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Posted by Tantumblogo in abdication of duty, Basics, disaster, Ecumenism, error, foolishness, General Catholic, horror, Papa, sadness, scandals, secularism, self-serving, sickness, the return. I have avoided over the past week or more the incredibly damaging and scandalous actions and statements by Pope Francis with regard to his evangelical buddies in the hopes these scandals might go away. But eventually it became too much to avoid. Apparently, TFG has been meeting and cavorting with these hucksters all summer. Scandal has piled on scandal. This is not a matter of translations, or spin. The statements are too cohesive, too similar, and repetitious...

Featured Term (selected at random:LEGATUS NATUS Holder of a certain office that conferred a legatine status ex officio, e.g., before the Reformation the Archbishop of Canterbury, who performed some of the functions now carried out by a papal nuncio. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Christians use lots of quotes. Pastors use them in their sermons constantly. Writers illustrate their points with them. Nothing wrong with that. They are quite helpful and encouraging in making a point.Save when the quote has no basis in fact.We as evangelicals who claim we are committed to truth are certainly good at spreading falsehood, even if unintentionally. We can do better. One very clever and popular quote we often knock around among ourselves is . . .Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.It is always attributed to St. Francis of Assisi—founder of the Franciscan Order—and is intended...

The Book of Abraham Papyri and Joseph Smith by Matt Slick There are many proofs that Joseph Smith was a false prophet, but Mormons typically will not accept them. From the biblical evidence that contradicts Mormon theology to the contradictions within its own history and doctrine, proofs abound. But Mormons, completely dedicated to their religion and their testimony, cannot and will not see the evidence. They rely not on biblical evidence--not on historical evidence but rather trust a 'testimony' that Mormonism is the restored church and Joseph Smith its true prophet. One of the tests of whether or not a...

Many of us know of couples that have divorced. Some may be Catholic couples that divorced, remarried, and are able to receive the Sacraments with no problems because they received an annulment. Other Catholic couples we may know divorced but were told they could not remarry as they were not given an annulment. This may seem confusing and harsh of the Church, especially if the reason for separation is the infidelity of only one spouse. One of my students put the situation this way: it is as if the Church condemns some people to a lifetime of loneliness because...

Featured Term (selected at random:SUPERNATURAL CONTEMPLATION Evelation of mind to God and divine things, joined with a loving intuition of what is seen. It is the mind resting upon God and tasting the joys of his beatitude. although still in the realm of faith and not heavenly vision, it is an intuition of Divine Truth terminating in affection and love, excluding long reasonings and a multiplicity of words as found in affective prayer. St. Teresa speaks of it as God acting on the human mind in a special way. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern...

"This doctrine is not really found in the book of Revelation. If you read the book of Revelation, you won't find any mention of the rapture there," said William Craig, a Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University. Instead, Craig says, the idea of the rapture comes from a "misinterpretation of 1 and 2 Thessalonians where Paul is describing the coming of the Lord and resurrection of the dead, which will occur at His coming." "If you compare what Paul says there to what Jesus says about the End Times,...

Do you all remember Cardinal Hummes? Yes, the Pope's greatest friend in the College of Cardinals, the Franciscan who inspired the papal name "Francis", the man who was right by the Pope's side in the loggia in the memorable evening of his election. As an emeritus, his influence is obviously a more understated one. Anyway, he granted an extensive interview days ago (July 27) to a paper in his native Brazil, and the answers are just remarkable, particularly this one, on same-sex "marriages": If Jesus were alive today, would he be in favor of gay marriage? I don't know, I...

What a frightening prospect is the destiny of the backslider! Yet even for the worst of us sinners, God offers hope. A foolish old farmer, so the story goes, concluded one day that the oats he had fed his mule for years were simply costing him too much.  So he hatched a plan: He mixed a little sawdust in with the feed, and then a little more the next day, and even more the next, each time reducing the amount of oats in the mix. The mule didn't seem to notice the gradual change, so the farmer thought things were...

Featured Term (selected at random:POVERTY EVANGELICAL A Christian counsel by which a person voluntarily renounces all or part of his right to the ownership of material things. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

By the senior religious correspondent of Italian daily La Stampa, the startling news: those responsible for the intervention of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, after silencing their innocent victims inside the Church, now use the Police to intimidate journalists and bloggers -- and their family members ! -- in Italy. It is probably the most serious attempt by an ecclesial authority to make use of the police forces (and police that are members of the military forces) to limit the freedom of the press or public free speech by laymen in Italy in living memory -- the attempt is based...

A priest looking for advice on how to advance the Church in a fast-paced world so often embroiled in conflict recently approached a well-placed cleric who had been a religious order priest and bishop for many years. In response, the bishop answered, in part, by sharing the following true story: A priest went as a missionary to an area where for years they had no priest, and evangelicals had arrived. He told me that he went to a woman who had been the teacher of the people and then the principle of the village school. This lady sat him down...

Featured Term (selected at random:JEHOVAH-YAHWEH Jehovah is God, the English name for the Hebrew Yahweh. When the latter promised Moses that he would feed Moses' people, he concluded by saying, "Then you will learn that I, Yahweh, am your God" (Exodus 16:12). Jehovah developed into the form used most commonly when he was communicating with the Israelites, whereas God was used where Gentiles were concerned. The admonition "You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it" (Exodus 20:7) ultimately induced the Israelites not to pronounce his name at all but to substitute for it the title...

The three most radical proposals are: 1) A new “pastoral solution” to allow divorce and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion; 2) A new “pastoral approach” that permits the baptism of children from same-sex couples, thus indirectly legitimizing these unions; 3) A recasting of natural law in “new language”, which threatens to undermine our entire ethical foundation of true morality. Indeed the Synod’s Working Document further displays the triumph of the New Theology over today’s Vatican; the same new theology that wrought havoc at Vatican II and continues its destructive path to this day.

Featured Term (selected at random:HOLY WELL St. Winifride's Well in North Wales. A place of pilgrimage throughout the year but especially on November 3, the saint's feast day. The legend of St. Winifride, virgin and martyr, is authenticated by two twelfth-century documents. A daughter of a Welsh chieftain, she lived in the seventh century. When St. Beuno came to her father's house, he was hospitably received and instructed Winifride in the Christian faith. So impressed was she that she determined to become a religious. Then followed a series of extraordinary events: Winifride was beheaded, miraculously restored to life, and a...

The Saint of the First Red Cross St. Camillus of Lellis By: Louise PerrottaIf you’ve ever been tempted to think that you’re not cut out for sanctity, consider the case of Camillus of Lellis. Here is a saint—the patron of hospitals, health care workers, and the sick— whose burning love for God effected a widespread reform of patient care.“I’ll never forget the sight,” wrote one person who saw six-foot-six Camillus in action. “When he was attending a sick person, he looked like a hen with her chicks or like a mother at her child’s bedside.”And yet for the first...

Today in America, many Protestant theologians and missionaries continue to believe that Christian apologetics should rely upon the use of sound reason or logic. A Protestant Christian radio program about apologetics even took the name, “Sound Reason.” But Orthodox apologetics is not based upon reason, because Christian faith is actually unreasonable. Christianity is faith in Jesus Christ—or, to be more accurate, being faithful to Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, called the “Christ” or Messiah, manifested Himself as the eternal God in the flesh, the salvation of all humanity through His incarnation, death and resurrection. None of this is “reasonable.” None of...

Featured Term (selected at random:QUIRINAL PALACE Before 1870, a papal residence where conclaves were held. Also used as a summer home. built by Pope Gregory in 1574, it was taken over by the Italian Government at the time of the confiscation of the Papal States. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

"One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic." (Friendly Friday Post, by David Ozab) May 13, 2011 By Kurt Willems I am excited to have a post here by David Ozab. He is a writer and recently converted to Roman Catholicism. While I do not share his convictions, certainly it is beneficial to hear from others outside of our own sphere of experience. I am pleased to have his guest contribution on the blog…—————————————photo © 2005 Jo N | more info (via: Wylio) There was once a guy who was stranded on a deserted island. After many years, a passing ship found him....

The Infant of Prague Fr. William Saunders Q: My grandmother has always had a statue of Jesus as a child dressed up like a little king with a crown. She even has different outfits for him which are very elaborate. Can you tell me anything about this?From the description given in the question, the statue is one of the Infant of Prague. Devotion to the Holy Child Jesus is a long-standing tradition in our Catholic spirituality. The early Church Fathers, like St. Athanasius and St. Jerome, had a special devotion to the Holy Child Jesus. Some of the later great...