BIG C CATHOLICS

The Divine Mercy Image The Hour of Great Mercy Just as the (Divine Mercy) Image can serve as a reminder of the ocean of Divine Mercy, as well as its price, so can the daily remembrance of the Divine Mercy at the hour of Christ's death. Jesus asked Saint Faustina, and through her us, to celebrate this Hour of Great Mercy, promising tremendous graces to those who would, both for themselves and on behalf of others. At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion. ( Diary, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul (c) 1987, 1320). As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's omnipotence for the whole world,

Push back against the age as hard as it pushes against you. — Flannery O'Connor

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a unique and beautiful aspect of Catholicism. Jesus Christ, out of abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession. Through it, we can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church.  Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.' — John 20:21-23  See  Catholic Answers The means by which God forgives sins after baptism is confession: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Minor or venial sins can be confessed directly to God, but for grave or mortal sins, which crush the spiritual life out of the soul, God has instituted a different means for ob

This presentation by convert and apologist Steve Ray considers the difference(s) between Protestantism and the Catholic Church. He focuses on the development of the early Church, the canon of Sacred Scripture, and the centrality of Sacred Tradition. If you have an hour to spare, it is worth your time.

On Our Lady's birthday the Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Savior's mother, Mary. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. She has the highest mission ever commended to any human being. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany . Mary was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, Queen of heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. Through her, by the will of the Trinity, the unbelieving receive the gift of faith; the afflicted are tendered the works of mercy; and the members of Christ grow in likeness of their Head. In Mary all human nature is exalted. We rejo

Last Friday, Pope Francis held an historic "virtual audience" organized by ABC News. In the course of proceedings, his Holiness congratulated a young, single mother of two, Rosemary Farfan for not aborting her children. After listening to her testimony, Pope Francis thanked her and acknowledged, "it’s not easy" to be a single mother. Using stark language, he described abortion as killing. Apparently, Time magazine felt the need to censor the Pontiff's words; deleting his references to killing — abortion's tragic result. These are Pope Francis' original remarks to Ms. Farfan (censored text in red): I know that people can sometimes look askance at you. But I’ll tell you one thing. You’re a brave woman because you were capable of bringing these two daughters into the world. You could have killed them inside your womb and you respected life, you respected the life you were carrying inside you and God will reward you for that and He does reward you for th

For those interested in answering charges that the Catholic Church did little or nothing in response to child sex abuse scandals involving priests,  Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis by Gregory Erlandson and Matthew Bunson, is essential reading. Erlandson and Bunson take an unbiased look at the problem and objectively portray the Church's efforts to reform and to heal during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. The book makes seven essential points: The Church has always been confronted by the problem of sexual sin and failings among its clergy, and while the number of abusers has never been large, the Church has labored over the centuries to curb such abuses. Although modern Church leaders have made grievous mistakes, and the criminal acts of certain clergy have been overlooked or unaddressed in the past in too many dioceses, the Church is dedicated to redressing these wrongs and making sure that every safeguard is in place to protect children and families. Cardi