We hear a lot these days about Catholics whose “conscience” allows them to disobey any number of Church teachings. Unfortunately, this is a very dangerous position which is totally unsupported by the teaching of the Church. Here’s my latest article for Catholic Exchange, “Letting Your Conscience Be Your Guide (What Jiminy Cricket Didn’t Tell You)”. As always, I’d love to hear your comments!
Peace,
Gary
The readings from today?s Mass (Jer 26:11-16, 24 and Mt 14:1-12) highlight a problem that?s existed from the beginning of time ? People don?t want to hear that they need to reform their lives, especially if it comes from a friend or family member! Unfortunately, our present society is full of various ?isms? (relativism, subjectivism, etc) that tell us that we are the ultimate judge of right and wrong. It is becoming a common belief that we can?t ?judge? anyone?s actions, beliefs or lifestyle. Doing so qualifies as ?intolerant? or ?judgmental?.
Here’s a very good article by Mary Kochan, the senior editor of Catholic Exchange. It addresses the concerns of a Protestant and provides a perspective that some of us Cradle Catholics don’t have. Well done, Mary!
One of the sad realities of our time is a decrease in Catholic identity. Many Catholics now view the one, true Church founded by Jesus Christ as “just one of many churches.” Unfortunately, by not recognizing the fact that the Catholic Church possesses the fullness of truth, people often leave the Church for other “churches”, thinking that there really is no difference. This article is my attempt to point out some basic Catholic teachings that are not known by most Catholics. Thanks to God’s providence, this piece has been getting a lot of publicity and I’ll be speaking about it on several national radio shows in the next few weeks. Whether you are Catholic or not, I ask you to please read it with an open mind and I encourage you to research these items further. By doing so, I think that you will come to the same conclusion that I’ve reached: In the Catholic Church, we’ve discovered the “pearl of great price”!
One of the best ways to learn about the early Church is by studying the writings of the early Church leaders and teachers. These individuals, known as the Church Fathers, lived during the period from the middle of the first century to the middle of the eighth century. While there are some variations depending on which list one consults, the generally accepted number of Church Fathers is around one hundred.
Some of the more famous Fathers of the Church are St. Justin, St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great. One of the more striking writings from the Fathers is St. Justin?s description of the Mass. Written in the mid 2nd century, Justin describes the celebration that takes place on the Lord?s Day. It is almost impossible to miss the similarities to today?s celebration of the Holy Mass. Many Protestants who have converted to Catholicism credit their decision to the writings of the Church Fathers. Studying the writings of the early Christians has convinced many non-Catholic Christians that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church that was founded by Jesus Christ.
Author Mike Aquilina writes in a very readable style and offers a short chapter on several of the Church Fathers. He also includes brief samples of their writings which provide further insights into their beliefs. I strongly recommend this book as an introduction to these early Christians who can teach us so much about the Catholic Faith!
(This review was written as part of the Catholic Book Reviewer program for The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Fathers Of The Church.)
Ordinarily when we think of Saint Thomas, it?s not in a positive way. Often referred to as the original ?Doubting Thomas?, this Apostle was known for refusing to believe in Our Lord?s resurrection until he saw Jesus with his own eyes. However, there are some positive things that we can glean from Thomas? experiences. Let?s take a look at what some very knowledgeable individuals have to say. After doing so, you may see Thomas in a different light.
Thomas is primarily known for two incidents. In John 14:5, he asks Jesus, ?Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?? This gives the Lord the opportunity to respond, ?I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.? While our first reaction is usually to criticize Thomas for being so unaware, Pope Benedict XVI observes that ?his words provide Jesus with the opportunity to make His famous definition. Every time we hear or read these words, we can stand beside Thomas in spirit and imagine that the Lord is also speaking to us, just as he spoke to him?At the same time, his (Thomas?) question also confers upon us the right, so to speak, to ask Jesus for explanations. We do not often understand Him. Let us be brave enough to say: ?I do not understand you, Lord; listen to me, help me to understand.??
The more famous of Thomas? encounters with Jesus occurs in John 20:26-31. Instead of taking the ?usual? approach and criticizing Thomas for his apparent lack of faith, let?s look at the writings of two Saints and Doctors of the Church. In referring to Thomas? profession of ?My Lord and My God!?, Saint Augustine observed that Thomas ?saw and touched the man, and acknowledged the God whom he neither saw nor touched; but by means of what he saw and touched, he now put far away from him every doubt, and believed the other.? Saint Gregory the Great summarized the same idea in a more succinct way when he stated that ?Thomas saw one thing, but believed another. It is certain that mortal man cannot see divinity; therefore, he saw the man and recognized Him as God. In conclusion: seeing, he believed, because contemplating that real man he exclaimed that He was God.? In other words, Thomas had the faith to believe in the divinity of Jesus, even though He looked like a man!
After examining the evidence, I hope that you will agree that Saint Thomas did have faith. He also cared enough about following the Lord, that he asked questions when he didn?t understand. This is a good example for each of us. There are many things that we don?t understand about the Faith and about events that take place in our lives. Instead of disobeying the Church or getting angry at God, why not ask Him for enlightenment? There is no guarantee that the Lord will make everything clear to us, so we should also ask for an increased faith. This will enable us to trust Him more, even if we don?t understand all of the details. Then, like Saint Thomas, we will be able to proclaim our trust and belief with a strong voice:
?My Lord and My God!?
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It is a day for us to reflect on the mystery of the three Persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We profess our belief in this Divine Mystery whenever we make the sign of the cross. Unfortunately, we often dismiss the action of blessing ourselves as just another ?thing that Catholics do?. As Father Domenic Mary stated in his homily on EWTN this morning, making the sign of the cross is actually an indulgenced act. The Church teaches that when we devoutly make the sign of the cross while saying ?In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.?, we can obtain a partial indulgence. This means that some of the temporal punishment due to our forgiven sins can be remitted. To put it simpler, we are able to shorten the time we spend in purgatory.
While the concept of indulgences is largely misunderstood by non-Catholics and Catholics alike, it is a tremendous gift given to us by Our Lord thru His Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ?An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.? (CCC 1471)
As mentioned above, this indulgence can be applied to our own souls or given to a deceased individual. What better gift could we give to a deceased family member or friend? Keep this in mind the next time you bless yourself and also, don’t forget to give praise and glory to the Most Holy Trinity!
I?m sure that some of you may have noticed that I?ve been absent from some of my evangelization activities lately. No weekly radio show (although it still airs in reruns), no Following The Truth newsletter, no articles for Catholic Exchange or appearances on the Son Rise Morning Show, and very few blog entries. Is everything ok?
Well, I?m happy to report that everything is fine and that I?m just taking a break from some of my more public efforts. I?m actually doing what the Lord wants right now and enjoying it. Some of you may be aware that my Catholic evangelization efforts are not what I use to support my family. In other words, I have a day job. At one time, I hoped that I would be able to support my family through full time Catholic evangelization, but that?s just not practical at this time. Instead, the Lord has recently provided me with a new position in my current company. It is a job that requires a lot of thought and effort, but still allows me to work a normal work week and attend Mass every morning. There is a lot of information to be absorbed and it leaves me little time for writing and radio appearances. Instead, the new job affords me the opportunity to offer up my daily work to the Lord, bring the values and teachings of my Catholic Faith into the workplace, provide for my family and spend quality time with them each evening. And the beautiful thing about it is that this is what God wants me to do for the time being. It is also what He asks for the vast majority of you as well. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that the road to our sanctification is most often found in the ordinary activities of daily life.
In meantime, I?ll still be blogging from time to time and putting some short thoughts on Twitter and Facebook. My website (https://followingthetruth.com) is still active and contains lots of good resources about the Catholic Faith. I also hope to write some articles soon and may just turn up on EWTN?s Son Rise Morning Show in the future. I still feel called to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ as contained in His Catholic Church, so I?m sure that this is not the ?end of the road? for Following The Truth Ministries. Please feel free to email me at thecatholictruth@yahoo.com with any comments or questions. I ask for your continued prayers and will remember you in mine as well.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary
I?m sure that Mother?s Day can be difficult for priests and deacons. After all, the homily is supposed to be about the scriptures, but people at least expect an acknowledgement of the noble vocation of motherhood. Is it possible to combine the two? I believe that it is?Here?s what I got while listening to today?s readings:
First
?It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right.
What we see in this reading is the first Church Council in which some controversial questions were handled authoritatively by the Apostles. Note that they claim the decision is made by the Holy Spirit, who was promised by Our Lord to infallibly guide the Church. It is that same Holy Spirit who ensures that the Magisterium of the Church can teach without error in 2010.
Second
Jesus built His Catholic Church on the foundation of the Apostles, with Peter as the head. Their successors, the modern day bishops, along with Pope Benedict XVI still possess this authority today.
Gospel (Jn
Jesus said to his disciples: ?Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. ?I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.
If we want to love Jesus, we must follow His commands. How do we follow His commands? By listening to the teachings of His infallible Catholic Church. It really is simple, but so many people try to overcomplicate it.
That?s great, you say, but what does any of this have to do with Mother?s Day? Actually, that is quite simple also. The greatest example of motherhood and apostleship ever seen was provided by Our Blessed Mother, Mary. Not only is she the model mother, but she is the model Christian. If we strive to imitate her, we should be in good shape.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for our mothers and for us all!
A quick search on the Internet or in the dictionary will yield several definitions of the word ?believe?. Depending on the source, ?believe? means ?Accept as true, be confident about something, follow a credo, have a faith, credit with veracity, etc.?
While the word ?believe? can be used in a secular sense, it is an essential part of being a Christian. In fact, Our Lord mentions the importance of ?believing in Him? several times in Chapter 6 of John?s Gospel:
Jesus said to the crowds, ?I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.? ?For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.? Jesus said to them, ?I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.? Jesus answered and said to them, ?This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.?
What does it mean to ?believe? in Jesus? Does it mean to simply acknowledge that He exists? With that logic, Satan and Judas could be called ?believers?. Therefore, what does it REALLY mean to believe in Christ? To use the secular definitions as stated above, if we truly ?believe? in Jesus shouldn?t we accept Him, be confident in Him, have faith in Him and credit Him as being true? Therefore, we should be willing to accept all of His promises AND His teachings, shouldn?t we? Let?s ask ourselves today if we truly believe in Christ and in ALL of the teachings of the Church that He founded. While it?s easy to ?say? that we believe, living it is much more difficult. But when you consider that the reward is eternal life, it makes all the difficulty worthwhile!
