Free Republic

The Eight Stages of the Rise and Fall of Civilizations Msgr. Charles Pope • October 12, 2016 • Cultures and civilizations go through cycles. Over time, many civilizations and cultures have risen and then fallen. We who live in painful times like these do well to recall these truths. Cultures and civilizations come and go; only the Church (though often in need of reform) and true biblical culture remain. An old song says, “Only what you do for Christ will last.” Yes, all else passes; the Church is like an ark in the passing waters of this world and...

What Does St. Paul Mean by “The Flesh”? Msgr. Charles Pope • October 11, 2016 • In the first reading at Mass today (Wednesday of the 28th Week), St. Paul enumerates the sins that proceed from the flesh. There are many references to “the flesh” in the New Testament, especially in the letters of St. Paul. The phrase is commonly misunderstood as being synonymous with the physical body or merely with sexual sin.Although there are many places in Scripture in which the word “flesh” alone refers to the physical body, when it is preceded by the definite article (“the”),...

"Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3, emphasis added). Scripture contains everything you need to know for godly living. For many years I've watched with deep concern as a significant number of Christians have drifted from a thoughtful, biblical, God- centered theology to one that is increasingly mystical, non- biblical, and man-centered. One of the most disturbing indicators of this trend is the proliferation of extrabiblical revelations that certain people are claiming to receive directly from God. Such claims are alarming because they dilute the uniqueness and centrality of the Bible...

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3). Believers are united with Christ. A person who believes Christians are free to continue sinning betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of what a Christian is. Christians are not merely guilty sinners declared righteous by God because Christ has satisfied the demands of God’s righteousness on their behalf. That truth, which theologians call justification, is indeed an essential one. But there is much more to salvation than justification. Believers are also placed into union with Jesus Christ....

A Battle Plan from St. Paul Msgr. Charles Pope • October 10, 2016 • The epistle in the Extraordinary Form this past Sunday (21st Sunday after Pentecost) was particularly appropriate for our times. The Holy Spirit, writing through St. Paul, gives us important reminders of how to live and fight as true soldiers of Christ in a world increasingly gripped by satanic darkness. Let’s examine the whole passage and then reflect on its teachings:Be strengthened in the Lord and in the might of His power. Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against...

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son" (Heb. 1:1-2). Scripture is the storehouse of divine revelation. For decades liberal theologians have misrepresented the Bible as merely a collection of man's religious thoughts and aspirations. But Scripture is much more than that. It is in fact divine revelation—God's self disclosure through His Spirit to the human authors. Man could never know God's identity, attributes, perspectives, or commands if God hadn't revealed them to him. Nor could man know...

“How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2). In Christ, believers are dead to sin. As a pastor, I frequently encounter people who profess to be believers, yet are living in all kinds of vile sins. The incongruity of people claiming to be believers while living in constant, unrepentant sin was not lost on the apostle Paul. In Romans 6:1 he asked the rhetorical question, “Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?” In verse 2 he answered his own question by exclaiming “May it never be!”—the strongest, most emphatic negation in the...

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” - Mark 13:21–23 False prophets and teachers present the greatest threat to the church of Jesus Christ. External enemies who brazenly attack God’s people are easy to identify, and their threat is simpler to discern and resist. Internal enemies, however, are not dealt with so easily. Wolves can go...

I have a lot of friends and readers who are baffled by what they consider to be the misguided “evangelical Christian support” for Donald Trump in America.It doesn’t make sense, especially in the light of the recent appalling locker room comments , revealed by Trump’s enemies(and by God, for there is nothing hidden that won’t be brought to light and nothing secret that won’t be shouted from the housetops!) . It just doesn’t make sense that although Trump is so manifestly immoral, Evangelicals would stick by him, even when the ‘brave’ leadership of the Republican party runs for the tall...

What Is the Sign of Jonah and Has It Come Upon Us? Msgr. Charles Pope • October 10, 2016 • In today’s Gospel the Lord says, This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah (Lk 11:30). So what is the sign of Jonah and does it apply today?The Gospels (Matthew and Luke) present two signs of Jonah, one of which particularly concerns us here. First Sign: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invokes Jonah in a twofold way: For as Jonah was three days and...

The Catholic Church in Germany seems to be becoming more and more unbounded in its proposals. In the recent past, for examples, the official website of the German Bishops’ Conference, katholisch.de, has reported about the idea to have women cardinals; about establishing homosexuality as a human right; and about the need for married priests and for female deacons – to name but a few of the seemingly heterodox themes coming to us out of Germany. Another theme that has also recently become international news, as it were, is that a commission of the German Bishops had published already a year...

In a wide-ranging interview with "La Nef", Cardinal Sarah discusses his new book, published in France, saying, "By living with the silent God, and in Him, we ourselves become silent."Editor's note: The following interview with Robert Cardinal Sarah appeared in the October 2016 issue of the French newspaper La Nef; it was given on the occasion of the publication of his new book La Force du silence (The Strength of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise). The interview appears exclusively here in English by kind permission of Cardinal Sarah. The translation is by Michael J. Miller, who translated Cardinal Sarah's...

Archdiocese of Washington How to Give God Perfect Thanks: A Homily for the 28th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • October 8, 2016 • One of the great human inadequacies is our inability to give proper and adequate thanks to God. Perhaps the biggest problem is that we don’t even realize the vast majority of what He does for us; it is hidden from our eyes. A further problem is that in our fallen condition we seem to be wired to magnify our problems and minimize or discount the enormous blessings of each moment. God sustains every fiber...

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing stock.(Nahum 3:5-6)Can this obscene parody of an election sink any lower? ( I am afraid to ask…). Could it be that America is undergoing the judgment spoken of in Nahum? Our politicians, the “Elite class” who have selfishly constructed a system for themselves, (through unbelievably reckless levels of immigration),and to...

ROME, October 5, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – New guidelines about the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia issued for the pope’s own diocese of Rome suggest that couples living in a state the Church labels objectively sinful may in limited circumstances receive Holy Communion in a "discreet manner." The release of the new guidelines follows closely on the Vatican’s authentication of a letter from Pope Francis to Argentine bishops affirming that the only valid interpretation of the exhortation is one that similarly liberalizes sacramental practice. The vicar of the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, publicized the official diocesan guidelines for the implementation...

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. . . . Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee" (Ps. 119:9, 11). Scripture is the source of spiritual victory. Many Christians struggle with spiritual defeat or recurring sins because they haven't learned to apply biblical principles to specific situations. Perhaps they don't know God's will because they haven't matured in the Word. Or maybe they know what He expects of them but disregard His counsel. In either case, the result is the same. Jesus Himself...

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2). True confession involves a proper understanding of sin. King David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). He was far from perfect, however. He was not an effective father (1 Kings 1:5-6), nor did he always trust God (1 Sam. 21:10—22:1). But by far his greatest failings were his horrible sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband (2 Sam. 11—12). After Nathan the prophet confronted him with his sin, David poured out his heart in confession to God....

Church chatter Respectful silence before Mass might be a thing of the past, but competing factions aren’t the answer Msgr. Charles Pope October 9, 2016 9/28/2016 Question: There has been an attempt in my parish to end the talking before Mass by having the Rosary prayed. However, it starts to drone and sound like a race to finish the decades. Others say it makes it difficult for them to pray quietly. Any thoughts on this practice?— Art Osten, Fox River Grove, Illinois Answer: Though there is a legitimate need for some private preparation for Mass, the church is not, first...

October 6, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp, Belgium, suggested that homosexual couples, divorced and remarried Catholics, and cohabiting pairs should be given some sort of Church blessing as part of a “diversity of rituals” that would recognize the “exclusiveness and stability” of their unions. Since the two Synods on the Family and the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, this is probably one of the most radical viewpoints to have been expressed to date in the name of “pastoral care” and “mercy” by a Catholic prelate. Bishop Bonny offers his thoughts in a book to be published October 11...

How Can a Demon, Driven Out, Return with Seven More? A Meditation on a Puzzling Parable Msgr. Charles Pope • October 6, 2016 • The Gospel for Friday of this week (27th Week of the Year) features the puzzling parable about the cast-out demon who returns with seven others. What is most puzzling, is that finding the house (soul) “swept and clean” brings further trouble. One would think that a house that is swept and clean would be a good thing!For reference, here is the parable:When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he roams through waterless...