For today?s blog, I intended to continue with our 10 recommended steps for learning more about the Catholic Faith. However, I was struck by the powerful first reading from today?s Mass (1 Jn 2:3-11) and felt compelled to reflect upon it. John is very blunt when he states, ?The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, ?I know him,? but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.?

Many of us will look at that verse and feel reassured that we are doing The Lord?s will. We love The Church and abide by her commandments. However, how do we feel about our fellow Catholics who aren?t obedient? About those who ?pick and choose? the teachings that they want to believe? About those who feel it morally permissible to vote for pro-abortion candidates, skip Sunday Mass or use artificial birth control? What do we say when a coworker attacks the Catholic Church? How do we react when we attend Christmas Mass and the people ?who only show up once a year? try to squeeze into our pew?

John continues, ?Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. ? Uh-oh? I don’t hate my brother, but the second sentence hits a little too close to home. Have we ever been guilty of being uncharitable to a brother or sister while trying to stand up for what?s right? I know that I have. This is a constant struggle for those of us who are trying to get closer to The Lord by studying our Catholic Faith.

While it is important to stand up for the teachings of the Catholic Church, we must always do it in a charitable manner. As St. Peter states, ?Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.? (1 Pt 3:15-16)

St John the Apostle and Evangelist, whose feast is celebrated today, has contributed much to Christianity throughout the ages. He is credited with authoring one of the gospels, 3 New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. For our reflection, I?d like to examine one incident that provides us all with a great example of what it means to be a loyal member of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

In today?s gospel (Jn 20:1-8), Mary Magdalene informs Peter and John that the Lord?s body is missing from the tomb. After rushing to the burial location, John arrives at the tomb first. In total submission to the authority of the first Pope, John waits until Peter arrives and allows him to enter first. After Peter enters the tomb and inspects the scene, John also enters. According to his words in the gospel narrative, ?he saw and believed?.

Throughout John?s gospel, he refers to himself as ?the apostle that Jesus loved?. While Jesus most certainly loved all of the apostles, there was obviously some kind of bond between John and The Lord. John was certainly aware of this since he mentions it several times, but he didn?t let it ?go to his head?. He submits to Peter?s authority as the head of the Apostles, knowing that it was Jesus who established this role.

In today?s world, many people reject any form of authority. Even in the Catholic Church, there are some who dispute the authoritative nature of the Papacy. They rebel against papal directives, feeling that they know better than the Church in setting moral standards. A very sad example in recent times is the blatant rejection of Pope Paul VI?s inspired encyclical Humanae Vitae by several dissident Catholic ?theologians?. Ignoring the words of Our Lord when He said, ?And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:18-19), they decided that they knew better and publicly renounced this infallible teaching. This defiant rejection so affected Pope Paul VI that he never wrote another encyclical.

Today, let?s take our example from John the Apostle and pledge to always love and respect our Holy Father. His office is a magnificent gift from The Lord and will provide us with the guidance we need to someday reach the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today, in a stark contrast to yesterday?s joyful celebration of The Lord?s birth, the Church commemorates the martyrdom of St. Stephen. The story of his murder can be found in Chapter 7 of the Acts of the Apostles and bears many similarities to the death of Jesus. His violent death serves to remind us of Our Lord?s chilling words, ?If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours? (Jn 15:18-20).

While most of us will not be called to face actual martyrdom or physical danger for being Christians, we may encounter a more subtle form of persecution. It is generally experienced when we begin to proclaim the teachings of our faith, especially when they are not popular. As St. Stephen quickly discovered, people do not take kindly to the call to reform their lives. Their response can grow especially angry if they are enjoying their sinful ways. In the United States, many people react angrily when told that it is morally wrong to vote for political candidates who support abortion on demand and gay ?marriage?. We may experience the same reaction if we try to convince a family member or coworker that artificial birth control or embryonic stem cell research is immoral. This is generally due to the fact that many teachings of the Catholic Church are inconvenient and force us to move away from being selfish. Our fallen human nature makes this difficult at times. It is much more pleasurable to serve ourselves and do what ?feels good?. However, that is not the basis of Christianity.

As we remember the martyrdom of St. Stephen, today would be a good day to look at our own lives. Do we experience physical or verbal persecution because of our Catholic Faith? If not, maybe we aren?t doing enough to stand up for our Faith. Through the intercession of St. Stephen, let us pray for an increase in the courage needed to boldly proclaim the teachings of the Catholic Church…even when it’s unpopular.

The Internet can be a great source of information about the Catholic Faith, but one needs to be extremely careful when surfing the web. There are many ?Catholic? sites out there which distort the teachings of the Catholic Church. These distortions cover both ends of the spectrum, totally liberal and totally conservative. How can you decide which sites are authentically Catholic?

One of the reasons that the Catholic Truth was founded was to guide people to truly Catholic sites on the Internet. Our Links page recommends several Catholic websites that have been verified to be loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. We will be enhancing this page in the upcoming weeks in order to provide you with more guidance and resources.

Another site that does a terrific job with their reviews of Catholic websites is Catholic Culture (www.catholicculture.org). They painstakingly verify sites for fidelity to the Church and provide appropriate ratings. This service is invaluable when attempting to determine if a site contains authentic Catholic teaching.

When encountering a Catholic website, some positive guidelines to look for are: references from official Papal documents, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and official Vatican sources. Also, quotes from the Saints and the Fathers of the Church are usually a good sign. Mention of EWTN, Catholic Answers or Catholics United For The Faith are also a positive thing. Beware of sites that criticize Church authority, cite unapproved apparitions or downplay the infallible teaching of Church Councils such as Vatican II. Also, remember to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance as you attempt to learn more about the Catholic Faith. If you feel uneasy about a site, it could possibly be the Holy Spirit warning you that something isn?t right. Don?t ignore this warning!

Finally, feel free to email us at thecatholictruth@yahoo.com if you have any questions about a particular website. We’ll research it and let you know whether it can be trusted to assist you in your journey toward Christ.

As we continue with our series of steps designed to help you learn more about the Catholic Faith (and get closer to Jesus), I?d like to address the intercessory power of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the Catholic Truth apostolate, one of our favorite phrases is ?Ad Jesum Per Mariam?, which is Latin for ?To Jesus Through Mary?. This sums up the thinking of many great saints and theologians throughout the years; the best way to get close to Jesus is through His mother. An example of this belief can be found in the words of St. Augustine who said, ?Our Blessed Lady is the means Our Lord made use of to come to us. She is also the means which we must make use of to go to Him?.

One of Pope John Paul II?s favorite books was True Devotion To Mary by St. Louis De Montfort. In the book?s preface, the late Holy Father writes, ?The reading of this book was a decisive turning point in my life. This ?perfect devotion? is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption?. Because Catholics are sometimes accused of ?worshipping? Mary, it is important to note that immediately following the pontiff?s comments is this quote from the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, which refutes that inaccurate argument, ?There is but one Mediator as we know from the words of the apostle, ‘for there is one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all’. The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power. For all the salvific influence of the Blessed Virgin on men originates, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. In no way does it impede, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ?.

The main premise of De Montfort?s book is that ?we are unworthy and unfit to approach Jesus by ourselves; and it is on this account that we avail ourselves of the intercession of the most holy virgin?. Her powerful intercession can be seen in the Gospel of John, when Jesus performs His first miracle at the request of His mother (Jn 2:1-11). This miracle, when Jesus changed water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, features Mary?s profound words to the servers when she instructed them to ?Do whatever He tells you?. These words still ring true today and provide a great example of Mary?s desire to focus all of the attention away from her and toward Jesus. This is indicative of how The Blessed Mother accepts our intentions and hands them over to The Lord. When we turn to her as we attempt to get closer to her Son, she won?t let us down.

An excellent means of asking for Mary?s intercession is The Holy Rosary. Saying it daily will provide a powerful weapon to combat the spiritual battles that you?ll face as you attempt to learn more about the Catholic Faith. Let Mary take you by the hand and she will lead you closer to The Lord.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, ?Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely?. (CCC 102)

Anyone have an idea who that ?Word? is? Here’s a hint…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (Jn 1:1-2)

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:9)

The ?Word? that is mentioned above, is obviously The Lord Jesus, whose ?becoming flesh? we will celebrate in a few days. For Catholics, the Word of God has both an oral (Sacred Tradition) and written (Sacred Scripture) component. The Vatican II document Dei Verbum states, ?Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church?. The document goes on to say, ?In order to keep the Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church, the Apostles left bishops as their successors, “handing over” to them “the authority to teach in their own place.” This sacred tradition, therefore, and Sacred Scripture of both the Old and New Testaments are like a mirror in which the pilgrim Church on earth looks at God, from whom she has received everything, until she is brought finally to see Him as He is, face to face (see 1 John 3:2)?.

You can read more about Sacred Tradition here, but today I?d like to discuss the importance of reading Sacred Scripture (The Bible) as part of our plan to learn our Faith and get closer to Christ.

Is it important? According to Dei Verbum:

For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.

The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God’s word and of Christ’s body.

For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them.

How about a few quotes from the Saints?

“For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ? (St Jerome ? Commentary on Isaiah)

And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for “we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying.” (St. Ambrose)

Finally, from the Catechism:

God is the author of Sacred Scripture. “The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 105)

The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn ?the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,’ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. (CCC 133)

As part of our plan for learning more about the Catholic Faith, we recommend that you read the Bible every day, even if it?s only for 5 or10 minutes. An easy way to do this is to look at the daily Mass readings (available online here). It will only take a few minutes, but will allow God to speak directly to you and guide you on your journey. If one of your closest friends called you on the phone each day, would you answer it? The Creator and God of the universe has something specific to say to each one of us every day?Are you prepared to ?answer the phone? and listen to what He has to say?

I just wanted to take a minute to thank Jeff Mirus and the folks at Catholic Culture (www.catholicculture.org) for their kind words about our apostolate.

In his email newsletter, Jeff wrote:

Finally, another new Catholic web site came online in November. See our review of The Catholic Truth and its 10-step program for drawing closer to Christ. This could not be more appropriate to the theme of this message, for union with God remains the only way to bring our existence to fulfillment.

Their endorsement has brought about an exponential increase of activity at our website and our newsletter subscriptions. Thanks Jeff, for helping us to spread the Good News!