarding the killing of persons both born and unborn. Mr. Bomberger was conceived in rape, given up for adoption by his birth mother and adopted by a family of fifteen . His personal testimony and work in defense of human dignity are inspiring. Breitbart reports :   A black pro-life leader says the mainstream media that props up the pro-abortion Black Lives Matter movement won’t report that Planned Parenthood kills many more black lives in one day than police are accused of killing in an entire year. Bomberger is doubtless considered an "Uncle Tom" by those he criticizes. The selective outrage he illustrates is exemplified in his question: "Who can recall one single white person killed by police officers?" He continues: "Whites are killed by cops, according to a database created by the Washin

July 9th, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Martyred Saints of China, or Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions. Beatified in groups at various times, St. John Paul II canonized these 120 martyrs in Rome on October 1, 2000. They consisted of 87 Chinese Catholics, and 33 Western Missionaries from the mid-17th century to 1930.  They were martyred because of being missionaries, and in some cases, for their refusal to apostatize. Many died in the Boxer Rebellion, in which xenophobic peasants slaughtered 30,000 Chinese converts to Christianity along with missionaries and other foreigners.   Although Christianity had spread itself around the world by this time, it did not reach China until the 600’s, by way of Syria. Depending on China’s relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operated secretly. The martyrs in this group all died between 1648 and 1930.  Most of them born in China were children, parents, catechist

This article by Kathryn Jean Lopez, " How Birth Control Changed America for the Worse ", appeared in Crisis Magazine on March 1, 2001. The cultural references are dated, but the negative consequences of artificial birth control predicted in Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae have without exception come tragically true. The women featured underscore the enormous damage the pill has wrought on men, women, marriage and society. An excerpt: "Not only has birth control torn apart traditional notions of family life, but it has taken a personal toll on young women like Amanda, who learn the hard way that when sex is readily available, people have a hard time making romantic commitments. The philosopher Allan Bloom noted this phenomenon more than a decade ago in his book Love and Friendship . 'There is an appalling matter-of-factness in public speech about sex today,' he wrote. 'On television schoolchildren tell us about how they will now use condoms in their co

This is what purifies the eye of the heart, and enables it to raise itself to the true light: contempt of worldly cares, mortification of the body, contrition of heart, abundance of tears... meditation on the admirable Essence of God and on His chaste Truth, fervent and pure prayer, joy in God, ardent desire for Heaven. Embrace all this, and continue in it. Advance towards the light which offers itself to you as to its sons, and descends of itself into your hearts. Take your hearts out of your breasts, and give them to Him who speaks to you, and He will fill them with deific splendour, and you will be sons of light and angels of God.  ― St. John Vianney, the Curé d'Ars

On July 6th, the Church celebrates the feast of its youngest canonized saint. Saint Maria Goretti (1890-1902) was born in Corinaldi, Italy, the third of seven children to a poor peasant family. Known for her cheerful piety, Maria grew in many virtues. When she was nine, her father, Luigi Goretti, died from malaria. To make ends meet, the Gorettis shared a house with Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro. Maria took over household responsibilities while her mother, brothers, and sister worked in the fields. Dispensing her duties, Maria was a source of encouragement, never complaining about her chores. Alessandro Serenelli noticed Maria's beauty and began to have impure thoughts. He would speak cruelly and make sexual advances toward her often. Maria always rebuked him saying, "No, never, that is a sin! God forbids that and we would go to hell!" The harassment continued for months. On July 5, 1902, Alessandro approached Maria and demanded she submit to him. Maria