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Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant By: Steve Ray Why do Catholics call Mary the Ark of the New Covenant? Answering that question will take us on a thrilling journey through the Old and New Testaments.For example, Luke wove some marvelous things into his Gospel that only a knowledgeable Jew would have understood—a Jew who knew Jewish Scripture and had eyes to see and ears to hear. One of the things he would have understood is typology.We all know that the Old Testament is full of stories, people, and historical events. A type is a person, thing, or...

On 19 may, Hellenism commemorates the extermination of 353,000 Pontian Greeks killed during a genocide. During the years 1914-1923, in the 1st World War, the Greek minority of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Turkey's predecessor, were removed from Western Anatolia. An estimated 350 thousands Greeks were killed between 1913-1922, ending thousands of years of Hellenic civilization in Asia Minor. Pontian and Anatolian Greeks were victims of broader Turkish genocide project at all Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire. More than 3.5 million Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians were killed under the regimes of the Young Turks and of Mustafa Kemal....

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday sent a powerful message of solidarity and encouragement to Christians in the Holy Land, as he canonized two Palestinian religious sisters, the first Palestinian saints of modern times. Marie-Alphonsine, founder of Palestine’s first congregation, the Sisters of the  Most Holy Rosary of Jerusalem, and Mariam of Jesus Crucified Baouardy, the founder of Carmelite Convents in Bethlehem and India, were raised to the altars on Sunday, along with two other women religious, one French and one Italian — French nun and foundress, Sr. Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve, and Sr. Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception...

Love Lifted Me – A Homily for Ascension By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn more dioceses than not, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated this weekend. The liturgist in me regrets the move, but here we are any way. So let’s ascend with the Lord, three days late!This marvelous feast is not merely about something that took place two thousand years ago. For though Christ our head has ascended, we the members of his body are ascending with him. Since he was ascended, we too have ascended. In my own life as a Christian, I am brought higher every year...

Featured Term selected at random:EPISTLE OF JUDE A letter of the Apostle Jude, surnamed Thaddaeus, written to strengthen the faith of Hebrew converts to Christianity. It is therefore a warning against false prophets. Illustrations are drawn from the Old Testament, but also from Jewish apocalyptic literature, namely the Assumption of Moses and the Book of Enoch. The evidence of previous divine punishments is a prophetic assurance that a similar punishment awaits depraved teachers. Most probably written at Jerusalem before the destruction of the city in A.D. 70, the epistle vindicates the mysterious character of the Christian faith, against those who...

BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (CNN) - Pope Francis will canonize two 19th century Palestinian women as Roman Catholic saints. The historic event is especially meaningful to one of the world's oldest Christian communities. It is the perfect celebration of sainthood for two Palestinian nuns, a humble and devout offering of prayer to mark a historic moment for Christians and Palestinians. In the land of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the land of the beginnings of Christianity, Mariam Baouardy and Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas are the first two Palestinian saints in modern times. “As Christians, this is a sign of hope, this is...

If the Soviet bloc wasn't the mother of liberation theology, it was certainly a sinister stepmother, enlisting Catholics in a geopolitical cause and inviting them to sell their souls for funding and support. Only the naïve can disregard the mountain of evidence connecting liberation theology with Soviet action in the region.

The Good Thief, The Catholic Answer Msgr. Charles Pope 5/15/2015 Q. In St. Luke’s Gospel, there is mention of the Good Thief on the cross near Jesus who repents. No name is given him, but most say his name is “Dismas.” Is this true?—B. Q., PhiladelphiaA. Here’s a reply from Msgr. Charles Pope: We don’t know. The story itself is very moving, and there is naturally a human tendency to want to know more. Thus traditions and legends often arise in cases like these. But the historical accuracy of such things is often difficult to assess. “St. Dismas” is a...

Historically, the Bible is a Catholic book. The New Testament was written, copied, and collected by Catholic Christians. The official canon of the books of the Bible was authoritatively determined by the Catholic Church in the fourth century. Thus, it is from the Catholic Church that the Protestants have a Bible at all.

… to feed the poor?Geez, I used to say that myself in my former life as a Protestant – when I was an anti-Catholic. Actually, if you added up all wealth and property of the Protestant churches and organizations it would FAR exceed that of the Vatican or all the individual dioceses around the world! Since it is often Protestants who make this challenge, do they ever suggest Protestants should sell all their land, buildings, pastors’ fancy cars and the mega-church $ millions?Most people don’t realize that most of the Catholic Church’s “wealth” is in property, hospitals, schools, social...

The nineteenth century witnessed the conversions of two prominent Anglican clergymen to Roman Catholicism. Both men would ultimately become cardinals in the Roman Church, and both men would profoundly influence Roman Catholic theology. The first was John Henry Newman (1801–1890). The second was Henry Edward Manning (1808–1892). Newman is probably most well known for his involvement in the high church Oxford Movement and for his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (1845). Manning is best known for his advocacy of social justice and for his strong support of the doctrine of papal infallibility following his conversion to Rome. He...

Not Crowded, but Close – A Brief Reflection and Clarification on the Communion of Saints in Heaven By: Msgr. Charles PopeMany of you know that I write the weekly “Question and Answer” column for the Our Sunday Visitor newspaper. Every now and again I get a question that stands out as unique, one that I had not thought of before. And such is the case with the question below. I had never thought of Heaven as potentially being crowded or considered it a drawback. But the question led me to reflect on the deeper experience of what we call the Communion of...

Featured Term selected at random:HELLENISM A body of classical ideals associated with ancient Greece and including reason, the pursuit of knowledge, and the application of philosophy to the study of religion. Assuming the guiding hand of Providence, Hellenism played an important role in helping to shape, on its human and cultural side, the origins and development of Christianity. The language of the New Testament writings was Greek, the Gentile civilization into which the Church entered was Greek, and the thought patterns of the educated classes in the first-century Mediterranean world were Greek. All items in this dictionary are from Fr....

64. But does not this doctrine make men careless and profane? No, for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness (Heidelberg Catechism 64) Moralism and rationalism are twins. In Christian theology, where you see the one the other is nearby. In this context moralism refers to the doctrine that we are accepted with God (justification) and/or delivered from the wrath to come (salvation) through inherent, personal, intrinsic sanctification (holiness) and righteousness. Rationalism, in this sense, is the notion that in order for something to be true it...

In the Darkness We See Farther – Pondering the Paradox of the “Dark Knowing” of Faith By: Msgr. Charles PopeAs human beings we are very visual and there is a certain demand of our flesh to see on its own terms. But of course God, who is pure spirit, will not be seen in this way.How can the human eye perceive what is spiritual? It is not designed to do so. We cannot see God, as God, any more than we should expect to be able to see justice sitting down to lunch with humility. These are not physical concepts;...

The Habits of Your Temperament Print PDFWhat is your temperament? Depending on your temperament, you can be more prone to exhibit certain virtues and positive qualities, as well as face stronger temptations to fall into certain sins or vices. See the chart below to learn about the bright side and dark side of your temperament.Throughout the day, you are constantly faced with the choice: God or not God. Every time you exercise the virtues and gifts of the “bright side” of your temperament, you choose and glorify God. When you exercise the sins and vices of the “dark side”...

What Does the Arrest of St. Paul at Philippi Teach a Sometimes-Timid Church? By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn daily Mass we are following the missionary journeys of St. Paul. Yesterday we heard of his going over to Macedonia and of the baptism of the first “European” converts: Lydia of Thyatira and her family.Unfortunately, in today’s reading (Tuesday of the 6th Week of Easter) important lines are cut out that describe why Sts. Paul and Silas were in jail. The whole story serves as a metaphor for the radical nature of true Christianity and explains why it so perturbs many in this world....

The Church Prior to the Reformation: The Mass Medieval conception of Purgatory As Protestants, we all seem to know that the Roman Church was very bad during the middle ages, but in what ways? What, precisely, was being protested? In his work “The Reformation: A History”, Diarmiad MacCulloch gives a brief overview of the Roman Church prior to the Reformation. He introduces that overview with this passage: Nicholas Ridley, one of the talented scholarly clergy who rebelled in England against the old [Roman] Church, wrote about this to one of his fellow rebels John Bradford in 1554, while they both...

Featured Term selected at random:WAR OF AGGRESSION Unjust military attack on the independence, territory, or any other rights of one nation or part of a nation by another policitcal power. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission. 

Honor to the Martyrs! A Declaration of Gratitude to the Martyrs of Our Day By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn the Divine Office last week we read a remarkable passage on the persecution of the Church. It seems proper to consider a portion of it in times like these; more on that in a moment.Of course in writing of persecution and martyrdom, I write as an American who, though experiencing a lot more scorn these days, does not have to endure grave threat for being a Catholic. But as I consider Catholics and Christians in places like Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Nigeria, the...