http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/catholic/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:50:12 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050992/posts July 25, 2008                                    Feast of Saint James, Apostle       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 12 Cor 4:7-15 Brothers and sisters:We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;perplexed, but not driven to despair;persecuted, but not abandoned;struck down, but not destroyed;always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.For we who live are constantly being given up to deathfor the sake of Jesus,so that the life of Jesus may be... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050992/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:50:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050960/posts I pierced it with a rusty nail (I hope Jesus's tetanus shots are up to date). And then I simply threw it in the trash, followed by the classic, decorative items of trash cans everywhere, old coffeegrounds and a banana peel. My apologies to those who hoped for more, but the worst I can do is show my unconcerned contempt. By the way, I didn't want to single out just the cracker, so I nailed it to a few ripped-out pages from the Qur'an and The God Delusion. They are just paper. Nothing must be held sacred. Question everything. God... Pharyngula Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050960/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:01:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050919/posts Caracas, Jul 24, 2008 / 06:13 pm (CNA).- In statements on Union Radio, the vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Roberto Luckert Leon, warned that the self-proclaimed “Reformed Catholic Church,” which is backed by the Hugo Chavez administration, is seeking to name military chaplains with government support. Archbishop Lückert reiterated that the small religious sect led by former Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican clergy members, is “financed by the government in an effort to put an end to the Catholic Church, which it has not and will not be able to do.” The “Reformed Catholic Church” announced this week... CNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050919/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:12:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050681/posts July 23, 2008, 12:32 pm Is Anti-Catholicism Dead? By Sewell Chan When Gov. Alfred E. Smith ran for president in 1928, his candidacy was derailed in large part by anti-Catholic prejudice. It has been nearly 48 years since John F. Kennedy became the first (and so far only) Roman Catholic president, but experts say that anti-Catholic sentiment — much of it originating in, or as a response to, immigrants in New York — remains an enduring force in American culture. The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050681/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:29:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050631/posts Madrid, 2008 In 1936, during the great Socialist Terror of the early months of the Civil War, the large monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Cerro de los Ángeles, near Madrid, was attacked and demolished, a symbol of one of the harshest large-scale persecutions of the Church in History. From one of the stones of the demolished statue, a small sculpture of the Sacred Heart was sculpted and placed in the public garden outside the Parish Church of San Antonio de la Florida, in Madrid - otherwise a very famous building due to the extensive paintings of... Rorate Caeli http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050631/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050375/posts July 24, 2008                                     Thursday of the Sixteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 This word of the LORD came to me:Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear! I remember the devotion of your youth,how you loved me as a bride,Following me in the desert,in a land unsown.Sacred to the LORD was Israel,the first fruits of his harvest;Should any presume to partake of them,evil would befall them, says the LORD. When I brought... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050375/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:48:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050295/posts Rome, 23 July (AKI) - Pope Benedict XVI will meet Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki on Friday for the first time during his official visit to Italy. Al-Maliki is due to arrive in Rome on Thursday to meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi on the second leg of his European visit after talks with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin on Tuesday. The Iraqi prime minister will meet the Pope at the pontiff's summer residence at Castelgandolfo, outside Rome. He will then hold separate talks with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state. Iraq is home to the Chaldean... AKI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050295/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:50:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050290/posts History's humongous wheel turns and turns and turns again. Over time, mud and sludge accumulate on even the sprucest institutions. Take the 500-year-old Anglican family of churches, Christianity's third-largest, after Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy. With Anglicanism's biggest family event under way - the every-10-years gathering of bishops and archbishops in England - what the world sees, accurately or not, is a family in moral and spiritual disarray. --snip--For all that, Anglicanism's public troubles proceed from the takeover of Western Anglicanism by theological activists whose purpose is the remolding of Christianity into something less like the old-time religion than like the... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050290/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:38:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050235/posts We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). “This combat rages fiercely even today, aided and abetted by well-known secret sects, Satanic groups and New Age movements, to mention but a few, and reveals many ugly heads of the hideous anti-God monster: among them are notoriously secularism, which seeks to build a Godless society; spiritual indifference, which is insensitive to transcendental values; and relativism, which is contrary to the permanent tenets of the Gospel. “All... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050235/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:49:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050223/posts South Dakota is only the first State to pass such legislation. many must follow. The legislation was well drafted and supported by a record of legislative findings of fact that includes unassailable medical science which unequivocally affirms that children in the womb are, in fact, human beings and therefore persons. The legislation had and still has overwhelming popular support. That is why it survived efforts by “pro-choice” (read “pro-feticide”) extremists to defeat it through a referendum. Several other States are now said to be ready to follow this example. Some within the pro-life community have speculated that such a courageous... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050223/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:34:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050216/posts Yes, the sad little cracker has met its undignified end, so stop pestering me. The cracker, the koran, and another surprise entry have been violated and are gone. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the details, what little of them there are. Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050216/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:28:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050162/posts When Gov. Alfred E. Smith ran for president in 1928, his candidacy was derailed in large part by anti-Catholic prejudice. It has been nearly 48 years since John F. Kennedy became the first (and so far only) Roman Catholic president, but experts say that anti-Catholic sentiment — much of it originating in, or as a response to, immigrants in New York — remains an enduring force in American culture. That was the consensus of a panel assembled at the Museum of the City of New York on Tuesday night to consider the question, “Is Anti-Catholicism Dead?” ...The Rev. Richard John... NY Times City Room Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050162/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:47:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050032/posts  The RCIA Inquiry Stage In the Catholic Church Thinking about joining the Catholic Church, and feeling a little lost? Here's some detailed, Christ-centered guidance on faith development during the RCIA inquiry stage. The RCIA inquiry stage is the starting place for adults who are thinking about entering the Catholic Church. "Be still, and know that I am God." — Psalm 46:10 In the inquiry stage, you're just finding out about Jesus, Christianity, and the Catholic Church. Talk to people, walk around in our shoes for a bit and get a feel for the place. As an inquirer, you're not yet... BeginningCatholic.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050032/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:30:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050025/posts  A Strong Start in the Faith: The Catholic RCIA Stages Thinking of joining the Roman Catholic Church? The Catholic RCIA stages are a good model of basic faith development. This article provides some detailed guidance for that process. So, you're developing your faith. Great! Is it a little overwhelming? Where to start? Why so many "stages" of initiation? What should I be doing in each stage? How will I know when I'm ready to move forward? This article is your best starting point to answer these questions, and more. I'll provide you with some fundamentals — centered in Christ —... Beginning Catholic.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2050025/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:12:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049801/posts July 23, 2008                                  Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jer 1:1, 4-10 The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to me thus: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I dedicated you,a prophet to the nations I appointed you.“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,(I know not how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD answered me,Say not, “I am too... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049801/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:39:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049778/posts Does Contraception Foster Love? — Part 2 of 6 July 22nd, 2008 by Christopher West We continue a series of reflections on the issue of contraception in light of the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. When Pope Paul VI issued this document on July 25, 1968, it fell like a bomb. Many people wished the issue would just go away. It hasn’t. And it won’t. In fact, it can’t “go away.” This encyclical takes us to the very foundations of human life (humanae vitae).In the last column, we looked at how contraception has played a key role in the cultural... CatholicExchange.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049778/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:16:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049223/posts July 22, 2008                                  Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 Shepherd your people with your staff,the flock of your inheritance,That dwells apart in a woodland,in the midst of Carmel.Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,as in the days of old;As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guiltand pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;Who does not persist in anger forever,but delights rather in clemency,And will... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049223/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:43:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049121/posts "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; and we were all given to drink of one Spirit" (I Cor 12:13) How many of you have heard people from your own generation or older say something like this: "I believe in Jesus, but I don't need the Church." Or: "I'm a spiritual person, but I'm not religious." Here's the problem with those statements: Without Jesus, there's no Church. It's that simple. And it's also true the other way around: Without the Church, there's no way we can have a lasting, personal relationship with the true Jesus... Catholic Culture http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049121/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:53:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049105/posts It hasn’t taken that many days to realize that the once-every-ten-years Lambeth Conference is again abundant in elaborate rhetoric. Last night’s sermon by the Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera is a good example. We heard from the bishop that the Anglican problem is very simple, "The church is called to be an inclusive communion,” de Chickera stated, “where there is space equally for everyone and anyone, regardless of color, gender, sexual orientation, ability. Unity in diversity is a cherished Anglican tradition, a spirituality which we must reinforce in all humility for the sake of Christ and... Catholic online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049105/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:23:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049102/posts Contraception and Cultural Chaos — Part 1 of 6 July 21st, 2008 by Christopher West This July 25th marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most controversial papal documents in history: Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae which reaffirmed the traditional Christian teaching on the immorality of contraception. If you have wrestled with this teaching, believe me, I can relate. Years ago I almost left the Church over it. Forty years of perspective provide an opportunity to take another look. That’s what I’ll be doing in [the next] several columns.You may have noticed above that I said “traditional Christian teaching”... CatholicExchange.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2049102/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049046/posts GLASGOW, Scotland, July 21, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The work of the Church to protect the unborn, to assist "frightened young" pregnant women and to help to "secure a better standard of living and greater opportunities for the poor," far from being mutually exclusive, are closely interrelated works that cannot be separated from each other, according to the Catholic bishop of Motherwell.Joseph Devine, the fourth bishop of the diocese that encompasses parts of Glasgow in Scotland, said, "Indeed, a nation that condemns to abortion our beautiful and blameless unborn babies betrays itself as morally, ethically and politically untrustworthy and disinclined... LifeSiteNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049046/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:03:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048809/posts From a sermon by Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, priest 1559 - 1619   Preaching is an apostolic duty      There is a spiritual life that we share with the angels of heaven and with the divine spirits, for like them we have been formed in the image and likeness of God. The bread that is necessary for living this life is the grace of the Holy Spirit and the love of God. But grace and love are nothing without faith, since without faith it is impossible to please God. And faith is not conceived unless the word of God is preached.... CatholicRadio.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048809/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:28:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048629/posts July 21, 2008                                     Monday of the Sixteenth Week                                      in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Mi 6:1-4, 6-8 Hear what the LORD says:Arise, present your plea before the mountains,and let the hills hear your voice!Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,pay attention, O foundations of the earth!For the LORD has a plea against his people,and he enters into trial with Israel. O my people, what have I done to you,or how have I wearied you? Answer me!For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,from the... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048629/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:06:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048345/posts In these days I too have come, as the Successor of Saint Peter, to this magnificent land of Australia. I have come to confirm you, my young brothers and sisters, in your faith and to encourage you to open your hearts to the power of Christ's Spirit and the richness of his gifts. I pray that this great assembly, which unites young people "from every nation under heaven" (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the fire of God's love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048345/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:12:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048264/posts July 20, 2008                                     Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Wis 12:13, 16-19 There is no god besides you who have the care of all,that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.For your might is the source of justice;your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,and with much lenience you govern us;for... USCCB.org/New American Bible http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2048264/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:59:18 GMT