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Please do not attempt to wake me up from what seemed like a dream from the very first day. Do not try and wrestle away my simplistic and unsophisticated faith which suggests that Jesus is the way to a place called heaven. I have heard all the new voices and all the new and fresh theologies that call us like sirens to rise above the ancient ideas, and I am a spectator to the ever changing and ever increasing nebulous and intangible faith that is being taught in today’s newer spiritual classroom. When I became a Christian I experienced one...

Featured Term (selected at random):AMICE A short, oblong vestment of white linen worn beneath the alb to cover the shoulders of the priest while celebrating Mass. Now optional in the Latin Rite. When putting on the amice, the priest says, "Put on my head, O Lord, the helmet of salvation in order to repel the assaults of the devil." (Etym. Latin amictus, garment, mantle, cloak; from amicire, to throw around.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Jn.3:3 - ...Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. A definite and non-compromising statement straight from the lips of the Incarnate Word of God Himself. Jesus did not say you must be white, or you must be black, or you must be red, or you must be yellow. He did not say you must be intelligent, or you must be uneducated, or you must be heavy, or you must be skinny. The Lord did not say you must be Baptist, or you must be Catholic, or you must be Hindu, or you must be...

The Notre Dame commencement scandal was of such crucial significance to the Church and the renewal of Catholic higher education that it dominated much of the summer. But as students complete their first full month of studies and my colleagues at the Cardinal Newman Society wrap up the second edition of our Catholic college guide, it's a relief to focus attention on the very best of Catholic higher education. But the reality is that the crisis in Catholic higher education is far from over. Generally, but certainly not always, families seeking a Catholic education outside the colleges identified in The...

Saint Ambrose Pardoning TheodosiusPIERRE SUBLEYRAS1699-1749 St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church December 7 c. 340-97 Born in Trier, Germany, son of Ambrose, the praetorian prefect of Gaul, he was taken back to Rome when a child on the death of his father, he became a lawyer there noted for his oratory and learning. His success led Ancius Probus, praetorian prefect of Italy, to name him his assessor, and Emperor Valentinian appointed him governor of Liguria and Aemilia with his capital at Milan about 372, a position he filled with great ability and justice. In 374 the death of Auxentius, bishop...

No one desires a cross. No one. We all want affirmation and recognition. We pursue security and life. We all need affection and friendship. But no one wants a cross. Of course we love the cross upon which our wonderful Savior died for us. We all love and appreciate that cross. But no one wants a cross for themselves. No one. But the cross is what we are called to. A sinner realizes he is lost. The Spirit illuminates to him just Who Jesus is, and that sinner believes that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to eternal...

How many of us --- indeed, all of us --- have at one time or another said, "Ah ... would that I had never done that! Could I only go back in time!Confucius, in one of his well known Analects, summarized it best: "What is said cannot be unsaid." How true. What is more, in so many, many ways, what is done cannot be undone ...We are prisoners of our past --- and Time, the stern warden, it appears, has thrown away the key. We are prisoners to what we have said and to what we have done. In...

The answer seems too simple: other alleged divine writings are not from God because they are not among the 66 books of the Bible and, in fact, they contradict the Bible...

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Traditional Sunday Propers ~ Dominica Secunda Adventus ~ Second Sunday of Advent † Statio ad S. Crucem in Jerusalem ~ Station at the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem 6 December 2009 Anno Dómini † Feast of Bishop Saint Nicholas † Missa Populus Sion, ecce Dóminus véniet ad salvándas gentes ( "People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations" ) "....Ecce ego mitto angelum meum ante fáciem tuam, qui præparábit viam ante te ~ Behold I send my Angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee...."...

A Silence That Contemplates and Adores The Apologetic Prayers of the "Ordo Missae" ROME, DEC. 4, 2009 (Zenit.org).- In this article, Father Mauro Gagliardi, a consultor of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, explains the importance and meaning of the "apologetic prayers" said during the celebration of the holy Mass. These "apologetic prayers" are the ones that the priest recites quietly -- in "secret" -- before God, to participate more consciously and worthily in the divine mysteries that he celebrates on behalf of the whole Church. The faithful accompany these prayers with reverent, external silence and...

Featured Term (selected at random):PAENITEMINI Apostolic constitution of Pope Paul VI, issued in 1966, by which the canonical norms of fast and abstinence were changed. While changing the norms, the Pope made it clear that divine law requires all the faithful to do penance. Accordingly the purpose of the new regulations was not to weaken the practice of penance but to make it more effective. The Church, therefore, "while preserving--where it can be more readily observed--the custom (observed for many centuries with canonical norms) of practicing penance also through abstinence from meat and fasting, intends to ratify with her prescriptions...

The Catholic attitude to war 1557. You speak of a Christian solution of social troubles, but did not the Great War show the utter failure of Christianity altogether? No. Christianity did not fail. The nations failed to observe Christian principles, a totally different thing. When I say the nations, I mean those in political control of their destinies, and the general outlook of the peoples concerned. Many individuals who fought were excellent Christians, believing the cause of their own country to be just and defending the right as they conceived it with the highest motives. And this on both sides....

As we continue our discussion about the Book of Mormon translation, some members may be troubled that the process doesn't match their conceptions of how they thought the process worked. For members who were unaware of the seer stone in the hat, at least two questions or concerns may arise: 1) Is it strange that Joseph used a stone in a hat? 2) Why have we have always been told that Joseph used the Urim and Thummim? To answer the first question we might also ask: Is it strange that a man could rise from the dead, walk on water,...

CHARLESTON, West Virginia - The Gospel of Luke records that, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus showed his boundless mercy by praying for his killers this way: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Not so fast, say contributors to the Conservative Bible Project. The project, an online effort to create a Bible suitable for contemporary conservative sensibilities, claims Jesus' quote is a disputed addition abetted by liberal biblical scholars, even if it appears in some form in almost every translation of the Bible... Experts who have devoted their careers to unraveling the ancient texts...

(St. Francisco Borgia performing a deathbed exorcism, by Francisco Goya) There is a particular reason why we Catholics invoke the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary when we say, "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen." In addition to Scripture's repeated reminders that the devil is actively seeking the spiritual destruction of as many men and women as he can possibly destroy, many of the great saints (too many to be numbered here) have attested to the fact that the evil one is allowed by God to harass people with all kinds...

Featured Term (selected at random):CIBORIUM A covered container used to hold the consecrated small Hosts. It is similar to a chalice but covered and larger, used for small Communion hosts of the faithful. It is made of various precious metals, and the interior is commonly gold or gold-plated. Also synonymous with baldachino as the dome-shaped permanent canopy over a high altar, supported by columns and shaped like an inverted cup. (Etym. Latin ciborium; from Greek kib_rion, cup.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Women religious contacted by the Arizona Daily Star for an article on the current apostolic visitation used the opportunity to criticize the Vatican and express their dissent from Catholic teaching. “We are closing schools and churches and they are asking the diocese to spend money on this type of thing?” said Sister Lil Mattingly, a Maryknoll Missioner. “We try very hard to review our own lives and how Jesus is calling us to live, but I'd like to call on Rome to work on that.” Franciscan Sister Elizabeth Ohmann added, “Are we going contrary to Rome's teachings? I say, 'Yes,...

Douglas Credit 1550. Have you ever heard of the Douglas Social Credit scheme? Yes. It advocates the issue of free credit to consumers to enable them to purchase the goods they themselves make, but which in the present system so many of them cannot possibly buy. It is claimed that the scheme does not involve inflation because the amount of credit to be released is to be calculated only after the goods equivalent to it are actually in existence. The money-supply is to be strictly proportionate to the goods-supply. 1551. Does not this scheme conform with the principles given in...

Part Four:   Lord, Teach Us To Pray Fifth Petition:  “ Forgive Us Our Trespasses as We Forgive Those Who Tresspass Against Us” Table of Contents     This is no ordinary petition to God asking for His mercy. We not only ask Him to be merciful to us, but we dare place a condition and a norm on God’s forgiveness. What is this condition and norm? It is the practice and the measure of our forgiveness to others. What are we being told? We are being told that unless we are merciful to others, God will not be merciful to us. We further...

Featured Term (selected at random):ATTRITIONISM The doctrine that imperfect contrition, i.e., sorrow for sin not from perfect love, is sufficient for valid absolution in the sacrament of penance. Luther (1483-1546) attacked it as "repentance of the gallows" out of fear of God. but the Council of Trent declared that attrition is a morally good preparation for the sacrament of penance. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, DEC. 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A new film about the Marian apparitions at Fatima is being released today, combining modern technology with a timeless message, only months before Benedict XVI's visit to the Portuguese shrine. "The 13th Day" is the first major movie in over 50 years detailing Our Lady's apparition to three shepherd children in Fatima in 1917. Filmed on location in Portugal, as well as in the United Kingdom, the movie weaves a story based on the memoirs of one of the children, who later became Sister Maria Lucia de Jesus, as well as thousands of...

Part Four:   Lord, Teach Us To Pray Fourth Petition:  “ Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Table of Contents     This is the turning point in the Our Father. Where the first three petitions were directed to the glory of God, from now on they are concerned with our needs. The Church’s tradition finds two levels of request for nourishment in this petition. We ask for the food we need for our souls, and the sustenance we need for our bodies. Spiritual Nourishment When St. Pius X issued his decree on frequent Holy Communion, he explained that frequent means daily reception...

Catholics and the Labor Party 1543. You have shown clearly that a Catholic cannot support communism, and have said that no Catholic can be a socialist. Can a Catholic, then, in conscience support the "Socialization Objective" of the Labor Party in Australia? That Objective is briefly, the socialisation of industry, production, distribution, and exchange, by the constitutional use of Federal, State, and Municipal administrative machinery. Labor men are anything but agreed upon what that objective involves. They differ as to its interpretation and application. But taking it on its face value, I do not think any Catholic can in conscience...

The comment by a Vatican spokesman followed criticism from across Europe. On Sunday voters in Switzerland voted yes to a referendum which bans the building of minarets on top of mosques used by the country's small Muslim minority. Earlier on Monday the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said he was "scandalised" by the Swiss decision and said it represented a "show of intolerance" by France's neighbour. He said it was a "negative" move because banning the construction of Muslim mosque towers amounts to "oppressing a religion". ...

Featured Term (selected at random):ANGLICAN ORDERS The question of the validity of Anglican ordination to the priesthood was decided negatively by Pope Leo XIII in the document Apostolicae Curae (September 13, 1896). They were declared to be "absolutely null and utterly void" on the grounds of defect of form in the rite and defect of intention in the minister. Even if Rome had not made such a declaration, Anglican orders were still considered invalid in practice, since Anglican clergymen were required to be ordained to the priesthood when they entered the Catholic Church. Since Pope Leo XIII's declaration, not a...

Communism 1533. The Catholic Church forbids a Catholic to be a communist! That is true. Communism is opposed to the law of God, is anti-Christian, and violates the fundamental rights of man. Apart from this, it will never remedy existing evils, and can only lead to the greater distress of those whom it pretends it will benefit. 1534. Your Church's solution of this terrible mess is faith! It is not. Her solution is common-sense, strict justice all round, and Christian charity based upon faith. 1535. It matters little to me whether the Christian religion be right or wrong. I stand...

Part Four:   Lord, Teach Us To Pray Third Petition:  “ Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven” Table of Contents     This petition is an epitome of Christianity and a synthesis of our whole purpose for existence. Why do we have a free will? In order to do the will of God. Unlike the irrational creation that surrounds us, we can choose either to conform our wills to God or refuse to do so.The scope of this petition is the prayer that human beings on earth might do God’s will as the angels and saints are doing in...

Peace Of Mind “Peace on earth!” announce the angels at Christmas. But how and where do we find that peace? Simple: confession. People sometimes wrongly think of confession as a place of judgment and guilt. We have good news: It’s a place of healing and peace. The Registerchallenges each reader this Advent to go to confession and recommend it to at least one other person. The guide provided here can help. After all, as Pope Benedict XVI said: “The renewal of the Church in America and throughout the world depends on the renewal of the sacrament of penance.” 1 The...

Featured Term (selected at random):GREEK RITES The form and arrangement of liturgies originally celebrated in Greek in Antioch and Alexandria. Those in use today at Antioch are the pure and modified Greek St. James, Syriac St. James, Maronite, Chaldean, Malabar, Byzantine, and Armenian Rites. At Alexandria the Coptic Liturgies of Sts. Cyril, Basil, and Gregory Nazianzus, and the Ethiopian Liturgy are used. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Part Four:   Lord, Teach Us To Pray Second Petition:  “ Thy Kingdom Come” Table of Contents     The kingdom for which we are praying to come is the kingdom of which Christ so constantly spoke in the gospels. The Greek word Basileia (kingdom), which occurs in the Lord’s Prayer is the same term He used throughout His public ministry and, after the Resurrection, up to the time of His ascension into heaven. Jesus intended us to pray that the kingdom He described, in every sense, might come.There are two principal ways in which Jesus spoke of the kingdom. He described it as...

Socialism 1522. Would you tell us the view your Church takes of socialism? Socialism is a very broad term which men interpret in many different ways. Communistic socialism is, of course, condemned by the Catholic Church. Mitigated forms of socialism, which aim at social reform, but which ignore religion and rely upon purely materialistic methods, are also condemned. In these and similar senses of the word no Catholic can be a socialist. The Catholic program is social reform which demands true consideration of the workers by employers according to the demands of both justice and Christian charity, at the same...

Egyptian evangelist Father Zakaria Botros is one of the most controversial figures in the Middle East.He's a born again Coptic priest who's led thousands of Muslims to Christ via the Internet and television-- and militant Muslims want him dead because of that.Zakaria is perhaps the most hated man in the Middle East. He's confronting Islam with an "in your face style" of TV and Internet evangelism."Muslims are fainting. They are brainwashed," he said. "They believe that Islam is the most beautiful religion in the world."CBN News spoke with Amani Mustafa, co-host of Father Zakaria's show Truth Talk.  Click play...

This month, the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) held their fall meeting in Baltimore. On the agenda was family, reproduction, the healthcare reform bill and sex abuse scandals. The meetings ran from November 16-18. The mission of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is to support the ministry of bishops with an emphasis on evangelization, by which the bishops exercise in a communal and collegial manner certain pastoral functions entrusted to them by the Lord Jesus of sanctifying, teaching, and governing.

Featured Term (selected at random):ROMAN MARTYROLOGY The official martyrology of the Roman Catholic Church. Compiled by a group of scholars, it was issued by Pope Gregory XIII in 1584, to replace all other existing martyrologies. Later popes have revised the contents on the basis of historical scholarship and additional canonizations. One of the most radical revisions was made by Pope Benedict XIV in 1748. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

For the last several years, I've been following with great interest the astonishing success that Father Zakaria Botros, a Coptic priest, has had in evangelizing the Muslim world — in Arabic, using the Koran. As an Arab, he understands the mindset that so many Muslims have toward Christianity, and he exploits that knowledge quite effectively, not by simply presenting the claims for the divinity of Christ, as an example. Rather, he firmly turns the tables on Muslim apologists by relentlessly critiquing and refuting their own claims, using mainly the Koran as his tool. The reports are, he is successfully converting...

The Church and the Worker 1493. Has not the state always had the support of the Church in repressing workers? Certainly not in the case of the Catholic Church. She has always condemned injustice, insisting that men should be brothers in Christ. 1494. Can you give me one case where the Church has actively assisted the lower orders against the oppression of higher powers? Certainly. In Catholic times, when the Church had power, the people of England owed Magna Charta, or the great Charter of their liberties against the royal tyranny, to Stephen Langton, the Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, and...

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Traditional Sunday Propers ~ Dominica Prima Adventus ~ First Sunday of Advent † Statio ad S. Mariam Majorem ~ Station at Saint Mary Major 29 November 2009 Anno Dómini † Feast of Bishop Saint Saturninus, Martyr † The death of Bishop Saint Saturninus, being dragged through the city tied to a bull. Missa Dicit Ad te levávi ánimam meam: Deus meus, in te confído, non erubéscam: neque irrídeant me inimíci mei ( "To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not...

William Dembski, who was recently elected as the new Vice President of the EPS, released his latest book earlier this month from Broadman & Holman Academic, titled, The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World (2009). We interviewed Dembski about his book and its implications for Christian work on the "problem of evil." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What’s the main point that you are trying to communicate in this book? What is the “end of Christianity” that you speak of in your title? My book attempts to resolve how the Fall of Adam could be responsible for all evil...

The Three D's One of the casualties of the Modernist revolution has been Catholic education in this country and throughout the world. As we know this is a part of the strategy the Modernists have used to further their agenda of creating a church within the Church. One of the aspects of the ignorance of most Roman Catholics today is their inability to distinguish between 3 essential elements of the Faith. These 3 elements are discipline, doctrine and dogma. They are related to each other but separate in terms of importance and effect within the structure of the Church....

Featured Term (selected at random):DOGMA Doctrine taught by the Church to be believed by all the faithful as part of divine revelation. All dogmas, therefore, are formally revealed truths and promulgated as such by the Church. they are revealed either in Scripture or tradition, either explicitly (as the Incarnation) or implicitly (as the Assumption). Moreover, their acceptance by the faithful must be proposed as necessary for salvation. they may be taught by the Church in a solemn manner, as with the definition of the Immaculate Conception, or in an ordinary way, as with the constant teaching on the malice of...

Advent: Awaiting God's Justice Pope Benedict XVI Advent watchfulness means living in God's presence and according to his criteria in order to prepare a worthy dwelling-place for the promised SaviourOn Wednesday, 19 December 2007, at the General Audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Auditorium, the Holy Father reflected on the Season of Advent and the justice we await. The following is a translation of his Catechesis, which was given in Italian.Dear Brothers and Sisters, In these days, as we come gradually closer to the great Feast of Christmas, the liturgy impels us to intensify our preparation, placing at our...

Part Four:   Lord, Teach Us To Pray First Petition:  “ Hallowed Be Thy Name” Table of Contents     The Latin words of the first petition bring out clearly what we are here asking for: “Sanctificetur Nomen tuum.” What we are asking is that the Name of God may be sanctified. This calls for some explanations. We are not asking that God might become more holy. That would be blasphemy. He is the All-Holy One because He is the Totally Other. He alone is the Necessary One, the Infinite One; there is no other God than He.Our petition is rather that God might...

The Social Problem 1474. What is the use of educating children at all, when the Church does nothing to remedy the evil conditions of the society in which they must live? No one can honestly accuse the Catholic Church of not endeavoring to do her part in this matter. 1475. Are not Catholics taught that the economic distress of the world is caused by supernatural influences, and that they must simply endure it? No. Catholics have been urged over and over again by their Church to do their utmost towards the rehabilitation of the world. They do believe in God...

November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the Patrick Kennedy Communion flap and the recent action of the Bishops of Spain having opened up the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, it is worthwhile to review the position of the Vatican on the matter.Since the controversy came to a head in 2004, the stance from the Vatican on the matter has been clear and consistent.  For the Pope and top Curial Cardinals in charge of the matter there is no question about the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who obstinately support abortion. In fact, the issue was closed...

Featured Term (selected at random):RESPONSORY A psalm or part of one, sung or said between the readings at Mass and in the Divine Office. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

The “Nothing Butters” are rampant in the world of atheism. Philosopher Daniel Dennett presupposes that “the mind is somehow nothing but a physical phenomenon.” Dawkins assures us that the universe is “nothing but blind pitiless indifference.” Crick tops it off with we’re “nothing but a pack of neurons.” If we are all “nothing butters,” why is it wrong for white “nothing butters” to own and sell black "nothing butters"?

This same Jesus informed His followers that they would be known by their love for one another. Though they have not always lived up to that standard, that was the expectation set forth by the Master.

The Church and Education 1459. Do Catholics regard state schools as monuments of blind bigotry, that they won't use them? They are not monuments of blind bigotry. I believe that the state school system was evolved by men who honestly but mistakenly believed it to be the best system for our country. But they appealed to blind bigotry in order to secure their purpose. Sir Henry Parkes said publicly in support of the necessary legislation, "I hold in my hand a bill which will spell death to the calling of the Roman Catholic clergy." It did not. And in order...

Featured Term (selected at random):LAMB A symbol of Christ. Rendered in many forms as early as the fourth century. Various aspects show the animal balancing a staff by its right front leg, with a wound in its chest pouring blood into a chalice, representing Christ's Blood in the Passion; the staff bearing a flag signifying Christ's victory in the Resurrection; the lamb resting or standing on a closed book with its seven sealed streamers symbolizing Christ as the judge. The lamb is the emblem of docility; "harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth like the...

Featured Term (selected at random):PRO ARMENIS A dogmatic decree of Pope Eugenius IV (November 22, 1439) addressed to the Armenians on the conditions for union with the Roman Catholic Church. Its most important feature is a lengthy declaration on the seven sacraments in general and on each one of them in particular. Among other provisions are the necessity of integral confession of sins for the sacrament of penance and the indissolubility of marriage. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.