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Sins of the Priests Msgr. Charles Pope • November 2, 2015 • The Book of the Prophet Malachi is set forth as a kind “riv” (a Hebrew word for a lawsuit, indictment, or controversy) by God. The Lord sets forth a legal case of sorts, which convicts ancient Israel of numerous deficiencies and calls for their repentance. The case that God presents shows a body of evidence that is just as true today as it was then. God has plenty to say and we have much to hear, much to repent of.I am going to examine the Book of the...

Purgatory is Based on a Promise of Jesus’ Msgr. Charles Pope • November 1, 2015 • All Souls’ Day by Jakub Schikaneder, 1888I have blogged before on Purgatory. Here is a link to one of those blogs: Purgatory – Biblical and Reasonable. I have also written more extensively on its biblical roots here: PDF Document on Purgatory.On this Feast of All Souls, I want to reflect on Purgatory as the necessary result of a promise. Many people think of Purgatory primarily in terms of punishment, but it is also important to consider it in terms of promise, purity, and perfection....

Archdiocese of Washington Ninety-Nine and a Half Won’t Do – A Homily for the Feast of All Saints Msgr. Charles Pope • October 31, 2015 • Today is the Feast of All Saints. Some saints of the Church have a particular day on the calendar associated with them and are commonly recognized by name. Many more, though not as familiar to us, are still known by God and have been caught up with Him to glory. Today is their day, the day of the countless multitude who have made it home to glory by God’s grace and by their “Amen”...

MY dear professors! Stories from Our Advertisers I read with interest your widely-publicized letter to my editors this week, in which you objected to my recent coverage of Roman Catholic controversies, complained that I was making unfounded accusations of heresy (both “subtly” and “openly”!), and deplored this newspaper’s willingness to let someone lacking theological credentials opine on debates within our church. I was appropriately impressed with the dozens of academic names who signed the letter on the Daily Theology site, and the distinguished institutions (Georgetown, Boston College, Villanova) represented on the list. I have great respect for your vocation. Let...

At the synod, Pope Francis allowed us the freedom to be able to discuss openly our differences and yet realize that it was important for us to stay together as we did so,” Archbishop Blase Cupich told me in this exclusive interview for America. “What the pope really did was to help us to understand what it really means to be Catholic,” he stated. He had participated in the synod at the invitation of pope, and on the eve of his return to Chicago, he talked about his experience. He highlighted the fundamental role of the pope in bringing the...

Transformative love While the commandments are necessary, accepting Christ’s love in a personal way is truly life-changing Msgr. Charles Pope November 8, 2015 10/28/2015 Question: Our priest recently said that love does away with the law. I am sick of all this mushy talk about love and relationship with God. We were taught the commandments, and it is time to get back to them.— Name withheld, location withheld Answer: Since the fuller context of the sermon is not here, it is difficult to know what he means. There are people today who substitute a vague “love” for any parameters or...

For All the Saints – Reflecting on a Great Hymn of the Church Msgr. Charles Pope • October 29, 2015 • As we approach the Feast of All Saints this Sunday, we do well to meditate on one of the great English hymns, “For All the Saints.” It is a wide and sweeping vision of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. Its imagery is regal and joyful, its poetry majestic and masterful. A vivid picture is painted in the mind as the wondrous words move by. To me it is a masterpiece. Many people know the opening line, but...

Adoration 2.0 – A Unique Insight Based on the Teaching of a Spiritual Master Msgr. Charles Pope • October 28, 2015 • When we think of the word “adoration,” we think of a high form of love, perhaps the highest. Theologically, we equate adoration with latria, the worship and love due to God alone. In the vernacular, to say “I adore you” is to indicate an intense and high form of love.Liturgically, adoration of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament indicates a period during which one enters into the experience of loving God and gazing upon Him in that love....

On Humility in Prayer Msgr. Charles Pope • October 27, 2015 • Perhaps like you, I have to see people I love and care about through some difficult periods in their lives. One neighbor and parishioner recently lost her eight-year-old daughter to cancer. A number of my parishioners are seeking work and praying daily for it, but no employment offers have been forthcoming. Still others cry out for relief from any number of different crosses. I, too, have lots of things for which I pray; sometimes I get discouraged or even angry when God seems to say, “No” or, “Wait.”There...

This letter was drafted by Massimo Faggioli and John O’Malley, SJ, and is now being signed by a bunch of liberal Catholic academics. Here’s how it stands as I post this; names are being added to the signatory list constantly: To the editor of the New York TimesOn Sunday, October 18, the Times published Ross Douthat’s piece “The Plot to Change Catholicism.” Aside from the fact that Mr. Douthat has no professional qualifications for writing on the subject, the problem with his article and other recent statements is his view of Catholicism as unapologetically subject to a politically partisan narrative...

The Futurist’s Big Dilemma by Charles S. Meek C. S. Lewis is considered by many to be the premier Christian apologist of the twentieth century. In reference to Matthew 24:34 and similar passages, he stated the apparent problem thusly: “Say what you like, the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created,...

A Simple Directive from God in Times Like These Msgr. Charles Pope • October 26, 2015 • Beginning in 721 B.C., after repeated warnings from the prophets, terrible waves of destruction came on the Jewish people. The Assyrians invaded and conquered the ten northern tribes of Israel. The survivors were exiled and in a certain sense were not heard from again. (They are often called the “Ten lost tribes of Israel.”)Small, feeble attempts at reform in the south for Judah and the Levites were mostly unsuccessful. Again, despite repeated warnings from the prophets, 587 B.C. was witness to another wave...

Calling Men to a Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality October 25, 2015 "Catholic men are destroying themselves by their own free-willed choices," says Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, whose book "Behold the Man," focuses on Christ crucified, covenantal love, and fatherhood CWR Staff Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, author of "Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality" (Ignatius Press, 2015) Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, known worldwide as the Dynamic Deacon, is a powerful speaker who has presented talks on marriage, family, and men's spirituality all over the world. He is a passionate evangelist and preacher with a no-nonsense approach to living and proclaiming...

Marcus Grodi’s pun for life could be “Done Roman” because when he was received into the Roman Catholic Church the former Protestant pastor had found his spiritual home and was finally “done roamin’.” Grodi was brought up in a nominally Christian home, trained as a chemical engineer and eventually, after a profound adult conversion experience, trained to be a Presbyterian pastor.However, his experience welcoming new members from other Protestant denominations to his church began to disturb his Presbyterian certainties. Protestant pastor Grodi explained his Presbyterian beliefs from the Bible, but the other Protestant Christians responded by quoting the Scripture...

Compare and Contrast! Two Pictures from Different Ages – Which Age Looks Healthier? Msgr. Charles Pope • October 25, 2015 • I was recently in Burgos, Spain and saw the splendid cathedral there. My first views of it came at night and I took the photo at the upper right. What a magnificent building; such proportion and symmetry! To me there is the echo of tall trees in a forest, majestically reaching up to the heavens. There is also evident a great advance in building technique in the flying buttresses that support the soaring walls and towers.These were the skyscrapers...

A Man Who Saw by Hearing Msgr. Charles Pope • October 24, 2015 • Today’s gospel features the well-known story of the healing of the blind man (Bartimaeus). As when listening to any familiar story, we are inclined, upon hearing its opening lines, to think, “Oh, that story,” and just sort of tune out. But if we do so, we may miss many important details. The story of Bartimaeus is also our story; we, too, must let the Lord heal our blindness and give us sight. One paradox of this gospel is that the man receives his sight as the...

Understanding Fatima Evidence supporting the apparitions is strong, but devotion to any private revelation is not required November 1, 2015 10/21/2015 Msgr. Charles Pope Question: A friend of mine is forever mentioning Fatima. What am I, as a Catholic convert, to make of this? Am I required to accept it?— Name withheld, Austin, Texas Answer: There is probably no other prophecy so well attested and verified as that of Our Lady of Fatima. That said, the Church has never required Catholics to believe private revelations as a matter of faith. The Church, however, does hold up for the faithful certain...

When it comes to teenagers, you expect a certain amount of eye rolling and apathy, but put those same kids in a faith formation class for an hour and fifteen minutes at the end of a long school day and right at the dinner hour and youÂ’ll see a level of teenage disinterest that could make you wither on the spot. ThatÂ’s what my husband and I faced when we stood before the 21 high school sophomores we teach at our upstate New York parish.The scene was nothing new and nothing unexpected. We taught most of the same kids...

Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: Great and Yet Terrifying Blessings Msgr. Charles Pope • October 22, 2015 • Some of God’s gifts come in strange and terrifying packages. The book of Job says,The earth, though out of it comes forth bread, is in fiery upheaval underneath (Job 28:2).It is a fact that we live just above a fiery cauldron separated from us by a thin membrane of earthly crust rife with cracks through which fire routinely flares in volcanoes in fissures, a crust that is always shifting and even shaking violently in earthquakes.And yet were it not for this violent...

On September 29, Inside the Vatican and Liberty Counsel both announced that Pope Francis met privately with Kim Davis on September 24. Since the announcement, there has been a wide variety of reporting ranging from some who deny any meeting occurred to others who admit a meeting occurred but that Kim Davis was merely one of many in a sea of faces. The fact is, Kim Davis was invited to a private meeting with the Pope and did meet privately with him on the afternoon of September 24, during which meeting Pope Francis said to Kim, “I want to thank...