Today?s Philadelphia Inquirer features yet another story of some people who just don?t get what it means to be followers of Christ. Today two women are pretending that they are becoming priests in a ceremony presided over by another woman pretending to be a bishop. Stories like this drive me crazy because these people (and it?s not just women, believe me) are rejecting their vocations as lay people and wanting to do something they aren?t called to do.

What these ladies are failing to see is that the Church founded by Christ is guided by the Holy Spirit and given full authority to decide the rules for who can become priests. By their outright rejection of this authority, they are literally spitting in the face of Jesus and thumbing their nose at the authority of the Church that they claim to follow. If they would take the time to study the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially those emanating from Vatican II, they might understand the importance of the laity to the mission of Christ. They might also see that they, and all baptized Christians, are already priests by their sharing in the Jesus? threefold role as Priest, Prophet and King (Catechism of The Catholic Church para. 871). However, as with all the laity, they are called to perform this role in the home and in the workplace ; a place where ordained priests are not able to go. Their ignorance and stubbornness is actually depriving the people around them of the ministry that is rightfully theirs to give. Way to go ladies!

If it sounds like I?m angry at this story, you are correct. I?m angry that they are making a mockery of The Faith that means everything to me. I?m angry that these people and many others view The Church as some sort of a business, which it is not. The fact that women will never be priests (and they won?t because it was infallibly proclaimed numerous times; most recently by Pope John Paul II in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis) doesn?t mean that women are inferior to men. It just means that they have different roles to play.

If these ladies, and others who rebel at other Church teachings such as celibacy and artificial birth control, really want to follow Christ they would do well to recall His example of humility and obedience. He was God, but He volunteered to do a very lowly and painful job, the redemption of sinners like you and me. These priestly ?wannabees? and everyone else who wants to be their own Pope should listen to the words of St. Paul as he urges all Christians to imitate the humility of Christ.

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:5-11)

Read the full story here.

Today I had the pleasure of participating in a fundraising activity sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. I helped to collect money outside of a supermarket that will be used to help mentally handicapped children. While doing this, I couldn?t help but reflect on a few things?

I found it refreshing that people are so generous, even though we are living in economically uncertain times. One person who particularly impressed me was a young man whose job was to return shopping carts left in the parking lot. He was about 16 years old and came over and gave me some money. We talked a bit as he purchased a bottle of water from the vending machine next to where I was standing. He then took his change and deposited it into my container. It was very refreshing to see a young person be so charitable, not just once but twice! That was probably a lot of money to him and I?m sure that God was very pleased with his generosity.

I was also proud to be a third degree member of the Knights of Columbus. They do so many things to help the Church and people in need. I strongly encourage all Catholic men to join this great organization. Visit their website at http://www.kofc.org/ to learn more or to find a council in your area.

On April 23, Vice President Joe Biden was presented the Legal Momentum Hero Award at Georgetown University. So what?s the big deal, you ask?

1. Joe Biden, who is a Catholic, is a supporter of abortion rights and has a 0 rating from National Right to Life in 2007-2008. This means that he never once voted to protect unborn children.

2. Georgetown University is a Catholic College (supposedly).

3. The United States Bishops have issued a directive that pro-abortion politicians should not be honored by Catholic institutions.

To make matters worse, this event was co-sponsored by The Georgetown Journal of Gender and Law and Legal Momentum, a pro-abortion, pro-homosexual “marriage” lobby group once known as the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Just last week, the Jesuit-run University received a great deal of publicity for covering up the name of Jesus (at the request of the White House) during an appearance by pro-abortion President Obama. I?m not really sure where to begin to discuss this one. I will say this?if anyone looks at Joe Biden as an example of a faithful Catholic or Georgetown as a good Catholic University, I strongly recommend that you reconsider your position.

Rather than condemn Mr. Biden, however, we need to pray for his conversion. It?s obvious that he has no idea of what is expected of a Catholic (especially one who is a public official). In his acceptance speech, this man who is a total supporter of abortion stated, ?You know there is no excuse for violence against a woman or child. There is no excuse.?

You know what, Joe? For once I agree with you!

You can read the full story at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042106.html

No matter how hard we try to avoid it, we all experience dry spells in our prayer lives. Our prayer can suffer because we are just too sick, too tired, too preoccupied with work or family, or any number of reasons. During these times, there is one prayer that we can always say. Even though we may not be able to put a coherent thought together, we can imitate Our Blessed Mother when she said to the Angel Gabriel, ?May it be done to me according to your word? (Lk 1:38)

When we repeat these simple words, we place our lives in God?s hands and affirm that we trust in His Will. Whether He needs us to be unemployed, lonely, a cancer patient, depressed about the death of a close friend or relative? we trust that it is His will for us at this point in time. We may not understand it, but neither did Mary. She simply trusted and we can do the same. So if you feel like you?re unable to pray for any reason, simply try repeating Mary?s words and you?ll be saying all you need.

I?m a day late, but yesterday (April 21) was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Please take a few minutes to pray for the souls of all those who lost their lives during that horrible period. We should also remember to pray for those who were responsible for the atrocities, that they may be forgiven for their actions. Approximately 6 million Jewish people lost their lives in this slaughter, along with another 2-5 million others who didn?t live up to the Nazi?s standards.

Don?t think for a minute that it could never happen again. When we reflect on this great tragedy, it reminds us of the importance of standing up for those individuals who may be deemed expendable or useless. All human life, from conception to natural death, is sacred and must always be protected!

Here we are, 10 days into the Easter Season and I?d be willing to bet that many of us have already forgotten about the joy that should accompany the Resurrection of The Lord. It?s certainly understandable considering that the world tells us that Easter is long gone, as evidenced by the half-priced tables of candy that began appearing a week ago. The Church, on the other hand, teaches that the Easter Season lasts for 50 days, which means that we are just getting started. So how do we remedy this situation?

One thing we can do is to follow the Mass readings each day. They can be accessed online HERE. This allows The Church to guide us to those Biblical passages that emphasize the joy of the Easter season. Another thing we can do is to say the following prayer composed by Pope Saint Gregory the Great:

Easter Prayer
It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son. Dear Jesus You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness. You cleared away the darkness of sin by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection. You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror. You reconciled Heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us. Your Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy. How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love! We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with God The Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Saying that prayer each day, for the remainder of the Easter season, can help us to focus on the monumental impact of Christ?s Resurrection. Additionally, Priests for Life has composed a prayer for life that is especially for use during the Easter season:

Easter Prayer for Life (courtesy of Priests For Life)
Lord Jesus, In rising from the dead,
You have conquered the entire kingdom of death.
Make me a voice for life,
Especially for children threatened by abortion.
Fill me with Easter joy,
For you live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.

Let?s not allow the world to tell us that Easter means nothing more than colored eggs and candy. For the next 40 days, make an effort to meditate on the fact that Jesus Christ conquered death?s power over us by rising from the dead!

Alleluia ? He Is Risen!

First of all, I want to state that I didn?t watch nor do I have any opinion about the Miss U.S.A Pageant. However, I do want to commend Miss California, Carrie Prejean, for the comments she made in response to Perez Hilton?s question (during Sunday’s telecast) of whether she believes in gay ?marriage?. Prejean stated, ?We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.?

I don?t know anything about this young lady, but there?s a good chance that her honesty cost her the crown in this year?s pageant. I know even less about the inner workings of beauty pageants, but it?s pretty obvious that answering this question in a non-politically correct way seriously hurts your chances to win. The impressive thing is that she stood up for the institution of marriage, not caring how it affected her chances to win a prestigious title. Furthermore, she told Fox News that she has no regrets and is pleased with her answer. I consider that to be very courageous and something that we all need to imitate.

In this crazy world of ours, there are some who are trying to redefine the meaning of marriage. If we remain silent, they may eventually win this battle. Ultimately, this will destroy the sanctity of family life and cause an increased decay of morality in our society. When people start to tell you that marriage can be between a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man, a dog and a man?it?s time to say ?no it can?t?! Don?t let them try to confuse the issue with ridiculous accusations of hate and prejudice. This is about right and wrong, good and evil and has nothing to do with being judgmental. It is up to us, to speak out for what’s right.

Good job, Carrie!

To read the full story, go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517137,00.html

Today, the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast, instituted by Pope John Paul II encourages us to take advantage of God’s tremendous mercy. There is no way that any of us deserve the opportunity to live eternally in Heaven, but we have that chance due to the mercy of God. Why not spend some time today learning about this feast HERE.

In Part 3 of 3 blog entries, I?ll be discussing exactly how one goes about obtaining an indulgence. In case you missed my earlier 2 posts, you can access Part I here and Part II here. To review briefly, there are 2 kinds of indulgences that can be obtained ? partial (removes some of the temporal punishment due to sin) and plenary (removes all of the temporal punishment due to sin ? i.e. a soul is released from Purgatory and goes directly to Heaven). I am only going to give a few examples, but to find out all of the ways to obtain an indulgence, I recommend that you obtain a copy of the Manual of Indulgences.

There are many ways to obtain a partial indulgence. Some of the more common are: voluntarily abstaining from something you enjoy, performing an act of charity, blessing yourself ?In the name of the Father, etc?, visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead, and any number of prayers detailed in the Handbook.

The requirements for a plenary indulgence are :

1. Performance of the indulgenced work (some examples are: Adoration of the cross on Good Friday, receiving First Communion or attending and participating in the ceremony, participating in the first Mass of a recently ordained priest, reading scripture for 30 minutes, reciting the rosary in a Church or in a family setting and numerous other special circumstances as announced by the pope)

2. *Sacramental confession.

3. *Holy Communion.

4. *Prayer for the intentions of the pope. (Traditionally an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, but other prayers may be substituted.)

5. The exclusion of all attachment to sin (This is a tough one to judge, but we need to have a strong desire to avoid sin (mortal and venial) during the time of the indulgence. If that is not the case (and only God really knows our intentions), the indulgence will be partial. In order to avoid discouragement, please remember that the Church does want indulgences to be attainable, so this is not an impossible requirement!

(* NOTE – These may be carried out several days preceding or following the prescribed work, but it is more fitting that the communion and prayer for the pope?s intentions take place on the day that the work is performed. Several plenary indulgences can be gained on the basis of a single sacramental confession, but only one may be gained on the basis of a single Eucharistic communion and prayer for the pope?s intention. Additionally, only one plenary indulgence may be obtained daily, but many partial indulgences may be obtained each day.)

In addition to the Manual of Indulgences, more information can be found in Pope Paul VI?s Apostolic Constitution, ?Indulgentiarum Doctrina? which can be found online here. Please try to take advantage of this tremendous gift of indulgences, especially for your loved ones who have passed on.

In yesterday?s blog, I explained how a plenary indulgence can literally release a soul from Purgatory. In case you missed it, you can read about it here. Today I?d like to discuss how such a gift is possible.

Indulgences are possible because of the fact that as baptized members of Christ?s Mystical Body (The Church), we are all connected and each of us can benefit from the good works of others (including those that are in Heaven or Purgatory). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states:

In the communion of saints, “a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.” In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin. (CCC1475)

These spiritual goods are referred to as The Church?s Treasury and include the works of Mary and the Saints. To put it in very simple terms, they did so much good that what they didn?t need to get into Heaven can be applied to our salvation! That?s a tremendous gift and shouldn?t be passed up.

“This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body (CCC 1477)

By now you?re probably wondering how to obtain an indulgence and what is the catch? There really is no catch, but an indulgence can only be obtained by following the laws of the Church, to whom Our Lord granted full authority. According to the Catechism:

An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity. (CCC 1478)

Tomorrow, I?ll explain some of the ways to obtain an indulgence.