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Featured Article
Oct
8
Nothing left of Newman
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The grave of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman was excavated last week on instructions from the Vatican but no physical remains were found in the coffin.
Sep
22
What’s Bloggin’?
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Zenit picked up the story on the Philippines’ Reproductive Health Bill. Last Friday I made my rounds on atheist blogs to check what they have to say about the Reproductive Health Bill and 5 out of 5 sites i visited are against it. The usual comments rose up again, that the Church is ignorant, bigoted, etc… One blogger notes, “The church leaders are just as ignorant and fallible about many things and so don’t have the authority on truth.” They even created a website to facilitate a petition in support of the bill. In any case, though their comments are grounded in prejudice and hatred, they are as much of an evidence that people care, that they are looking for something that they can hold on, something that possesses the knowledge and authority on truth. So there is hope and because of that we must not tire praying and proposing what we believe; that what they are looking for is not a what but a who, a person. And that person is Christ.
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If there is one thing that i can be happy about in all that this election is bringing about is the Catholic voice in the public square. It makes me proud, in a humble way, to witness the good bishops of the Church standing up for the unborn and the women against powerful politicians. Arch Chaput, Bishop Conley, Arch. Niederauer, and money others. The supreme knight, Carl Anderson, wrote an open letter to Biden.
In the Philippines addressing the issue on the proposed Reproductive Health Bill, we have Arch Oscar Cruz and Arch Lagadameo among many others.
If you are a Catholic you are pro-life, you are against contraceptives, you will not mislead people and yourself from the teachings of Christ through the Church, you will put life in front of everything else. If you are a Catholic be one.
Aug
19
St. Louis
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I worry until midnight, and from then on I let God worry.
– St. Louis
Aug
17
Matthew 15: 21 - 28
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21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.”
23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
26 And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Aug
8
| August 12, 2008 | ||
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| August 19, 2008 | ||
| 5:30 pm | to | 6:00 pm |
| August 26, 2008 | ||
| 5:30 pm | to | 6:00 pm |
The Catholic Filipino Young Adults (CFYA) invites you to pray the Holy Rosary in different Filipino dialects at the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz, 378 Broome St. (bet. Mott & Mulberry) NYC every Tuesday 5:30pm.
Contact me if you would like your dialect to be included. If you are not familiar with any of the dialects, no worries, there will be a print-out of the prayers. See you there! Reynor 848.203.9490 or reynor[at]katoliko[dot]org
Jul
30
Time for Integrity
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The newspapers, and especially their columnists, are having a field day writing about Ozamis Archbishop Jesus A. Dosado’s decision to deny Catholic politicians who are pro-abortion and pro-artificial contraception the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Some writers caution of a backlash, warning that decision appears too confrontational, and others seem sympathetic to the affected legislators, as if they were the underdogs. Some would even praise them for taking a principled stand.
But just how principled a stand is that of these politicians? And are the other considerations even relevant? Let’s examine the situation at hand.
Integrity
We are all sinners and are guilty of not living up to all our beliefs. It would seem, however, that these Catholic politicians have radically disconnected their faith from their actions. They claim membership in a Church that emphatically teaches one very fundamental tenet, and then openly announce their support for — and will work to bring about — the opposite. It’s one thing to be privately inconsistent with one’s beliefs, but to do so repeatedly, publicly, without remorse, and to claim that it is right, is another thing altogether. It’s a scandal.
What does that say about their integrity?
Here are the definitions of “integrity” from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values
2: an unimpaired condition
3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided
“Firm adherence” and “complete or undivided” all imply consistency in belief, word, and deed, don’t they? To have integrity means to behave in accordance with declared and freely held belief.
It’s obvious that these arrogant politicians want to have their cake and it it too. They want to advocate and pass coercive laws that promote and condone abortion and abortifacient contraceptives, while at the same time demand that they be considered Catholics in good standing!
What kind of chicanery is this? A Catholic “in good standing” is one who tries his best to follow the doctrines of the Catholic Church. What kind a Catholic is someone who refuses to believe in Catholic doctrine? Can such a person even be a Catholic except in name only? A How then, can one be in “good standing” with the Church when one promotes laws that are directly contrary to the Catholic doctrine?
Atty. Jose C. Sison, in his article “A bishop’s courageous stand” (July 18, Philippine Star) hit the nail on the head when he wrote:
So Catholic politicians in Congress or in city councils who sponsored and supported these pro abortion measures should not complain if they are denied the Sacraments; or try to sway public opinion against the Church for their predicament. They “should have the integrity to acknowledge” that their stand is contrary to their Faith, and voluntarily refrain from receiving the Sacraments “until they have a change of heart”, as Archbishop Dosado admonished.
Can we expect integrity from these politicians? If we cannot expect such, then why elect them? They will have their day of reckoning.
Apr
9
Two opportunities to see the Pope on Saturday, April 19th
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1. 5,000 tickets are available to greet the Holy Father on Saturday, April 19th as he arrives at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Tickets are currently available on a first come first serve basis are acquired by registering online by 12 pm, Monday, April 14th at www.flrl.org/popetickets.asp Tickets will be sent in the mail to those who register online.
(Those who receive tickets must enter the security checkpoints at 6th Avenue between 6:00am - 8:00am. The Holy Father will enter the Cathedral at ~ 9:00 am.)
2. There will be another opportunity to see the Holy Father on Saturday afternoon. The Holy Father will be traveling in the Popemobile from the area of the Cathedral up 5th Avenue to 72nd Street at 1:15 pm. The sidewalks along this route are open to the public and no tickets are necessary.
Mar
18
St. Therese of the Child Jesus
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From the book The Little Way for Every Day Thoughts from Therese of Lisieux selected and edited translated by Francis Broome, CSP
There is only one thing to do here below-love Jesus and save souls for Him, so that He may be more loved.
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
Mama Mary, pray for us.
Holy Spirit, teach us wisdom and love.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we love you, pray for us.
Divine Mercy of Jesus, I trust in You.
Mar
18
Following Jesus
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From the book Saint John of the Cross for Every Day edited by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD
These souls will give their life’s blood to anyone who serves God, and they will do whatever they can to help others serve him.
They become unhappy and peevish owing to a lack of the consolation they desire to have in spiritual things.
Their eyes are fixed only on God, on being his friend and pleasing him.
If the inordinate love increase, then, as will be seen, the soul will grow cold in the love of God, owing to the recollection of that other love, forget him-not without the feeling of some remorse of conscience. On the other hand, as the love of God increases, the soul will grow cold in the inordinate affection and come to forget it.
Through a certain indiscreet zeal they become angry over the sins of others, reprove these others, and sometimes even feel the impulse do so angrily, which in fact they occasionally do, setting themselves up as lords of virtue.
Many of these beginners will make numerous plans and great resolutions,but since they are not humble and have no distrust of themselves, the more resolves they make the more they break, and the greater becomes their anger.
Some, however, are so patient about their desire for advancement that God would prefer to see them a little less so.
But corporal penance without obedience is no more than a penance of beasts. And like beasts, they are motivated in these penances by an appetite for the pleasure they find in them.
Some are very insistent that their spiritual director allow them to do what they themselves want to do….They are under the impression that they do not serve God when they are not allowed to do what they want.
In receiving communion they spend all their time trying to get some feeling and satisfaction rather than humbly praising and reverencing God dwelling with them.
They cannot bear to hear others being praised without contradicting and undoing these compliments as much as possible.
If they do not receive in prayer the satisfaction they crave-for after all it is fit that God withdraw this so as to try them-they do not want to return to it, or at times they either give up prayer or go to it begrudgingly.
All her[the bride's] words, thoughts, and works are of God and directed toward him without any of the former imperfections.
Everything I do, I do with love, and everything I suffer, I suffer with the delight of love.
Even the very exercise of prayer and communion with God, in which she was accustomed to considerations and methods, is now wholly the exercise of love.
My beloved, all that is rough and toilsome I desire for your sake, and all that is sweet and pleasant I desire for your sake.
This soul indeed, lost to all things, and won over to love, no longer occupies her spirit in anything else.
Saint John of the Cross, pray for us.
Mama Mary, pray for us.
Holy Spirit, teach us wisdom and love.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we love you, pray for us.
Divine Mercy of Jesus, I trust in You.
Mar
7
St. Alphonsus Liguori
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The way to Heaven is straight and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure shall be disappointed; and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations.
– St. Alphonsus Liguori
