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The Cause for a Modern Prophet The Cause for a Modern Prophet | Michael Coren | CWRProlific and paradoxical, Gilbert Keith Chesterton was as witty as Wilde, as original as Joyce, and as clever as Kafka When even mass-circulation British newspapers cover a story about the Church and beatification, you know it matters. The Daily Mail recently reported that, “Author G. K. Chesterton, best known for his Father Brown stories, has been put on the path to sainthood – with the blessing of the Pope. Just days before he was elected Pope in March, the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal...

Editor’s note: The following letter by Eagle Forum president, Phyllis Schlafly, was mailed this month to key members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the United States concerning the implementation of the Common Core education standards in public and private schools, including Catholic schools. It is reprinted here with permission of the author. Your Excellency, I write today to share with you our significant concerns about a troubling development in our Catholic schools and to seek your prayerful guidance about this issue. Under the guise of reforming the nation’s failing public schools, President Obama’s Department of Education offered states $4.35...

According to Your Faith Today's Scripture “...According to your faith be it done to you.” (Matthew 9:29, ESV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria A lot of times when people have a need, they think that if God wanted to, He would just automatically meet it. But Jesus didn’t say, according to your need be it unto you; He said, according to your faith. That’s why it’s so important to have an attitude of expectancy every single day. If we want God to move in our lives, we have to approach every day filled with faith and hope. Scripture...

“Do Not Quench the Spirit” "Do not quench the Spirit" —1 Thessalonians 5:19 The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it. The sense of warning and restraint that the Spirit gives comes to us in the most amazingly gentle ways. And if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice, you will quench it, and your spiritual life will be impaired. This sense of restraint will always come as a “still small voice�...

Teitzei means “to go out” in Hebrew. It is in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy 21:10 – 23:26). What many do not realize or appreciate is that the Torah is based on connecting principles. Not just that, but that the world is based on connecting principles, and that ultimately God Himself, so to speak is consistent and runs the universe consistently based on connecting principles. Thus, is something at some point seems disconnected or dissonant at any given point in time, it will be redressed and reconnected and the final consequence will be such that not matter what seemed out...

Just Ask Today's Scripture “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria What do you need from God today? A lot of times, it’s easy to think that we’re not supposed to ask for too much, but scripture encourages us to go to God with all of our needs. He longs to give you the desires of your heart and pour out His favor and blessing on you. In fact, Jesus said, “You have not because...

The Theology of Resting in God "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" —Matthew 8:26 When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God. But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable. Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even...

� Why This Generation Doesn’t “Get” Hell… This Guy Understands… Take a few minutes and listen to this stirring speech by Rafael Cruz, the Father of Senator Ted Cruz. He speaks for the rapidly marginalized true America, which is unapologetically Christian. Whatever happens is up to God. I don’t see a political solution to our spiritual problem, but Truth is refreshing to hear, especially when passionately presented, Enjoy, and pray! Pastor Rafael Speaks

Featured Term (selected at random):OLIVE BRANCHA universal symbol of peace. It is the sign of reconciliation between God and humans, shown when it was brought by the dove returning to Noah's ark after the Deluge. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Give Rachel Held Evans credit. She was able to generate a lot of discussion with her post, “Why millennials are leaving the church.” Evans’s contradictory article, however, is merely another polemic against the conservative evangelicalism she’s been battling for years. The solution to winning back? Churches just need to follow her lead and go liberal!

This Experience Must Come "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha . . . saw him no more" —2 Kings 2:11-12 It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah� for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay. Even the thought of that causes you to say, “I cannot continue without my ’Elijah.’ � Yet God says you must continue.Alone at Your “Jordan�...

On one particular morning, just two weeks after His resurrection, Jesus stood on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. And, seeing the Apostles in a boat just off shore he said, Little Children, Have you caught anything? (John 21:5).It is a rather strange way to speak to grown men: “Little Children� (παιδία = paidia = little ones, children, infants, the diminutive of pais (child), hence “little ones�). And yet how deeply affectionate it is.We often think of ourselves in grander terms, terms that bespeak power, wisdom, age and strength. But I suspect that, to God, we must always seem...

Featured Term (selected at random):PREDESTINATIONIn the widest sense it is every eternal decision of God; in a narrower sense it is the supernatural final destination of rational creatures; and in the strictest sense it is God's eternal decision to assume certain rational creatures into heavenly glory. Predestination implies an act of the divine intellect and of the divine will. The first is foreknowledge, the second is predestination. According to its efficacy in time, predestination is distinguished as incomplete or complete depending on whether it is to grace only or also to glory. Complete predestination is the divine preparation of...

The Holy Suffering of the Saint "Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good . . ." —1 Peter 4:19 Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God’s will— even if it means you will suffer— is something very different. No normal, healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he simply chooses God’s will, just as Jesus did, whether it means suffering or not. And no saint should ever dare to interfere with the lesson of suffering being taught in another saint’s life.The saint...

Denver, Colo., Aug 10, 2013 / 06:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Although a controversial new book on the “historical Jesus� is topping best-seller lists, claims made by its author are tired when it comes to New Testament scholarship, a Scripture professor says. “There's basically not a lot new,� Dr. Andre Villeneuve from Denver's St. John Vianney Theological Seminary said of Reza Aslan's recent “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.� “It kind of re-hashes what's been said in the last – not just 20 or 30 years – but the last 100 or 200 years about the search...

American churches are losing their young people. This trend was evidenced most recently in a 2012 Pew Forum study titled “‘Nones’ on the Rise: One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation.” The summary of the 80-page report posits, “The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public—and a third of adults under 30—are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.” Researchers use the label of “nones,” or “religiously unaffiliated,” to clarify that these young people are not falling into hardened agnosticism or...

Pope Francis discovers charismatic movement a gift to the whole church By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, July 23-28, many worshippers in the crowds could be seen swaying from side to side, arms raised in the air, wearing rapt or joyous expressions on their faces.

Even in the Hard Times Today's Scripture “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria When Moses was born, the king ordered that all the male babies were to be killed. You can imagine how devastated this mother must have been. She could have easily given...

Prayer in the Father’s Honor ". . . that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" —Luke 1:35 If the Son of God has been born into my human flesh, then am I allowing His holy innocence, simplicity, and oneness with the Father the opportunity to exhibit itself in me? What was true of the Virgin Mary in the history of the Son of God’s birth on earth is true of every saint. God’s Son is born into me through the direct act of God; then I as His child must exercise...

Former CRS head Bishop Lynch says pro-lifers ‘attack’ Catholic agencies as ‘money raising scheme’ BY PATRICK B. CRAINE Thu Aug 08, 2013 14:43 EST ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, August 8, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A bishop who formerly headed Catholic Relief Services has issued a vigorous defense of the relief agency while at the same time accusing its pro-life critics of “attacking” CRS as a “money raising scheme.” Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Florida, who served as chairman of CRS’ board of trustees from 2001 to 2007, made the charge in a Wednesday post on his personal blog that was co-published...

Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Was the most extensive judgment found anywhere in the Bible outside of the book of Revelation actually for the sin of inhospitality, not homosexuality?People find what they want in the Bible. If one looks hard enough, he can find "biblical" support for reincarnation, Eastern religions, Jesus as a guru, divorce for any reason, and flying saucers. Every cult of Christianity uses the Bible to validate its claims and so does some of the occult.It's not surprising, then, that a recent trend in biblical scholarship holds that a careful reading of Genesis in...

In a kind of follow up from yesterday’s blog on the call to repentance, it seems it might be helpful to list what the Bible describes as some of the more serious sins.One of the great deceptions of our time is that serious sin is a remote possibility for most people, and that it is only committed by very wicked people. And too many people assess their moral standing with unhelpful slogans such as “I’m basically a good person,� or “I haven’t murdered anybody.�We have to be more serious and mature in our discernment than this. Of course God does...

Featured Term (selected at random):SHROVETIDEThe few days before Ash Wednesday, particularly the day before, Shrove Tuesday. It is associated with confessing one's sins and has in many places become a time for holding carnivals, as the last time for festivity before the Lenten season of penance. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Pinned inside her mangled Mercedes, seriously injured and fading fast, Katie Lentz turned to her rescuers on the lonely open stretch of Missouri highway and asked them to pray. Struck head-on by a drunk driver on Sunday morning, emergency workers had been battling for an hour and a half to free Lentz, but to no avail. But as they joined hands a Catholic priest appeared, even though there were no bystanders and the road was blocked, who offered a prayer and an instruction to the rescuers that they would now be able to free her. Suddenly, heavy equipment needed to...

  Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King At your baptism you were marked with oil as a sign that you are consecrated to God and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Your anointing also was a sign that you are joined to Christ and share in his threefold mission as prophet, priest, and king. The Israelites anointed their priests and kings with oil. They spoke of their prophets as being anointed with the spirit. Jesus, known as the Christ, the anointed one, fills all three roles. According to Luke, at the outset of his public ministry, Jesus read from Isaiah and...

Your Days Are Ordained Today's Scripture “...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God has already planned out every detail of your life right down to the very second. Think about our solar system, the way it rotates. Scientists tell us that every year it’s exactly on time down to the millisecond, day after day, year after year. Hundreds of years from now if the Lord tarries, it will still be precise. That’s because our God is not an...

Prayer in the Father’s Hearing "Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ’Father, I thank You that You have heard Me’" —John 11:41 When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of only His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19) the Father will always hear my prayers. But I must see to it that the Son of God is exhibited in my human flesh. “. . . your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit . ....

On August 6th, Andrea Tornielli of "Vatican Insider" published an interview with Fr. Alessandro Apollonio, the Procurator General of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, in which they discussed the Holy See's recent decision to restrict the order's use of the so-called "Extraordinary Form." The decree issued by the Congregation for Religious, with the approval of Pope Francis, reads in part: "The Holy Father Francis has directed that every religious of the congregation of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate is required to celebrate the liturgy according to the ordinary rite and that, if the occasion should arise, the use...

Featured Term (selected at random):SACRISTYA room attached to a church, usually near the altar, where the clergy vest for ecclesiastical functions. The sacristy affords storage for sacred vessels, vestments, and other articles needed for liturgical use. The sacrarium is usually located there. (Etym. Latin sacristia, from sacrum, holy, sacred.) See Also: PISCINA All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

He Orders Your Steps Today's Scripture “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria I had a man tell me a few weeks ago that he was really hoping to get this big contract. He worked in heavy equipment sales. He went to meet the owner of this very large company. He walked into the meeting very nervous, very uptight. The owner smiled and said, “My wife said to tell you hello. You both went to high school together. She said...

Prayer in the Father’s Honor ". . . that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" —Luke 1:35 If the Son of God has been born into my human flesh, then am I allowing His holy innocence, simplicity, and oneness with the Father the opportunity to exhibit itself in me? What was true of the Virgin Mary in the history of the Son of God’s birth on earth is true of every saint. God’s Son is born into me through the direct act of God; then I as His child must exercise...

Featured Term (selected at random):PATRON SAINTA saint or blessed who, since early Christian times, has been chosen as a special intercessor with God for a for a particular person, place, community, or organization. The custom arose from the biblical fact that a change of personal name indicated a change in the person, e.g., Abram, to Abraham, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul; and from the practice of having churches built over the tombs of martyrs. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

The Bible is a book of bad news and good news. First the bad news: Human beings are sinners. Our sin separates us from a holy and righteous God, provokes his wrath, and causes us to ultimately suffer death and eternal separation from Him. (Rom. 3:23, Rom.1:18, Col.3:6). More bad news: We are without excuse. As a result of our wickedness, we have suppressed the truth about God made known to us and are deserving of his righteous wrath. (Rom. 1:16-32) That's a bitter pill to swallow, but it's not the end of the story. There is good news. The...

Proverbs 29:2 King James Version (KJV) 2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

He Orchestrates Your Life Today's Scripture “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’s counsel — that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God is a strategic God. He has laid out an exact plan for our lives down to the smallest details. God knows the people you’re going to need to fulfill your destiny. He knows who is going to need to give you a good break and who is going to need to put in a good word for you. He knows when someone is going to need to...

The Cross in Prayer "In that day you will ask in My name . . ." —John 16:26 We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him� (Matthew 6:8). Then why should we ask? The point...

Tuesday, August 6, 2013 The Lord in a Plastic Cup -- Giving Communion at WYD in Rio (Rio de Janeiro) scurrilous, thoughtless, horrifying forms of an unworthy giving of Communion and a similar reception are customary to Catholics. At World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro the poor understanding of the Eucharist has reached a new high point of slovenliness. Pope Benedict XVI. went with his example and gave Holy Communion only to those faithful who knelt and received on the tongue. It was a contribution to the restoration of reverence and comprehension for the Holy. The priests employed were...

Featured Term (selected at random):CAUSALITYThe influence of a cause in the production or modification of a being. An efficient cause exercises efficacy on the effect produced; the final cause gives purpose or attraction; an exemplary cause gives guidance; and both material and formal causes communicate their being to the effect, the material supplying that from which a thing is produced and the formal giving it the specific nature it acquired. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission. 

Transfiguration icon by Theophanes the Greek (15th c.). August 6th commemorates Christ’s transfiguration in glory on Mount Tabor. The Transfiguration is one of twelve major feasts on the Eastern Christian liturgical calendar. A major feast is the equivalent of a solemnity on the Roman calendar. A glimpse of this feast through the hymns and traditions of the East gives a fresh perspective on God’s plan of salvation for us. “My favorite part of this feast is singing the troparion,� says Robin Roxas of Morning Star Family Farm in Hartland, Wisconsin. Robin and his family of ten traveled an hour from...

Acceleration Today's Scripture “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria We’re living in a day when God is speeding things up. What should have taken you a lifetime to accomplish, because you honor God, He is going to do in a fraction of the time. God is going to give you breaks that you didn’t deserve. He is going to bring the right people across your...

The Cross in Prayer "In that day you will ask in My name . . ." —John 16:26 We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him� (Matthew 6:8). Then why should we ask? The point...

David Virtue's website, VirtueOnline, www.virtueonline.org recently reprinted a blog post by Joel Wilhelm, entitled "FiFNA vs. Anglicanism." http://tinyurl.com/n5soffq Readers of Anglican blogs may remember that, in June, the Stand Firm website ran an article: "What is Going on With the ACNA and the Filioque?" which cited another post by Wilhelm, entitled, "ACNA Vs. the 39 Articles," in which he challenges the ACNA for considering returning to the original form of the Nicene Creed, which does not contain the Filioque. I don't know about you, but I am beginning to sense a theme with these "versus" articles: Take an organization that...

Featured Term (selected at random):ENDOMETRIOSISA gynecological illness caused by the abnormal presence of tissue that more or less perfectly resembles the lining of the uterus (endometrium) but growing outside of the uterus itself and distributed in other pelvic areas. Since this aberrant endometrial tissue responds to the hormone-induced changes of the woman's menstrual cycle but, unlike the true endometrial lining of the uterus, is entrapped in other tissue such as bone and muscle, its cyclic changes of menstruation, causes the problem to repress, and even after the pregnancy improvement is sometimes sustained for a period up to three or...

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Guido Pozzo as secretary of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei.” Until now Archbishop Pozzo has served as the Almoner of His Holiness. The Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” was set up by Pope John Paul II in 1988 with the aim of facilitating full Ecclesial communion with those members of the Fraternity founded by Mons Marcel Lefèbvre who wish to remain united to the successor of Peter in the Catholic Church.The Pope has also appointed Mons Konrad Krajewski as Almoner of His Holiness. Mons. Krajewski previously served as the pontifical ceremonial usher. The Apostolic...

He died because he acted like the incarnate Son of God; spoke like the incarnate Son of God What infuriated the establishment most were the claims to Lordship, the posture of authority, the exalted titles, the exercise of Messiahship, the presumed right to forgive, the way in which Jesus put himself in the center of Israel’s story, the delusions of grandeur, the acceptance of worship, and the audacity of man being God. Jesus did not die because the Jerusalem nasties couldn’t stand a souped up incarnation of Sesame Street.

The Gospel today is not merely a warning against greed, it is an instruction on income and wealth given by Jesus to help us root out greed. As the Gospel opens the problem of greed is presented, and then a prescribed perspective about wealth is offered. Lets take a look at both parts of this gospel.I. The Problem that is Portrayed - The text begins: Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.� He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?� Then he said to the...

Confused how some Catholics can be labeled "Pelagians"? Recently, there's been a lot of fingerpointing at traditional Catholics. Some of it is the same old, same old (insert stale Pharisees joke here). Some of it, however, is very new and very confusing. Some Catholics have recently been identified -- more than once -- as "Pelagians." This will undoubtedly bolster the morale of other Catholics while, yet again, making life next to impossible for the traditional-minded parish priest who is, now more than ever, being accused by his flock of putting himself "above the Church" by his devotion to reverence in...

<p>Imagine you and your spouse find out you're expecting. Having experienced this moment a few times, I know there's nothing quite like it. Your world changes, and within days, your child's entire biography unfolds in your mind: her first steps, first words, kindergarten, little league, ballet, high school, college, and eventually a young adult who will make you insanely proud. It's all so promising.</p>

The Brave Friendship of God "He took the twelve aside . . ." —Luke 18:31 Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value�? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you...