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Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

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Dale Alquist – Chesterton: Apostle of Common Sense

In 15 Audio on 2012/03/08 at 9:11 AM

 

G. K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense

Host – Dale Ahlquist

Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society, discusses the life and work of the great 20th Century English writer, G.K. Chesterton. Chuck Chalberg appears as G.K. Chesterton in vignettes which features excerpts from Chesterton’s writings.

Please click on this link to access these programs: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=6140&T1=Ahlquist

1.Introduction to Chesterton

2.Wonder: G. K. Chesterton’s thoughts on the wonder of the Universe

3.The Riddles of God

4.The Signature of Man

5. Uneducating the Educated

6.Fancies and Fads

7.The “D” Word

8.Puritans and Pagans

9.The Art of Defending the Faith Part 1

10.The Art of Defending the Faith Part 2

11.Talking in Rhyme

12.Recovering the Lost Art of Common Sense

13.A Chesterton Reading Plan

Please click on this link to access these programs: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=6140&T1=Ahlquist

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“The greatest revolution of all times”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/11/30 at 9:01 AM

If we Christians really lived in accordance with our faith, the greatest revolution of all times would take place. The effectiveness of our co-redemption depends on each one of us. You should meditate on this. (Furrow, 945)

You will feel completely responsible when you realize that, before God, you have only duties. He already sees to it that you are granted rights. (Furrow, 946)

Here is a thought to help you in difficult moments. “The more my faithfulness increases, the better will I be able to contribute to the growth of others in that virtue”. How good it is to feel supported by each other. (Furrow, 948)

You run the great risk of being satisfied with living, or thinking that you have to live, “like a good boy”, who stays in a cosy and neat house, with no problems, and knowing only happiness. That is a caricature of the home in Nazareth. Because Christ brought happiness and order, he went out to spread those treasures among men and women of all times. (Furrow, 952)

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Christ the King (Whose feast is this Sunday)

In 05 Homilies by Fr. Reid on 2011/11/18 at 11:11 AM

From the mid-17th century until the end of the 18th century most of Europe and even our American Colonies were caught up in the philosophical, intellectual, and cultural era we now call The Enlightenment.

• The great irony of this era is that we call it “The Enlightenment,” when in actuality it was a period that truly darkened and impoverished the great intellectual and scientific advances mankind enjoyed in previous centuries.

• I say this because the Enlightenment advocated reason, completely separated from faith, as the primary source of intellectual authority. The intelligentsia turned its back wholesale on the immaterial world, deciding instead that only that which is material was worth believing in.

• Of course this was a radical departure from the intellectual milieu common to the medieval and Renaissance periods, which understood Creation as a happy harmony of material and non-material elements.

• Ever since the Enlightenment, we have witnessed a growing antagonism between the sciences and religion in Western society. This is a sad development because it was the Church who gave rise to the sciences in the first place.

• Physics, chemistry, astronomy, and so many of the scientific disciplines were borne out of the patronage, intellectual inquiry, and hard work of Holy Mother Church and her members.

• But even sadder than the divorce of faith and reason is the loss of belief in and appreciation of the spiritual and non-material world by so many people.

• Every week at Mass we profess our faith in God with the Creed, acknowledging Him as the Maker of all that is, seen and unseen. Very clearly, our Catholic faith professes belief in and relies upon both visible and invisible realities.

• Understanding fallen mankind’s weakness of faith and need for concrete, visible realities, the Church makes the invisible realities of our faith visible through signs and symbols woven into our art, architecture, music, and most especially the liturgy itself.

• So part of the maturation process as a Catholic is learning to look beyond these signs and symbols to see and believe in these invisible realities.

• So well did our Lord understand fallen mankind’s need for material realities that He became man in the Incarnation, as St. Paul says: “the image of the invisible God.”

• But even though Jesus became man, in His humility He kept His divinity hidden for most of His life on earth. Of course we got glimpses of His divinity at His baptism, at His transfiguration, and through His miracles.

• Our Lord gave mankind these glimpses of His divinity in order to elicit faith and to build a body of believers who would become the nucleus of the Church that would continue His work after His ascension into Heaven.

• Interestingly, never was Jesus’ divinity more hidden yet more visible to the eyes of faith than in His suffering and death. At the same time, never was Jesus more “kingly” than in His suffering and death. As we consider today’s feast of Christ the King, we must strive to look beyond the visible reality of Calvary to see Jesus as king.

• His crown is a crown of thorns, but no less of a crown. His throne from which He reigns is a cross, but it is no less a throne. Rather than fine silk or linen, He is appareled with bloody wounds, but they are regal vesture nonetheless.

• There is a sign above His head that reads “Jesus, King of the Jews”, and yet there is nothing about Him that would suggest that He is a king. But we know by faith that “in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible.”

• Our faith teaches us and St. Paul reminds us today that Jesus “is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”

• And we must recognize Jesus as such not for His sake, but for our own!

• Seeing the rise of atheistic communism and secularism as a result of people denying the  sovereignty of Christ, Pope Pius XI instituted today’s feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind people of the absolute authority of Christ and His Church.

• The whole point of today’s feast is to draw us closer to Christ so that we might allow Him truly to rule our hearts. We must learn to be His loyal subjects so that He might save us from our sins.

• Being the gentle and humble king that He is, Jesus invites us to take joy in Him, to love Him, to honor Him, to serve Him, and to obey Him.

• Christ’s kingship is a spiritual sovereignty; it’s not a coercive sovereignty. His sovereignty is a gentle invitation to holiness – an invitation that must be accepted if we hope to go to Heaven.

• While we know by faith that Jesus is Lord over all creation, over all things – seen and unseen – He did not come to rule on earth, but rather to establish the Kingdom of God within the hearts of all men so that we might one day share in eternal life.

• But in order for this to happen, we must be willing to look beyond that which is visible and material to see the invisible realities our Catholic faith professes, especially with regard to today’s Gospel, which presents us with a great paradox.

• By all appearances the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is defeated upon Calvary, but it is His death that gives us life.

• So be not duped like Pilate, the Pharisees, the centurions and the mocking crowds that surround Him on the cross. This paradox is at the very heart of the Gospel!

• In order to save our lives, we must first lose them!! We must die to self, and Christ fulfills this paradox in His very body.

• The good thief, whom Tradition tells us was named Dismas, was not duped. He looked beyond the visible reality of the crucifixion scene and saw the regal majesty of Christ reigning from the cross.

• And like Dismas, we must look with the eyes of faith and see the truth that we were created by and for Christ. We were created to live and love as Christ lived and loved, and we were created to reign with Him forever.

• And so, my friends, let us pay homage to Christ our King, by living and loving as He did. Let us honor Him, not by waving palm branches, but through our charitable acts toward one another.

• Instead of throwing down our cloaks before Him, let us lay down our very lives and die to ourselves. My friends, surrender to our King. Get rid of whatever is in your heart or in your life that is keeping you from serving Him as you should.

• And have no fear of Him. While it is true that He is the mightiest of kings, He is also the most gentle and loving. And as we surrender all to Him, my friends, let us know that someday, like Dismas the Good Thief, we will be with Christ forever in Paradise.

Copyright 2010 by Reverend Timothy S. Reid

Reverend Reid is pastor of St. Ann’s Catholic  Church in Charlotte, NC

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Fr. Charles O’Connor- Defenders of the Faith in Word and Deed

In 15 Audio on 2011/10/27 at 1:11 AM

Defenders of Faith in Word and Deed

Host – Fr. Charles Connor

This series seeks to examine Catholics who have defended the faith in word and deed by their wet martyrdom, (the shedding of blood) and dry martyrdom, (exclusion or banishment, persecution, imprisonment.) It is hoped that Catholics who view these programs will be strengthened in the Faith they profess by looking more closely at the lives of these who have sacrificed all in it’s defense.

Please click on this link to access these programs: : http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=6145&T1=Connor

Defenders of Faith in Word and Deed

1. The Early Christian Martyrs of Rome: Fr. Charles Connor teaches about how the early Christian Church was persecuted on and off for over 300 years by the Emperors of Rome. Christians were considered enemies of the state and were persecuted and martyred until the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in the year 313 AD.

2.The 4th Century – Augustine & Athanasius: These two great Doctors of the Church defended the faith against the heresy of Arianism which promoted the idea that Jesus Christ was not a divine person of the Trinity but merely a human created by God.

3. The 13th Century = Albert and Aquinas:  these two great Doctors of the Church of the 13th Century were instrumental in explaining the Theology of the Catholic Church.

4.The Counter Reformation = Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits: St. Ignatius of Loyola along with six others began the Jesuit order which was blessed by Pope Paul III on September 27, 1540. The Society of Jesus was like no other order in Church history. They first sought to defend the Roman Catholic faith from the ever spreading heresy of the Protestant reformation. They were expertly educated men of great character and strength and sought to secure the faith by preaching first to those in political power.

5. St. Charles Borromeo and the Reform of the Clergy: The counter-reformation also tackled the problems that led to the Protestant reformation which included a laxity among the Catholic clergy. In many religious communities there was ignorance, immorality, laxity, spiritual decay, superstition and abuse in religious practice. St. Charles Borromeo was instrumental in the reformation of the clergy. He opened several seminaries, organized the laity into spiritual guilds and wrote the Catechism of Trent.

6. St. Thomas More:  One of several Catholic martyrs who refused to accept King Henry VIII as the supreme head of the Church in England, with authority superseding that of the Roman Pontiff. Consequently, St. Thomas was stripped of his Office as Chancellor of England and imprisoned in the tower of London. Refusing to sign the oath of succession, he was executed in 1545.

7. St. John Fisher: Another Martyr of the English Protestant reformation instigated by King Henry VIII. St. John was the last Catholic Bishop of Rochester. When imprisoned by Henry, the Pope elevated him to Cardinal. King Henry resented this and is quoted as saying: “Well let the Pope send him a red hat when he will – But I will so provide that when so ever it comes, he shall wear it on his shoulders, for head he shall have none.”

8. St. Edmund Campion: Unique Martyr of the English Protestant reformation, St. Edmund Campion was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. Once a favorite of the Queen and Court, Campion returned to the Catholic faith, left England and joined the Society of Jesus. He then returned to England at the risk of being tried and executed as a traitor to the Crown. On his return he ministered to the many recusant Catholics who were ostensibly Protestant, but practiced their true Catholic faith in secret. He was found out, imprisoned, tortured and executed.

9.St. Philip Howard: A member of the nobility of England and became the Earl of Arundel in 1580. St. Philip wrote a letter to Cardinal Allen, asking what he could do to help the Catholic Church in England. The letter was intercepted and Howard eventually was arrested for treason. Although St. Philip was not executed, he suffered a dry martyrdom of imprisonment and died in his bed in prison in 1593.

10.Forty Marytrs of England and Wales:  Canonized in 1970 along with Campion, Howard and Southwell. Some of the most notable of these great Defenders of Faith were three Carthusian priests, Houghton, Lawrence & Webster who refused to take the oath against the Pope and renounce the Catholic Church. Other martyrs include St. Cuthbert Maine, John Southwell, Edmund Arrowsmith, Margaret Clitherow. Many were imprisoned and executed for attending and offering Holy Mass.

11. Modern British Defender: Hilaire Belloc: Writer of  many books about the Catholic Church and the Catholic Faith. As historian, cultural commentator and critic, Belloc opposed the ideology of the “Servile Liberal Welfare State.” He along with Chesterton believed in a theory called “distributism.” He criticized greed that ignored the needs of others but favored a free economy in which people would be able to receive their justly due dignity, freedom and power.

12. Catholic Evidence Guild and Truth Society: Begun in 1884 by Bishop Vaughn, a group of laity who met weekly at various members’ homes. Both of these groups were composed primarily of laity who wrote and published informational and evangelical pamphlets about the Catholic faith which were then distributed to parish churches as well as to anyone who wished to know more about the faith. These lay persons were rigorously trained in the faith before they would be allowed to go out into their daily lives and distribute these pamphlets, preach on the streets and give talks and lectures which defended the Catholic Faith.

13. Maryknoll Martyrs: Ford and Walsh:  In 1912 James E. Walsh joined the Catholic Foreign Missionaries of America, also known as the Maryknolls. Walsh, along with Fr. Francis Ford were missionaries to China. When the communists took over, these Maryknoll Bishops refused to leave. They were both imprisoned as spies and tortured. They are known as the Martyr Bishops of Maryknoll.

14. Cardinal Mindzenty – Dry Martyr of Hungary…The Nazis had control of Hungary and Jews living in Budapest were ordered to the Ghettos. Mindzenty and other Hungarian Bishops wrote a letter denouncing this action and called for their human rights endowed by God. Mindzenty was arrested for writing this letter and charged with offering resistance to the authorities. After the war the communists took over Hungary and in 1949, Mindzenty was charged with espionage and imprisoned for eight years in solitary confinement. When released, he took refuge in the American Embassy in Budapest in order to escape deportation to Russia. He was there for 15 years.

15. Fr. Walter Ciszek: Author of “With God in Russia” and “He Leadeth Me”.  Born in America of Polish descent, he became a missionary priest to the people of Russia. He had to have a fake Polish passport, fake name and disguise his identity as a priest. Once behind the Iron Curtain, he was eventually arrested and sent to the Lubianka prison. He spent a total of 23 years in various prison and labor camps in the Soviet Union, yet all the while he continued his work as a holy priest of God by ministering to any and everyone he possibly could. He remained not only faithful, but joyfully so, in serving his God throughout tremendous pain, hunger and suffering.

16. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger:As a young seminarian Ratzinger wanted to be a priest but as a brilliant student he also wanted to continue his scholarly studies in theology. He was blessed by winning a writing contest, which allowed him to do both. He was eventually made Archbishop of Munich and in 1978 met John Paul II. He was made prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He has written extensively on the problems facing the church in the modern world – a culture that has become selfishly individualistic, rationalistic and hedonistic. He has addressed the difficulties with cross-cultural assimilation. He tells us that reform in the Church will not come from forums and synods but from “the convincing personalities whom we call saints.”

Click here to access these programs: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=6145&T1=Connor

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Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ – Finding God Through Faith and Reason

In 15 Audio on 2011/09/21 at 6:00 AM

Finding God through Faith and Reason

Host – Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D.

Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., lends insight into new evidence gathered from the fields of contemporary philosophy and physics which supports proof for the existence of God. The nature of the universe itself, including many constants which preserve the balance of daily operations, connotes the existence of a creator. The principle of intelligent design leads to logical conclusions about the nature of God

Please click on this link to access programs: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=7132&T1=Spitzer

Finding God through Faith and Reason

1. How Can You Prove Godʼs Existence?

Fr. Spitzer surveys the types of evidence as A Priori, A Posteriori, as well as publicly and privately accessible, and distinguishes between evidence that has recourse to experience or sensation and that which does not. Using the argument that to “achieve the unachievable,” as in saying “past time is infinite,” is a contradiction and therefore impossible, Fr. Spitzer concludes that there must be a “creation event” because time must be finite, and hence a creator must exist.

2. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Proof of an Uncaused Cause

In the history of life in the universe, Fr. Spitzer distinguishes between two forms of being: the Caused Causes, which rely on something else in order to exist; and the Uncaused Cause, or that which needs nothing other than itself to exist. Going back into the past and positing an infinite number of caused causes gets us nowhere in determining ultimate causality.

St. Thomas sheds light with his Proof of the Uncaused Cause: There must be at least one uncaused cause. The Uncaused Cause cannot cause itself. There can only be one Uncaused Cause (God).

3. Metaphysical Proof Part One: Proof of an Unconditioned Reality

In the history of life in the universe, Fr. Spitzer distinguishes between two realities: Conditioned Reality, or that which must have conditions fulfilled in order to exist; and Unconditioned Reality, that which does not need to have any conditions fulfilled in order to exist. If going back in the line of successive causalities or agents, there are a finite number of conditions, the final condition must also be a conditioned reality, needing something else to fulfill its conditions for existence. If there are only conditioned realities, then nothing can exist. If the cat is dependent on an infinite number of conditions to exist, it is unachievable, and will never exist. Therefore at least one Unconditioned Reality must exist.

4. Metaphysical Proof Part Proof of an Absolutely Simple Reality

Fr. Spitzer examines the Proof of an Absolutely Simple Reality. As a presupposition, he states that, “If there is no Unconditioned Reality, then no conditioned reality (that which must have conditions fulfilled) can exist.” How does one describe the coexistence of the Unconditioned Reality with all conditioned realities? The Unconditioned Reality must be defined as absolutely simple. “Simplicity” denotes Something so transparent to itself that it literally has no intrinsic or extrinsic boundaries. “Absolute Simplicity” connotes no exclusivity, only total compatibility with everything. Hence we see how God can co-exist with the created universe, permeating it with his omnipresence.

5. Metaphysical Proof : Proof of a Unique, Unrestricted Reality

Fr. Spitzer looks into the Proof of a Unique, Unrestricted Reality. It is the nature of finites and boundaries to exclude. Therefore the simpler the reality, the more inclusive. Absolute Simplicity means lacking all intrinsic and extrinsic boundaries, or excluding properties. An Unconditioned Reality cannot exclude anything from itself (Absolutely Simple). An Absolutely Simple being must be infinite and unique (one and only one).

6. Metaphysical Proof : Proof of a Continuous Creator of All Else That Is

Fr. Spitzer surveys the proof of a continuous creator of all else that is. First, there must be a last condition that the conditioned reality depends on for existence. The one Unconditioned Reality is the ultimate ground of reality for all conditioned reality. The one Unconditioned Reality is the Creator of all else that is. The Unconditioned Reality is continually thinking all reality into reality. If God stops thinking us into existence, we would become nothing. God is an absolutely simple, unique, continuous Creator of all else that is.

7. A Priori Cosmological Proof: Proof that Past Time Is Finite and Requires a Creator

Fr. Spitzer surveys the proof that past time is finite and requires a creator. Past time has occurred; it has been achieved. The notion of infinite past time is impossible, for it would constitute an “achieved unachievable.” Since past time must be finite in any possible universe, then it must have a terminus (a beginning). If past time had a beginning, then it could not have created itself.

8. A Priori Cosmological Proof : Proof that the Creator of Past Time Is Not Conditioned by Time and Is Therefore Absolutely Simple

Fr. Spitzer surveys the proof that the creator of past time is not conditioned by time and is therefore absolutely simple. Past time must always be finite in all possible universes, in all possible conditions; it must have a beginning, prior to which it is nothing (does not exist). There must be one “creator” of past time and the universe, who is necessarily timeless and completely unchangeable. The Creator of past time is trans-temporal, not conditioned by past time.

9. A Posteriori Cosmological Evidence: The Universe Is Finite in Time and Space, Implying a Creator

Citing cosmological evidence, Fr. Spitzer states that the universe is finite in time and space, implying a creator. Einstein had suspected that the universe is finite. Hubble discovered that the universe is mostly “red-shifting,” meaning that the universe is expanding! The universe is not only expanding, it is slowing down in its expansion. The universe has a finite mass, 10 to the 55 Kg. The observable universe is likely only 13.7 billion years old. What was it prior? The universe literally did not exist prior to 13.7 billion years ago. If the universe began at a Big Bang, we know it is 13.7 billion years old, and it was hence created. The intelligent design of the universe implies that the Creator must be a super-intellect.

10.Teleological Evidence : The Extreme Improbability of the Universe Being Capable of Sustaining Life

Fr. Spitzer explains the extreme improbability of the universe on its own being capable of sustaining life. An anthropic universe is capable of giving rise to and sustaining life, whereas a non-anthropic universe is incapable of giving rise to life. The universal constants in relation to each other (the speed of light, minimum lengths and time, etc.) can only have a very narrow window of values in order to accommodate life. Any value above or below that narrow window of values will never give rise to any life form. Therefore God had to arrange the constants of the universe in such a way that life is continually sustained.

11. Teleological Evidence: The Extremely Improbable Universe Betokens a Super-Intellect Designer

Fr. Spitzer cites evidence that the delicate, precise balance of life in the universe of its own nature requires an intelligent designer. Carbon is the building-block of life. Very slight variances in the resonance of the Carbon atom or Oxygen atom would preclude any bonding, precluding any life from forming. The odds against our universe developing are so great, it would be like a monkey randomly tapping keys on a typewriter to produce “Hamlet.” Hence the extremely improbable universe betokens a super-intellect designer.

12. Manifestations of God’s Absolute Simplicity: Truth, Love, Goodness, Beauty and Being 

Fr. Spitzer surveys what can be said about God through the nature of universal truth. Absolute simplicity implies no intrinsic or extrinsic boundaries. This pure acting power, or being itself, could act as a unity for every existing finite being. We know that mind can unify things, for truth is a unity. The truth itself is an unrestricted act of understanding, understanding itself and all else that is. Five transcendentals manifest Godʼs absolute simplicity: Being, Truth, Love, Goodness (Justice), Beauty. If Truth Itself, Love Itself, Goodness Itself, and Beauty Itself are all manifestations of absolute simplicity, then there can only be one Being Itself.

13. Evidence of the Human Soul: Our Desire for Perfect and Unconditional Truth, Love, Goodness, Beauty and Being

Fr. Spitzer observes that human beings have five transcendental desires for perfect, unconditional and unrestricted being, truth, love, goodness and beauty. Human beings seek unconditional truth: the perfect set of correct answers to the complete set of possible questions. We seek the unity of all forms. The five transcendental desires of the human being point directly to the existence of the soul. The soul innately longs for its creator, as St. Augustine wrote: “For Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

14. The Proofs in Light of Christian Faith: One God, Three Persons and the Incarnation

Fr. Spitzer notes that there is not more than one absolutely Simple Reality–only one God, and only one nature in God. But there are three Persons in One God. How can this be? Three Self-Consciousnesses are making unconditional use of the one infinite Power source. The Son’s self-consciousness entered into the thought of creation, subjecting Itself to the conditions of a finite human nature, while still making use of the infinite Power Source. The only explanation for why the Son would do this is LOVE (a perfect act of empathy), making Himself perfectly accessible to every human being.

Please click on this link to access programs: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=7132&T1=Spitzer

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Faith

In 05 Homilies by Fr. Reid on 2011/07/29 at 6:11 AM

• The Quaker theologian, D. Elton Trueblood, once said that: ‘Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.”

• The Gospel  gives us two wonderful examples of faith in the woman with the hemorrhage and Jairus, the synagogue official. In both we see people who trust unreservedly in our Lord’s goodness, mercy, and ability to heal.

• Yet with both Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage we are given an indication that they had some fear, which in the spiritual life is the opposite of faith.

• We are told that the woman with the hemorrhage approached Jesus with fear and trembling, and after Jairus is told that his daughter is dead, Jesus tells him to not be afraid, but to have faith.

• But despite their fear, both Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage reach out with faith to our Lord, which makes their faith all the more beautiful.

• Their faith in Christ is stronger than whatever fear they are experiencing, and in trusting Jesus without reservation they reap the rewards of faith: Jairus’ daughter is raised from the dead, and Jesus tells the woman: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

• The Catechism teaches us that: “Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith ‘man freely commits his entire self to God’” (CCC 1824).

• Faith, along with the virtues of hope and charity, is a gift that is implanted within us by God at our baptism. But at the same time, “faith is a personal act – the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals Himself” (CCC 166).

• Faith is how we adhere to God; it’s how we grow in our relationship with the Lord. And yet faith does not act in a vacuum. Faith must be exercised with her sister virtues of hope and especially charity. As St. James tells us: “Faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:20).

• In other words, our faith can be lost! If we fail to practice our faith, if we fail to trust our Lord as we should, our faith will wane. If our faith wanes, we will not grow in virtue.

• It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance. Yet, Christ’s gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues.

• Therefore, everyone should always ask for the grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow God’s calls to love what is good and shun evil if we wish to grow in faith, and thereby grow in holiness. (cf. CCC 1811).

• As Christians we must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it, for faith is necessary for salvation (cf. CCC 1816).

• We hear this in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus tells us: “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 10:32-33).

• The one thing that undermines our faith the most is fear. Fear weakens our faith, thereby weakening our relationship with God, making it harder for us to be saved. When we live in fear rather than faith, we forfeit our Lord’s grace and are carried away by the cares of the world.

• Think of the story of St. Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on the water. Unlike the other apostles, Peter had the faith to get out of the boat and begin walking on the water.  Unfortunately, he became frightened because of the stormy waves, and thus he began to sink.

• Peter’s fear was his undoing in that moment, and so he fell prey to the stormy waters. And the same is true for us. If our faith in Jesus is not rock solid, or if we give in to fear, we, too, will fall prey to the storms of life.

• So the question before us is how do we strengthen our faith to overcome whatever fears plague us? Our answer can be found in the first epistle of John. St. John tells us that: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear” (I John 4:18).

• And so my friends, if we want to overcome fear and grow in faith, we must learn to love God with all our hearts, mind and strength. But at the same time we must also learn how much God loves us.

• We get a glimpse of the great love God has for us in the second reading. St. Paul tells us about the “gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.”

• Paul’s point, of course, is that God loves us so much that He gave up everything – even His very life – so that we might become the sons and daughters of God.

• And, of course, we see the great goodness and love of Jesus in the way He heals both the woman with the hemorrhage and the daughter of Jairus in today’s Gospel.

• As followers of Christ we must live our lives firmly convinced of God’s deep and abiding love for all of us – faithfully trusting that He will always do what is best for us.

• Considering the great suffering that we see in our world, perhaps it is easy for us to think that God is indifferent, that He doesn’t care for us. Yet our readings today tell us differently. They tell us very clearly that God is love!

• Moreover, the sufferings we bear in this life are often the means God uses to strengthen us in faith, hope and love.

• Look around us, my friends. God constantly reveals Himself to us: in the beauty of creation, in the love we experience with our family and friends, in the way He providentially cares for all of our needs.

• We see God’s indescribable love in the liturgy, in the gift of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, and most especially in His Passion, death, and resurrection. Look at the crucifix! Could anyone but a loving God do so much for us?

• My dear friends, ask yourself what it is you fear in this life. What is it that keeps you from living your faith fully?

• Then examine all the ways that God shows His love to you and to all of us, and make the decision to love God more so that your faith will grow! Cast aside your fears and learn to trust God without reservation, for He is a good and gracious God, full of kindness and mercy.

• Pray for the grace to be strong in faith, and in all things act with the love of God in mind so that you may cast your fears away and receive that grace.

Copyright 2009 by Reverend Timothy S. Reid

Reverend Reid is pastor of St. Ann’s Catholic  Church in Charlotte, NC

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Apostolate of Faith

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/05/16 at 7:42 AM

“Our faith in the risen Christ impels us to go out to other and announce to them that Christ is alive, that we unite ourselves to Him by faith and love every day, that He guides us and gives meaning to our lives.

It is essential that our faith in Jesus Christ increases every day, that we learn to look upon happenings and persons as He looks on them, that our activity in the middle of the world be animated by Jesus’ doctrine.

St. Gregory the Great says ‘for we have not seen Him in the flesh but know Him in the mind.’  (St. Gregory, Homilies on the Gospel, 26, 7)

The Resurrection of Our Lord is a call to us to show with our lives that He lives. The deed of a Christian should be the fruit and the manifestation of his love for Christ.

St. Augustine also comments that: ‘Let the Creed be for you as a reminder of your faith and a mirror….Look at yourself, then, in it; check to see if you continue believing all the truths that you say in words that you believe, and rejoice daily in your faith.’

Show with you behavior and your words that Christ is alive.”

(Fernandez, Francis IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, Vol.II, 54.1, 2,3.)

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Correct viewpoint

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/05/09 at 9:53 AM

“All around us there is a constant movement, and ebbing and flowing of currents of opinion, of doctrines, of ideologies, of very distinct interpretations of man and of life….In the midst of all this doctrinal confusion there is a need for a norm of discernment, a clear, steady and profound criterion which allows us to see everything with the unity and consistency of the Christian view of life which knows that everything derives from God and is ordained to God.

The Faith provides us with a stable criterion of guidance and the firmness of the Apostles in putting it into practice.  It gives us a clear vision of the world, of the value of things and of people, of true and false goods.  Without God and without knowledge of the ultimate end of man the world ceases to be intelligible or is seen only from a partial and deformed angles.  ‘Precisely the most pernicious typical aspect of the modern era consists in the absurd attempt to reconstruct a solid and fruitful temporal order divorced from God, the only foundation on which it can endure.’ 1 The Christian should not leave his faith aside in any circumstance.”

1 John XXIII MATER ET MAGISTRA, 1961 cited by Francis Fernandez IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, Vol II, 58.2.

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Compatiblility of Skepticism and Faith

In 13 History on 2011/05/07 at 8:31 AM

A historian is trained to be a skeptic in the sense that he does not presume that what other historians have written is necessarily true. He needs to ferret out biases and mere opinion.   The historian searches for what really happened.  What works for one discipline does not necessarily work for another. Read the rest of this entry »

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Baptism of the Lord by Fr. Reid

In 05 Homilies by Fr. Reid on 2011/05/05 at 4:04 PM

• When Jesus died on the cross, Scripture records that, among other incredible phenomena like an earthquake and the splitting of rocks, the veil in the Jewish Temple was torn in two.

• This is incredible because that veil was a 60 foot tall, 4 inch thick piece of material that hung as a barrier between the Holy of Holies, which was the dwelling place of God, and the rest of the Temple: the domain of man.

• The veil was meant not only to demarcate the holiest place of the Temple, but also, in a sense, to symbolically demonstrate the utter separateness between God and man, i.e., that because of his sinfulness, man is unfit for the presence of God. Read the rest of this entry »