Clinton Position on Family Planning

L
ast week at a United States (US) House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that there was a new administration in place with different values, beliefs and global agenda. Nothing illustrated this rupture with previous US policy more than her admission that the Obama administration interprets the term “reproductive health” to include abortion.

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Supporter of Abortion

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t was clear from the opening moments of the Senate hearings for the proposed new top legal advisor at the United States (US) State Department that widespread criticism of the nominee had struck a nerve. Rather than a love feast for a liberal hero, the committee seemed to be, in the words of one observer, in a “defensive crouch.”

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Off With His Head!

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born of the Virgin Mary

What does the Council of Chalcedon (in the year 451) teach in this regard? The Council of Chalcedon teaches us to confess “one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, perfect in his humanity, true God and true man, composed of rational soul and body, consubstantial with the Father by his divinity, and consubstantial with us by his humanity, ‘like us in all things but sin’ (Hebrews 4:15), begotten from the Father before all ages as to his divinity, and in these last days, for us and for our salvation, born of Mary, the Virgin and Mother of God, as to his humanity.” CCC #467
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Mystery of the Incarnation

How does the Church set forth the Mystery of the Incarnation? The Church confesses that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, with two natures, a divine nature and a human nature, not confused with each other but united in the Person of the Word. Therefore, in the humanity of Jesus all things - his miracles, his suffering, and his death - must be attributed to his divine Person which acts by means of his assumed human nature. “O Only-begotten Son and Word of God you who are immortal, you who deigned for our salvation to become incarnate of the holy Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary (...) You who are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us!” (Byzantine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom) CCC #464-470 and CCC #479-481
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Quotes on Mary

Scripture meditation: All flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth … from man even to beast. … Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained. Genesis 7:21-23 Reflection: Noah's ark was a type of Mary. As, by its means, human beings were preserved from the Flood, so are we all saved by Mary from the shipwreck of sin. There is this difference, however. In the ark few were saved, but through Mary the whole human race was rescued from death. Holy Quotes from AskACatholic.com
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Holy Quotes

The Eucharist is a safeguard to those who receive. We need it in order to arm, with the protection of the Lord's abundance, those whom we wish to keep safe against the adversary. Christ and the Church are two in one flesh. It we are to respect people in their integrity, we must educate them to do good with a sense of responsibility; with a capacity for self-discipline and also with the external help of law and authority.
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incarnate Son of God

Did the incarnate Son of God have a soul with human knowledge? The Son of God assumed a body animated by a rational human soul. With his human intellect Jesus learned many things by way of experience; but also as man the Son of God had an intimate and immediate knowledge of God his Father. He likewise understood people’s secret thoughts and he knew fully the eternal plans which he had come to reveal.
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Freedom for Evil

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Obama portrayed as Christ on Cross

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Embryonic Stem Cells

E.Christian Brugger. Because of heightened interest in my last piece, Stem Cells for Dummies, I decided to pursue further questions pertaining to scientific interest in embryonic stem cells (ESCs).
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Good of the Spouses

William E. May. Long ago St. Augustine distinguished three cardinal goods of marriage: the good of offspring (bonum prolis) who are to be begotten lovingly, nurtured humanely, and educated religiously; the good of steadfast fidelity (bonum fidei) between husband and wife; and the good of the sacrament (bonum sacramenti), which entails both the holy bond of indissoluble unity (sacrum vinculum) and sacramental sign (sacramentum signum), the good of the sacrament in the strict sense as the good pointing to and inwardly participating in Christ’s bridal union with his spouse, the Church (St. Augustine developed his teaching on the threefold good of marriage principally in On the Good of Marriage (De bono coniugali),On Marriage and Concupiscence ( De nuptiis et concupiscentia),and The Literal Meaning of Genesis ( De genesi ad litteram). Subsequent Catholic tradition made these goods its own, constantly affirming them; in fact, Pope Pius XI structured his 1930 encyclical On Chaste Marriage (Casti connubii) around these three Augustinian goods..
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Same Sex Marriage

Helen Alvaré. It must be said first that the Iowa Supreme Court decision (Varnum v. O’Brien, No. 07-1499, April 3, 2009) which invented a state constitutional right to same sex “marriage” is very hard to read. By this I don’t mean to say that it is intellectually complex for any reader possessing legal training. I mean that it is hard on a rational reader’s desire for logic and hard on a fair reader’s sense of justice. It is hard for those who know something about U.S.
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Meanings of Human Acts

William E. May. In a previous essay I presented and criticized the consequentialist understanding of human acts central to the culture of death. Here I will set forth the true understanding of human acts central to the culture of life. This understanding, fully compatible with Christian faith, is also philosophically sound; it is the meaning of human acts undergirding “natural law.”
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Exploiting Children

Rebecca Mastee. Consider Elizabeth, a twelve year old girl living in Pennsylvania, a state which has enacted a number of common-sense and protective regulations on abortion. With parental consent and other requirements within her state, one would believe that Elizabeth is protected from the dangers inherent in abortion.
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STEM CELLS FOR DUMMIES

E.Christian Brugger, Ph.D. A stem cell is an undifferentiated cell (i.e., a cell that has not yet specialized into a particular cell type, e.g., liver cell, pancreatic cell, or cardiac cell) with two unique capacities: the first, for rapid and prolonged self-multiplication into daughter cells identical with itself; and the second, for development and differentiation into specific types of cells such as liver and cardiac cells.
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St. Anselm, bishop & doctor

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t. Anselm (1033-1109) was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbuy, England. St. Anselm's services to the Church are principally the following: First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he defended the rights and liberties of the Church against the encroachments of the English kings, who plundered the Church's lands, impeded the Archbishop's communications with the Holy See, and claimed the right to invest prelates with ring and crosier, symbols of the Church's spiritual jurisdiction.
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Fr. Jenkins continues to support Obama

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Fr. Jenkins continues to support Obama

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Holy Homeboys

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Audacity

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Feast of St. Mark, evangelist

St. Mark, the author of the second Gospel, was the son of Mary whose house at Jerusalem was the meeting place of Christians. He was baptized and instructed by St. Peter. In about the year 42 A.D. he came to Rome with the Prince of the Apostles. There at the request of the faithful he wrote his Gospel about the year 50 A.D. His Gospel is a record of St. Peter's preaching about Our Lord and pays special attention to the head of the Apostles. The Gospel was written for Roman Gentile converts. It rarely quotes the Old Testament, and is careful to explain Jewish customs, rites and words. It excels in portraying the emotions and affections of both Christ and His hearers. St. Mark preached in Egypt, especially in Alexandria and was martyred there by the heathen.
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St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

St. Fidelis was born at Sigmaringen in Swabia in 1577. He practiced at first as a lawyer and so took to heart the cause of the needy that he was known as the poor man's lawyer. Then he joined the Capuchin Friars Minor and was sent by the Holy See to the Grisons in order to bring back the inhabitants of this canton from Protestantism to the Catholic faith. His great influence earned him enemies; he was murdered at Seewis on April 24, 1622.
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Scriptures Verse

Fasting Daniel 10:3 - Daniel refused to eat choice foods for 3 weeks Matthew 19:5 - Christ's followers will fast once he is gone Matthew 6:16-18 - Jesus gave regulations concerning how to fast Mark 7:19 - Christ declared all foods clean 1 Timothy 4:1-3 - The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times some will desert the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from devils, seduced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are branded as though with a red hot iron: they forbid marriage and prohibit foods which God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by all who believe and who know the truth. Note: St. Paul objects to these prohibitions when they are the outcome of false principles which would regard marriage and certain foods as impure, but he has no objection to abstaining from food and drink when properly understood and based on sound principles. 1 Timothy 4:4-5 - Everything God has created is good, and no food is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving
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Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God

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n what sense is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God? Jesus is the Son of God in a unique and perfect way. At the time of his Baptism and his Transfiguration, the voice of the Father designated Jesus as his “beloved Son”. In presenting himself as the Son who “knows the Father” (Matthew 11:27), Jesus affirmed his singular and eternal relationship with God his Father. He is “the Only Begotten Son of God” (1 John 4:9), the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the central figure of apostolic preaching. The apostles saw “his glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). CCC #441 - 445 and 454
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Pleasing Christ

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desire to please Christ is not something extra for the Christian. It is basic to Christian sanctity. It is not a dessert, but the main course-not a sideshow, but the main tent. It is not a motive to which we can resort to when convenient; it is a controlling force to which we have committed our lives. We have abandoned everything else. In time, applause and pleas of the world have a hollow ring. We are marching to a different drumbeat. His smile is singularly our greatest delight! This is the lifestyle of love.
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Baby Body Parts

Notre Dame's Head Hypocrite

Quotes on Mary

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cripture meditation: Christ … gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from the evil of this age according to the will of our God and Father. Galatians 1:3-4Reflection: The whole world is indebted to Jesus for His Passion. Similarly, all of us are indebted to our Lady for her compassion. St. Albert the Great (1206-1280AD) Mini-Bio: German; scientist, philosopher, theologian and Doctor of the ChurchPrayer: O Mary, by your union with Christ's sufferings you are our Co-Redemptrix. Let me continually thank you for your compassion, especially by cooperating with all the graces given me each day.
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Holy Quotes

W
hat seems bread is not bread, though bread by taste; but the Body of Christ. What seems wine is not wine, though the taste will have it so; but the Blood of Christ. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386AD) on the Eucharist Mini-Bio: Palestinian; bishop, scholar, Doctor of the ChurchSaints throughout the Age of the ChurchIsn't it absurd to send children out to jobs and to school, and to do all you can to prepare them for these, and yet not to "bring them up in the chastening and admonition of the Lord" [Eph. 6:4]?... Discipline is needed, not eloquence; character, not clevernes; deeds, not words. These gain a man the kingdom. St. John Chrysostom (347-407AD) on the Family Mini-Bio: Syrian; archbishop, Doctor of the ChurchHoly Quotes from the Popes of the ChurchIn today's world, torn by indifference, division, hatred, and oppression, fraternal communion founded on love is an eloquent example of universal reconciliation in Christ. Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)
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Scriptures Verse

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nderstanding, "One meditator between God and man" (1 Timothy 2:5) Matthew 25:23 - Well done, my good and faithful servant (the servant is not undermining the sole mediation of Christ by what he as done.) Mark 10:18 - only God is good John 21:15-16 - feed my lambs, tend my sheep Ephesians 4:11 - And to some, his ‘gift’ was that they should be apostles; to some prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers Hebrews 3:1, 7:24, 9:12 - Jesus is the eternal high priest; one sacrifice Note: Jesus is the eternal high priest. Because Our Lord was a divine person, his ONE sacrifice happened in time AND eternity. Catholic priests enter into that one sacrifice of Jesus every time they celebrate Holy Mass. There is NOT another sacrifice. By HIS choice we participate in his priesthood by bringing the Gospel to those that have not heard it. By doing this we don't undermine his ONE mediation, but participate in it. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - offer prayers and petitions for all men 1 Peter 2:5 - be a holy priesthood to offer sacrifices through Christ Revelation 1:6, 5:10 - he made us a kingdom of priests for God
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first human sin

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hen tempted by the devil, the first man and woman allowed trust in their Creator to die in their hearts. In their disobedience they wished to become “like God” but without God and not in accordance with God (Genesis 3:5). Thus, Adam and Eve immediately lost for themselves and for all their descendants the original grace of holiness and justice.CCC #396 - 403 and CCC #415 - 417
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Quotes on Mary

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cripture meditation: I bear with everything for the sake of the chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with heavenly glory. 2 Timothy 2:10Reflection: What an exchange! Mary receives John in place of Jesus, the servant in place of the Lord, the disciple in place of the Master. She receives the son of Zebedee in place of the Son of God, a mere man in place of the true God! St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153AD) Mini-Bio: French; abbot, mystical writer, theologian, reformer of the Cistercian Order, Doctor of the ChurchPrayer: O Mary, you bore even the great loss of Jesus in order to obtain salvation for use. Help me to appreciate what a great thing eternal salvation is and work for it at all times.
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Holy Quotes

T
s long as the invocation and prayers have not begun, there is only bread and wine. But after the great and wonderful prayers have been pronounced, then the bread becomes the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the wine becomes His Blood. Let us come to the celebration of the mysteries! St. Athanasius of Alexandria (297-373AD) on the Eucharist Mini-Bio: Egyptian; bishop, theologian, Doctor of the ChurchSaints throughout the Age of the ChurchWe take care of our possessions for our children, but the children themselves we take no care of at all. What an absurdity this is! Form the soul of the son aright, and all the rest will be added afterward. St. John Chrysostom (347-407AD) on the Family Mini-Bio: Syrian; archbishop, Doctor of the ChurchHoly Quotes from the Popes of the ChurchThe Church cannot say what is bad is good, nor can she call valid what is invalid. She cannot fail to proclaim Christ's teaching, even when this teaching is difficult to accept. Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)
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Scriptures Verse

Relics 2 Kings 13:20-21 - contact with Elisha's bones restored life Acts 5:15-16 - cures performed through Peter's shadow Acts 19:11-12 - cures through face cloths that touched Paul
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consequences derive from original sin

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n consequence of original sin human nature, without being totally corrupted, is wounded in its natural powers. It is subject to ignorance, to suffering, and to the dominion of death and is inclined toward sin. This inclination is called concupiscence. CCC #405 - 409 and CCC #418
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Quotes on Mary

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cripture meditation: No one hates his own body but rather nourishes and protects it, ever as Christ does the Church, for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:29-30Reflection: All who are united to Christ have issued from the womb of Mary, and she is the Mother of us all. Who can doubt that she will work most diligently to procure that Christ may transfer His gifts to us, His members, above all the gifts of knowing Him and living through Him. Pope St. Pius X (1835-1914AD) Mini-Bio: pope: (1903-1914) Italian; pope, reformer. Created a special congregation of cardinals to look at formation of a new code of canon law.Prayer: O Mary, you are continually working to lead us more perfectly to your Divine Son. Grant me the grace to know Jesus better and the resolution to live through Him.
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Holy Quotes

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he sacrament you receive is made what it is by the Word of Christ. If the word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from heaven, shall not the Word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements? St. Ambrose of Milan (340-397AD) on the Eucharist Mini-Bio: German; bishop, Doctor of the ChurchSaints throughout the Age of the ChurchHappiness is to be found only in the home where God is loved and honored, where each one loves, and helps, and cares for the others. St. Theophane Venard (1829-1861AD) on the Family Mini-Bio: French; priest, missionary, martyrHoly Quotes from the Popes of the ChurchWe cannot say love the land then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations. I urge you to be sensitive to the many issues affecting the environment and to unite to seek the best solutions to these pressing problems. Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD
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Scriptures Verse

Statues Exodus 20:4-5 - do not make and worship any graven images Commentary on Exodus 20:4 Only images of strange gods were prohibited as appears not only from the words in Exodus 20:5 and Deuteronomy 5:7 but also from the cherubim (Exodus 25:18) and the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:8) which Yahweh ordered to be made and from the mural decorations of the Jewish synagogues in the early Christian period as excavations abundantly attest. There is question therefore not of a separate commandment which forbids the worship of all images but of an application of the precept forbidding the worship of strange gods. The prohibition of image worship, already discussed, does not contemplate the case of an image of Yahweh, most probably forbidden in the Book of the Covenant. Deuteronomy 4:16 insists, however that he did not appear in material form lest the people should be led to make an image out of him and misapprehend his spiritual nature. The prohibition of idols is found in the Book of the Covenant. It appears here in an amplified form most probably as a later addition to the decalogue to illustrate and safeguard the first commandment. The Latin division of the commandments is thus the more reasonable one and the more likely to be original. Exodus 25:18-19 - make two cherubim of beaten gold Numbers 21:8-9 - Moses made bronze serpent and put on a pole 1 Kings 6:23-29 - temple had engraved cherubim, trees and flowers 1 Kings 7:25-45 - temple had bronze oxen, lions and pomegranates
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After the first sin, what did God do?

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fter the first sin the world was inundated with sin but God did not abandon man to the power of death. Rather, he foretold in a mysterious way in the “Protoevangelium” (Genesis 3:15) that evil would be conquered and that man would be lifted up from his fall. This was the first proclamation of the Messiah and Redeemer. Therefore, the fall would be called in the future a “happy fault” because it “gained for us so great a Redeemer” (Liturgy of the Easter Vigil).CCC #410 - 412 and CCC #420
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Scriptures Verse

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oly Spirit a Person, not a force John 14:26 - but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. Acts 8:29 - The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join that chariot.' Acts 13:2 - One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.' Romans 8:27 - and he who can see into all hearts knows what the Spirit means because the prayers that the Spirit makes for God’s holy people are always in accordance with the mind of God 1 Corinthians 2:11 - ..., nobody knows the qualities of God except the Spirit of God 1 Corinthians 12:11 - But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual Ephesians 4:30 - do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free
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Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Christianity dying in Europe

Protestants dump the Divinity

Vatican gives thumbs down to Caroline Kennedy

Say something, Father!

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600 Priests denounce Notre Dame scandal

Catholics log on!

Why Be Catholic?

D
r. Jeff Mirus || category Principles
Though I take it up as the fourth in this series, surely the Resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the first and most obvious reason to be both a Christian and a Catholic, for it is Christ’s Resurrection which bears ultimate witness to the truth of the relationship between man and God which He both revealed and accomplished. Question: How do we know Christ’s teachings are true? Answer: Because He rose from the dead.
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Quotes on Mary

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cripture meditation: I am wearied with groaning; night after night I flood my bed with weeping. I water my couch with tears; sorrow dims my eyes. Psalms 6:7-8

Reflection: The Blessed Virgin Mary never departed -- not even slightly -- from the precepts and examples of her Divine Son.

Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958AD)
Mini-Bio: pope: (1939-1958) Italian; He supported several reforms in the Papal States, which included central Italy, and several outlying areas, such as Assisi. Gained a reputation for being a patriotic, and reforming Pope.

Prayer: O Mary, you remained united with God in spite of heartbreak and sorrow. Help me to follow your example and make use of sorrow to remain united to you and your Divine Son Jesus.
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Scriptures Verse

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ntercessory prayer to the Saints
Tobit 12:12 - angel presents Tobit and Sarah's prayer to God
Romans 15:30 - join me by your prayers to God on my behalf
Ephesians 4:3 - pray for us
Ephesians 6:18-19 - Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all God's holy people, and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel
2 Thessalonians 1:11 - we always pray for you
2 Thessalonians 3:1 - finally, brothers, pray for us
Revelation 5:8 - angel offers prayers of the holy ones to God
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reality of sin

H
ow should we understand the reality of sin?
Sin is present in human history. This reality of sin can be understood clearly only in the light of divine revelation and above all in the light of Christ the Savior of all. Where sin abounded, he made grace to abound all the more.

CCC #385 - 389
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fall of the angels

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his expression indicates that Satan and the other demons, about which Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of the Church speak, were angels, created good by God. They were, however, transformed into evil because with a free and irrevocable choice they rejected God and his Kingdom, thus giving rise to the existence of hell. They try to associate human beings with their revolt against God. However, God has wrought in Christ a sure victory over the Evil One.

CCC #391 - 395 and 414
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Scriptures Verse

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re the saints dead? Is this prayer necromancy? (Deuteronomy 18:10)?
Wisdom 3:1-6 - the souls of the just are in the hand of God
Mark 12:26-27 - he is the God of the living, not of the dead
Mark 9:4 - Jesus seen conversing with Elijah and Moses
Luke 16:19-30 - departed rich man intercedes for brothers
Luke 23:43 - To the thief on the Cross: "this day you will be with me in paradise"
Hebrews 12:1 - we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses
Revelation 6:9-11 - martyrs under the altar want earthly vindication
Revelation 20:4 - saw the souls of those that had been beheaded
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Quotes on Mary

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cripture meditation: Because he clung to me, I will deliver him; I will defend him because he has known my name. Psalms 91:14

Reflection: Have devotion to the holy Name of Mary; ask God for it! Think of this blessed Name and invoke it often with all the respect and veneration it deserves.

St. John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719AD)
Mini-Bio: French; priest, educator, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

Prayer: O Mary, grant me a loving devotion to your holy Name. Let me repeat often each day an invocation to it like: "May every age be mindful of your holy Name."

Sweet Cross of Jesus

P
linio Corrêa de Oliveira
Wednesday, February 25 2009
The Gospels show us with great clarity how much our Divine Savior in His mercy pities our pains of body and soul. We need only to recall the awesome miracles He performed in His omnipotence in order to mitigate these pains. But let us never make the mistake of imagining that this combat against pain and sorrow was the greatest gift He dispensed to mankind.
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Easter Special

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Quotes on Mary

Scripture meditation: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the dark, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Reflection: The name "Mary" means light or star of the sea. For it was Mary who brought forth the Eternal Light, Jesus Christ!

St. Isidore of Seville (560-636AD)
Mini-Bio: Spanish; bishop, scholar, educator, liturgist, philosopher, Doctor of the Church

Prayer: O Mary, you are our shining star pointing the way to your Divine Son. Amid the darkness and evil running rampant in today's world, let me always keep my eyes on Jesus!
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Scriptures Verse

Divinity of Jesus

John 1:1 - the Word was God
John 1:14-15 - glory of Father's only Son, full of grace and truth
John 8:19 - if you knew me, you would know my Father
John 8:58-59 - I assure you, before Abraham, I AM
John 10:30-33 - the Father and I are one (See Exodus 3:14, 20:7; Leviticus 19:12, Leviticus 24:14-16)
John 10:38 - the Father is in me and I am in the Father
John 12:45 - who ever sees me, sees the one who sent me
John 14:8-12 - anyone who has seen Jesus sees the Father
John 20:28 - Jesus accept Thomas's "my Lord and my God"
Colossians 2:9 - In him, in bodily form, lives divinity in all its fullness
Acts 20:28 - the Church of God he acquired with His Blood
Ephesians 1:7 - in him we have redemption by his blood
1 John 1:7 - blood of his Son Jesus cleanses from all sin
Titus 2:13 - glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ
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relationship has God established between man and woman

What relationship has God established between man and woman?

Man and woman have been created by God in equal dignity insofar as they are human persons. At the same time, they have been created in a reciprocal complementarity insofar as they are masculine and feminine. God has willed them one for the other to form a communion of persons. They are also called to transmit human life by forming in matrimony “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). They are likewise called to subdue the earth as “stewards” of God.

CCC #369 - 373 and 383
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Quotes on Mary

Scripture meditation: Observe the upright and consider the just, for posterity awaits the man of peace. Psalms 37:37

Reflection: The Blessed Virgin Mary comforts and refreshes those who are in their last agony. Then she also receives their souls at death.

St. Vicent Ferrer (1350-1419AD)
Mini-Bio: Spanish; Dominican priest, missionary

Prayer: O Mary, you are the Mother of a Happy Death. Take care of me in my last moments of life. Defend me from the wiles of the devil and receive me into paradise.

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Scriptures Verse

Communion of Saints

Romans 8:35-39 - death cannot separate us from Christ.
Note: So Catholics are praying to and asking for help from saints that are ALIVE. We pray to Jesus AND the saints. The communion of saints is not an EITHER OR issue, it is a family affair!
Romans 12:5 - we are one body in Christ, individual parts of one another
Romans 12:10 - love one another with mutual affection
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 - If one part is hurt (suffers), all the parts share its pain. And if one part is honoured, all the parts share its joy
Galatians 6:2 - bear one another's burdens
Galatians 6:10 - let us do good to all, especially to those in the family of faith
Ephesians 1:22-23 - he is the head of the Church, which is His Body
Ephesians 4:4 - one body, one spirit, called to one hope
Ephesians 5:21-32 - Christ is the Head of the Church, savior of the body
Colossians 1:18, 24 - he is the head of the body, the Church
Colossians 3:15 - you were called in one body
1 Thessalonians 5:11 - encourage, build up one another
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original condition of the human person

What was the original condition of the human person according to the plan of God?

In creating man and woman God had given them a special participation in his own divine life in holiness and justice. In the plan of God they would not have had to suffer or die. Furthermore, a perfect harmony held sway within the human person, a harmony between creature and Creator, between man and woman, as well as between the first human couple and all of creation.

CCC #374 - 379 and 384
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Fr Jenkins says the bishops are "wrong"

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The Washing of the Feet

P
ope Benedict XVI.
If we listen attentively to the Gospel of Holy Thursday, we can discern two different dimensions in the event of the washing of the feet.
The cleansing that Jesus offers his disciples is first and foremost simply his action—the gift of purity, of the "capacity for God" that is offered to them.

But the gift then becomes a model for the duty to do the same for one another.

The Fathers of the Chruch described these two aspects of the washing of the feet with the words sacramentum and exemplum.
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Hell under the Golden Dome

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DR. OZ TO OPRAH, MICHAEL J. FOX

The only real problem with the statement is when he said, "The problem with embryonic stem cells, is that embryonic stem cells come from embryos, like all of us were made from embryos..."

A medically and scientifically accurate statement would be, "like all of us were at one time" or "just like we all advanced from embryos into our current stage of development."
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Obama Stem Cell Darkness

F
ATHER TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK
President Obama, on March 9, 2009, signed an important executive order that vastly expanded federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research and crossed a significant and troubling ethical line.

This decision, and the rhetoric during the signing , encouraged scientists and researchers to enter the moral quagmire of taking some human lives in order to benefit others . During h
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Newt Gingrich attacks Obama.

The Catholic Alamo

Quotes on Mary

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cripture meditation: You shall also forget misery … and brightness like the noonday shall come to you at evening. And you shall have confidence and rest secure. Job 11:16-18

Reflection: On every occasion and in every way, Mary comes to the aid of our misery, calms our fears, and perks up our faith. She sustains our hope, dispels our misgivings, and remedies our laxity.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153AD)
Mini-Bio: French; abbot, mystical writer, theologian, reformer of the Cistercian Order, Doctor of the Church

Prayer: O Mary, you are our consolation and our help. Come to my aid especially in time of trial when I am vulnerable. Make me remember all that Jesus did for me and keep me faithful to Him.

Holy Quotes

The new man, born again and restored to God by grace, says "Father!" because he has now begun to be a son.

St. Cyprian of Carthage (200-258AD) on Baptism

Let no one be puffed up by his rank, for faith and love are everything, and nothing is more precious than these.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (50-107AD) on Faith and Love
Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)

Scriptures Verse

Health and Wealth Gospel?

Matthew 10:38 - Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me
Romans 8:16-17 - The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God. And if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so as to share his glory.
Romans 8:18 - In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us,
Philippians 1:28-29 - This will be a clear sign, for them that they are to be lost, and for you that you are to be saved. This comes from God, for you have been granted the privilege for Christ’s sake not only of believing in him but of suffering for him as well
Colossians 1:24 - It makes me happy to be suffering for you now, and in my own body to make up all the hardships that still have to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church
Hebrews 12:5-7 - whom God loves, he disciplines as sons
Hebrews 12:11 - discipline seems painful, but brings righteousness
1 Peter 1:6 - for a while you must suffer various trials
1 Peter 2:19-21 - suffering equals grace; Jesus suffered as our example

Where does the soul come from?

T
he spiritual soul does not come from one’s parents but is created immediately by God and is immortal. It does not perish at the moment when it is separated from the body in death and it will be once again reunited with the body at the moment of the final resurrection.

CCC #366 - 368 and 382

You Wanna Talk?

bishops complain about Obama at ND

Holy Quotes

Those who suffered martyrdom before baptism, having been washed in their own blood, were vivified by the Holy Spirit of God.

Didymus the Blind (313-398AD) on Baptism

Just as the mere memory of fire doesn't warm the body, so also faith without love doesn't produce the light of knowledge in the soul.

St. Maximus the Confessor (580-662AD) on Faith and Love
In a secularized world, to speak and act in the name of Jesus can bring opposition, and even ridicule. It often means being out of step with the majority opinion. Yet if we look at the New Testament, we find encouragement for perseverance in this testing of our faith.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)

Scriptures Verse

Assurance of Salvation?

Matthew 7:21 - It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 24:13 - those who persevere to the end will be saved
Romans 11:23 - remain in his kindness or you will be cut off
1 Corinthians 9:27 - I punish my body and bring it under control, to avoid any risk that, having acted as herald for others, I myself may be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 10:11-12 - those thinking they are secure, may fall
Philippians 2:12 - work out your salvation in fear and trembling
Galatians 5:4 - separated from Christ, you've fallen from grace
2 Timothy 2:11-13 - must hold out to the end to reign with Christ
Hebrews 6:4-6 - describes sharers of the Holy Spirit, who then fall away
Hebrews 10:26-27 - if we sin, after receiving the truth, judgement remains
2 Peter 2:17-22 - It would have been better for them never to have learnt the way of uprightness, than to learn it and then desert the holy commandment that was entrusted to them.

soul and body form a unity in the human being

How do the soul and body form a unity in the human being?

The human person is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. In man spirit and matter form one nature. This unity is so profound that, thanks to the spiritual principle which is the soul, the body which is material, becomes a living human body and participates in the dignity of the image of God.

CCC #362 - 365 and 382

Quotes on Mary

S
cripture meditation: You have turned my mourning into dancing in place of sackcloth you have robed me in joy, that my soul may praise you forever. Psalms 30:12-13

Reflection: Mary is the arsenal of graces, and she rushes to the aid of her children. She sustains, strengthens, and renews them by means of the heavenly favors she heaps on them.

St. Paulinus of Nola (354-431AD)
Mini-Bio: Gallic; husband and father, bishop, poet

Prayer: O Mary, you are very generous with the graces entrusted to you. Grant that I may not take the graces I receive for granted but instead ever seek to cooperate with them.

Holy Quotes

You died and were born at the same time. The saving water became for you both a tomb and a mother.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386AD) on Baptism
Faith is the foretaste of that knowledge which hereafter will make us happy.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274AD) on Faith
The meek endure conflict and jealousy, rivalries that arise within families and among neighbors. They do not, however, passively accept situations of injustice. They are anything but indifferent, but they do not respond to violence with violence, to hatred with hatred.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)

Scriptures Verse-Finder

Judged according to deeds
Romans 2:5-8 - God will repay each man according to his works
2 Corinthians 11:15 - recompense accord to what one did in their body (their end will correspond to their deeds)
Colossians 3:24-25 - will receive due payment for whatever you do
1 Peter 1:17 - God judges impartially accordingly to one's works
Revelation 20:12-13 - dead judged according to their deeds

human race form a unity

A
ll people form the unity of the human race by reason of the common origin which they have from God. God has made “from one ancestor all the nations of men” (Acts 17:26). All have but one Savior and are called to share in the eternal happiness of God.

CCC #360 - 361

Quotes on Mary

S
cripture meditation: When he established the heavens I was there, when he enclosed the depths within their bounds. Proverbs 8:27

Reflection: O Mary, you possess the authority of a Mother toward God. Therefore, it is impossible for you not to be heard, for God always treats you like His true and immaculate Mother.

St. Germanus (469-576AD)
Mini-Bio: French; abbot, bishop of Paris

Prayer: O Mary, you have the ear of God because you are the Mother of God. Place before Him the needs of the whole world and keep me close to you at every moment.

Holy Quotes

I was dead, but because in baptism I died together with Christ, I received the light of life from Christ. And he who dies in Christ, being warmed by Christ, receives the breath of life and resurrection.

St. Ambrose of Milan (340-397AD) on Baptism
It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future.

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622AD) on Faith
We must be convinced of the necessity of having a living, authentic, and active faith. That is all the more true today, when we face so many difficulties. It is not enough to have a vague, weak, or uncertain faith.

Blessed Pope John XXIII (1881-1963AD)

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Scriptures Verse-Finder

Matthew 7:21 - It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 19:16-17 - to have life, keep the commandments
John 14:21 - he who keeps the commandments loves me
Romans 2:2-8 - eternal life by perseverance in good works
Galatians 5:4-6 - nothing counts but faith working through love
Ephesians 2:8-10 - we are created in Christ Jesus for good works
Philippians 2:12-13 - work out salvation with fear and trembling
James 2:14-26 - a man is justified by works and not faith alone

God create man and woman

G
od has created everything for them; but he has created them to know, serve and love God, to offer all of creation in this world in thanksgiving back to him and to be raised up to life with him in heaven. Only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of the human person come into true light. Man and woman are predestined to reproduce the image of the Son of God made Man, who is the perfect “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

CCC #358 - 359 and CCC #380 - 381

Abortion Please Raise Your Hand

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Quotes on Mary

S
cripture meditation: I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, my mercy is upon you. And I will build you up again. Jeremiah 31:3-4

Reflection: O Mother of Love, I am not surprised that the excess of your love for your poor children is so admirable. Indeed, such love forever sends into ecstasy the inhabitants of heaven.

St. John Eudes (1601-1680AD)
Mini-Bio: French; priest, missionary, founder of seminaries and of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (Eudists)

Prayer: O Mary, your love for us knows no bounds and is beyond human comprehension. Help me always to reciprocate that love and come to you with childlike confidence and gratitude.

holy quotes

B
y having the water thrice poured on us and ascending again up from the water, we enact that saving burial and resurrection which took place on the third day. We do so with this thought in our mind, that as we have power over the water, both to be in it and arise out of it, so He, too, who has the universe at His sovereign disposal, immersed Himself in death, as we in the water, to return to His own blessedness.

St. Gregory of Nyssa (330-395AD) on Baptism
I may love by halves, I may obey by halves; I cannot believe by halves: either I have faith, or I have it not.

Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890AD) on Faith
It is He, it is only He Who can quench the deep and mysterious thirst of your spirits. Jesus, Jesus; He is the light and salvation of the world and each of us.

Pope Paul VI (1897-1978AD)

man and woman as created “in the image of God

T
he human person is created in the image of God in the sense that he or she is capable of knowing and of loving their Creator in freedom. Human beings are the only creatures on earth that God has willed for their own sake and has called to share, through knowledge and love, in his own divine life. All human beings, in as much as they are created in the image of God, have the dignity of a person. A person is not something but someone, capable of self-knowledge and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with God and with other persons.

CCC #355 - 357

Benedict XVI Remembers John Paul II

D
ear Brothers and Sisters!
Four years ago, exactly today, my beloved Predecessor, the Servant of God John Paul II, ended his pilgrimage on earth, after not a brief period of great suffering. We celebrate the Holy Eucharist for the repose of his soul, while thanking the Lord for giving him to the Church for so many years as zealous and generous Pastor. His memory, which continues to be alive in people's heart, brings us together this afternoon, as demonstrated also by the uninterrupted pilgrimage of faithful to his tomb in the Vatican Grottoes. Therefore, I preside over this Mass with emotion and joy, while greeting you and thanking you for your presence, dear faithful coming from different parts of the world, especially from Poland, for such a significant event.
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John Paul II Hailed

B
enedict XVI called Pope John Paul II a "bold and daring" defender of Christ who never hesitated to spend all his energy to spread the word of God.

The Pope said this today in his homily at a Mass with the youth of the Diocese of Rome to mark the fourth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death. Held at St. Peter's Basilica, the liturgy formed be part of the World Youth Day celebrations, which this year are being observed on a diocesan level on Palm Sunday.
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Unwelcome Comparisons

Quotes on Mary

Scripture meditation: Give praise O daughter of Zion. … Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. Zephaniah 3:14

Reflection: What is the language of the Angel sent to the most pure Virgin? "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." He is a messenger of joy, and it is with joy that he opens the conversation.

St. Sophronius (634-639AD)
Mini-Bio: Syrian; patriarch of Jerusalem, monk, poet, ecclesiastical writer and central theologian for orthodox teaching

Prayer: O Mary, what joy must have been yours at the news that the Son of God would be within you! Let me rejoice too in the knowledge that I also am called to bear Jesus within me through grace.

Holy Quotes

In the bath of saving water, the fire of hell is extinguished.

St. Cyprian of Carthage (200-258AD) on Baptism
Without faith, every human labor is empty.

St. Fulgence of Ruspe (467-527AD) on Faith

Only those persons who recognize that they are sinners, in need of salvation because they cannot save themselves, only they can extend their hands to Jesus as to their Savior.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Prefigured

Genesis 14:18 - "Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High."
Genesis 22:13 - (Abraham, our Father in Faith, offers a sacrifice of ram in place of his son Isaac)
Exodus 12:1-11 - The Paschal lamb {prefiguring of the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world} Yahweh ordered a male lamb to be slain and eaten by the Jewish people to fulfill the Passover. Staying at home eating food that looked like lamb and remembering Jesus would NOT fulfill the law. You had to eat the lamb. This is a foreshadowing of receiving the Lamb of God at Holy Communion because each Mass is the Passover.

What was required Foretold

Malachi 1:11 - "they bring sacrifice to my name and a pure offering"

Instituted by Jesus

Luke 22:19 - "This is my body ... given for you; do this in memory of me."
1 Corinthians 11:25 - "this cup is the new covenant in my blood ... do this in remembrance of me."

Attested to

Acts 2:42-47 - (New believers devoted themselves to breaking of the bread)
Hebrews 13:10 - "We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat."
See also: - Matthew 26:26-27, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20, Acts 20:7-19, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 1 Corinthians 10:16-21, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 10:10

creation of the visible world

W
hat does Sacred Scripture teach about the creation of the visible world?
Through the account of the “six days” of creation Sacred Scripture teaches us the value of the created world and its purpose, namely, to praise God and to serve humanity. Every single thing owes its very existence to God from whom it receives its goodness and perfection, its proper laws and its proper place in the universe.

CCC #337 - 344

Holy Quotes

Being baptized, we are illuminated. Illuminated, we become sons. Made sons, we are made perfect. Made perfect, we are made immortal.

St. Clement of Alexandria (150-215AD) on Baptism

Someone may object that it is foolish to believe what he cannot see…. Yet life in this world would be altogether impossible if we were to believe only what we can see. How can we live without believing others? How is a man to believe that his father is So-and-so? Hence man finds it necessary to believe others in matters that he cannot know perfectly on his own.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274AD) on Faith

In a world that often reduces sex to the pursuit of pleasure, and in some cases to domination, the Church has a special mission. She is to place sex in the context of conjugal love and of generous and responsible openness to parenthood.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)

The Holy Bible alone OR The Holy Bible Plus Oral Tradition?

Matthew 23:2-3 - chair of Moses; observe whatever they tell you (Moses chair was a prefigurement of the chair of St. Peter.)
Mark 13:31 - Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words won't
Mark 16:15 - go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature
John 12:25 - not everything Jesus said was recorded in Scripture
Acts 20:35 - sayings of Jesus were not recorded in the Gospels
Romans 10:17 - faith comes from what is heard
1 Corinthians 11:2 - commends them for following Apostolic tradition
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 - being saved if you hold fast to the word I preached
2 Thessalonians 2:15 - hold fast to traditions, whether oral or by letter
2 Timothy 1:13 - follow my sound words; guard the truth
2 Timothy 2:2 - what you heard entrust to faithful men
1 Peter 1:25 - God's eternal word equals the word preached to you
2 Peter 1:20 - no prophecy is a matter of private interpretation
2 Peter 3:15-16 - Paul's letters can be difficult to grasp and interpret
St. Athanasius (360AD) - let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the Apostles, and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded; and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer ought to be called a Christian.... (Four Letters to Serapion of Thmius 1, 28)
Origen (230AD) - "The teaching of the Church has indeed been handed down through an order of succession, from the Apostles, and remains in the Churches even to the present time. That alone is to be believed as truth which is in no way in variance with ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition." (Fundamental Doctrines 1, preface, 2.)

What is the place of the human person in creation?

T
he human person is the summit of visible creation in as much as he or she is created in the image and likeness of God.

CCC #343 - 344 and CCC #353

Quotes on Mary

Scripture meditation: Wealth and honor are from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; to give honor and strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:12

Reflection: To be the Mother of God is the greatest grace that can be conferred on a creature. God could make a greater world and a greater heaven, but He cannot exalt a creature more than by making her His Mother.

St. Bonaventure (1221-1274AD)
Mini-Bio: Italian; cardinal-bishop, Franciscan minister general, philosopher, theologian, Doctor of the Church

Prayer: O Mary, you are God's masterpiece and the jewel of the human race. Let me render to you the honor you deserve and render to God thanks for the great grace bestowed on us in you.

Holy Quotes

We little fish, like our Fish, Jesus Christ, are born in water, and it is only by living in water that we are safe.

Tertullian (160-230AD) on Baptism

A faint faith is better than a strong heresy.

St. Thomas More (1478-1535AD) on Faith

Christ's love for us: behold the Eucharist! Love that gives itself, love that remains, love that communicates itself, love that multiples itself, love that sacrifices itself. The Eucharist is the love that unites us and the love that saves us.

Pope Paul VI (1897-1978AD)

Tradition Condemned?

Mark 15:3 - break commandment of God for your tradition

Commentary: - The pharisees complained that the disciples did not observe the prescribed ceremonial hand washings before, during and after the meal. These prescriptions were carefully laid down not in the Law but in the oral tradition of the "ancients" e.g. the early rabbis. Toward the end of the 2nd century they were codified in written form in the Mishnah. Such traditions were held in even higher esteem then the Law itself. Our Lord declines an aimless discussion of sophistries and sharply attacks the spirit that prompted the objection. As once before he might have denounced explicitly the legal zeal that they had suffocated charity. Instead he fights them on their own ground and shows how this blind devotion to "the tradition of the ancients" had driven them to "transgress" the law of God himself.

Mark 7:9 - set aside God's commandment, to uphold tradition

Commentary: - Jesus challenges the principle of these traditions and denounces the insincerity and hypocrisy which characterize the conduct of the Pharisees. The words in which Isaiah 29:13 denounced the insincerity of his contemporaries in their worship of God are applicable to Christ's opponents. In their eagerness to maintain traditions which had their origin in the opinions of earlier teachers, they neglected the essential obligations of God's law.

Colossians 2:6-8 - seductive philosophy according to human tradition

Commentary: - He ends the doctrinal part with an appeal for loyalty to Christ: the root of their religious life, the principle of their cohesion and progress in Christ. The time has come to confront the false teaching. Though it goes by the name of philosophy it is really a kind of bait for error -- 'an empty deceit' based on 'the traditions of men' closely allied to the '{elements or principles} of the world'. This last expression seems to note observance of days, months and years. In other words, the elements are connected with the sun and moon, or with cosmic forces generally.

1 Corinthians 11:2 - commends them for following Apostolic tradition
2 Thessalonians 2:15 - commands them to keep traditions

Commentary source: A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, copyright 1954

What kind of bond exists between created things?

T
here exist an interdependence and a hierarchy among creatures as willed by God. At the same time, there is also a unity and solidarity among creatures since all have the same Creator, are loved by him and are ordered to his glory. Respecting the laws inscribed in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is, therefore, a principle of wisdom and a foundation for morality.

CCC #342 and 354

Students Organize Prayer Rally

G
enevieve Pollock
SOUTH BEND Indiana, APRIL 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A coalition of student groups at the University of Notre Dame will hold a prayer rally to protest the school's choice to honor President Barack Obama at this year's commencement.

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Archbishop Dolan objects to Obama

Unwelcome Comparisons

Importance of Fatherhood

B
r. Daniel C. Vitz, Paul C. Vitz
Many thoughtful people today recognize that the United States — and indeed much of Western society — is in a cultural crisis. It takes little reflection to note that this crisis is centered in the family. The increase in divorce, the decrease in the number of marriages, increased numbers of cohabiting couples, plummeting birthrates, an increase in single mothers, abortion, the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples, numerous biological manipulations of maternity and paternity — all are clearly the result of a profound disorder in the understanding of the family.
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