BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) It is no secret that there is widespread distrust of authority these days, a distrust of our basic institutions and their leaders that, in many cases, arises from understandable reasons. In reaction, personal individualism has been advocated to such an extreme that for many people the only acceptable authority is the individual self. The only authority that I will allow to tell me what is right and what is wrong is myself. Many are therefore uncomfortable with idea of Christ as ruler. With the exception of a fascination with England’s royal family we balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be either oppressive or no longer relevant. The titles of “lord” and “king” for Christ are unsettling for some folks because they believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive and irrelevant systems of government. I am troubled by all of this hesitancy because it casts Christ as b

  Death does not herald the end of personal existence but rather a new triumphal beginning. Although we are faced with the certainty of death, we are at the same time consoled by the promise of a glorious bodily immortality. What Christ, the Head of the Mystical Body, did for Himself He will also do for His members. The same divine power is always operative within Him. As we continue to pray especially for the souls of the faithful departed in November, I present to you this reflection by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (pictured). Praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory The practice of recommending to God the souls in Purgatory, that He might mitigate the great pains which they suffer, and that He may soon bring them to His glory, is most pleasing to the Lord and most profitable to us. For these blessed souls are His eternal spouses, and most grateful are they to those who obtain their deliverance from prison, or even a mitigation of their torments. When, therefore, they arrive

In many societies today, the utterance of a simple phrase, "I am a Christian," is a crime punishable by death. So widespread is this persecution that Pope Francis called it a "third world war, waged piecemeal... a form of genocide." In To the Martyrs: A Reflection on the Supreme Christian Witness, Cardinal Donald Wuerl urges solidarity with today’s persecuted Christians and recounts the recurrence of martyrdom throughout Church history. His Eminence’s poignant insight into the spirituality of martyrdom will challenge all Christians to courageously emulate the steadfast commitment of those who have followed Christ—even unto death. Order To the Martyrs: A Reflection on the Supreme Christian Witness   on Amazon or through Emmaus Road Publishing . If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.  — John 15: 20 About the Author His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl is the Archbishop of Washington, DC. He serves on the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the

Slavs, Latin, and Hebrew immigrants are human weeds... a dead weight of human waste... Blacks, soldiers, and Jews are a menace to the race. — Margaret Sanger [We should] apply a stern and rigid policy of sterilization and segregation to that grade of population whose progeny is tainted, or whose inheritance is such that objectionable traits may be transmitted to offspring. Margaret Sanger, "Plan for Peace" from Birth Control Review (April 1932, pp. 107-108)  The following video was brought to my attention recently. I do not endorse said video's proprietor, however, the information contained therein is accurate. It underscores the racist, inhumane and truly diabolical origins of America's largest abortion provider.

This Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King according to the Church's liturgical calendar, marks the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The recollection of that fateful day by family members, teachers and others, all of whom were young men and women on November 22, 1963, created a kind of "Arthurian legend" nostalgia surrounding JFK in my youth. As one historian put it: With Kennedy's death, America lost its innocence - and the rebellious, violent, war-torn 1960's began. Kennedy's serial adultery, known to a lesser degree, and misogynistic attitude towards women did not detract from the lionizing of the man and the incessant burnishing of the Kennedy presidency each November. George Weigel's " Camelot Revisited " [November 2007] and " JFK After 50 Years " [November 2013] consider Kennedy's legacy, and the mythology surrounding it, without tears or sentimentality. In "Camelot Revisited"

No serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non-historicity of Jesus.   — Otto Betz One assertion detractors of Christianity make to sow seeds of doubt about Jesus is the alleged lack of historical evidence for Christ outside of Sacred Scripture. Such claims are counterfactual and easily refuted. Here are five, first-century, non-biblical, historical references to Jesus of Nazareth. Publius Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 c. AD) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. His two major works, the Annals and the Histories, record the reigns of seven Roman Emperors: Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who ruled in the Year of the Four Emperors (69 AD). These works span the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in 14 AD to the 1st Jewish – Roman War in 70 AD. In the Annals , [XV,44] Tacitus mentions the death of Christ and the existence of Christians in Rome at the time of the great fire: "But not all the relief that could come from man, not al

A grieving statue, (detail) Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris Father of mercy, You invite all who are burdened to come to You. Embrace the victims in Paris; bring them comfort and hope. Most loving Jesus, we know that in the fullness of time You will wipe away every tear. Restore those who suffer and grieve to wholeness; let them know Your gentle compassion. Bless those You have called to Yourself, lead them into the light of Your love. May we never forget that every knee will bend at Your name. On that day, an occasion of unrivaled joy, sin and death will be no more, and we shall see You face to face. Amen.