Catholic Church

July 29, 2019

The Amazon Synod That Could Have Been, by Robert Royal

By Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing - the Amazon is being used as a proxy to advance what German Catholic leaders hope will resurrect a clearly dying church. Cardinal Mueller is unconvinced: If the church were to try to legitimize herself before a de-Christianized world in a secular manner as a natural-religious lobby of the ecological movement, or try to present herself as a relief agency for migrants by donating money – she would lose even more of her identity as the universal Sacrament of Salvation in Christ, and she will not at all receive that much-yearned-for recognition on the part of the left-wing, green mainstream.

July 29, 2019

Fr. George Rutler: The Utopia of the Neutral

By Fr. George Rutler, Church Militant - Toddlers try to get their way by throwing tantrums, but they are not the only ones. In "An Open Letter on Translating," an heresiarch in 1530 justified altering the Letter of St. James: "Dr. Martin Luther will have it so ... Sic volo, sic jubeo." ("I want it; I command.")… This solipsism was updated in a 1966 book turned into a 1972 film about a 20-year-old named Roy who demonstrated his desire to be his sister Wendy by dressing in her clothes. The title was: "I Want What I Want."… For the adult still psychologically in diapers, the only recourse is to become flushed and scream at anyone who sticks to reality.

July 29, 2019

NFP & the Priesthood: Fr. Justin Braun

By Fr. Justin Braun, Source: TotalWhine Blog - The beauty of chastity, self-denial, integrated and selfless love, is that it actually makes you happier! The virtues are not some archaic set of propositions to make you miserable, but rather reveal man more fully to himself. Sexual sins often are just the symptom of a life caught up in the world, a life devoid of or only shallowly engaging the joyful life of faith, and that is the bigger problem. To re-engage someone where they are at is the chance of “encounter”, but to lead them away from sin, as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery, is one of the most meaningful and life-giving works of every Christian.

July 23, 2019

When Talking About Morality, Start With Natural Law, by Matt D’Antuono

By Matt D’Antuono, National Catholic Register - I do not think it is too drastic to say that there is a lot of moral confusion today, both about what is right and wrong and what is the nature of right and wrong. In other words, we tend to be very confused as a society about what we ought to do and why we ought to do it. Worst of all, though, is that we do not know we are confused. As Plato said, “The most damaging thing about stupidity is its self-satisfaction.” The first step in learning is realizing that you don’t know.