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In the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent in the Ordinary Form of Holy Mass, Jesus proclaims, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” but what does that mean?
Is this Kingdom still to come such that we might participate in bringing it to fulfillment, or is the reign of Christ the King a present reality that we are duty bound to proclaim? The answer is yes!
Sadly, however, we all-too-often fail to do our part.
The book of Wisdom speaks rather poignantly to the present day...
With so many items of Catholic interest in the news these days, why focus on just one? Here are three that caught my eye.
Hope and Changing Scripture
When Barack Obama ran his presidential campaign on “Hope and Change,” most thinking Americans saw it for what it was – a bumper sticker slogan purposely devoid of all substance.
The rest voted for him.
Now, after President Obama’s shameless performance at last week’s National Prayer Breakfast, one wonders if twisting the...
The big Catholic news item in the United States these days centers around the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring nearly all employers to offer health insurance plans that provide zero-deductible coverage for “preventative services” like sterilization and contraception, including drugs that cause abortion.
When the mandate was first proposed, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), citing our Constitutional right to “religious liberty”...
After initially intending to complete this series in three parts, it appears that it may be useful to tie up any remaining loose ends with an overview of the propositions put forth in the Declaration on Religious Liberty of Vatican II, followed by Fr. Murray’s own reflections dated the year after its promulgation. (Note: A bibliography follows.)
First, a recap of the salient issues beginning with a brief outline of the Church’s traditional teaching which states the following:
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Man...
At the conclusion to part two, we weighed certain of Murray’s arguments in favor of an historically nuanced understanding of the traditional teaching on religious liberty. We will begin part three with what he labeled the “decisive proof.”
Murray goes on to quote the Syllabus of Errors of Pope Pius IX, extracting from it what he deems “the decisive proof” that Pope Leo XIII, using this as his guide, was less concerned with the prospect of the Church being “dethroned from its...
Having presented an overview of traditional Church teaching in Part One, we resume our examination of religious liberty in Part Two with a look at the John Courtney Murray school of thought.
The first thing a careful examination of Fr. Murray’s arguments reveals, is that he takes great liberty (no pun intended) in his treatment of the traditional teaching. He does so, however, in such a way that the casual observer may either miss it altogether, or may perhaps just consider it so subtle...
In this 3 part series of articles, we will examine what many Catholics and non-Catholics alike recognize as one of the most profoundly important issues of our day; namely, the matter of religious liberty.
Everyone knows that religion is good, and since no one in their right mind could possibly argue against the inherent goodness of liberty, it only stands to reason that "religious liberty" as it is so often invoked these days must be especially good!
Now, it’s just a hunch, mind you, but...
After years of discussion, preparation and anticipation, the new English translation of the Roman Missal – Third Edition was officially implemented in the United States on November 27. The “reviews” are now starting to show up in newspapers, blogs and other media.
As I read them, it seems as though most of the “people in the pews” are either positive about the new text, or they are at the very least willing to approach the changes as an opportunity for spiritual growth.
Some...
We conclude our reflection on the mysteries of the rosary with an examination of The Luminous Mysteries.
1. The Baptism of the Lord
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water,...
We continue our reflection on the mysteries of the rosary as a means of entering more deeply into the sacred mysteries made present in Holy Mass with an examination of The Glorious Mysteries.
1. The Resurrection of the Lord
And in the end of the Sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulcher. And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and coming rolled back the stone...
