One of the difficult realities about this life is that some people are considered ?more important? than others. Celebrities make more money and achieve greater fame than the average individual. Donald Trump doesn?t have to worry if he has enough money to heat his house in the winter. Paris Hilton doesn?t need to get a part-time job to make ends meet. Barack Obama wouldn?t be required to wait in long lines if he took his family to Disney World. Jon and Kate Gosselin have received many ?freebies? for their family, simply because they?re famous.

Fortunately, the Kingdom of God doesn?t work this way. You and I, the homeless man, the unborn child, the elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer?s disease, the prisoner on death row, Pope Benedict XVI, Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Barack Obama and the Gosselins are all equal in God?s eyes.

While it may be impossible for me to speak with Donald Trump or Paris Hilton, I know that I can speak directly to Our Lord and Savior at any moment of the day, no matter where I may be. He always has time for me. Furthermore, I know that, as a Catholic, I can receive His actual Body in the Holy Eucharist on a daily basis!

I don?t know about you, but I find that very comforting.

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of The Birth of St. John The Baptist. One of his best known scriptural quotes offers great advice on how we should live our lives:

He must increase, but I must decrease (Jn 3:30)

It sounds simple, but how do we let Christ?s presence increase in our lives? A good way to start is to ask for His help. I?ve always loved the following prayer:

The Jesus Prayer – (St. John Gabriel Perboyre, CM)

The Catholic Church teaches that all baptized Christians share in the ?common? priesthood of Christ. Although not as formal as the ?ministerial? priesthood, which is limited to men who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, both priesthoods involve offering sacrifices to God The Father. As members of God?s priestly people, the laity are able to offer their daily activities as a spiritual offering. One of the simplest and most effective ways to accomplish this is by praying The Morning Offering upon waking:

O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Amen.

This simple prayer turns your entire day into a sacrificial offering to God The Father and unites it with the priestly sacrifice of His Son.

Pretty cool, isn’t it?

One of the things that we can always count on is the mainstream media?s desire to link the sexual misdeeds of any Catholic priest to the Church?s policy of mandatory celibacy. This week?s issue of Time magazine features an article entitled, ?Sex and the Priestly: Father Cutie Renews Celibacy Debate? (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1906063,00.html) which essentially blames the recent exploits of Father Alberto Cutie (who married his lover and joined the Episcopal church) and former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland (who published a memoir admitting to a secret life as a gay man) on the discipline of celibacy. When discussing the shortage of priests in the United States, the article states, ?But advocates of celibacy reform say there is a better solution: ditch the 900-year-old church law prohibiting priests from marrying or being sexually active.?

I am confused as to how the elimination of celibacy would have helped either one of these individuals. Both of these men disregarded the promise of chastity made at their ordination and engaged in romantic affairs. After hiding his love affair for two years, Fr. Cutie decided to ?come clean? only when caught by a photographer. He also decided that he no longer believed in the one, true Catholic Church founded by Christ and decided to become an Episcopalian. In an interview with the New York Times, Archbishop Weakland has admitted to multiple homosexual affairs and publicly questioned Church teaching on homosexuality. It doesn?t take a theologian to see that there are are greater issues here than a lack of chastity. Their clandestine behavior is indicative of a lack of spirituality in their lives. If the Church eliminates celibacy, should she also make marital infidelity, homosexuality, and lying morally permissible? Do we keep modifying the commandments so that sin becomes impossible or do we encourage our priests (and all of us) to become more Christ-like?

Rather than blame the gift of celibacy, we should instead blame our fallen human nature. Both of these men did the wrong thing and I don?t think they would deny it. The vast majority of our priests live out their promise of celibacy with honor. Unfortunately, the ones who fail get the publicity. In declaring ?The Year of The Priesthood? on June 19, Pope Benedict XVI summed it up perfectly when he stated, ?The Church needs holy priests ?[It needs] ministers to help the faithful experience the merciful love of the Lord and to be convinced witnesses.?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16)

Today in the United States we celebrate Father?s Day. It is a day set aside to honor the vocation of fatherhood. While it is fitting to honor all earthly fathers, it is even more appropriate to reflect on the love of our Heavenly Father. He allowed His only Son to die so that we may live. Thank you, Father, for that priceless expression of your love.

Today?s liturgical celebration dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of God?s love, for which man yearns intensely. It shows us that the practical response to this love is the keeping of God?s commandments in our daily lives. God does not intend that they should grow dim in our memory but that they should remain forever impressed on people?s consciences so that, knowing and keeping the commandments, they ?might have eternal life?.

– Pope John Paul II; Address at Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from June 6, 1999

Today, as we celebrate the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the words of our late Holy Father still apply. Are we responding to Our Lord?s love by obeying His commandments? If you?re like me, there are areas that need improvement. Today would be a good day to reflect on those areas and devise a plan to correct them.

Read the full text of Pope John Paul II?s address at: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_06061999_elblag_en.html

Imagine a world:

– Without the Holy Mass?

– Without Eucharistic Adoration?

– Without the ability to receive forgiveness in Confession?

– Without an increase of the Holy Spirit?s gifts received in Confirmation?

– Without the Sacrament of the Sick?

– Without a Pope to teach infallibly in the name of Jesus?

– Without ever being able to experience the Real Presence of Jesus?

That?s what life would be like without the priesthood. Tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI will declare the opening of The Year of The Priest. Let?s take a minute to thank God for the priesthood and to remember these men in our prayers.

?I?m a Catholic and I feel that artificial birth control is acceptable??
?My priest told me that there is no purgatory??
?I don?t have a problem voting for a pro-abortion candidate??
?I don?t feel that I need to confess my sins to a priest??

Sound familiar? It?s an unfortunate fact that many Catholics reinvent the Faith in order to suit their personal beliefs. Sadly, we sometimes see this kind of erroneous teaching even in Catholic schools and churches. In an article originally published in the January 2006 issue of Crisis magazine, Archbishop Charles Chaput addressed this topic with some profound words:

Too many times over the past four decades, people have claimed to be the Church or to speak as the voice of the faithful and then acted or taught in ways that seemed to oppose what the Church actually believes. When people say, “We are the Church,” of course that’s true. We’re all the Church, because the Church is the community of the faithful. But a “community of the faithful” implies that there’s someone and something we have the duty to be faithful to. We don’t invent the Catholic Faith, nor do we own it. We receive it; we live it in community; we witness it to others; and we pass it on fully — if we’re good stewards — to our children. That’s what life in the Church means. And that’s why it’s worth reflecting on the content of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

As Catholics, we are expected to share our Faith with others. However, it is important that we get our facts straight in order to share the true teachings of the Church. As Archbishop Chaput states, ?we didn?t invent the Catholic Faith?. It?s better to say, ?I don?t know, but I?ll get back to you? than to guess at an answer. A quick Google search or paying a visit to a loyal Catholic website (shameless plug time?like The Catholic Truth!) can prevent errors from being taught. We are blessed with a body of teaching that has been passed down directly from Our Lord to His Apostles and their successors. We have a responsibility to ?get it right?!

Read the Archbishop?s full article at: http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6215&Itemid=100

I mentioned something a few days ago in the blog, but now it’s “really” official. The Catholic Truth is now on Facebook. Here’s the press release from Catholic Online (http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=7027)

The Catholic Truth Is Now On Facebook

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

Cinnaminson, New Jersey (June 15, 2009) ? The Catholic Truth lay apostolate is excited to announce that they have established a fan page on the social networking site, Facebook. This page can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Catholic-Truth/86942558870 and contains many of the features that users have come to enjoy on The Catholic Truth website (http://www.thecatholictruth.info).

Additionally, the Facebook page includes an online copy of the apostolate?s monthly email newsletter, their live blog feed, video selections, recommended Catholic Internet links, prayer requests and more.

Expanding their operations into this new area is another example of how the modern day Catholic apostolate can use technology to their advantage. ?In the eight months that The Catholic Truth has been in existence, the Holy Spirit has taken us to places I would not have thought possible. If someone would have told me that our apostolate would reach thousands of people in over 80 countries, have a website and daily blog which was endorsed by several national Catholic organizations , an email newsletter and appear on Facebook , I would have thought they were dreaming!?, states Gary Zimak, the founder of The Catholic Truth. ?Looking back on the events of the past few months?, he continues, ?illustrates what can happen when you trust in The Lord?s providence. Expanding our outreach to Facebook provides a whole new audience of individuals hungry for Catholic teaching. It also allows us to connect with our members on a more personal level?

About The Catholic Truth:
The Catholic Truth lay apostolate was founded in November 2008 to help Catholics learn more about their Faith. Their services are provided totally free of charge over the Internet. A daily blog, monthly newsletter and their 10-step plan to bring you closer to Christ are all accessible from their website (www.thecatholictruth.info ). They can also be reached via email at thecatholictruth@yahoo.com.