I long

...for the day when our culture will be so completely Christian, so completely Catholic, that Google will acknowledge Good Friday. Not that I have anything against Hans Christian Anderson, but the salvation of the world is more noteworthy than his 205th birthday...

Happy Feast Day!

Today is the feast of St. Joseph. What do we know about this man?

He was a “just man.” (Matthew 1:19)
He lived a simple life.
He was a carpenter.
He was a descendant of King David.
He lived in Nazareth, in Galilee.
He was the husband of Mary.
He was the foster-father of Jesus.
He was protector of the Holy Family.


He often received messages in dreams.
He is the patron saint of fathers.
He is the patron saint of families.
He is patron of the Universal Church.
He is the patron saint of workers.

He has a second feast day:
May 1 is “St. Joseph the Worker”,
when we honor him as patron of all workers.

He is the patron of a happy death,
because he died in the arms of Jesus and Mary.


Prayer to St. Joseph
(from the 1st Century)

O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.

O St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power, I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart.

Press him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.

Reflection:

“Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance; spouses a perfect example of love, of peace, and of conjugal fidelity; virgins at the same time find in him the model and protector of virginal integrity.”

– Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII
On Devotion to St. Joseph

Happy Feast Day, everyone!

Giving Thanks with a Catholic Flavor

Today, Americans gather to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. For many, the day holds long-revered traditions. Perhaps it wouldn’t be complete without Grandma’s special pastries, or Aunt Mary’s cranberry sauce. Many a hostess will shop, plan, and labor to ensure that dinner is perfectly cooked and ready on time. Many a father, grandfather, or uncle may be eagerly waiting to watch some football. Many a child may anticipate indulging in sweet things. Whatever the individual traditions, many of us look forward to a joyful day celebrating the abundance of our blessings.

As with any holiday, it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle, bustle, obligations, and expectations of it all that we can lose sight of why we celebrate in the first place. So what if the turkey isn’t ready to go on a magazine cover, or if the pie crusts got a little dark? If you have bounty enough to eat a thanksgiving feast, you are wealthier than many in this world. And if you have a family with which to gather and celebrate, in an era of family brokenness and division, you are blessed.

Or perhaps we’re feeling a bit less grateful this year, what with the state of our economy, growing international unrest, and the strain it has all put on many American pocketbooks. St. Paul has a word for us there, however: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (Thess. 5:18, emphasis added)

Times considered less than ideally prosperous are the ideal time to re-notice and better appreciate the most important blessings in our lives – those that make us truly wealthy. Even if your thanksgiving meal is less than ideally bountiful, or your family can’t unite due to distance or division, there are still fundamental gifts for which to be grateful: Life. Love. Freedom. Beauty. Senses through which to experience the world. And most of all, the gift of Jesus Himself, brought to us through His Church.

The Greek word for “Thanksgiving” is Eucharistia. That’s right: the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of our Lord, is the ultimate “Thanksgiving Meal”. What better way to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day? The turkey bakes for hours anyway, and few cooks remain peaceful spending all day in the kitchen. Take an hour to leave the hustle and bustle as the invited guest of this heavenly banquet hosted by the Giver of Life. And see how much richer this “holy day” can be!

Find Mass times in your area here.

Election Countdown/40 Days for Life: Day 33 (Sun)

"The Catholic Vote"

by Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President of Human Life International

I have been asked by many people to help clarify Catholic teaching on exercising one’s voting rights, especially with respect to the abortion issue. There are many candidates across the nation running on many issues, and Catholics are trying to sort through them all, so I will state the Church’s position as unequivocally as possible for the education of the faithful and not as an endorsement of any particular candidate or candidates: true Catholics are not “single-issue” voters—we are principled voters. That determines which candidates we give our vote to and it determines the state of our souls after we vote.

With respect to the abortion issue, the principle in question is the moral impossibility for a Catholic to cooperate in an act or an institution that is “intrinsically evil.” Now, something that is “intrinsically evil” is not just a bad thing—it is a heinous thing, trumping all other moral considerations, and we can never legitimately commit the act ourselves or approve of it in anyone else. Casting a vote for a candidate who forcefully advocates the killing of innocent unborn babies shows approval or unacceptable toleration of that heinous crime against humanity, and Catholics can never do it in good conscience.

- Read the complete (and outstanding) article here.

Today's Life Devotional can be found here.

Election Countdown/40 Days for Life: Day 24

Bishop Jackels of Wichita, Kansas: Think of Life When You Vote

As a consequence of our belief, whether or not a candidate gets our vote should depend on their positions on issues related to the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. A candidate can make attractive promises on the economy or the environment, but those should take second place to a candidate’s positions related to the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. A candidate who is indifferent to or worse yet antagonistic to these preeminent positions is not worthy of consideration.

So, when election day comes, vote for the candidate who acknowledges the fundamental importance of the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person, and who recognizes our responsibility for each other.

Read the complete, excellent article here.
Today's Life Devotionals here.

Symbols and Realities of Faith

Today is the Feast of the Exhaltation of the Holy Cross. This morning at Mass, Father stated during his homily that "the cross is the greatest symbol of our Faith". He went on to add, "The reason that the Eucharist is not the greatest symbol of our Faith is because it is not a symbol: it is a reality."

I thought it was a point worth repeating!

(For my non-Catholic readers: We believe that the Eucharist is a reality, not a symbol, because we take Jesus Christ at his word in John 6:48-58 and Luke 22:19-20. For more biblical explanation of the Eucharist, visit the Catholic Answers article here.)

Why Am I Catholic? Part 2: Purgatory, Mortal Sin and Venial Sin

In their article on "The Roots of Purgatory", Catholic Answers makes an excellent point:

All Christians agree that we won’t be sinning in heaven. Sin and final
glorification are utterly incompatible. Therefore, between the sinfulness of
this life and the glories of heaven, we must be made pure. Between death and
glory there is a purification.

The Catholic understanding of Purgatory is explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), paragraphs 1030-31:

"All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned."

The doctrine of Purgatory is connected to the Catholic teaching of two kinds of sin: mortal and venial. All sin is wrong, evil, weakening, and dehabilitating. But few of us would say that a five-year-old sneaking a cookie is equally wrong with an adult stealing a car. The first would be a venial (or "lesser") sin; the second, mortal (or "deadly"). Anyone who is familiar with Latin or Spanish recognizes "morte" — the word for death — at the root of "mortal". This concept of deadly and non-deadly sin comes right from 1 John 5:16-17:

"If anyone sees his brother commit sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death."

St. John says clearly that there is sin that leads to death, and that there is sin that doesn't. But he makes sure to clarify that all wrongdoing is still sin. Just because the five-year-old's disobedience in sneaking the cookie isn't as major as hotwiring and stealing a car doesn't mean it's not wrong. He is still guilty, but with a lesser guilt than the other. Likewise, the punishment is proportional — probably a few minutes in the time-out chair versus a few years in jail.

Mortal, or deadly, sin does just what the name implies: kills the life of God (grace) in one's soul. Catholics believe that for one to die with the guilt of unrepented deadly sin makes it impossible for them to go to Heaven (this is where Confession comes in...but that will be addressed later in the series!). A soul who dies in this state has forfeited Heaven.

Venial sin, because of its lesser severity, does not kill the life of God in a soul, but weakens and undermines it. We all commit venial sins every day. These venial sins "clutter up" our souls with impurity. One who dies with venial (not mortal) sin on their soul is said to be in a state of grace. They are assured of salvation, but are not yet ready to enter Heaven: Revelation 21:27 states that nothing and no one unclean can enter the presence of God in heaven. All traces of venial sin must be purified from a soul before this can happen. This purification is what takes place in Purgatory.

Some imagine that the Catholic Church has an elaborate doctrine of purgatory worked out, but there are only three essential components of the doctrine: (1) that a purification after death exists, (2) that it involves some kind of pain, and (3) that the purification can be assisted by the prayers and offerings by the living to God.

Many early Church Fathers wrote on this subject, for example, St. Augustine in A.D. 392:

"Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice [Job 1:5], why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them" (Homilies on First Corinthians 41:5)

The doctrine of Purgatory is a rich and beautiful one. Not only that, it is a merciful one. I have only begun to offer an explanation here... let me point you to some excellent reading that goes into this deeper!

- Purgatory from CatholicAnswers.com debunks some Purgatory myths and explains why it is not a Catholic "invention" .

- The Roots of Purgatory contains a number of intriguing quotes from the writing of early Church Fathers recognized and appreciated by Catholics and Evangelicals alike.

- Purgatory at OurCatholicFaith.com makes more connections with scripture and Church Fathers.

- Why Mortal and Venial Sins? is a former evangelical's take on the subject.

Why Am I Catholic? Part 1: The Eucharist

Meshaay asked the following in the comment box recently...

Hey, I've been wondering, what do you believe as a Catholic? What makes you different from a Christian, and why did you choose Catholicism over Christianity? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the question, Meshaay! I need to clarify right off (as some friends did kindly in the comment box) that as a Catholic, I am also a Christian. It's not one versus the other. In fact, Catholics are the original Christians and the largest Christian church in the world with over 1 billion members (1/6 the world's population). The Catholic Church is the one which Christ founded nearly 2000 years ago. All other Christian denominations (Protestant, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.) are the results of "splits", or individuals/groups breaking off from the Catholic Church over the past 500 years. And though these splits often occurred because an individual or group contested with Catholic doctrine, all Catholics do share with our evangelical Christian brothers and sisters a common faith in God as Creator and Father and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

As far as our differences go, the main ones include the Eucharist, Purgatory, devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Sacraments (especially Confession), the Holy Father and Magisterium, and Sacred Tradition as a means of passing on truth along with Sacred Scripture.

Rather than make this a very lengthy post to explain all of the above, I'll do a series and cover one topic in each. Today is the first and foremost: The Eucharist.

As Catholics, we take Jesus at His word. In John 6:51-53, He says:

"'I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.'

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?'

Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

'For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

'This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.'"

Most Protestants hold that Jesus was speaking symbolically in this passage. However, a look at the original Greek shows otherwise. The Greek word for "body" in John 6:54 is sarx, which means physical flesh, and the word for "eats" (trogon) translates as "gnawing" or "chewing." This is certainly not the language of metaphor. (Reference: The Institution of the Mass from Catholic Answers.)

His clarity is further shown by the fact that when many of His disciples left him due to the radicalism of the above (John 6:66), He let them go. He didn't call them back and say "Wait! I was speaking symbolically. The meaning of the parable is...". No — He let them go.

When He said His flesh would give us life, he meant it — literally. Take a look at how many times He uses the words "life" and "living" in the above passage. He even uses "Amen, Amen" to emphasize His words!

Jesus went on to fulfill His promise of John 6 at the Last Supper, when He took bread and wine and turned them into His body and blood. His words "This is My Body" and "This is My Blood" are recorded in three of the Gospel narratives. (Matthew 26:26-27, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20). He commands His Apostles, and us, to "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).

If I had to name the single most important reason I am Catholic, it is this. The Catholic Church brings me the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of my Lord and God so that I might receive Him physically! If one is receptive, this can be a life-changing experience each and every time it occurs (see Secrets of the Eucharist). I have been blessed to attend Mass and receive Him every day since my First Holy Communion 14 years ago (only missing a few). He is my strength and my sustenance of life, just as He promised in John 6. Not only that, but because He remains fully present in the Eucharist He waits day and night in our churches for His children to come and be with Him. Adoration, or worship of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (the Eucharist), is, after receiving Him physically, one of the most powerful experiences of grace possible.

For more thorough and excellent explanations on the Eucharist, check out:

- Christ in the Eucharist from CatholicAnswers.com
- The Eucharist in Scripture
- The Real Presence from CatholicAnswers.com
- The Eucharist Article Index: Q & A and more from EWTN.com

I would like to welcome any non-Catholic readers I may have and encourage you to explore this topic. I hope that this series may be helpful to your understanding of why Catholics believe what we do. Charitable discussion in the comment box is encouraged!