BIG C CATHOLICS

Pope St. Leo the Great facing Attila the Hun, a sculpture in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Leo the Great, pope and doctor, during whose pontificate the Council of Chalcedon (451) defined that Christ is one divine person with two natures, divine and human. It was a confirmation of his Epistola Dogmatica (Tomus) to the Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople. He vigorously defended the unity of the Church. He detained the onrush of the barbarians under Attila. (See video below.) Church historians recognize two popes with the title "Great": St. Leo I (reign 440–461) and St. Gregory I (590–604). Some add St. Nicholas I (858–867). Pope St. John Paul II’s canonization prompted discussion over whether he, too, should be afforded this title. No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. — St. Leo the Great Read Pope St. John XXIII's Enc

Last Friday, a Vatican approved 11-track album featuring addresses by Pope Francis was released in Italy. On 'Pope Francis Wake Up! Music Album with His Words and Prayers.' , the Pontiff speaks to various audiences in his native tongue Spanish, as well as Italian, English and Portuguese. He discusses issues like God, selfless love, peace, human dignity, stewardship of the environment and assisting those in need. Rolling Stone has a review . The Telegraph discusses . (UK) You can listen to some of it on sound cloud via Believe Digital Italy . The album website where you can order it.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome (see video below for more). The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, not St. Peter's Basilica as so many mistakenly believe. The Basilica is also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist. In ancient Rome this was the church where everyone was baptized. It the oldest church in the West, built in the time of Constantine and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. This feast became a universal celebration in honor of the archbasilica, the ecclesiastical mother church, called "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world" ( omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput ), as a sign of love for and union with the See of Peter. Fr. Butler's homily for the Feast of

The Cross will not crush you; if its weight makes you stagger, its power will also sustain you. — St. Padre Pio

November begins with All Saints Day and All Souls Day. It is therefore fitting that the Catholic Church designates November as the month of the holy souls in Purgatory. Then we especially remember those who have died in a state of grace, but who have not yet atoned fully for their venial sins. Such souls must undergo temporal punishment to expiate any imperfections and disordered attachments that remain. The punishment is really a purification. There is material fire in Purgatory that purifies the immaterial soul. The soul's union with these flames is both the means of sanctification and a source of suffering. The principal cause of suffering for the soul in Purgatory is its longing for God. Many Catholics who misunderstand the doctrine of Purgatory, downplay its significance. As a result, the poor souls in Purgatory suffer. Purgatory is not a final test or trial. The souls in Purgatory are assured of their salvation and will one day be in Heaven. The Church teaches that Purgat

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Some time ago I learned of a woman who as a child was crippled by polio. She became angry with God and was mean, nasty, and angry with everyone around her. She became a miserable human being. By chance one day she came into contact with members of a parish who gave her a whole lot of love. She returned to that parish every Sunday and eventually joined it because there she found a lot of love from a lot of people. Her frozen heart warmed up. She found the freedom to “walk the spiritual walk” even though her body remained crippled. As time went by the parish entered into a campaign to raise funds. The woman surprised her family at that year’s family Thanksgiving Dinner by announcing that she was giving $45,000 to the parish in their building campaign. Her family was stunned. When they asked her where she was going to get all that money she told them that throughout all her years since chil

Plato (left) and Arisotle It is a tragedy that post modern academia is almost completely bereft of the classic trivium studies of grammar, logic and rhetoric. Regarding logic, I draw your attention to a website for the logically impaired. Not logic by way of common sense, but logic in terms of argumentation, reasoning and critical thinking. Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies is an introduction to the most popular logical fallacies in use today. From the site: A logical fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they're often very sneakily used by politicians and the media to fool people. Don't be fooled! This website has been designed to help you identify and call out dodgy logic wherever it may raise its ugly, incoherent head.   The page features 24 logical fallacies. The information presented is available in a number of formats from PDF to poster. If you are interested in an excellent volume presenting the tri