BIG C CATHOLICS

The eight classes of unbelievers are as follows: 1. Atheists, who deny there is a God; 2. Deists, who admit there is a God, but deny that He revealed a religion; 3. Agnostics, who will neither admit nor deny the existence of God; 4. Infidels, were never baptized, and who by want of faith, refuse to be so; 5. Heretics, were baptized Christians, but do not believe all the articles of faith; 6. Schismatics, are baptized and believe all articles of faith, save papal authority; 7. Apostates, who reject the true religion, they formerly held, to join a false one; 8. Rationalists and Materialists, who believe only in material things. ( From the Baltimore Catechism #3 Lesson 30 - Q. 1170 .) Outside the Church There is No Salvation The straight forward but constantly misinterpreted doctrine that " Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus ": " Outside the Church there is no salvation ", is the source of much confusion among many Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

By Father Thomas Mattison We have been conditioned by years (centuries?) of teaching to think of love/charity as a virtue, something to do or not. But St. John tells us God is love. He does not tell us that God does love. I want to suggest that this is the insight – although never spoken – that makes Israel think of God as Elector/Electing; having no other identity than the one who chooses his own people. I do not think that we go far wrong when we assert that the only God we know is the one who loves/chooses us. With those observations in mind, I might like to revise the translation of John’s phrase and say that God is Loving, not as an attribute, but as the very dynamic of His being. You may want to reread this paragraph in order to forge ahead. If God is Loving, then all of creation is something like a love letter. You and I are words in that love letter. I don’t mean to sound like a song from the Seventies, but we must bite the bullet on this one and admit it: Unloving un

Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession. — St. Joseph of Cupertino ______________________________________ Prayer for St. Joseph of Cupertino’s Intercession Almighty God, You ordained that Your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ should be lifted up above the earth and draw all things to Himself; mercifully grant, by the merits and intercession of Your confessor Joseph, that we may be lifted up above all earthly desires and be found worthy to come to Him, who being God, lives and reigns with You, together in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

September 21st, is the feast of Saint Matthew, the Apostle and Evangelist, best known for the Gospel bearing his name. Information about his early years is scarce. He was highly educated. In the New Testament, he is referred to variously as "Levi" and the "son of Alphaeus." He received the name Matthew upon becoming a disciple of Christ. (Matthew in Hebrew: מַתִּתְיָהוּ‎‎ means "gift of God.") As a publican for the Roman authorities, he collected taxes in Capernaum where Jesus is known to have resided in Peter’s house. Most tax collectors typically overcharged and pocketed the difference — a universally acknowledged practice. Moreover, they collaborated with the occupying Romans authorities in handling money deemed impure from those foreign to the People of God. Matthew was despised by fellow Jews, especially the Pharisees who likened tax collectors to sinners, prostitutes and extortionists. As such, Jewish publicans were forbidden from marrying a

September 20th, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, Saint Paul Chong Hasang and companions, courageous 19th century Korean martyrs. The beginning of the Catholic Church in Korea was unusual. Rather than resulting from the efforts of ordained missionaries, the faith was established in that country by the work — and martyrdom — of lay converts. For most of its history, Korea was an isolated place, rejecting contact with much of the outside world. The one exception was China, and even that was limited to the paying of taxes once a year to Beijing. However, in other ways, particularly culturally, Korea was strongly influenced by this larger and stronger neighbor to its North. Some of that influence included the introduction of Christianity. The Jesuits, who had already established a foothold in China, managed to get some Christian literature into Korea, and the more educated members of the society began to study the faith on their own. Through their effort

September 22nd is the first day of the novena to Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, more popularly known as St. Thérèse of Lisieux, "the Little Flower." This beloved saint is the patron of foreign missions, missionaries, against tuberculosis, AIDS sufferers, illness and loss of parents. Her perfect trust in God, deep faith and patient suffering is an example of heroic virtue for us to follow. Saint Pius X called St. Thérèse the "greatest saint of modern times." She is a powerful intercessor whose help is sought by many. Join thousands of others around the world in praying the novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. O God, who opened your Kingdom to those who are humble and to little ones, lead us to follow trustingly in the little way of St. Thérèse, so that through her intercession we may see your eternal glory revealed and spend eternity with you in heaven. For more about this novena including daily email reminders go HERE .

By Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut  (Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11:33-39; Matthew 16:13-10, Year A) The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard often evokes a negative reaction in listeners, who feel that there is really something unfair in the landowner’s method of paying his workers. But God doesn’t think the way we think, Isaiah reminds us. I maintain, furthermore, that this parable underscores the very ministry and message of Our Savior. Jesus was addressing two different issues. The more obvious one is that we can’t place a price, as it were, on service for the Kingdom. The other is this: different persons respond in their own way, and in their own time, to the Good News. Even though there is always a certain urgency to conversion, it can’t be rushed. As we can see in many of St. Paul’s letters, becoming a Christian implies a fundamental change of lifestyle. That was dramatically true in