Catholic Church

September 23, 2019

Women and the Rebuilding of Christian Civilisation, by Maria Madise

By Maria Madise, Voice of the Family - “To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood,” noted Archbishop Fulton Sheen. We can only fathom the full dignity and beauty of Christian civilisation when we consider that its level is none other than the Blessed Virgin… Today’s world looks even more fallen than after the Fall and wholly unworthy of her. However, we should not forget the perseverance of those who lived between Eve and Mary, ceaselessly imploring God to send a saviour to reopen the gates of Heaven. Their prayer was successful. So we should also pray – and work – for the speedy triumph of the Immaculate Heart.

September 23, 2019

Spiritual Warfare Lessons from St. Padre Pio, by Kathleen Beckman

By Kathleen Beckman, Catholic Exchange - Following the quote (by St. Padre Pio), I attempt to draw forth a practical lesson…. “I am in the hands of the devil who is trying to snatch me from the arms of Jesus. Dear God! What a war he is waging against me! There are moments in which I am on the point of losing my reason through the continual violence I must do myself. How many tears and groans, dear Father, I send up to heaven in order to be set free. But no matter, I will never tire of praying to Jesus.”

September 23, 2019

True Synodality: A Missing Ingredient in Renewal?

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture - But despite its name, the Synod of Bishops does not quite capture the importance of synodality to the guidance and renewal of the local churches. That aspect has been left to episcopal conferences. But episcopal conferences have become a kind of permanent, bureaucratized synodality which frequently defeats the whole concept. As many have observed, episcopal conferences tend too often to diminish what it means to be a bishop in one’s own diocese… We must make no mistake about this: Synodality, for its effectiveness, depends on bishops fully understanding what it means to be bishops.

September 23, 2019

Fr. George W. Rutler: How to Write Your Own Encyclical

By Fr. George W. Rutler, Crisis Magazine - This past summer, what is now called the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family was “reconstituted” with an abruptness and thoroughness that scandalized over forty international scholars, who objected to the firing of several distinguished professors. It was a real purge… The Institute retains the name “John Paul II,” but that only serves now as an ironic reminder that it has distanced itself from the theology, philosophy, and prophetic vision of that pontiff.