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July 15, 2003 Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church Psalm: Tuesday 31 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading IEx 2:1-15a2 A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, who conceived and bore a son. Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank. His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what...

Here's a Twist on Faith Based InitiativesHere's a twist. The conservative Republican Governor of Alabama, Bob Riley has moved the discussion of faith based initiatives to a whole new level with his bold proposal to INCREASE state taxes by a whopping total of $1.2 billion, the largest in history. Please continue reading below... For a Republican Governor this is surprising enough, but there's more. Riley is using the Bible as a source book for his decision. In a press release announcing his decision, Riley explained: "Alabamians are a faithful people who believe that creating a better world for our children...

July 3, 2003 Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle Psalm: Thursday 29 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading IEph 2:19-22 Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Responsorial PsalmPs 117:1bc, 2...

July 2, 2003 Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Wednesday 29 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading IGn 21:5, 8-20a Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Isaac grew, and on the day of the child's weaning Abraham held a great feast. Sarah noticed the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham playing with her son Isaac; so she demanded of Abraham: "Drive out that slave and her son! No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance with my son Isaac!" Abraham was greatly...

Amidst all the stimulating discussion here about the Catholic doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity, it ocurred to me that it would be instructive to point out that both Martin Luther and John Calvin -- the progenitors of two of the three major branches of the Protestant Reformation -- both held firmly to this Catholic teaching. For your consideration, let me add here some pertinent quotes from these two Protestant leaders. I'd respectfully ask our Evangelical and Fundamentalist friends here to think carefully about these quotes and consider just how far modern-day Protestantism has drifted from its 16th-century moorings, not to...

Hillary Clinton's new book "Living History" might be wowing them in major urban centers and adjoining suburbs that lean politically and socially liberal, but what about middle America? According to a recent article by journalist Jon Dougherty of the popular website WorldNetDaily, although Sen. Hillary Clinton's memoir is "reportedly selling well in some areas of the country, it isn't setting records in the heartland". Well that begs the following question -- Which new books have a more widespread appeal throughout America? Moreover, is there any particular bestseller that not only reflects the values, but the overall pulse of America at...

This written debate on sola scriptura between Patrick Madrid, publisher of Envoy Magazine, a leading Catholic journal of apolgetics, and Douglas Jones, editor of Credenda/Agenda Magazine, a Reformed evangelical Protestant journal, appeared recently in Credenda/Agenda. It was agreed that Doug would select and frame the debate theme, he would have the first *and* last comment in the exchange, and each response would be limited to no more than 115 words.

Are We All Bigots Now?The following excerpt is from Jay Leno’s opening monologue on The Tonight Show (April 23, 2003): “Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum—well, let me finish. Don’t hiss me. You can hiss the guy later. He is causing quite a lot of controversy this week with remarks he made about gays…. This is the quote: ‘I have no problem with homosexuals. I have a problem with homosexual acts.’ Well, maybe he’s doing them wrong.” Laughter, cheers, and applause followed, as well as another Leno remark that ought not be repeated in polite company.Scripture and the Catechism attest...

Background Events for the Celebration of the Christian Eucharist: The Jewish Passover Meal (Exod 12:1-28, 43-51;  Num 9:1-14;  Deut 16:1-8) The Feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:30-44;  Matt 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17;  John 6:1-14) The Feeding of the 4000 (Mark 8:1-10;  Matt 15:32-39) The Last Supper of Jesus (Mark 14:12-27;  Matt 26:17-30;  Luke 22:7-39) The Post-Easter Meal at Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) The Post-Easter Breakfast at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14) Early Christians “breaking break” in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47) Early Christians celebrating the Lord’s Supper in Corinth (1 Cor 11:17-34) Use of Scripture in Early Christian Worship: Jesus reads from the...

The Inspiration of the Bible -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portion taken from Dr. Paisley's book My Plea for the Old Sword -- The English Authorised Version (KJV). "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (I Timothy 3:16 Authorized Version). Dr. Ian Paisley The Inspiration of the Bible is a cardinal doctrine of Holy Scripture. It is all important as it sets forth the Bible as the only infallible rule of faith and practice. Now the...

Psalm 91:1-16 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth...

Bible Translations Guide At Catholic Answers we are often asked which Bible version a person should choose. This is an important question about which Catholics need to be informed. Some have been given very little help about how to pick a Bible translation, but keeping in mind a few tips will make the decision much easier. There are two general philosophies translators use when they do their work: formal or complete equivalence and dynamic equivalence. Formal equivalence translations try to give as literal a translation of the original text as possible. Translators using this philosophy try to stick close to...

Giving God Twenty:How to Start a Real Prayer Lifeby Bud MacfarlaneIf you are serious about being a Catholic, keep reading. This is for mature audiences only. It is rated R for Realistic. We all know that a Catholic adult who does not have a daily contemplative prayer life is a contradiction in terms. If there is one constant in the advice of the saints, it is that every Catholic should have a serious prayer life. My goal here is not to berate you if you do not have a prayer life. I have fallen short myself until recently, so I...

QUESTION: I've been told that believing that the King James Bible is the perfect word of God is not the "historic position." Is this true? ANSWER: The "historic" position is to accept Scripture as infallible and deplore anyone who tries to alter it.

November 16, 2002 Connected Actions Read: Proverbs 22:1-8He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow. —Proverbs 22:8 Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 3-4; Hebrews 11:20-40 My son Steve was running the best cross-country race of his life. Just a high-school freshman, he earned a spot on the varsity team. That's when Steve decided he wanted to go even faster—but not on foot. So he spent a Saturday racing a dirt-track motorcycle. All went well until he misjudged a jump and ended up with his leg under a Yamaha. Nothing was broken, but having a banged-up calf muscle took a toll on...

Reading I Phil 2:5-11 Brothers and sisters: Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and, found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those...

How Many Books Are In The Old Testament? How Can One Know For Sure?(Popes and Councils Proved To Be In Error) Examine the Old Testament listing of books in a Catholic, and a Protestant Bible, and you will normally find a discrepancy. You will find several more books in the Catholic Old Testament than in the Protestant Bible, the Protestant counting 39 and the Catholic counting some 46 or 47 books. The extra books in the Catholic Bible are referred to as the Apocryphal, or Deuterocanonical books, by Protestants and Catholic respectively. Apocrypha means "hidden", and Deuterocanonical means "second...

The Revised English Bible is a radical revision of The New English Bible which was a phenomenal best-seller when it was introduced in 1970....Infused with twenty years of new scholarship and study, The Revised English Bible is the most readable and accurate contemporary English translation of the ancient texts available...The Revised English Bible has been warmly endorsed by a broad spectrum of religious leadership and laity. Free from arachaic and outmoded language, thoroughly contemporary, elegant and accessible, it is the Bible for the English-speaking world on the threshold of a new century.

TCR Note: Neither Mr. Likoudis nor TCR wishes to get into an endless debate with Robert Sungenis, not long ago a celebrated convert to Catholicism, who has been showing an intemperate and unbalanced understanding of the Faith recently. We will not treat here Mr. Sungenis' public views regarding the earth being the physical center of the universe and other odd developments. Once a reply has been made using Catholic principles which are certain, which Mr. Likoudis has done very effectively, it is then up to the one who opposes those certain principles to work out his own salvation "with fear...

Presbyterians Pro-LifeLife: A Biblical Perspective I Our CreatorII God, the Unborn, and the ChildIII Life or Death: Our right to choose?IV Every Woman's Right to Control Her Own Body - Freedom to ChooseV The Hard Cases: The Handicapped, Rape, and IncestVI Our Responsibility to the Unborn, to the Woman in Crisis, and Our God I. OUR CREATORWho is the creator of all life? Who created each of us? Genesis1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Job 10:8-12 "Your hands shaped me and made me. Will...