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Did You Know? Understanding Catholicism
Catholic News Commentary on happenings in the Church,
including newly released documents.
Did You Know? Understanding Catholicism
June 6, 2008
Why does the Church exist?
"She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious resurrection." Evangelii Nuntiandi, Apostolic Exhortation of His Holiness Pope Paul VI
May 17, 2008
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1868) we may cooperate in the sins of others in the following ways:
--by participating directly and voluntarily in them.
--by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them,
--by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obgliation to do so,
--by protecting evil-doers.
Spend a little time now during Holy Week and reflect on areas where you may be denying your participation in sin. These are sort of sneaky and easily hidden by our self-deception.
If something comes to surface that you did not see before, thank God for the humility you have been given in acknowledging it, seek a good confession, and commit yourself to turning away from it.
Oh, and have a Happy St. Patricks Day!
January 28, 2008
In January 29th's Gospel from Mark, Chapter 3, Verse 31, Jesus has a crowd seated around him and he is told that "Your mother and your brothers [and your sisters] are outside asking for you." Some people might assume that this means that Jesus had brothers and sisters as we think of siblings today, but in the Semitic use of the term, it would reference nieces, nephews and so forth. Therefore, this language is not an indication that Jesus had siblings.
Whenever we read and/or study scripture, we MUST be certain to consider the context of the time in which it was written, the audience it was written for, and its original intention. Be careful not to put your 21st century interpretations on 1st century writers!
January 13, 2008
In Pope Benedict's encyclical Spe Salvi, released November, 2007, he has a section entitled Prayer as a school of hope. He reminds us that when we feel like we are alone, we can always talk to God.
He also describes prayer through the eyes of St. Augustine, who defined prayer "as an exercise of desire." The part I particularly like is his discussion on prayer . . .
"We must learn that we cannot pray against others. We must learn that we cannot ask for the superficial and comfortable things that we desire at this moment--that meagre, misplaced hope that leads us away from God. We must learn to purify our desires and our hopes."
Amazing! Have you ever considered that prayer's purpose isn't to ask for "superficial and comfortable things?" Pope Benedict's thoughts on prayer force us to rethink our traditional ideas about prayer and expand ourselves through an "inner purification" so that we can open up to God and others.
Read more about it under Paragraph 33 in his letter. The link can be found under Reading Suggestions on this site.
December 3, 2007
Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. Advent begins four weeks before Christmas and is a time set aside to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. It is not a Holiday Shopping Season. It is not Christmas, either.
During Advent, it is a good idea to set out a table arrangement that has four candles on it--three purple and one pink (symbolic of joy). Each week you may want to set aside a time on Sunday to light your Advent wreath, sing a song and say some prayers together as a family.
We have done this for many years and it truly helps us stay focused on Jesus. While you are adding a new tradition to your family celebration, you may want to consider different ways you can make Christmas come alive for you and less stressful. I encourage you to begin by reducing--yes, I said reducing--the amount you spend and the number of gifts (or the extravagance of the gifts) you buy. Reduce the amount of time you spend fretting over the gifts as well!
To get a better handle on our gift-giving practices is to allow more time for personal, or private, preparation through prayer and meditation. Your entire family will benefit from this change, but it will take a bit of strength to resist the temptation to buy, because that draw is so strong at this time of year.
I encourage you to pray about how your preparation for Christmas during this holy season of Advent can be improved.
November 14, 2007
Did you know that purgatory is still Catholic doctrine? But what is purgatory and where did the understanding come from?
After we die, there is a particular judgment on our immortal soul. It is actually a judgment we make ourselves based on the merits of our life. If we go to purgatory, we know that we will one day enter eternal life with God, as opposed to eternal damnation, known as Hell.
It was recently explained to me that purgatory is like a ball getting thrown through a window. You may be sorry for the damage, but if you look around you, there is still glass all over the ground that needs to be cleaned up. Purgatory is just such a cleaning.
We also understand that the souls in purgatory can no longer pray for themselves, that their time of merit is over. But we, still living, can pray for them and make sacrifices on their behalf. We should also pray to them, because along with the Blessed Mother, their prayers are very powerful.
Think of it this way. The souls in purgatory are fully aware now of why they attained purgatory instead of Heaven. They will want to help us while there is still time.
A good reflection on final damnation and eternal life comes through scripture, with a primary example being given in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16, Verses 19-31.
There are other scripture references, as well as statements about purgatory defined by the Councils of Florence and Trent. A good study of purgatory will raise your awareness of the necessity of following the example of Christ in this life and helping those who have gone before us.
September 27, 2007
About the Catechism of the Catholic Church . . .
Pope John Paul II (before he was elected Pope) participated in the Ecumenical Council called Vatican II, or the Second Vatican Council. The council assembled from 1962-1965 and produced many documents. On the 20th anniversary of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II commissioned the writing of the Catechism, which is in use today.
The Catechism should be used as a reference point for all Catholics, especially those who teach.
Pope John XXIII was responsible for calling the council, and he had this to say about his hope for the fruits (the good things) that would come from it, in Journal of a Soul, The Autobiography of Pope John XXIII . . .
In his prayer on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, specifically the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, he said:
"The Council must succeed in being a new Pentecost of faith, of the apostolate, of extraordinary graces for the welfare of men, and the peace of the world."
Can you imagine that on October 28, 1958, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli became Pope John XXIII and just three short months later on January 25, 1959 he announced the holding of the Council?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church can be found online at:
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/ccc.html
Read through the Documents of Vatican II at:
http://www.rc.net/rcchurch/vatican2/
On
Unfortunately, the attention given it by the public in general, and the media in particular, has wrongly placed an emphasis on what divides, rather than what unites, members of the People of God. Whereas the document itself states, "It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them."
We find further positive recognition of the significant value of those communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, in the following portion of the document, where the choice of the word "defect" has been given great attention, perhaps subtracting from the unifying message:
"It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."
The bottom line is is this: If the Catholic Church and various others are to have a genuinely open, honest dialogue with each other, it would serve no purpose for the Catholic Church to pretend that all churches hold the fullness of the faith. It is the Catholic Church's teaching that, as the document states: "According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absense of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called 'Churches' in the proper sense."
(Review the document at: http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=80675)
God bless,
Janet
Catholic News:
April 22, 2008
The Pope in America! Isn't that wonderful? I think anytime our Holy Father's name is a prominent news story, that is a good thing! Although I do not have, nor watch, EWTN, I tried to listen on the radio or read whatever I could get my hands on.
I hope that you, too, paid attention because a visit by the Holy Father is an important event. Much of the news coverage sought to find a story to uncover--such as he was coming to save us awful Catholics of the U.S., but they missed the bigger story--in our presence was the Vicar of Christ.
His work is to unify the People of God, to bring Christ's love and healing, and to continue to spread the Word that salvation comes through Jesus Christ.
Funny, but I don't remember reading a lot about that!
When you think about it, how many times would you say you heard or read the name Jesus Christ, during the Pope's visit? We heard a great deal about his concern over the sexual abuse, a discussion of peace and so forth (both important, of course), but who printed the message that Jesus saves?
As Catholics today, it is very important that we are not just nice people, but that we bring the name of Jesus into the public square. Do not be afraid to speak of your love of God to your co-workers, your family and friends. Let Jesus name be proclaimed everywhere!
December 6, 2007
On November 30, 2007 Pope Benedict VI released his 2nd Encyclical Spe Salvi. You can read the full text by clicking on the underlined title.
November 19, 2007
I was reading am interview with Cardinal Peter Turkson, of Ghana in the National Catholic Register about the state of Catholicism in Africa. I read one of THE BEST comments I have ever heard about the priests and bishops of our beloved church.
Cardinal Turkson was asked about his hopes for the Bishops synod on the Bible planned for next year . . .he said:
"We priests and bishops need to recognize that many of us are products of notional Christianity. Quite a sizable number entered seminary, received formation and got ordained, but might not have experienced any personal conversion. When that is the case, we are missing something that is very basic for the life of a Christian."
I cannot put enough exclamation points on his comment! I was unclear whether he was speaking primarily of African priests and bishops, but this is universally true. I think one of the things I have noticed in particular, is exactly what he mentioned . . .some of our priests--perhaps many--may not have experienced a personal conversion. For anyone who has, it is very easy to see this, because there lacks a personal, passionate on-your-sleeve expression of our living faith.
When personal conversions within our episcopate increase, there will not only be more vocations to the priesthood, but a lessening of an exodus out of the church and an increase in those being drawn to it.
God bless him for being so forthright.
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I just heard on Ave Maria Radio about a movie that will be released December 7th. According to the Catholic League, this movie--The Golden Compass--is based on a trilogy of books called His Dark Materials by atheist author Philip Pullman. The Catholic League is launching a media campaign to let parents know that the movie has been watered down to attract children to the books. The books, apparently, are very anti-Catholic with a theme about the Death of God. The Catholic League reports that the movie doesn't appear anti-Catholic because there is an attempt to hide the true agenda--indoctrinating kids into atheism through the books.
I encourage you to watch out for this and look into it for yourself. If you are interested in purchasing a book sold by the Catholic League about the hidden agenda ($5) to help you to become better informed, you may go to their website at:
http://catholicleague.org/catalyst.php?year=2007&month=October&read=2322
