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Featured Term (selected at random:NOVITIATE The period of formal probation of a person in a religious community or secular institute. It follows the postulancy and precedes the first profession of vows. Also refers to the residence for novices. Sometimes called noviceship. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

October 2 is the memorial of the Guardian Angels in the liturgy.Here are 8 things to know and share about the angels it celebrates . . . 1) What is a guardian angel?A guardian angel is an angel (a created, non-human, non-corporeal being) that has been assigned to guard a particular person, especially with respect to helping that person avoid spiritual dangers and achieve salvation.The angel may also help the person avoid physical dangers, particularly if this will help the person achieve salvation. 2) Where do we read about guardian angels in Scripture?We see angels helping people on various occasions in...

How many times have you heard this statement before? The Catholic Church is mentioned in conversation and all anyone can say is, “The Church is about rules! Rules, rules, rules!” This comment is usually made by someone who feels they are perfectly capable of making decisions without the interference of religion. When I was teaching at previous high school, I would often run into this issue about rules (especially when it came to moral theology).Our secular culture enjoys portraying Catholics as those radical ‘kill-joys’, who lie in wait, as you express your means to happiness and the pleasures of this...

American culture may have become more enlightened and moved beyond such constricting, old-fashioned ideas like sin and hell, but God hasn’t.Sin is still serious, hell still exists, and sinners still go there. Or as St. Paul put it, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…” (1 Corinthians 6.9)Of course, there’s hope! By God’s grace, we can turn from our sins and find salvation in Jesus Christ.But first, we need to acknowledge our sins and that we need saving. And once we are given new life in Christ, the...

Featured Term (selected at random:EPHPHETA Imperative of the "to open" in Aramaic. Part of the ceremony of baptism where accepted by the bishops' conference. the celebrant touches the ears and lips of each child baptized, while saying, "May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak, grant that you may soon be able to receive His word and profess the faith to the praise and glory of God the Father," to which all answer, "Amen." The ceremony resembles the curing of the deaf-mute (Mark 7:31-37). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John...

Five Myths About the “Rapture” and the “Left Behind” Industry | Carl E. Olson | CWROn the (short) history, (bad) theology, and (continuing) appeal of premillennial dispensationalismThis year has marked a sort of second coming of “the Rapture”. On June 29th, HBO launched a new series, "The Leftovers", based on the 2011 novel of the same title, written by Tom Perrotta, which follows the struggles of various characters living in the aftermath of the sudden disappearance of millions of people. “And then it happened,” states the novel's Prologue, “The biblical prophecy came true, or at least partly true. People disappeared,...

The Mighty Archangels Kathleen Beckman The Office of Readings for the feast of the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, offers a reflection by Saint Gregory, pope, “…Those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels. Personal names are assigned to some to denote their ministry when they come among us. Thus, Michael means, “Who is like God?”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”We are beloved of God, and He provides us with angelic companions and protectors as the Catechism states, “The...

Let the truth be victorious The Crusades, a new docudrama from EWTN Episode one of the new EWTN mini-series, The Crusades will be broadcast on 8th October in the USA at 10pm and 9th October at 9.30pm in the UK, the following 3 episodes will be shown on consecutive days at the same time slot. There will also be a continuous showing of all 4 episodes on Saturday 11th starting at 7pm in the Britain and Ireland. The series is a co-production between EWTN, St Clare Media Foundation of the UK, Buckfast Abbey Devon and Lux communication of Slovakia. The...

Featured Term (selected at random:ORIGINAL IMPASSIBILITY  The freedom from suffering experienced by Adam and Eve before the Fall. This gift may be defined as the possibility of remaining free from suffering. It was associated with bodily immortality. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

More Notes on Shame: John the Baptist, Salome and Mrs. Beryl Muspratt - snip - 2. There are a few more points on the subject of shame that I would like to expand upon. The first comes from the novel “Brideshead Revisited”, which demonstrates, completely contrary to the Modernist, post-Christian, “church of Nice” heresy, how shame is a medicinal mercy. If we can self-generate shame without having to have it applied from the exterior, then so much the better. But for many people, the shaming must be generated, at least initially, externally. This is a function of charity – true...

THE DEVIL, OUR ancient enemy, really exists. Jesus talked about him a lot. The Catechism emphasizes the reality of this fallen angel, who is interested in interfering with the adventure of love we are called to live: Evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil is the one who ‘throws himself across’ God’s plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ. (CCC, 2851) And the devil knows the truth…that God is faithful, that divine grace will never fail us. The devil knows that he cannot obstruct...

The Vatican denied Pope Francis had dismissed a controversial Paraguayan bishop because of his mishandling of sex abuse accusations, attributing the decision instead to other failings of governance and friction with fellow bishops.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church" (Eph. 5:25). The problem is most of us can’t just flip a switch and love our wives "as Christ loved the Church," even if—especially if—we understand the true meaning and depth of Paul’s words. Nonetheless, we realize that the apostle to the Gentiles is trying to give us a blueprint for success as husbands and fathers. The key for us as Christian men is to realize that implementing Paul’s instruction requires training and hard work. We need to build virtues, which not only are godly habits, but spiritual muscles that...

(Asuncion / Rome) Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, dismissed yesterday from his office by Pope Francis, sees himself as a victim of an intrigue, which he describes as "ideological persecution." In an open letter to the Prefect of the Roman Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the bishop wrote that Pope Francis will have to answer for his decision before God. At the same time Bishop Livieres announced that he has as yet no knowledge of the contents of the investigation report of the Papal Visitor, Cardinal Santos Abril. As a "son of the Church,"...

Featured Term (selected at random:TWELVE PROMISES The promises made by Christ to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun, in the convent chapel at Paray-le-Monial, France, between 1673 and 1675. They occurred during revelations she received on devotion to the Heart of Jesus, and have been encouraged by the Church as worthy of pious belief. They have been translated into more than two hundred languages. Although the total number is larger, the following are the most important promises made by Christ to those who are devoted to the Sacred Heart: 1. I will give them all the graces necessary in...

Cordoba, Spain, Sep 25, 2014 / 02:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Amid widespread reports that Pope Francis might open the door to Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, a Spanish bishop says the Pope told him that this scenario is not possible. Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba, Spain said that during his ad limina visit to the Vatican earlier this year, the Holy Father told him that “the Pope cannot change” what Jesus Christ has instituted. The question of Communion for the divorced and remarried has surfaced due to an address given by Germany’s Cardinal Walter Kasper to a group...

The Rise of Bergoglianism A caution to the reader: What follows is a very harsh assessment of the current pontificate. I felt compelled to write it, but no one is compelled to read it. I am nothing and nobody in the great scheme of things, although I am privileged to contribute to the record of a venerable traditional Catholic journal that will surely have its place in the history of these times. I have no illusions that my little lamentations will have any effect on the Pope, for whom I pray each day, or on events in the Church. But...

ACHTUNG! As in Vatican II, the Germans seem to be Preparing a Coup for the Synod Other than Cardinal Müller, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it seems that the Bishops of Germany are preparing a United German Front behind the ideas of Cardinal Kasper. So reported Matteo Matzuzzi for Il Foglio - Matzuzzi's title is indeed very "Lutheran"... The German Bishops have their “theses” ready to nail to the door of the Synod Matteo Matzuzzi Il Foglio September 17, 2014 The German Bishops are with Cardinal Walter Kasper on marriage and the family. The...

Cardinal Raymond Burke poses for a photo with members of the Catholic Medical Association. Vatican Cardinal Raymond Burke, who is expected to be removed from his position as head of the highest court in the Catholic Church and put in a largely honorific position, is back in his homeland of America this week and if anything the appreciation for him has increased rather than waned. Opening the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) conference in Orlando yesterday, the former Archbishop of St. Louis received a hero’s welcome with a standing ovation before he could say a word, and another standing ovation after...

Featured Term (selected at random: NEW TESTAMENT NAMES AND TITLES OF CHRIST The following is a list of names and titles of Christ, together with their biblical citations, that appear in the New Testament: I John 2:1 Advocate Revelation 1:8; 22:13 Alpha and Omega Revelation 3:14 Amen Hebrews 3:1 Apostle and High Priest of our religion Luke 2:12 Baby Matthew 12:18 Beloved John 6:33 Bread of God John 6:35 Bread of Life John 6:50 Bread that comes down from heaven John 3:29 Bridegroom Mark 6:3 Carpenter Matthew 13:55 Carpenter's son I Peter 5:4 Chief Shepherd Matthew 2:20 Child Luke 23:35...