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Following is Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle’s homily for the funeral Mass of Cardinal Francis George, on April 23, 2015. As a pastor in Memphis 20-something years ago, one day I picked up a national Catholic publication and read a talk by the bishop of Yakima, Francis George. I cannot recall the topic, but I do recall my reaction. Here was a clear voice, a voice I wanted to listen to, a pastor who helped me understand the faith and taught me how to teach it. From that point on, whenever I noticed Bishop George’s name associated with a...

How the Saints Overcame Evil Kathleen BeckmanFr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., Postulator for the cause of Mother Teresa of Calcutta wrote, “Her beatification challenges us to take a closer look at the question of holiness and its relevance in contemporary society.”The saints not only teach us volumes about the spiritual life; their stories enkindle the heart with a desire to do what they did. That is, to make a radical gift of self to God. Do I really, truly desire holiness of life? If so, how am I putting my desire into action and cooperating with God’s grace?I am presently...

What Will Our Resurrected Bodies Be Like? By: Msgr. Charles PopeSt Paul writes to the Philippians of the glory that our currently lowly bodies will one day enjoy:He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself (Phil 3:19).I once spoke with an older woman who wasn’t all that pleased to hear that her body was going to rise and be joined again to her soul. “Oh, Father, you don’t mean this old decrepit body, do you? If this body has to...

As Mormonism enters its third century, it faces a Goldilocks dilemma: Too much tension with the surrounding culture invites scorn; too little threatens its uniqueness. But finding just the right balance to ensure a thriving — and distinctive — faith won't be easy. {SNIP} So, what are the Baby Bear options in Mormonism's future? Too much conflict with the wider society, say on gay rights or women's roles, premier Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss argues, would bring "not only popular disdain but even repression and persecution." {SNIP} Female elders? • Third, the LDS Church runs into much debate and even clashes...

Featured Term selected at random:MALEVOLENCE Positive ill will. The disposition to do evil to someone, characteristic of the devil. As a human vice, it is opposed to the virtue of benevolence or good will. (Etym. Latin malevolentia, ill will, ill disposition.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? (Rom. 3:3) Message and Witness What is the Bible? Is it a book like any other intended for any occasional reader, who is expected to grasp at once its proper meaning? Rather, it is a sacred book addressed primarily to believers. Of course, a sacred book can be read by anyone as well, just 'as literature.' But this is rather irrelevant to our immediate purpose. We are concerned now not with the letter but with the message. St. Hilary put it emphatically: Scriptura...

St Paul writes to the Philippians of the glory that our currently lowly bodies will one day enjoy: He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself (Phil 3:19).

The nuns at Marin Catholic High in Kentfield walked out their classes in protest over gay non-profit sponsoring anti-bullying Day of Silence. The divisions within the Bay Area’s Catholic community over gay rights hit Marin Catholic High School full force the other day, when a group of nuns walked out of their classes to protest the sponsors of a program intended to protect gay and lesbian teens from bullying. The five members of the Dominican Sisters of Mary order exited their classrooms Friday as students began handing out flyers at the Kentfield school promoting a nationwide Day of Silence. Their...

Last month Pope Francis appointed Bishop Thomas Daly, 54, an auxiliary bishop with the Diocese of San Jose, California, as the seventh bishop of Spokane, Washington. Daly will be installed in his new position at Spokane’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes on May 20. He succeeds Archbishop Blase Cupich, who was installed as archbishop of Chicago last November. Daly grew up in San Francisco, a parishioner at St. Brendan Church. The fourth of seven children, he attended Catholic schools from first grade through college with classes taught by religious, including the Daughters of Charity and the De La Salle...

Question: I had a former theology teacher at my parish’s school tell me that Vatican II changed the Church’s teachings on Adam and Eve and that the first few chapters of Genesis are to be considered as myths. Is that true? Answer: No, it is not. Below are nine teachings of the Church regarding the first three chapters of Genesis. These teachings can be found in a document which was issued by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and confirmed by Pope St. Pius X in 1909. These teachings have been the constant teachings of the Church throughout the centuries, and the...

Featured Term selected at random:ZEPHANIAH Author of the ninth book of the Minor Prophets. The son of Cushi and a descendant of King Hezekiah, he lived in the seventh century B.C. The emphasis in his writing was on the corruption of the people of Judah during the Assyrian rule and the promise of Yahweh's punishment. "Seek integrity, seek humility" was Zephaniah's theme. "You may perhaps find shelter on the day of the anger of Yahweh" (Zephaniah 2:3). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Some Advice from Mother Church, as Pictured in the Book of Ruth By: Msgr. Charles PopeRecently I preached a retreat for a good number of women here in our Archdiocese. I based the retreat on the Book of Ruth, a beautiful love story that is a kind of allegory for Christ and the Church. More specifically it is an allegory of the individual’s salvation by Christ and in relationship to Him.The detailed background to the text is too lengthy to go into here, but a few points will help. The story features three main characters: Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi....

When a faith is highly traditional—so traditional that her Tradition is seen as nothing less than the presence of God living and breathing in the life of the Church—it is sure to clash with the sensibilities of a modern, critical, and pluralistic culture such as our own. One of the many sources of friction between the Orthodox Church and contemporary culture is in the exercise of authority. As Lockean, democratic, social-contract theories, with an emphasis on individual rights, have come to dominate the way we instinctively think about morality and social life over the past few centuries, Christian moral and...

Moscow, April 20, Interfax - The Armenian Apostolic Church will canonize all victims of the Armenian genocide on April 23. "The main event is scheduled for April 23: canonization by the Armenian Church of all genocide victims. Over half a million of people will be named as martyrs for faith and the fatherland," Archbishop Yezras (Nersisyan), the head of the Novo-Nakhichevan and Russian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, said in an interview published in the Monday edition of the magazine Ogonyok. Archbishop Yezras said events devoted to the 100th anniversary of the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire...

It's really so very simple.  Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. Do you accept that message? I often over complicate the message to my own shame, but it is just that simple.  It amazes me how there are entire denominations (thinking RCC) that constantly refer to "the Gospel", yet when pressed they cannot even define what "the Gospel" is anymore... or if they do define it, it is some sort of faith + works complicated mess, far beyond what Paul described in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached...

ROME, April 21, 2015 – Last week the Pontifical Oriental Institute mourned the mysterious death of one of its professors, Fr. Lanfranco Rossi, found lifeless in a rural area just outside Rome. But also last week the institute was hit with a genuine institutional earthquake, with the decommissioning of its entire executive staff. The order, signed by the superior general of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, the deputy grand chancellor of the institute, was up on the bulletin board for just one day. But many were able to read it and find out. As of Tuesday, April...

Featured Term selected at random:ABBOT  Superior of a monastery of monks having a settled location; a title definitely fixed by St. Benedict. The abbot is elected, usually for life, by the professed members of the community in a secret ballot. The authority of an abbot is, first, paternal, administering the property of the abbey and maintaining discipline in the observance of rule, and, second, is quasi-episcopal in conferring a certain territorial jurisdiction. The rule of the order determines the qualifications of its abbot. His insignia are the pectoral cross and a ring. (Etym. Aramaic abba, father.) See Also: ABBESSAll...

Incarnationand Redemption Fr. George Florovsky   Content: The Incarnation and RedemptionThe Mystery of Death and RedemptionImmortality, Resurrection, and RedemptionTime, Eternity, and RedemptionHigh Priest and RedeemerThe Crucifixion, Resurrection, and RedemptionBaptismal Symbolism And Redemptive RealityThe Eucharist and RedemptionNotes and References.    The Incarnation and Redemption"The Word became flesh:" in this is the ultimate joy of the Christian faith. In this is the fullness of Revelation. The Same Incarnate Lord is both perfect God and perfect man. The full significance and the ultimate purpose of human existence is revealed and realized in and through the Incarnation. He came down from Heaven to redeem the earth,...

Admonish the Sinner – A Reflection on the First Spiritual Work of Mercy By: Msgr. Charles PopeI wrote last week asking, Whatever happened to the spiritual works of mercy? I also indicated an intent to write on each of them. Here is the first installment: Admonishing the Sinner.The word “admonish” comes from the Latin verb monere meaning to warn, advise, or alert someone to a threat or danger. As such, its purpose is the good of another; it is an act of love and concern. To admonish the sinner is not to belittle or humiliate him, but rather to alert him to the danger...

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) The law of Christ misunderstood Some people read this verse out of its context, as if it suddenly fell from the sky, and they conclude that there is a new law given by God under the New Covenant, called the law of Christ, in contrast with the Law which they call “the Law of the Old Testament”. They say the Christian does not have to keep the Law of God (which they call the Law of the Old Testament), because the Christian is not under...