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Our Lady of Guadalupe, Extremadura.
Like Mother, like Son.
The bambino, Rocco, and St. Joseph

Sitz im leben

Ordinary Time: Following Jesus.

   



30 November

  • Last Friday in Ordinary Time. This is the week of Christ the King. Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
  • Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle, "called in the Orthodox tradition PrōtoklÄ“tos, or the First-called, is ... the brother of Saint Peter; patron of happy marriages and pregnant women. The name "Andrew" (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, Andreia, "manhood, valour"), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews, Christians, and other Hellenized people of the region."
  • Philip from Brisbane, Australia, listening on iCatholicRadio: It says in Exodus that "The Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people" (32:14). How could Moses change God's mind if we humans can not change the will of God? If God is all-knowing and perfect, then how can a prophet change his mind?
  1. God appears as a character in a story told from OUR point of view in many scriptural passages. This character does not have all of the attributes that we know belong theologically to God. For the sake of a good story, God appears to be just like us, involved in the flow of time, and making and unmaking plans in reaction to circumstances, as we do.
  2. The stories are not written from the standpoint of dogmatic or systematic theology; therefore, drawing dogmatic or systematic conclusions from the stories is a mistake.
  3. Notice the strange role of the word "evil" in Ex 32:14. God was planning to do "evil" to his people, but we know that God is not an "evil-doer." The source of all holiness cannot sin. We have to cut the narrator some slack here, and see that the story is being told colloquially, not theologically.
  4. We can "change God's mind" because God wills it so. It is He who commands us to pray and who promises that our prayers make a difference. Your premise that "we humans cannot change the will of God" is false as stated. The truth is that "we humans cannot change the will of God unless He Himself wills to give us that power." This is a grace, a free gift from God to us, not something that we merit or exercise by our nature. In the natural order, of course, no creature can act as if it were sovereign over the Creator. In the order of grace, God empties Himself and assumes the condition of a slave. I think this is how God gives us the power to intercede for others.
  5. God knows realities in the present, not as predestined events.
  • Scott from Rochester: How can I better understand the book of Revelation which has been featured in the daily Mass readings for the past few weeks?


Recent questions

Are the Three Persons Truly Equal?

  • A friendly Monsignor from the Buffalo suburbs: We say the Three Persons are "equal". But the Son alone becomes "incarnate". Doesn't that mean that the Son has a "quality", i.e. "incarnation," that Father and Spirit do not "possess"? Ergo, doesn't this upset the "equality" of Father, Son and Spirit?

Circumcision

Who may sing the Kyrie?

Q: I attended Mass in a diocesan cathedral while on a trip out west. Although a priest and deacon were presiding, a cantor sang the invocations for the "Lord, Have Mercy": "You were sent to heal the contrite of heart," "You came to call sinners," and "You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us." Can a lay person sing this part of the Mass?

A: Surprisingly (to me), yes. "The cantor is both a singer and a leader of congregational song. Especially when no choir is present, the cantor may sing in alternation or dialogue with the assembly. For example, the cantor may sing the invocations of the Kyrie, intone the Gloria, lead the short acclamations at the end of the Scripture readings, intone and sing the verse of the Gospel Acclamation, sing the invocations of the Prayer of the Faithful, and lead the singing of the Agnus Dei. The cantor may also sing the verses of the psalm or song that accompany the Entrance, Preparation of the Gifts, and Communion. Finally, the cantor may serve as psalmist, leading and proclaiming the verses of the Responsorial Psalm" ("Sing to the Lord," #37).

Proof of Heaven

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife.

Alexander’s recovery is a medical miracle. But the real miracle of his story lies elsewhere. While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.
Alexander’s story is not a fantasy. Before he underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any belief in heaven, God, or the soul. Today Alexander is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition.
This story would be remarkable no matter who it happened to. That it happened to Dr. Alexander makes it revolutionary. No scientist or person of faith will be able to ignore it. Reading it will change your life.

Ordination of Women and Priestly Celibacy

Amy from e-mail: I recently spoke with some women friends about the ordination of women and allowing priests to marry. They claimed that these two issues are founded on human law rather than divine law, and then argued that because some day there will not be enough priests to serve the people, other options must be discussed. Are these issues open to discussion?

Faith Like Potatoes

  • When we were asked about the orthodoxy of Australian Catholicism, a friend recommended the movie, "Faith Like Potatoes" (2006). The movie is based on an inspiring true story, and has as its theme, "where there's love, there's hope." It is "the story of a man’s challenge to overcome difficulty as a farmer amidst a terrible drought, as well as a family tragedy." There are two caveats about this movie:
1) It is about a Protestant family.
2) It is from South Africa, not Australia.
But is still might be worth watching. :) There is a Scripture-based discussion guide for the movie.

Year of Faith Website

  • David M. from Rochester: Here is the Vatican’s website for the year of faith: www.annusfidei.va.

Common Bible includes "Apocrypha"

John W. from e-mail: I was very surprised this afternoon when you quoted Tobit 4:8 on giving. You said, "The Protestants don’t have Tobit in their Bible." Here in Canada, or at least Toronto, we DO! We also have Judith, Wisdom, Baruch, 1&2 Maccabees, and the other Deuterocanonical Books in the pew Bibles of at least our local Anglican and Presbyterian churches, and probably in the local United Church too. The pew Bibles are the “New Revised Standard Version (with Apocrypha).” These are logical developments based on Vatican II, which began fifty years ago, and the first Anglican-Roman Catholic Common Declaration and the establishment of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission forty-six years ago. Most Protestant churches are also using the Revised Common Lectionary. Is this just a Canadian thing?

- Tobit
- Judith
- Wisdom
- Ben Sira
- 1 Maccabees
- 2 Maccabees
- Baruch
- Additions to Esther
- Letter of Jeremiah
- Prayer of Azariah
- Susanna
- Bel
- Prayer of Manasses
- Additions to Psalms
- 1 Esdras [3 Esdras]
- 2 Esdras [4 Esdras]
- 3 Maccabees
- 4 Maccabees
  • Vivian from Ithaca: book suggestions for young children
- Lawrence G. Lovasik, The Ten Commandments.
- Lawrence G. Lovasik, Picture Book of Saints: Illustrated Lives of the Saints for Young and Old.
- Josephine Nobisso, The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith.. Beautiful illustrations. Good for gift-giving and first communion.
- Ruth Sanderson, Saints: Lives and Illuminations.
- Fr. Dan Lord, Book of Saints for Catholic Children: 96 Illustrated Stories.
- Claire Llewellyn, Saints and Angels. Very pretty. Good for gift-giving.

Psychology and Catholicism

  • John from Facebook: At the school I work, they are doing workshops on motivation and learning. They presented a workshop on William Glasser's "choice theory," which seems to me to advocate faith but no God. When the Church provides counsel through Catholic Charities or even through a priest, how does it merge psychology and faith?
Glasser Choice Theory
The mission of The William Glasser Institute is to teach all people choice theory and to use it as the basis for training in reality therapy.
The 1998 book, Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom, is the primary text for all that is taught by The William Glasser Institute. Choice theory states that:
  • all we do is behave,
  • that almost all behavior is chosen, and
  • that we are driven by our genes to satisfy five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun.
In practice, the most important need is love and belonging, as closeness and connectedness with the people we care about is a requisite for satisfying all of the five basic needs.
Seven Caring Habits Seven Deadly Habits
Supporting Criticizing
Encouraging Blaming
Listening Complaining
Accepting Nagging
Trusting Threatening
Respecting Punishing
Negotiating differences Bribing, rewarding to control
"Working wonders at St. Gregory’s."
Since 2006, St. Gregory patients have gone through a seven-week program of neuropsychological repair, behavior-modification training, life-skills exercises, and cognitive behavior therapy in a format not available through any other program in America. St. Gregory’s is state-licensed, internationally accredited and accepts health insurance. Its staff of over 100 can accommodate over 100 guests at its two single-sex residential-living retreat centers.
The Vasquezes named their venture after St. Gregory the Wonder Worker [i.e., the Thaumaturge, a third-century bishop renowned for miraculous cures and conversions.
Only about 30% of St. Gregory patients have identified themselves as Catholic. But the faith, though not a part of the formal treatment program, is omnipresent. Two deacons are on staff and a full-time chaplain has just been assigned to celebrate the sacraments, including daily Mass at the retreat house chapels. And in August, three Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with backgrounds in nursing, social work and theological formation moved into their new convent on the women’s campus.

The Gospel of Jesus' Wife

- "Does New Document Prove that Jesus had a Wife?"
- "Harvard Theological Review Rejects 'Jesus' Wife'."
- "Could the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife Be a 'Collage' of Words and Phrases Culled Exclusively from the Coptic Gospel of Thomas?"

Confer Corrections / Edifying Elaborations

  • From Cardinal Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI: "Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment " (Spirit of the Liturgy p. 198).
  • The first Europeans to explore the Saint Louis area were members of an expedition (1673-1675), which included explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit priest Jacques Marquette. Father Marquette's journal can be found in the vast online historical collection, The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, 1610 to 1791 which is in 71 volumes and includes much early colonial history of the eastern United States and Canada.
Volume 59 of the Jesuit Relations
"...Father [Marquette] had long premeditated this undertaking, influenced by a most ardent desire to extend the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and to make him known and adored by all the peoples of that country....
"The feast of The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin — whom I have always invoked since I have been in this country ... to obtain from God the grace of being able to visit the Nations who dwell along the Mississipi River — was precisely the Day on which Monsieur Jollyet arrived with orders from Monsieur the Count de Frontenac, Our Governor, and Monsieur Talon, Our Intendant, to accomplish this discovery with me. I was all the more delighted at this good news, since I saw that my plans were about to be accomplished; and since I found myself in the blessed necessity of exposing my life for the salvation of all these peoples, and especially of the Illinois, who had very urgently entreated me, when I was at the point of St. Esprit, to carry the word of God to their country... Above all, I placed our voyage under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Immaculate, promising her that, if she granted us the favor of discovering the great River, I would give it the name of the Conception, and that I would also make the first Mission that I should establish among those new peoples, bear the same name. This I have actually done, among the Illinois."
By right of discovery, the proper name of the Mississippi River should be the Immaculate Conception River.
Saint Isaac Jogues gave the original European name to Lake George, calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement, Lake of the Blessed Sacrament.

Godly Gynecology; Pregnancy Support Services

  • Melissa from Kenmore, New York: "A friend of a friend of mine was told for decades that she had a thyroid problem that would prevent her from becoming pregnant. The doctors were wrong. When she began to gain weight because of a pregnancy, her doctor just adjusted her medication, thinking that her weight gain was due to thyroid problems, not a pregnancy. This was a devastating situation for her, as she ended up having an abortion. Many women who opt for abortion are not FOR abortion in and of itself. Many just do not have the support of the father or their family, and do not know who would help them cope with an unplanned child at the time of birth. Could you list some resources women in such a situation can turn to?"
NaProTechnology
Catholic Charities, USA.
Priests for Life: -- list of pregnancy support services.

Thanks for Station of the Cross Catholic Radio

Nancy, from Corning via Erica: "I want to say a great big 'thank you' for Catholic radio’s presence in the Elmira/Corning area. I thought she I the Faith well before, but I've grown so much in my understanding since I began listening. My neighbor, intended to convert to Catholicism, but gave up because she felt she was too Protestant. She has been listening to the station since it came to the area and is now back in RCIA and will be entering the Church this Easter. She is also very thankful for the Station of the Cross."

What is "Faith 'n' Reason Friday"?

Sarah from West Seneca:

- Define what "faith and reason Friday" is all about.
- Make up a list of sample questions to show what kind of questions you're seeking.
- Make up a list of questions you wish people would ask, and answer some of them.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Miracles Happen

  • From Dawn C. via e-mail:
Something rather exciting has happened! One of the beautiful ministries of Ladies of the Lord is arranging for the Lady of Fatima statue to visit a family in our Parish each week. Last week, Mary Nigam had the statue at her house and she invited people to come and pray the rosary during the week----when Rose went to pick Blessed Mother up to take her to the next house they noticed Blessed Mother’s eyes were filled with tears and there was a tear on the chin!
At another house, the hostess slept near the statue. On the third night at three in the morning she awoke and saw Our Lady holding a bouquet of pulsating red hearts, which she took to mean "Continue praying the rosary so I may gather many hearts for my Son, Jesus!"
I believe EVERY Parish should have a prayer group that prays for our Priests, our Parishes and the world----think of the radical change in the world that could come about if EVERYONE prayed more----Prayer is the wind that that that keeps the ‘sails’ of the Church in motion and Faith is the compass that points us in the right direction.

Pacifism required?

  • Anonymous: Why do some candidates who are pro life still support violence via wars, detainment, and the like? Why can't being pro life mean being more vigilant in ending wars through diplomatic talks rather than continuing what seems an endless fight in another country? Our military wants to come home. Does war ever make any sense?"
- Just War Theory.

Feeling guilty after Confession

  • Anonymous: "I have a hard time forgiving myself, even after I confess a sin in confession. Is that also a sin?"

Prayer request

  • "Just wanted to say thanks for the prayers. I know that you prayed that I can get back with my wife. It really isn't possible. I don't know what is going on with her. She has started a lot of problems, and she is hanging around with violent people. I don't want to keep her from seeing her daughter. Yet at the same time I fear what she may do. I am fearful for my daughter as well as my own as well as my family's lives. Please pray for me. I am so scared."

Interceding for Sinners

  • Anonymous: "What is the consequence if someone who is not Catholic receives the Eucharist in ignorance. Besides educating them, is there a penance one can do for them?"
What should I do when I see others sin?
Forgiveness Prayer.

Spiritual Warfare

  • Can people be used by demons to try and fight and create turmoil and strife?
  • Are there angels and demons duking it out fighting for our souls?
  • Also, I saw on a blog where a guy said to look in the Old Testament as to how many people Satan killed vs God. He claims that Satan only killed ten and God killed thousands. So, in his view, the whole Christian idea of God is false, and Satan got a raw deal.

Genies

  • Anonymous from Amherst: What does the Church teach about genies/jinn? Shows like "I Dream of Jeannie" and "You Wish" make it seem harmless, but the idea of a "genie" seems to have some demonic elements from Islam or even further back than that.

St. Thomas More Not So Saintly?

  • From a friend in Cheektowaga:
"Sir Thomas More Exemplified Man's Inhumanity to Man."
Chalres P. Jamieson, letter to editor, Buffalo news, April 15, 1996
Any person who saw "A Man for All Seasons," the play that recently closed at the Kavinoky Theater, must have been deeply impressed by the devotion and zeal with which Sir Thomas More refused to take an oath contrary to his religious beliefs, a refusal that resulted in his beheading.
The title of the play is, however, an inaccurate description of Sir Thomas More. Rather than being a man for all seasons, he was, in fact, a man very much of his place and time.
Regrettably, his place and time were characterized by "man's inhumanity to man," to use a phrase coined by Robert Burns. With More's approval, six persons were burned at the stake for their religious beliefs while More was lord chancellor. More zealously censored the writings of people with whom he disagreed.
Thomas Hitton was apprehended while making arrangements for distribution of an English-language Bible. When Hitton was burned, More wrote, "Now the spirit of lying hath taken his wretched soul with him straight from the short fire to the fire everlasting. And this is to Sir Thomas Hitton the Devil's stinking martyr."
More's life reminds us that man's inhumanity to man, certainly a violation of all that Jesus taught, lies shallowly buried beneath the surface of civilization and, regrettably, is often justified by an appeal to religion.
etc.
Hitton was a priest. "A Man More Profane than Sacred."
Catholic Encylopedia: ""As chancellor it was his duty to enforce the laws against heretics and, by doing so, he provoked the attacks of Protestant writers both in his own time and since. The subject need not be discussed here, but More's attitude is patent. He agreed with the principle of the anti-heresy laws and had no hesitation in enforcing them. As he himself wrote in his "Apologia" (cap. 49) it was the vices of heretics that he hated, not their persons; and he never proceeded to extremities until he had made every effort to get those brought before him to recant. How successful he was in this is clear from the fact that only four persons suffered the supreme penalty for heresy during his whole term of office."

El Segundo

  • El Segundo: The city earned its name ("the second" in Spanish) as it was the site of the second Standard Oil refinery on the West Coast (the first was at Richmond in Northern California), when Standard Oil of California purchased the 840 acres (3.4 km2) of farm land in 1911. The company was renamed Chevron in 1984, and the El Segundo refinery will soon enter its second century of operation.

9 November

They have a link to see all the previous e-mails from the first day of the Year of Faith.
Few footnotes. E.g., quotation from St. Thérèse: "But above all it's the gospels that occupy my mind when I'm at prayer; my poor soul has so many needs, and yet this is the one thing needful. I'm always finding fresh lights there; hidden meanings which had meant nothing to me hitherto."
  • Kevin via e-mail: To call the US from Australia, it would be 0011 + 1 + city area code + number. So 0011 1 877 511 5483
  • Philip from Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia, listening in the morning via iCatholicRadio: I live in Brisbane Australia. I am a Melkite Catholic, i have about 50-60 cousins that live in Brisbane and no one comes to mass on Sundays. How can i explain to them the importance of the Mass and the Eucharist? What can I do? I try to go to Mass seven days a week to pray for all of them, but they just don't see them importance of Sunday Mass.
  • Philip from Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia, listening in the morning via iCatholicRadio:
And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. But Abel was a pastor of sheep, and Cain was a farmer. Then it happened, after many days, that Cain offered gifts to the Lord, from the fruits of the earth. Abel likewise offered from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his gifts. Yet in truth, he did not look with favor on Cain and his gifts. And Cain was vehemently angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." (Genesis 4:2-7)
Hey I'm struggling to understand this... Is it that Cain did not make a blood sacrifice or is it something else? It seem clear to me that he was a farmer so it makes sense that he offer fruits but I'm struggling to understand why God was not satisfied?
  • type of offering
  • quality of offering
  • the interior dispositions of Cain and Abel
  • Jackie from e-mail: "Father discussed how to pray for the souls in purgatory by making a novena. Is there something that I could use as a reference to help explain this to my family. We always include prayers for the departed but never heard about having the souls pray for us. Also please explain the indulgence involving visiting cemeteries in November. I would love to share this information with my family and friends."
  • Emily from Corning: Wondering if Father ever went to the Basilica in Rome. She saw something there and was wondering why people touch a brass plate by the entrance.
  • Alex from Miami, FL: Trying to do a plenary indulgence. Wondering how he would know if he has an attachment to sin.
  • Mike from Rochester, NY: Wants prayers for the Country. To pray for the the renewal of respect for life and also for the conversion of politicians. He has ideas of how to get around the hhs mandate. . .
  • Charlotte from Niceville, FL: Has a prayer request for her son and daughter. They are not talking to each other and are in a "hate campaign". She feels like she is in the middle and is praying for love between them.
  • Mary: Please pray for my daughter’s healing and recovery.
  • Paul from Amherst: Received an email from a Catholic professor who is "pro life", voting for Obama, and gave a list of reasons why it was ethical to vote for him. Wants Fr.'s opinion.
  • Kimberly: Since the election I feel let down but my friends. I am noticing that i am saying things and acting out of anger to some of the posts on face book. Can you please say a prayer for all of us. I want to accept this decision and move on. Please pray for me too.

6 November

"If I close heaven so that there is no rain,
if I command the locust to devour the land,
if I send pestilence among my people,
if then my people,
upon whom my name has been pronounced,
humble themselves and pray,
and seek my face
and turn from their evil ways,
I will hear them from heaven
and pardon their sins
and heal their land." (2 Chr 7:13-14)

  • Lord's Prayer
  • USCCB Voting Guide for Catholics
  • Lynn from Facebook: "I wouldn't say the democratic party is anti-catholic. Other than being pro-choice (which is not pro-abortion), democrats tend to hold views that are more Catholic Christian than other parties - support for the poor and disenfranchised, inclusion of historically segregated populations."
  • Emily from Corning, NY: if the election doesn't go the way we want, our faith will be tested
  • Bob from Elma,NY: Disagrees with the caller that says democratic party is not anti catholic
  • Steve from Amherst, NY: asking where idea that republicans are anti-poor....
  • Bob from from Boston, NY: comment about slavery issue.
  • Christine. Texas. After voting for anti-abortion politicians it occurs to me that some may support the death penalty. If I find out they are pro-death penalty have I sinned?
  • Sharon from Elma, NY: wants to encourage voting and for Father to encourage also

2 November

  • Tomorrow is the last day of Mother Olga's novena of First Saturdays for the sake of the election.
  • This week marked the 500th anniversary of the completion of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. On 31 October 1512, Pope Julius II was joined by 17 cardinals for a celebration of vespers in the Chapel, in thanksgiving for the glorious work that had just been revealed.
  • [X] Memorare to Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Martyrs, Patron of the Americas, Mother of Good Counsel.
  • We have recently received two versions of the same question:
  1. William from Warren, Ohio: "I have trouble with Mary. The Bible says Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. How can I come to terms with this?
  2. Ale from Facebook asked during the Frank Kelly show (three weeks ago): "Why do Catholics pray to the saints instead of to God directly?"
  • Gino from Facebook: On the Cross, Jesus said, "It is finished" and "Today you will be with me in Paradise." He made no mention of any further purgation to the repentant thief. I believe that He took ALL our sins away and paid for them ALL with His precious blood. Whomever the Son sets free is free indeed!
Purgatory.
  • Sarah from West Seneca: What is the difference between "soul" and "spirit"?
  • John from Webster, NY: Can father go over the general guidelines for brining Communion home to the sick? Prayer Intention for Mom's healing.
  • Dennis from Buffalo: Please pray for my family, as my situation continues to go down hill. I am fearful that my daughter's best interests won't be protected.
  • Brian from Buffalo: Was the Holy Spirit formally recognized in the Old Testament? In the New Testament the Holy Spirit seems to be revealed to us through Jesus for the first time.
  • Michael from Rochester, NY: Prayer Intention for media reporters covering the elections.
  • Catherine from East Aurora, NY: Prayer intention for Connie for healing for her shoulder.
  • Heidi: I rarely ask for a prayer intention for my own benefit, but I ask for God's grace that my husband return to our faith, the sanctity of our marriage and a prayerful model to our sons. If it is God's will that our 19 yr marriage end, then grant us the grace of peace and hope. If not, please guide him towards reconciliation and forgiveness.
  • John B. from Facebook: "The Uruguay bishops' conference said that Catholic politicians who voted to allow abortion have excommunicated themselves. Will all bishops' conferences around the world eventually do the same? Are we kidding ourselves about the fight against abortion if such statements are not made around the world?
"Uruguay bishops say lawmakers who support abortion are excommunicated."
Uruguay's bishops say that local lawmakers who recently voted to legalize abortion in the country are automatically excommunicated for separating themselves from the Church's teaching.
“Automatic excommunication is for those who collaborate in the execution of an abortion in a direct way,” said Bishop Heriberto Bodeant, secretary for the Uruguayan bishops' conference.
“If a Catholic votes...with the manifest intention that he thinks the Church is wrong about this, he separates himself from the communion of the Church,” Bishop Bodeant recently told reporters.
“Excommunication means you are not in communion with the ecclesial community to which you openly claim to belong by doing something that puts you outside communion, and therefore you cannot participate in the Eucharist,” he explained.
  • John Z. from Facebook: when my wife and I participated in a catholic bible study, the first book we read was the book of Exodus because we were told that composition of the book of Exodus was really the beginning of what we now know as the Bible. It was the main story that gave the Israelites their tribal and religious identity. The book claimed that everything else, including Genesis, was written after the book of Exodus. What does the Church teach about this claim?
  • Caroline from e-mail: What is the age or sacrament requirement to receive the Anointing of the Sick? Can a child, say the age of 5, receive it?

26 October

  • Year of Faith: "I have come to cast fire on the earth; would that it were kindled already!"
  • Come, Holy Spirit (short version).
  • Grant from e-mail: What information do you have on the orthodoxy of Australian Catholicism?
  • 5.7 million Catholics = 27.5% of the population.
  • Catholicism in Australia largely begun by Irish immigrants, but more diverse nowadays.
  • Catholic Social Services: Australia's 63 member organisations help more than a million Australians every year.
  • The Catholic education system has more than 650,000 students (18% of student population).[1]
  • Australia has 32 dioceses and 1,363 parishes.
  • Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a national public university. It has six campuses and offers programs in five faculties throughout Australia. The University operates as a company limited by guarantee, under the Companies (Victoria) Code and has a constitution which clearly identifies its objects in education, scholarship and research as part of the mission of the Catholic Church. The University is a member of the publicly-funded national system of Australian universities, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the International Federation of Catholic Universities.
  • St. Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop), who founded an educational religious institute of sisters, the Josephites, in the 19th century, became the first Australian to be canonised as a saint in 2010.
  • The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is headed by Archbishop Denis Hart and there are three Australian cardinals:
- The Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, seems to be orthodox. Something of a lightning rod?
- a former Archbishop of Sydney, Edward Bede Clancy
- the former President of the Vatican Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Edward Cassidy.
  • Sarah from West Seneca: Can you tell me when to recite the Fatima Prayer when saying the Rosary? I sometimes hear people recite the Fatima Prayer before any mysteries are prayed at the beginning of a rosary following the first three Hail Marys and the Glory Be.
  • Frank Kelly: Links and notes from the October 12th show with Frank Kelly, who had trouble speaking Buffaleese.
  • Anonymous: what does the statement "we may complete in ourselves for the church's sake what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ". caller said he heard it at a Sunday Mass.
  • Suellen: Regarding, "making up for what is lacking in Christ's sufferings..." A beautiful analogy was once given to me of a mother baking a cake. Her child asks to help and she, of course, lets him. Does mom need her child to help? No. Is the "help" even sometimes a "challenge" for mom? Yes. But the child needs and wants to help bake the cake, and so mom, in her love, let's the child help. Isn't that sweet? Thanks for another great show.
  • Grant from "oz" says thanks for answer and its 7:21am in his part of oz
  • Bob from Boston, NY: did jesus ever voluntarily complete a miricle?
  • Alice: Is there a way for a person to KNOW if their sins are forgiven after a confession?
  • Polly from Tonawanda: Is Father Malachi Martin in good standing with the Catholic Church?
  • Barabara from Niagara Falls: Why did Jesus tell people not to tell others when he performed a miracle?
  • Kimberly: What is the best way to offer up your day of fasting to God? Are there any prayers for offering your Fast?
  • Anonymous via Facebook: I am getting ready for my second colonoscopy in two years. I had a precancerous polyp the first time, am now experiencing some pain, and I am really pretty nervous about the whole thing. Cancer scares me. Please pray for me, my wife, and my children.

19 October

  • Fun Drive.

12 October

  • Year of Faith began yesterday.
  • Tomorrow: Anniversary of last apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. Miracle of the Sun (1917--95 years ago).
  • Fatima Prayers.
  • Guest: Frank Kelley from Humarock, MA.
- http://frankkellyministry.com/
- Short Circuit to God. All proceeds for “Short Circuit To God” are sent to missionary priests in India and Ghana to help the poor.
- "Frank Kelly's mission is to serve God daily by giving glory to God the Father and to help bring people closer to the Trinity in all aspects of their lives. "Healing Services,Spiritual Seminars, Confirmation instruction Classes, Retreats and Conferences."

8 October

  • Monday is a day of Miracles, Meditation, and Mystagogy. The mysteries of the faith are "soul food." Frank Sheed complained that, too often, Catholics swallow dogma without thinking about it, which is as crazy as eating walnuts without cracking open the shells. We need to realize what we believe.
  • 29 days to the election. The Blue Army is doing a 30-day rosary crusade "for God and country" that started yesterday on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (Our Lady of Victory; Battle of Lepanto, 1571). They are asking priests and laity to offer Mass on November 3, the First Saturday of November, for that intention as well.
  • Prayers to Our Lady of Victory.

"Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising,
fair as the moon,
bright as the sun,
as terrifying as an army set in array?" (Sng 6:10)

  • Karen from Facebook: Is Judas part of God's plan of salvation? What would have happened if Judas did not betray Jesus?
  • Michael from Buffalo: What happens to the prayers you make if someone is in hell? Can you gain plenary indulgences for someone who is in hell?
  • Jason from Buffalo: What is the Church's teaching on a woman being prescribed birth control for cycle regulation?
  • Anonymous: requests prayers for health, employment and special intention.
  • Tommy from Buffalo: Is it possible for a priest to change the creed during Mass?
  • Paul from Buffalo--West Side: Can priest omit penitental rite at start of Mass?
  • Carl from Buffalo: What should a Catholic voter do when both candidates (Republican or Democrat) don't follow the Church's teaching on social justice? What can be done about this in the future?
  • Marie from Williamsville: Is it nessasary to go to confession again if priest does not let her say act of contrition before giving absolution?
  • John: Please talk about the indulgence granted with the Year of Faith. What are the conditions?
  • Rich from Buffalo: Wants to follow up with comment on father's answer on Catholic voting here in Buffalo.

5 October

  • Today is the feast of St. Faustina, through whom God gave us Mercy Sunday and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
  • The Year of Faith, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, begins next Thursday.
  • Mother Olga's Novena continues tomorrow. Two First Saturdays left before November.
  • EWTN's novena continues until Sunday, the feast of Our Lady of Victory and the Most Holy Rosary. The Sunday liturgy will be that of the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, but that does not prevent us from thinking of how gracious God was to Mary and, through her, to us.
  • [X] Salve Regina.

John from Facebook:

  • "How does predestination figure into that? What does the church teach us regarding predestination? Is someone who is predestined to Heaven incapable of sin? Or do their choices no longer matter at all?"
  • Anonymous. Victor, New York. Thanks to Father for answered prayer on finding keys. Still need help finding missing family member. Please pray for her daughter-in-law to have a change of heart about a pending divorce. And for great financial need as well.
  • Michael from Rochester, New York: wants to suggest prayer for the country and would like to talk about the appropriateness of the prayer.
  • John from Rochester, New York. Requests prayer for Mom who has cancer. Also to accept whatever God's will is in the situation. John would also like Father to speak about the feast of Our Lady of Victory.
  • Holly from Tonawanda, New York: Has question on Sister Faustina's vision of hell.
  • Bob from Boston: Has question about Balaam. Where he came from and was he a prophet.
  • Delores from North Boston New York: Has question about Purgatory--can a priest hear confession there? And if you come in late after consecration at a daily Mass, can you receive Communion?

The Treasury of Extra Questions

We have had many questions that either come too late in the show or that need research to answer. We often say, "Tune in next week and we'll deal with that in more depth"--but we haven't always kept our promise. The purpose of this page is to make a list of those questions for future reference. If we run low on callers or current questions, we can always dip into this reservoir to keep the conversation going.

More Recent

Questions from Ladies of the Lord

Current Events Topics

On January 24, 2012, the Starbucks corporation issued a memorandum to all "US Partners" declaring that same-sex marriage "is aligned with Starbucks business practices" and "is core to who we are and what we value as a company."
In addition to declaring its corporate-wide position in support of gay marriage, Starbucks also used its resources to participate in a legal case seeking to overturn a federal law declaring marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
In taking these actions, Starbucks has declared a culture war on all Catholics and other people of faith (and millions of others, too) who believe that the institution of marriage as one man and one woman is worth preserving.
"Recently a group of priests from a European country issued a summons to disobedience, and at the same time gave concrete examples of the forms this disobedience might take, even to the point of disregarding definitive decisions of the Church’s Magisterium, such as the question of women’s ordination, for which Blessed Pope John Paul II stated irrevocably that the Church has received no authority from the Lord. Is disobedience a path of renewal for the Church? We would like to believe that the authors of this summons are motivated by concern for the Church, that they are convinced that the slow pace of institutions has to be overcome by drastic measures, in order to open up new paths and to bring the Church up to date. But is disobedience really a way to do this? Do we sense here anything of that configuration to Christ which is the precondition for all true renewal, or do we merely sense a desperate push to do something to change the Church in accordance with one’s own preferences and ideas?"
See http://www.democraticunderground.com/121818339
"The last keyword that I should like to consider is “zeal for souls”: animarum zelus. It is an old-fashioned expression, not much used these days. In some circles, the word “soul” is virtually banned because – ostensibly – it expresses a body-soul dualism that wrongly compartmentalizes the human being. Of course the human person is a unity, destined for eternity as body and soul. And yet that cannot mean that we no longer have a soul, a constituent principle guaranteeing our unity in this life and beyond earthly death. And as priests, of course, we are concerned for the whole person, including his or her physical needs – we care for the hungry, the sick, the homeless. And yet we are concerned not only with the body, but also with the needs of the soul: with those who suffer from the violation of their rights or from destroyed love, with those unable to perceive the truth, those who suffer for lack of truth and love. We are concerned with the salvation of men and women in body and soul."
"Let us ask the Lord to fill us with joy in his message, so that we may serve his truth and his love with joyful zeal. Amen."

Courage

  • Brian from Facebook: Courage is a great resource for those who experience same-sex attraction but who want to remain faithful to the Church's teaching on chastity.
"Courage, an apostolate of the Catholic Church, ministers to persons with same-sex attraction and their loved ones. We have been endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family and our beloved John Paul II said of this ministry, "COURAGE is doing the work of God!" We also have an outreach called EnCourage which ministers to relatives, spouses, and friends of persons with same-sex attraction."

What is the Catholic understanding of the word, 'soul'?

Allegory vs. Parable

Less Recent

And with your spirit

From Marilyn in Cleveland, Ohio, who listens on an iPad and wrote to us via e-mail:

I heard Fr. Moleski express his preference for the 'And also with you' response instead of the newer 'And with your spirit'. When I first learned of that change, I was delighted. I have 3 children, 25, 22 and 20 years old. All are in college and or grad school (pray for me, i am a single mother). For years, decades actually, I feel that I have been taking on a dragon fighting for my children's salvation. The world they have been raised in has emphasized, ad nauseam, how important they are, to the point now where they expect things (aka entitlement generation). They were given things every where they went, stickers at the doctors office, dentists, awards for ridiculous things at school and so on. The emphasis on hair, dress and all the material likes Is so hyper focused on the me, me, me that I see the 'and with your spirit' supremely refreshing and pointedly contradictory to the cultural persuasion. 'And with your spirit' is very challenging, and to me it points directly to the soul, not the person. Be it priest or pew sitter, it's all about God, not me. We must start focusing on our eternal souls, not on the flesh or ego. I truly believe this will be an unconscious sign post directing us appropriately to Our Lord.
Thank you for saying yes to God, our dear priests, we need you, we pray for you and we love you.

Planned Parenthood and Cancer Research

Some friends in Amherst via e-mail: Many cancer research organizations donate to Planned Parenthood and/or support the use of tissue from abortions for medical research and therapy. Is there a list of cancer research institutes to which Catholics can donate with a clear conscience?

Taking chastity seriously

From a letter written in the fall of 2011 from some concerned young adult Catholics in the Diocese of Buffalo:

  • We are increasingly disappointed and disheartened by the lack of support from priests and bishops ... regarding the sanctity of life and the value of true marriage.
  • Why are these high-profile, high-impact moral issues avoided during Sunday homilies: abortion, adultery, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, fornication, homosexuality, impurity with oneself, pornography?
  • Why are Catholic public officials given a pass when they publicly violate Church teachings time after time? Why aren't they denied Holy Communion?
  • It was disappointing that no priests attended the National Organization for Marriage's Rally for Traditional Marriage at Buffalo's City Hall on July 24.
  • Please help us to engage and evangelize the anti-Catholic culture that confronts us everyday.

Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ: A Faithful Jesuit

On Second Thought

I often think of better answers to questions after the show is over. This is called "l'esprit de l'escalier," (French: "the spirit of the staircase") because lawyers so often think of the best arguments to have made while walking down the staircase leading away from the courthouse.

Catholicism and Judaism

What about the prophecies about the Antichrist?

  • John from Cheektowaga: "I wished I had stayed on the phone the other day to do a follow-up (I did not want to hog all the air-time). I wasn’t looking for a speculation of WHEN the end time will be – I know our Lord Jesus said that not even the angels or saints know, but only the Father knows the day and the hour."
    • MXM: The advantage of staying on the phone is that you get to rephrase your question as we go along. If we think you're hogging the air, we'll thank you for your call and hang up on you.  :-O
  • I was just looking for comment on how really interwoven all of history is (past, present & future); all events detailed in prophesy. I thought that the little book “History of Antichrist” was extremely well presented. It listed each important prophet as indicated in Sacred Scripture, what various interpretations can their words possibly mean, which church fathers, saints, doctorens, traditions, commentators through to the med 1800’s (when the book was written), etc., to include conjectures as to meanings of their statements, and, how it relates to the antichrist. The book is not bad news, but it does say, when the antichrist does come it is going to be a terrible 3 ½ years before Jesus comes and put a stop to his deceit. Many will be swayed – think of the Jews who are still looking for the coming of the Messiah (all part of God’s grand mysterious plan).
    • MXM: The Church is completely agnostic about the sequence of events at the end of the world.
The book of Revelation and other apocalyptic passages were written to comfort people who were suffering for the sake of Jesus. The message is, "Hang on. Your sufferings will be rewarded. You will reign with Jesus in glory." That message was valid in the first century and in every age since wherever disciples suffer for Jesus.
In other words, the material is about the present, NOT the future.
  • The world will be tricked unless one's faith is strong.
    • MXM: We don't need "strong" faith. Putting faith in the strength of our faith is a huge mistake. No act of faith is greater than the size of a mustard seed when compared to the glory of the one in whom we place our trust.

Johnny Cash and the End of the World

Kevin in Buffalo: What do you think of the Johnny Cash song, "The Man Comes Around"?

The meaning of fiction

Matt from Colorado asked about (e-mail about The Shack). Second thoughts: interpreting fiction.

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