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If I came up to you and asked you how what the spirit of Christmas means to you, how would you respond? Let’s see if your answers would match the answers I would expect if I did ask. I think that if I asked that question some would answer saying that the Spirit of Christmas is about being with your friends or relatives for the Holidays. Yet the reality for too many people is that spending Christmas with their loved ones, if they go so far as to actually call them “loved” ones often becomes a chore, as many people...

Traditional Sunday Holy Mass Propers † Dominica Quarta Adventus ~ Fourth Sunday in Advent † Statio ad Ss. duodecim Apostolos ~ Station at the Church of the Twelve Apostles 20 December 2009 Anno Dómini † FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS † Missa Gaudéte in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte ( "Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice" ) "....Ipse est, qui post me ventúrus est: cujus ego non sum dignus ut solvam ejus corrígiam calceaménti ~ The same is He that shall come after me, who is preferred before me : the latchet of whose shoe...

A Scriptural Reflection on the Fourth Sunday of Advent Readings: Mi 5:1-4aPs 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19Heb 10:5-10Lk 1:39-45 The readings for this fourth Sunday (and final day) of Advent emphasize the lowly origins of Jesus — both geographical and familial — and the loving sacrificial work that He, as Lord and Savior, would undertake for the sake of Israel and the entire human race. The ascent from lowliness to greatness via the startling path of sacrifice is hinted at in the reading from the prophet Micah. His message followed a basic pattern similar to that of his contemporary Isaiah: the...

Part I Pope Benedict has released a new motu proprio titled Omnium in mentum which revises the Code of Canon Law on two points.First, before getting into the changes, let me offer a high five to canonist Edward Peters for predicting, over ten years ago, that this would be the model followed in the future for changing canon law. Following the codification of canon law in 1917, the Code underwent a thorough revision in 1983. Rather than letting issues build up and then having another thorough revision at some point, John Paul II issued a motu proprio in 1998 that...

Mormons often use common terms that to them have completely different meanings than those used in the Bible or by orthodox Christian churches. Mormons may say they believe in "Jesus Christ," trust in the "scriptures," believe they are "saved by grace," and have been "born-again". They will talk about "eternal life" and things like "heaven," but they rarely explain what they mean when they use such terminology. Holding back information is especially a problem with Mormons in the mission field. It is not uncommon for Mormon missionaries to purposely refrain from discussing doctrines which clearly separate Mormonism from the usual...

God's Nature 8. Is not nature itself divine? Nature is the effect of a divine creative activity, but it is not itself divine. The word "nature" comes from the Latin "nasci," to be born. It is applied, therefore, to the original character or constitution of some object — a constitution which is the radical principle of all that it is and of all that it does. Thus, by its very "nature" a horse is not a human being. It is not natural to a horse to compose music. That is "natural" which is in accordance with some particular being's nature...

VATICAN CITY —  Pope Benedict XVI has moved Pope John Paul II one step closer to possible beatification, the milestone before sainthood. Benedict on Saturday approved a decree attesting to John Paul's heroic virtues. Benedict still must sign off on a miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession before the late pope can be beatified. Benedict put the Polish pontiff on the fast track for sainthood just weeks after his April 2, 2005 death, waiving the customary five-year waiting period and allowing the investigation into John Paul's virtues to begin immediately. Benedict also approved a decree on the heroic virtues of Pope...

A relatively new spin that I've discovered while browsing Google: this man attempts to argue that Jesus Christ was in fact sent by Satan to deceive man, thus rendering the foundation of all Christianity null and void. The focus seems to be on the original Greek translation of the texts, trying to tie the Gospels to Genesis, the significance of John the Baptist, attempts at equating Jesus with Cain, and the consequences thereof (oddly enough, Chapter 15 of this work argues that John tried to show in his Gospel that Jesus was the seed of the serpent...perhaps I missed out...

"The odds of a single man fulfilling just eight of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled as the mathematical improbability of 1 in 10 to the 17th. That is a HUGE number. One in ten to the seventeenth power." Fulfilled prophecy is something that sets the Bible apart from every other religious book. There are 26 other religious books that people of faith believe are divinely inspired (the Vedas, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Mahabharata, the Upanishads, the Qur'an, the Book of Mormon, the Tripitaka, etc.). Of these twenty-six books, none of them, not a single one, contains any specific, fulfilled prophecies! The...

24/7 Catholic radio is now beaming across metro Phoenix and beyond thanks to the newest station to come on line in the ever-expanding Immaculate Heart Radio network. This follows the recent launch of another powerhouse Catholic radio station in Salt Lake City, which is now broadcasting 24/7 Catholic programming across the great State of Utah. . . .

Featured Term (selected at random):SANCTUARY OF [OUR] SORROWFUL MOTHER This shrine to Mary was founded in 1926 in Portland, Oregon, and is constructed on two terraces, one on street level, another at the top of a high cliff. A marble Crucifixion group dominates the area. On the lower level is a cavern where under the grotto arch stands a white altar framed with flowers and vines. Above on the cliff wall is a replica of Michelangel's Pietà with two bronze angels holding torches. At the western end of the amphitheater is the cross-laden Christ, whose stumbling figure leads the eye...

Although the Bible clearly does not support the doctrine of celibacy as a requisite to any office of the church (see Pinedo, 2008), the Catholic Church has established celibacy as a distinctive mark of the papacy and other Catholic offices. In fact, the current pope, Benedict XVI, affirmed that celibacy (imposed by Pope Gregory VII in the Council of Rome in 1074) “is really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ’s own way of life” (“Pope Pens...,” 2007). Therefore, whoever wants to serve as a priest, and finally as the Universal Bishop of the Catholic Church (the pope),...

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A 12th-century scholar has a lesson for today on what makes for fair and equal treatment in law, Benedict XVI says.The Pope proposed today during the general audience the teaching of John of Salisbury, an English theologian and philosopher who served as bishop of Chartres, France, from 1176 until he died in 1180.The Holy Father explained how John taught that "there also exists an objective and immutable truth, whose origin is God, accessible to human reason. This truth regards practical and social actions. This is a natural law, from which human laws and political...

Folks, I stumbled upon this article published by the BBC. I invite you to read it. I won't republish it due to its prurient subject matter, and out of a sense of decorum and respect for Our Lord, His Mother, and his earthly father, Joseph. Read it carefully and then contact this "church" here and let them know what you think. This is what I told Glynn Cardy, the pastor:Dear Reverend Cardy: I've just read a news report published in the BBC website about your billboard distorting the meaning of Christ's virginal conception and mangling the marriage and family life...

A young woman wrote to me after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted that it would allow persons in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-sex relationships to serve in some cases as pastors. She asked why we in the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal were so exercised about a few prohibitions from the Old Testament, while we ignored others from the same passage. She had a point. I enjoy shrimp, which is also forbidden in Leviticus. Of course, I also believe that loving your neighbor as yourself is binding on Christians, and that, too, comes originally from Leviticus. Certain principles from...

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has made two changes in canon law, regarding marriage for those who have formally renounced the Church, and clarifying the ministry of deacons. The changes came in a statement issued "motu proprio" (on his own initiative), called "Omnium in mentem" (In the Mind of All). The document is dated Oct. 26 but was released today. Preparation of the statement began during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and required lengthy consultations with episcopal conferences around the world.The document published today contains five articles modifying Canons 1008, 1009, 1086, 1117 and 1124....

Featured Term (selected at random):WITNESS One who can give evidence based on personal and immediate knowledge of a fact, event, or experience. The Christian concept of witness adds to the popular notion the idea of a religious experience to which a believer testifies by his life, words, anc actions, and thus gives inspiration and example to others by his testimony. Implicit in Christian witness is also the element of courage in giving testimony, either because others are not favorably disposed or because they are openly hostile to the message of faith being proposed. All items in this dictionary are from...

"Every Church member is expected to understand the doctrine of the Church intelligently. There is no place in the Church for blind adherence." -- John Widtsoe, LDS Apostle It was long ago, two thousand years, when sweet baby Jesus was born. Although every baby is cherished by his parents and grandparents and siblings and cousins, this little boy was precious to all the world. The story began in Nazareth…The Old Testament patriarch Noah, who had died long ago and been resurrected as an angel named Gabriel,1 was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. There he appeared...

The author Philip Pullman has expressed his disappointment that the second two novels in his fantasy trilogy have not yet made it to the big screenThe author Philip Pullman has spoken of his disappointment over the failure of Hollywood to complete the film trilogy of his series of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials. The actor Sam Elliott, who starred in the 2007 adaptation of the first novel, Northern Lights (the film was called The Golden Compass), said earlier this week that books two and three were not being filmed due to a successful campaign by America's religious right. The Golden...

Congregants at American Lutheran Church in Long Prairie, Minn., have voted in favor of a resolution to leave the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination. The congregation voted 129-11 Sunday to exit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A two-thirds majority vote was required. A second two-thirds vote must be taken for the congregation to officially separate from the ELCA. The decision by members of American Lutheran comes as the 4.6 million-member ELCA deals with the aftermath of its Churchwide Assembly in August when the church moved to allow gays in committed relationships to serve in the clergy. The assembly also passed...

Question: I am a teenager, and thinking of going into church ministry when I'm older. I am attracted to the OPC, based on its faithfulness to Scripture. I noticed that the OPC holds to a "strict-subscriptionist" interpretation of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. I agree with them on every point, except perhaps one which I would like clarified. The WCF, Chapter XXIV (Of Marriage and Divorce) reads as follows: It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who are able with judgment to give their consent. Yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only...

There are plenty of people today who don't believe in the Bible's teaching on everlasting punishment, even those who do find it an unreal and a remote concept. In 2003 a research group discovered 64% of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die, but less than 1% think they might go to hell. Not only are there plenty of people today who don't believe in the Bible's teaching on everlasting punishment, even those who do find it an unreal and a remote concept. Nevertheless, it is a very important part of the Christian faith, for several reasons. 1....

'Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.' Many of us recall singing that line from the hymn by the same title. But what do we mean by that? Do we mean that we experienced God directly, by the descent of Heaven itself into our heart? Do we really mean that glory filled our soul? The only way this sentiment can have a biblical foundation is if 'Heaven' is Jesus Christ and the 'glory' that floods our soul is the goodness and sovereign mercy of God offered in the person and work of God incarnate. In this look at the...

Featured Term (selected at random):INTUITION The immediate knowledge of something, especially the act of vision by divine or angelic intelligence. Among human beings, the power of insight into the meaning of primary truths, without conscious attention or reasoning. Awareness of truth without mental effort. (Etym. Latin intuitus, a look, view; from intuere, to look at, upon, or toward.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

A "Progressive" Anglican church in Auckland New Zealand paid to have this billboard placed near their parish. Here are some excerpts written by the Vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy on the church's website touting what he did. ________________ To make the news at Christmas it seems a priest just needs to question the literalness of a virgin giving birth. Many in society mistakenly think that to challenge literalism is to challenge the norms of Christianity. What progressive interpretations try to do however is remove the supernatural obfuscation and delve into the deeper spiritual truth of this festival. Christian fundamentalism believes a...

A lot of parents don’t know how to talk with their kids about God. This week and next, we will look at some responses to the big questions kids are asking. These questions are, by the way, real ones taken from a recent poll by Dorling-Kindersley. They are as ancient as humanity and as current as today’s headlines. But most important, they are questions to which God has given us answers—answers it is our solemn duty as parents to know and understand for the sake of both our children and ourselves.Does God exist?Yes.If God made us who created God? No...

Denver, Colo., Dec 15, 2009 / 05:16 pm (CNA).- This morning the Vatican published a Motu Proprio from Pope Benedict called “Omnium in Mentem”  and dated October 26. According to J.D. Flynn, a canon lawyer for the Archdiocese of Denver, the new document clarifies the nature of a deacon's orders and the impact of defections from Catholicism on the validity of a marriage.“Omnium in Mentum,” roughly translated as “Everything in Mind,” deals with two unrelated topics, a fact that caused Flynn to observe that it's probably easier to publish one Motu Propio than two. Writing in an explanatory note for...

As we approach the end of 2009, the religious and moral outlook in Britain remains bleak. God continues to be very largely ignored by Government and people. Year after year, legislation pours out of Parliament but never, it seems, is it considered remotely possible that God may have declared his mind on some aspect of whatever area of human conduct is being further regulated. Or if it is abundantly clear that God has spoken – declaring, for instance, that homosexual behaviour is abominable – his revelation must be steadfastly ignored and the nation directed to conform to the norms of...

"It is often assumed by the anti-God brigade, though unvoiced, that the designer created everything as we see it today. Within the biblical model, degeneration is expected because of the Fall. The Fall subjected the Creation to bondage to decay (Romans 8:18–25), of which mutational degeneration is one example." Vestigial arguments: remnants of evolution by Shaun Doyle The coccyx (tailbone) has long been wrongly thought to be vestigial by evolutionists ‘Vestigial’ organs have been used as an argument against a designer for many years, and have been used as a major ‘proof’ of evolution. The ‘vestigial organs’ argument is merely...

The time is now for the church to return to the sufficiency of Scripture, said a ministry head. Scott T Brown, director of the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches, opened a three-day conference on Thursday calling attention to the urgency of the matter. "What is at stake here is the question of the sufficiency of God," he wrote in his blog, recalling his address to thousands of conference attendees. "God did not breathe into the Scripture; He breathed the Scripture." To embrace the sufficiency of Scripture is to embrace the sufficiency of God Himself, Brown asserted. The conference at the...

Problems with Evolutionary Theory Why is there a problem with evolution in the first place? Someone once asked you, "What should I believe?" Remember what you told them? Basically I said you should only believe what there is evidence for. After spending years studying evolution in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, I can tell you that, first of all, there is evidence for small changes in organisms as they adapt to small environmental fluctuations. Second, there is evidence that new species do arise. We see new species of fruit flies, rodents, and even birds. But when the original species is...

Old Soviet Joke: A new Politburo member is going through his new office drawers and finds two envelopes addressed to him. One envelope says, "Open me when you have your first major crisis." Some weeks later, tractor production drops sharply, the New Politburo member is blamed, and he's in deep trouble. He remembers the envelope, opens it, and reads, "Blame the current crisis on me, your predecessor." He does so, and his job is spared. However, there remains the second envelope, which reads, "Open me when you have your second major crisis."   Sometime later, a tractor factory in...

Featured Term (selected at random):PENALTY, PENITENTIAL A penance imposed by ecclesiastical law or superior for some wrongdoing, as a substitute for the full penalty deserved. It may be a canonical admonition or the recitation of certain prayers, and represents an indulgence motivated by mercy. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

VATICAN CITY — The release of a transcript of the 1989 meeting between Pope John Paul II and Mikhail Gorbachev offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of the more important papal audiences of the 20th century.It’s a translation of the Russian record of the private meeting, released by the National Security Archive, an independent institute in Washington. For background on this and other documents being made public, look here.I remember the Dec. 1, 1989, encounter well. I was among the pool journalists allowed inside the Vatican for the event. We chatted with some of Gorbachev’s aides as the two...

What The Baptist can Teach us about Joy December 14th, 2009 by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. On the third Sunday of Advent, the penitential purple of the season changes to rose and we celebrate “Gaudete” or “Rejoice!” Sunday.  “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion” says Zephaniah.  “Draw water joyfully from the font of salvation,” says Isaiah.  “Rejoice in the Lord always,” says St. Paul.  “Do penance for the judge is coming,” says John the Baptist.Wait a minute.  What’s that stark, strident saint of the desert doing here, on “Rejoice Sunday”?  His stern call to repentance does not seem to fit.Believe it...

Grave of the Craving December 15th, 2009 by Sonja Corbitt Advent is calling, beckoning Catholics to retrench, reconsider, re-evaluate. The economic downturn has revealed an enormous tragic flaw in personal and public policy, and one only has to listen for the wailing and gnashing of teeth to pinpoint its location.Oppressed by Egyptian taskmasters, the Lord heard the cries of His weary people and sent a deliverer. They left Egypt for the desert with spoils of gold and silver, but barely out of sight of their slavery, complaints ensued. The dry desert lack revealed a more insidious bondage.On the surface, their...

1. Celibacy reaffirms marriage. In a society that is completely saturated with sex, celibate priests are living proof that sexual urges can be controlled and channeled in a positive way. Far from denigrating the sexual act, celibacy acknowledges the goodness of sex within marriage by offering it up as a sacrifice to God. The sanctity of marriage is dishonored if it is treated merely as an outlet for sexual impulses. Rather, we as Christians are called to understand marriage as the inviolable commitment of a husband and wife to love and honor one another. A priest offers up a similar...

1. Allowing priests to marry would end pedophilia. It is completely untrue that celibate priests are more likely to be pedophiles than any other group of men, married or not. Pedophilia affects only 0.3 percent of the population of Catholic clergy, and sexual abusers in general account for less than 2 percent of Catholic priests. These figures are comparable to rates among married men, as non-Catholic scholar Philip Jenkins points out in his book Pedophiles and Priests. Other Protestant denominations have admitted to having similar problems among their own married clergy, so clearly the problem is not with celibacy. 2....

Featured Term (selected at random):SOLLICITUDO OMNIUM ECCLESIARIUM Apostolic letter of Pope Paul VI setting forth the duties of official representatives of the Roman Pontiff. The focus of the document is on updating the role of the numerous delegates of the Pope in various countries of the world, and in the different commissions where the Holy See is represented (june 24, 1969). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Dark Night of the Soul DARK NIGHT OF THE SOULbySaint John of the CrossDOCTOR OF THE CHURCHTHIRD REVISED EDITION Translated and edited, with an Introduction,by E. ALLISON PEERSfrom the critical edition ofP. SILVERIO DE SANTA TERESA, C.D.NIHIL OBSTAT: GEORGIUS SMITH, S.T.D, PH.D.CENSOR DEPUTATUSIMPRIMATUR: E. MORROGH BERNARDVICARIVS GENERALISWESTMONASTER II: DIE XXIV SEPTEMBRIS MCMLIITO THE DISCALCED CARMELITES OF CASTILE, WITH ABIDING MEMORIES OF THEIR HOSPITALITY AND KINDNESSIN MADRID, AVILA AND BURGOS, BUT ABOVE ALL OF THEIR DEVOTION TO SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS CONTENTS PRINCIPAL ABBREVIATIONSINTRODUCTIONPROLOGUE BOOK THE FIRST CHAPTER I.—Sets down the first line and begins to treat of the imperfections of...

For the past 150 years archaeologists have been verifying the exact truthfulness of the Bible's detailed records of various events, customs, persons, cities, nations, and geographical locations. Dr. Nelson Glueck probably the greatest modern authority on Israeli archeology, has said, “No archeological discovery has ever controverted [overturned] a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries.” In every instance where the Bible can be, or has been checked out...

... to be taken in by this sort of nonsense, courtesy of Aussie politics and press: NSW Premier Kristina Keneally is in 'utter agreement' with the teachings of the Catholic Church but wants female priests, the vow of celibacy relaxed and supports abortion. In related news, I'm in utter agreement with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but believe Joseph Smith was a con artist, think the Book of Mormon is nonsensical, and want the LDS to publicly and financially support abortion. Is that a problem? The mother of two and church-going Catholic challenges much...

"What must I do to be saved!?" "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:31) "...Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?... If you would enter life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:15-17 Notice the two different answers. One asks about salvation ... which means he sees his own desperate need and spiritual bankruptcy. The second question asks about what to do to get something? Jesus answers with the requirement of perfect obedience to God's Law. As Luther said, the law is for the proud and the gospel for...

In just a matter of days we will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord. The Church as mother and teacher calls us on this third Sunday of Advent to pause from our Advent preparation. She proclaims in today’s liturgy, using the imperative case - “Rejoice!” In Latin,“Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete : modestia vestra nota sit omnibus hominibus: Dominus prope est. Nihil solliciti sitis: sed in omni oratione petitiones vestrae innotescant apud Deum.” In English,“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near....

Traditional Sunday Holy Mass Propers † Dominica Tertia Adventus ~ Third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete Sunday) † Statio ad S. Petrum ~ Station at Saint Peter's 13 December 2009 Anno Dómini Missa Gaudéte in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte ( "Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice" ) "....Ipse est, qui post me ventúrus est: cujus ego non sum dignus ut solvam ejus corrígiam calceaménti ~ The same is He that shall come after me, who is preferred before me : the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose...." † FEAST OF SAINT LUCY,...

Proof of God's Existence 1. I am an atheist who wants his difficulties answered without being accused of moral depravity. I believe, in the ultimate analysis, with Pascal, that there are two classes of men, those who are afraid to find God, and those who are afraid to lose God. But, to spare you, I will admit that your fear that there might be a God may be perhaps unconscious. Of those who say that they are atheists some are merely unintelligent and do not think; others do think, but merely reject false ideas of God, without knowing how to...

Featured Term (selected at random):POVERTY OF SHARING The voluntary sacrifice of one's possessions for the common good of a community. All means of support and activity are provided by the group. Practiced in the Church since apostolic times, it is described by St. Luke as one of the effects of receiving the Holy Spirit: "The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common; they sold their goods and possessions and shared out proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed" (Acts 2:44-45). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life....

So forever will I tell: in 3 hours, Christ suffered more than any sinner ever will in hell... There’s something you gotta see, journey with me. It’s approximately 30 A.D. In the land of Israel- the city of Jerusalem. But on the outside there’s screams and loud cries. Through faith, this scene can be seen without eyes. The mean shout lies and seem to sound wise. As we inch through the crowd, we need to be cautious. A Roman execution, men on three crosses. But all the focus is on the one in the center. The gate closes behind you-...

Even though the Bible was completed 2,000 years ago, long before the invention of the microscope, the telescope, satellites, etc. it does not contain any scientific errors. This might be considered a miracle in itself. Without exception, every ancient religious writing has certain unscientific views of astronomy, medicine, hygiene, etc. The Qur’an says in Surah 18:86 that the sun sets in a muddy spring. Qur’an 18:86 “…when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring” The only exception to these kinds of errors, among ancient religious writings, is the Bible. Not only is...

Introduction The famous evolutionist Julian Huxley once said, "Any view of God as a personal being is becoming frankly untenable. The difficulty of understanding the functions of a personal ruler in a universe which the march of knowledge is showing us ever more clearly as self-ordered and self-ordering in every minutest detail is becoming more and more apparent" (Essays of a Biologist [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1923], p. 217). His sentiments were echoed by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell: "That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin,...