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All pardon for sins ultimately comes from Christ’s finished work on Calvary, but how is this pardon received by individuals? Did Christ leave us any means within the Church to take away sin? The Bible says he gave us two means.

As the institution of marriage faces unprecedented challenges, the Catholic Church continues to promote and defend marriage as being between one man and one woman, said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. As chairman of the bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, Archbishop Cordileone gave bishops at the Spring General Assembly an update on the U.S. Supreme Court's impending decision whether same-sex marriage should be made legal nationwide along with related public policy and the Church's catechetical efforts. The Supreme Court is considering two issues: whether the constitution should require a state to license a civil marriage between two...

Featured Term selected at random:OPUS DEI An association of the Catholic faithful who dedicate themselves to the apostolate and to Christian perfection in the world. They do not, however, give up their social environment and continue in their secular profession or employment. founded in Madrid on October 2, 1928, by Monsignor José María Escriva de Balaguer, it received its final approval from the Holy See on June 16, 1950 The full canonical name is Societas Sacerdotalis Sanctae Crucis (The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross). Headquarters are in Rome. There are two branches of Opus Dei, of men and of...

The sincere Roman Catholic will no doubt bristle at our summary of Tradition in our previous post: The pattern for Rome is this: “we already know this to be true, so there is no error in creating evidence to support it.” This is why I call ‘Tradition’ the historical revisionism that it clearly is. It is nonetheless a true, and verifiable statement. John Henry Cardinal Newman, one of the most famous converts to Rome from the Church of England, was a prolific writer and, after his conversion, a staunch apologist for Rome. He provides one of the best examples in...

In this episode, we pick up where we last left off on the concept joy, and what it has done (promising you what it can do) for people who truly find it in the Lord. Then, we discuss how God provides restoration to the soul, showing us, through personal experience, how he accommodates, aides, and provides purpose, and companionship, satisfying (and completing) our soul’s overall longings and yearnings, as we have discussed throughout this series. (The program can be accessed by clicking on the "Source" link, or by clicking HERE.)

St. Paul still holds out the written Word of God to His people. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Word of God is transmitted to the Church by Tradition, the Scriptures and the Magisterium (i.e., popes, councils, etc…). According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (81), Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their...

Forgive All Injuries – A Meditation on the Sixth Spiritual Work of Mercy By: Msgr. Charles PopeOf all the things about which I preach, very few (if any) provoke as strong (and usually negative) a reaction as the call to forgive. I get more angry pushback after a Mass at which I preach on forgiveness than when I speak about chastity, greed, or any other challenging moral topic.It would seem that the anger is rooted in two things: first, that the call to forgive implies some dishonoring or diminishing of the pain or injustice someone has experienced, and second, that it seems to imply that there...

The doctrine of soteriology is a major concept and a major theme in the Bible.  The terms related to salvation are prevalent in the OT and NT.  In the OT, the Hebrew verb yasa and its derivatives appear about 353 times in the OT.  In the Niphal it bears the meaning “to be saved” or “be delivered” and in the Hiphil it means to “deliver,” “give victory,” or “save.”  The noun form of yasa is yesuah (64 times), yesa (31 times), and tesuah (19 times), which means, “help,” “deliverance,” and “salvation.”  When looking at the OT, the above verb yasa...

Featured Term selected at random:DICASTERY One of the official congregations of the Holy See, e.g., the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes, through which the Pope conducts the regular administration of the universal Church. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

On the Worthy Reception of Holy Communion – Part Two (Particular Issues) By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn yesterday’s post we examined some fundamental principles related to Holy  Communion: that it is not akin to the “table fellowship” Jesus had with sinners but is rooted in the “family meal” of the Passover Celebration, and that it must be received worthily and authentically based on what Scripture and Tradition have set forth. Our “Amen” is more than an affirmation of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, it is an “Amen” to all that the Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be...

Featured Term selected at random:POLYGAMY The status or institution of simultaneous marriage of more than one woman to one man, or of several women to several men. The two forms are polygyny and polyandry. In ordinary use, the term is restricted to polygyny, i.e., where one man is simultaneously married to more than one woman. Polygamy as polygyny is contrary to divine positive law governing the marriage union (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31). According to the natural law, even successive polygamy (as in societies that legalize marriage after divorce) hinders the proper care and education of children. And it places an...

Before I give details concerning justification, I would like to tell you what justification is.  Justification is a forensic event in which God declares the once-hell bound believing sinner as righteous because of the grounds of imputed righteousness of Christ.  This imputed righteousness is also not understood properly if one does not take into account the active obedience of Christ’s full obedience to “all” that God the Father willed for Him to fulfill in this earth.  Justification is not based upon our works or righteousness; and not even our faith.  Faith is only the means or the instrument that allows...

On the Worthy Reception of Holy Communion – Part One By: Msgr. Charles PopeI indicated yesterday an intention to expand on the need for the reverent and worthy reception of Holy Communion, to develop an apologetic for the Church’s practice of what some call “closed communion.”  Not everyone who uses this terminology means it pejoratively, though some do. But to some extent it is fair to say that we do have “closed communion.” For the Catholic Church, Holy Communion is not a “come one, come all” event. It is reserved for those who, by grace, preserve union with the Church through adherence...

Christian theology affirms a number of miracles, most importantly the atonement, the resurrection, the incarnation and the virgin birth. The secular mind dismisses these as tall-tales and myths produced by superstitious, pre-modern minds. However, it seems to us that the modern prejudice against miracles is not very rational. 1) Experience shows that miracles do not occur (Skip) 2) Science shows that miracles are impossible! (Skip) 3) If we believe in one supernatural event we might as well believe in Santa and flying reindeer! (Skip) 4) But surely miracles are so improbable, so extraordinary, that no amount of evidence could justify...

Pope Francis elevates the Eucharist during Mass outside the Basilica of St. John Lateran in observance of the feast of Corpus Christi in Rome June 4. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Readings: • Ex 24:3-8 • Psa 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 • Heb 9:11-15 • Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 I’ve written several times about the centrality of the Eucharist in the decision made by my wife and I when we decided to become Catholic. Our recognition, by God’s grace, of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament was not sudden; I would be hard pressed to think of an...

Unless! A Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn many places, this Sunday features the (moved) Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Our Lord.While you may be puzzling over the title of today’s post, allow me to delay a bit before explaining. On a solemn feast like this many things occur that might be preached and taught. Hear are three areas for reflection: the reality of the Eucharist, the requirement of the Eucharist, and the reverence for the Eucharist. We will look at each in turn.I. The Reality of the Eucharist –...

In the continuing scandal brewing in the Archdiocese of Ottawa, Big Blue Wave is reporting that Father Andre Samson who has been defaming Raymond Cardinal Burke on CBC Radio Canada and Twitter has now said that the Cardinal's statements on homosexuality have been "violent." "What he says against homosexuality, I find that violent." A violence that not only targets gays in the general population, but also is also directed against priests and bishops. Samson reckons that many of his fellow priests and bishops are gay. "He is just as violent towards gay priests and gay bishops, and I find that...

On May 29, 2015, not long after the controversial private Rome meeting organized by liberal members of the German, French, and Swiss Bishops' Conferences, one of its participants and speakers, Prof. Schockenhoff, has given an interview in Germany to the radio of the Archdiocese of Cologne, called domradio.de. In it, he made two important statements. First, he is cautious about the possibility of bringing about a liberal reform at the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Family; secondly, he restated his revolutionary position concerning the acceptance of same-sex relationships. When asked what his expectations about the upcoming Synod are, Schockenhoff...

Addressing the crisis of culture during his first visit to Canada’s national capital, Cardinal Raymond Burke stressed that defending human life and promoting natural marriage is the foundation of any truly human culture. The West’s preoccupation with death and destruction will not be “transform[ed]” until the “truth about the conjugal union [is proclaimed] in its fullness,” he said. “The defense and promotion of human life and of marriage and the family is at the foundation of a Christian culture, and indeed, of any viable human culture,” he told about 330 people gathered at Ottawa’s Conference and Event Center to celebrate...

In yet another of the rambling, off-the-cuff videotaped statements of which he is fond, the Pope, in a video message to something called the Day of Christian Unity in Phoenix, Arizona on May 23, offered the opinion respecting the persecution of Christians that Satan does not care about what denomination Christians belong to because we are all Christians just the same. Francis’s remarks, which carry forward his persistent theme that doctrinal differences between Catholics and Protestants are not very important and represent merely unresolvable disagreements among theologians, came this time with a rather telling disclaimer: I feel like saying something...