THE second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a day that Jesus promised to pour out immeasurable graces to the degree that, for some, it is “the last hope of salvation.” Still, many Catholics have no idea what this feast is or never hear about it from the pulpit. As you’ll see, this is no ordinary day…
THERE is a scene in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings where Helms Deep is under attack. It was supposed to be an impenetrable stronghold, surrounded by the massive Deeping Wall. But a vulnerable spot is discovered, which the forces of darkness exploit by causing all kinds of distraction and then planting and igniting an explosive. Moments before a torch runner reaches the wall to light the bomb, he is spotted by one of the heroes, Aragorn. He yells to the archer Legolas to take him down… but it’s too late. The wall explodes and is breached. The enemy is now within the gates. Continue reading
Beloved, do not be surprised that
a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you
share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.
(1 Peter 4:12-13)
[Man] shall be actually disciplined beforehand for incorruption,
and shall go forwards and flourish in the times of the kingdom,
in order that he may be capable of receiving the glory of the Father.
—St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Church Father (140–202 A.D.)
Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons, passim
Bk. 5, Ch. 35, The Fathers of the Church, CIMA Publishing Co
YOU are loved. And that’s why the sufferings of this present hour are so intense. Jesus is preparing the Church to receive a “new and divine holiness” that, until these times, was unknown. But before He can clothe His Bride in this new garment (Rev 19:8), He has to strip His beloved of her soiled garments. As Cardinal Ratzinger stated so vividly:Continue reading
…the daybreak from on high will visit us
to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.
(Luke 1:78-79)
AS it was the first time Jesus came, so it is again on the threshold of the coming of His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven, which prepares for and precedes His final coming at the end of time. The world, once again, is “in darkness and death’s shadow,” but a new dawn is quickly approaching.Continue reading
WHAT will the Era of Peace be like? Mark Mallett and Daniel O’Connor go into the beautiful details of the coming Era as found in Sacred Tradition and the prophecies of mystics and seers. Watch or listen to this exciting webcast to learn about events that may transpire in your lifetime!Continue reading
From the archives: written on February 22nd, 2013….
A LETTER from a reader:
I totally agree with you — we each need a personal relationship with Jesus. I was born and raised Roman Catholic but find myself now attending the Episcopal (High Episcopal) church on Sunday and becoming involved with the life of this community. I was a member of my church council, a choir member, a CCD teacher and a full-time teacher in a Catholic school. I personally knew four of the priests credibly accused and who confessed of sexually abusing minor children… Our cardinal and bishops and other priests covered up for these men. It strains belief that Rome didn’t know what was going on and, if it truly didn’t, shame on Rome and the Pope and the curia. They are simply horrid representatives of Our Lord…. So, I should remain a loyal member of the RC church? Why? I found Jesus many years ago and our relationship has not changed — in fact it is even stronger now. The RC church is not the beginning and the end of all truth. If anything, the Orthodox church has just as much if not more credibility than Rome. The word “catholic” in the Creed is spelled with a small “c” – meaning “universal” not meaning only and forever the Church of Rome. There is only one true path to the Trinity and that is following Jesus and coming into relationship with the Trinity by first coming into friendship with Him. None of that is dependent upon the Roman church. All of that can be nourished outside of Rome. None of this is your fault and I admire your ministry but I just needed to tell you my story.
Dear reader, thank you for sharing your story with me. I rejoice that, despite the scandals you have encountered, your faith in Jesus has remained. And this doesn’t surprise me. There have been times in history when Catholics in the midst of persecution no longer had access to their parishes, the priesthood, or the Sacraments. They survived within the walls of their inner temple where the Holy Trinity resides. The lived out of faith and trust in a relationship with God because, at its core, Christianity is about the love of a Father for his children, and the children loving Him in return.
Thus, it begs the question, which you have tried to answer: if one can remain a Christian as such: “Should I remain a loyal member of the Roman Catholic Church? Why?”
The answer is a resounding, unhesitating “yes.” And here is why: it’s a matter of staying loyal to Jesus.
ON THE DIGNITY OF MAN AND WOMAN
THERE is a joy that we must rediscover as Christians today: the joy of seeing the face of God in the other—and this includes those who have compromised their sexuality. In our contemporary times, St. John Paul II, Blessed Mother Teresa, Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Jean Vanier and others come to mind as individuals who found the capacity to recognize God’s image, even in the distressing disguise of poverty, brokenness, and sin. They saw, as it were, the “crucified Christ” in the other.
WITHOUT a doubt, the Book of Revelation is one of the most controversial in all of Sacred Scripture. On one end of the spectrum are fundamentalists who take every word literally or out of context. On the other are those who believe the book has already been fulfilled in the first century or who ascribe to the book a merely allegorical interpretation.Continue reading
First published June 5th, 2013… with updates today.
IF I may recall briefly here a powerful experience about ten years ago when I felt driven to go to the church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament…
What’s around the bend?
IN an open letter to the Pope, [1]cf. Dear Holy Father… He is Coming! I outlined to His Holiness the theological foundations for an “era of peace” as opposed to the heresy of millenarianism. [2]cf. Millenarianism: What it is and is Not and the Catechism [CCC} n.675-676 Indeed, Padre Martino Penasa posed the question on the scriptural foundation of an historic and universal era of peace versus millenarianism to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: “È imminente una nuova era di vita cristiana?” (“Is a new era of Christian life imminent?”). The Prefect at that time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger replied, “La questione è ancora aperta alla libera discussione, giacchè la Santa Sede non si è ancora pronunciata in modo definitivo”:
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Dear Holy Father… He is Coming! |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | cf. Millenarianism: What it is and is Not and the Catechism [CCC} n.675-676 |