Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. Born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195, Ferdinand de Bulhoes joined the Regular Canons of St. Augustine at the age of 15. He was transferred to the monastery at Coimbra two years later where he devoted himself to prayer and became a learned scholar of the Bible. In 1220, an experience with the relics of Franciscan martyrs caused Ferdinand (now known as Anthony) to request admission to the Franciscan order. His preaching led him to Morocco and then to Italy , where he would spend the remainder of his life. Anthony was known as a gifted preacher and called upon to teach theology to his fellow Franciscans. He drew great crowds in Italy , but his greatest success was in Padua . During his life, he performed many miracles including bilocation (appearing in 2 places at the same time) and reattaching an amputated foot. Anthony died on June 13, 1231 at the age of 36. He was canonized a Saint in 1232 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1946 by Pope Pius XII. While sometimes reduced to being the ?finder of lost objects?, St. Anthony?s desire to teach the truths of the Catholic Faith should inspire us to proclaim the teachings of the Church for all to hear.

I was reading an article in a diocesan newspaper about the ordination of new priests when I came upon a troubling quote. In reference to his deceased father, one of the newly ordained priests stated, ?I believe my father is now in heaven with my mother?. That quote would be concerning enough if it came from a lay Catholic, but the fact that it came from a priest makes it worse. When I read this, I got the same feeling that I get when I see a Catholic Mass Card containing the ?Safely Home? poem (the one that begins with ?I am home in Heaven, dear ones??). You may be wondering why I?m making such a big deal of this. It?s not like they are denying the existence of purgatory, is it?

Even if we give everyone the benefit of the doubt and attribute this to just being careless with their words (as opposed to not understanding the dogma of purgatory), this kind of talk discourages people from praying for the dead. I don?t know about you, but when I die I don?t want people assuming that I?m in Heaven (not that it?s likely to happen!) . Instead, I want people to be praying for my soul! If they want to assume anything, let them assume I?m in purgatory.

We need to remember that, other than canonized Saints, the Church has not declared that any humans are in Heaven. Conversely, she also has not declared that anyone is in Hell (including mass murderers, abortionists, terrorists, child abusers, etc.). Praying for the souls of all the deceased is still one of the Spiritual Acts of Mercy.

Why not take this opportunity to ask The Lord to have mercy on the souls of your deceased relatives and friends? While you?re at it, say a few extra prayers for all of the deceased murderers, criminals and terrorists that come to mind?

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

When one begins to study the Catholic Faith in depth, it is only natural that we learn more about the Mass (and rightfully so!). If we base our research on approved Church sources, we will eventually discover that there is an approved way to say Mass. We discover such documents as The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (aka ?The GIRM?) and the Code of Canon Law. As our zeal for the Church begins to grow, we may notice that our parish priest may be celebrating Mass ?differently?. He may be changing the words or omitting various parts of the Mass. We wonder?is this ok?

We decide to search the Internet to determine if these changes are acceptable. We find Church documents and message boards that confirm our suspicion ?This is indeed a violation! Each time we attend Mass we start to analyze the priest?s every word and move. Our anger grows and we plan to print out the applicable copies of the GIRM and Canon Law and confront Father after Mass. We know that we?re right and we?re prepared to show him!

Before you do that, read this terrific blog entry by Fr. Philip Neri Powell. While I don?t know if I would draw out the process as far as he suggests, I do know that pride can be a serious problem in cases such as this. Sometimes we get so caught up in proving that we?re right that we forget what really takes place at Mass!

While there are cases of abuse that should be pursued, there is a “correct” way to proceed. This article offers some excellent advice…

http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2009/06/liturgical-abuse-what-to-do-about-it.html

We finally took the plunge and created a Facebook group for The Catholic Truth. Click here to become a follower. I’ve uploaded the live blog feed and I’ll be adding more events, links and message boards in the future. Please spread the word and keep us in your prayers as we attempt to “Share the Good News” with an even larger audience!

Spirit & Life (Essays on Interpreting The Bible In Ordinary Time) is the latest work from noted Catholic author Scott Hahn. It is a collection of 9 essays and addresses that instruct readers on how to ?read the Bible from the heart of the Church.? Hahn asserts that, in the early Church, the Bible was considered a liturgical book. Therefore, it is only logical that it is best understood in the context of the Mass.

Followers of Dr. Hahn?s works have come to expect a plethora of ?eye-opening? revelations and insights and this book is no exception. Some of his thoughts provoking observations are as follows:

John?s Book of Revelation is a liturgical book and was meant to be read in the liturgy ?most likely in the celebration of the Eucharist on the Lord?s day?.

Christ?s offering on the cross is ?the worship expected originally of Adam and again of Israel as God?s firstborn, royal and priestly people?.

The canon of Scripture was established for use in the liturgy and therefore it ?follows that we must engage Scripture liturgically if we are to interpret these texts according to the authors? original intentions and the life-situation of the believing community in which the texts were handed on.?

The parousia (second coming of Jesus) ?was anticipated and in some way experienced in every celebration of the Eucharist.?

In the book?s preface, Dr Hahn expresses a desire that his readers are ?stretched? by the material. In my opinion, this book certainly fulfills that goal. While I wouldn?t recommend it for someone who is just beginning their study of the Catholic faith, it would be excellent for one who is looking to deepen their understanding of the Bible and how it relates to the Mass. Reading these essays about Scripture and liturgy helps remind us that the Bible is truly a Catholic book!

(This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Spirit and Life.)

In the First Reading from today?s Mass, the archangel Raphael has a powerful message about the importance of giving to the poor:

Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life; but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies. (Tobit 12:8-10)

Kind of hard to ignore one of God?s messengers, isn?t it? Here are a few good charities that are endorsed by The Catholic Truth (along with links to their websites). Please consider sending a contribution to one or more of them (or any charity of your choice), remembering the words of the archangel Raphael above. The economic downturn has adversely affected many of these charitable organizations and need your contributions more than ever.

Food For The Poor

Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA)

Catholic Relief Service

Catholic Charities

Guest House

Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Good Counsel Homes

Catholic Answers

EWTN

Thank you for your generosity!

During today?s visit to the Buchenwald concentration camp, President Barack Obama had this to say:

?Buchenwald teaches us that we must be ever-vigilant about the spread of evil in our own time, that we must reject the false comfort that others’ suffering is not our problem, and commit ourselves to resisting those who would subjugate others to serve their own interests.?

According to the Associated Press, ?Obama says the victims and the perpetrators of the camp alike were humans and everyone must stand guard against a repeat. ?

Statistics indicate that 42 million babies are murdered each year by abortion, with 1.37 million of those occurring in the U.S. I find it interesting that the man who uttered those poetic and righteous words about the Holocaust?

Opposed the born-alive treatment law (Oct 2008)

Supports Roe v. Wade. (Jul 1998)

Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance. (Dec 2006)

I urge any Catholic who continues to support Obama to stop listening to his words and look instead at his record? It isn?t a pretty picture and it?s not getting any better. Since becoming president, his total support for abortion continues (http://www.lifenews.com/obamaabortionrecord.html).

It is up to us to speak out against this modern day holocaust and assist our most vulnerable brothers and sisters by voting pro-life whenever we have the opportunity. It truly is a matter of ?life and death?.

One of the God’s greatest gifts is the Sacrament of Confession. Unfortunately, many Catholics no longer take advantage of this awesome Sacrament. Here?s a great blog entry by Fr. Philip Neri Powell that really ?tells it like it is?!

http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2009/06/but-god-loves-me-anyway-right.html

I was away for a few days when I heard of the murder of noted abortionist, Dr. George Tiller. Two thoughts immediately came to mind:

1. This is a reprehensible act and is in no way justifiable. Despite his record of performing late term abortions, the violent murder of this man is every bit as bad as the abortions that we speak out against.

2. The pro-life movement is going to be blamed for this and there will be a push to soften the language used to describe abortion.

While we must condemn any murder, whether it involves an abortionist or an unborn child, we cannot stop proclaiming the truth about abortion. Abortion is murder and every day babies are being legally slaughtered in their mothers? wombs. We cannot give into the pressure and euphemize this violent act. It is murder and it is wrong. The fact that this man was killed by an unbalanced individual does not change anything.

I also ask that you say a prayer for the soul of Dr. Tiller. As hard as it is to imagine, this Church-going Lutheran somehow felt justified in murdering late-term babies on a regular basis. While abortion at any stage is wrong, it takes a special callousness to be able to murder a late term infant. As Catholics, we understand the importance of praying for the dead. Dr. Tiller?s fellow Lutherans do not believe in that practice, so he is missing out on much needed prayers. We need to fight the urge to condemn him for his actions. Instead we must ask The Lord to have mercy on his soul. That is what Jesus would want.