BIG C CATHOLICS

Then [Jesus] said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20) Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) They come here all clothed in white, many times wearing long white garments passed down through family generations, white baptismal garments that dress up baby boys and baby girls with no gender distinction except for their names. For as we just heard in St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians: For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus . And so they come to be baptized, to put on Christ, to be clothed in Christ. Their families, too, parents, godparents, relatives, and friends come dressed in their Sunday finest. Perhaps you have noticed, as have I, that Black folks come to their churches dressed in their Sunday finest. So too, people fr

There are many places in the world where the Church is not welcomed or wanted by other religions. There are many places where our churches are burned and our brothers and sisters are killed by those who do not understand Christ. Today we remember those who persecute the Church. Pray that we as Christians may never persecute other faiths. Day 6 - The Novena for the Persecuted Church O great cloud of witnesses! O host of Angels and Saints worshiping God for all eternity! O holy ones in heaven above, Pray for us! You who were once part of the Church on earth, you who were faithful servants of the Church Militant, you who suffered for the love of God, Pray for us! In all ages, the Church is persecuted and hated. We pray, oh Lord, through your holy Saints, that we may be blessed with the freedom to worship and adore you at all times! We pray that you may bless your Church throughout the world and me, personally, with your grace to persevere with love in the face of persecution

God’s Indomitable Love in Christ ( Romans 8:28-39 ) We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? It is Christ [Jesus] who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: For

June 17, 2016 Remarks from a homily by Pope Francis reflecting on martyrdom: "The prayer at the beginning of the Mass recalls that 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.' We speak of the growth of a plant and this makes us think of what Jesus used to say: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in the ground and then went home – and whether he slept or was awake – the seed grew and blossomed.' This seed is the Word of God that grows and becomes the Kingdom of Heaven; it becomes Church thanks to the strength of the Holy Spirit and to the witness of Christians. We know that there is no growth without the Spirit: it is He who is Church, it is He who makes the Church grow, it is He who convokes the Church’s community. But the witness of Christians is necessary too. And when historical situations require a strong witness, there are martyrs, the greatest witnesses. And the Church grows thanks to the blood of the

Far too often our culture reduces human sexuality to a recreational activity with little regard for its significance or sacredness. Such an attitude fails to see the person as a unique creation made in the image of God. Women express the unrepeatable feminine incarnations of the human person that they are when they love their husbands. In so doing they honor and love God. Men express the unrepeatable masculine incarnations of the human person that they are when they love their wives. In so doing they also love God. Gender ideology has further devalued the notion that our bodies make visible what is invisible, the spiritual and divine. With such understandings under assault, parents today struggle to give their children an adequate education as to the true meaning of sexuality. As mentioned previously , Jeffrey Mirus, Ph.D., has written extensively on the issues of gender ideology and conjugal love from the Catholic perspective. Dr. Mirus observes, "It is difficult to imagine

Today, June 16, 2016, the fourth day of the novena, we recall our brothers and sisters in faith living in the Middle East who are persecuted for the faith, as well as the universal Church around the world. The most persecuted and victimized people in the world today are Christians in the Middle East. The perpetrators of the widespread destruction of that region's Christian community? Islamists. Middle East expert Raymond Ibrahim lays out the grim details. Visit the  Nasarean.org page for information about helping Christians in the Middle East. Day 4 - The Novena for the Persecuted Church O great cloud of witnesses! O host of Angels and Saints worshiping God for all eternity! O holy ones in heaven above, Pray for us! You who were once part of the Church on earth, you who were faithful servants of the Church Militant, you who suffered for the love of God, Pray for us! In all ages, the Church is persecuted and hated. We pray, oh Lord, through your holy Saints, that we

Venerable Fulton Sheen was an American archbishop who was renowned for his preaching and his work on television and radio. His cause for canonization was opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that Sheen lived a life of "heroic virtues" – an important step towards beatification – thus receiving the designation venerable. The cause of beatification of Archbishop Sheen was suspended in 2014, after the New York archdiocese refused to move his remains from the crypt of St. Patrick's Cathedral for transfer to Peoria, Illinois. The archdiocese contended that Archbishop Sheen wished to be buried there, and his family had agreed. The Diocese of Peoria, where Sheen was born and ordained to the priesthood has also laid claim to his remains. The family disputes both claims. This week, in an effort to restart the beatification process,  relatives of the archbishop filed a petition wit