Catholicity

  Commentary On The Readings Easter Sunday, 2024 First Reading Acts 10:34; 37-43. These verses are part of the conversion story of Cornelius, a Roman army officer. Stationed in Caesarea, Cornelius believed the God of the Jews was the true God, and he was a good-living man, but he had not become a Jew. Advised by a divine messenger, he sent to Joppa for St. Peter, who had been a firm anti-paganist. But that changed with a vision he had that same day. So he came to Caesarea and entered the pagan home of Cornelius..., a first for Peter. This passage from Acts was selected for Easter Sunday for a couple reasons. First, The Resurrection is mentioned in it. Secondly, St. Peter gives his first discourse to a Gentile, in which he affirms the Resurrection as the basic doctrine and crowning proof of our Christian faith. As St. Paul says: “If Christ has not risen, then vain is our preaching; vain, too, is your faith.” (1 Cor 15:14). St. Peter also stresses the truth of the Resurrection by citin

  "It is accomplished; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit." Today, "Good Friday" (in the English-speaking world), the whole Church mourns the death of our Savior. The title for this day varies in different parts of the world  For example: - "Holy Friday" for Latin nations - In Germany, it is "Friday of Mourning" - In Norway, it is "Long Friday." This is traditionally a day of Mourning, and sadness, spent in fasting and prayer. We  find ways to slow down and contemplate our lives and the sacrifice of Our Lord on this solemn day... - Many people take off from work and school to join the devotions and liturgy of the day. - Families might leave the house dark and maintain silence during the hours of noon — 3p.m. (the time Jesus hung on the cross), keeping from loud conversation or activities throughout the remainder of the day. - Other ways to keep the day solemn is restricting outside entertainment—TV, music, computer, phone

 In the previous post to Catholicity, we addressed the tendency to keep quiet when the Catholic faith is attacked. How far will we go, though?.....      Thinking about how Jesus drove the money-changers out of the Temple, and Psalm 69: “For zeal for thy house has consumed me,” I was reminded of the disgraceful behavior of Alphabet Activists who staged an outrageous mockery of a funeral service at St. Patrick’s cathedral in New York just two weeks prior. The money-changers were only buying and selling. They were not using the Temple to celebrate one who was described by activists as, “the mother of all whores,...” in short, a transvestite prostitute. To make matters worse, these so-called 'activists' lied about their intent for the service, which was to make their usual mockery of the Church and its holy space. Yet unlike the money changers, they were not driven out of St. Patrick’s. Once the cathedral staff realized what they were doing in the church, they forbid ser

One of the biggest sacrifices we can make nowadays is to tell the truth.  I don’t mean in the sense of talking about others, or "keepin' it real," as they say. No, I mean to tell the truth about the Catholic faith and morals outside the safe circle of family and friends who share our values. Its pretty rare for faithful Catholics to find situations where the truth about Christ, the Church, or morality are well-received. Consequently, when others assert incredibly stupid or deliberately negative or antagonistic things about God, the Church or morality..., our usual response is silence. Of course, not everyone is so reticent about what they believe, however. The other day I was in line at the pharmacy, and the guy ahead kept telling me about himself — how independent and self-reliant he was, how messed up the world is, and how, if anything went wrong with normal services or the economy, he could live off the rats in dumpsters, because he had his trusty knife. When he left,

No doubt you’ve seen the bumper sticker that says: “COEXIST.”     Like similar words, “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” it sounds nice. But such slogans are purposely ambiguous and they blur the distinction between good and evil.     The Woke Acolytes of Coexist expect us to surrender to their Godless, secular religion - and you can expect them to turn ugly if you see through their sham and object.     So how do we navigate this "woke and politically correct (PC)," sometimes even hostile, environment?      For that, w e have the example of Nicodemus, who  appears several times in the Gospel of St. John. 1. Nicodemus is a Holy subversive against the cancel culture Elitists. Nicodemus was a Pharisee in good standing... “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night.” (Jn. 3:1) Nicodemus was thus a company man, a team player, and a cog in the wheel of the Pharisee ruling class. So, he went to speak to Jesus on th

  Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me,  because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me,  a man who has t

  As I work on this, it is, "Laetere Sunday," a word meaning ' rejoice.'      However amidst the joy of today,  we examine a very common problem in the world of men. Readings      Our readings for today ( Readings ) remind us of REBIRTH in Christ through our baptism.      The first reading relates the edict of Cyrus, the king of Persia, who released the Jews to rebuild the temple and restore what God had given them.      The second reading is an extract from St. Paul's letter to the Ep hesians where he emphasizes the gracious gift of faith God gave them, even when they were sinners. They are REBORN and united them to Christ, and now have the right to share in His glorious resurrection and inherit heaven with Him, and through Him.      The Gospel account, however, is both joyous and a bit sobering - and it bears a review: "Jesus said to Nicodemus: 'Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who

  CHURCH NOTES – Meditation on the LITURGY Today is the halfway mark of the Sundays of Lent. This Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday, for the first word of the Introit or Entrance Antiphon, "Laetare!" (rejoice); it is a Sunday of Joy. The celebrant will wear the rose-colored vestments to indicate this sentiment. This is also the Second Scrutiny for adult catechumens, as they prepare for their baptism at the Easter Vigil. The Church’s liturgy, on this the Fourth Sunday of Lent, invites us to retrace one of the fundamental dynamics of our baptismal re-birth, through the Gospel account of the healing of the ‘man born blind.’ It is his passage from the darkness of sin and error to the Light of God, He who is the Risen Christ. Meditation on the Liturgy This Sunday has a place apart amongst the Sundays of Lent. As in Advent we had Gaudete Sunday, so in Lent we have a Sunday commonly called "Laetare Sunday." The whole week ahead, with its wealth of liturgical signific

"What a chimera then is man! How strange and monstrous! A chaos, a contradiction, a prodigy. Judge of all things, yet a weak earth-worm; Depository of truth, yet a cesspool of uncertainty and error; The glory and scourge of the universe. Who will unravel such a tangle? ... No man, certainly, for Man is incomprehensible by man.... Man would fain be great, and sees that he is little; Man w ould fain be happy, and sees that he is miserable; Man w ould fain be perfect, and sees that he is full of imperfections; Man w ould fain be the object of the love and esteem of men, and sees that his faults merit only their aversion and contempt;.... He conceives a mortal hatred against that truth - which blames him and convinces him of his faults." Man's condition is characterized by boredom and anxiety. And by an inability to live fully in the moment: "We might say, 'Live for the moment,' but we don't really mean it. In fact, Man cares nothing for the present -

Jesus addressed this parable  to those who were convinced of their own righteousness,  despising everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,  ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —  greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week,  and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance  and would not even raise his eyes to heaven,  but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” -  Lk 18:9-14 ===== < ✠ > ===== The gifts received from God are derived, not from ourselves, but from the Holy Spirit. They are to be used, in a spirit of humility, in the service of the Church and of