Structured prayer is a hallmark of the Catholic faith and is one of the many endearing attributes that distinguish it from other Christian denominations. Priests and deacons greatly benefit from saying the morning and evening prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours – lauds and vespers. These come from a larger set of prayers designed to … Read more
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke continues to shine as a beacon of hope for the faithful during these days of trepidation. As the Extraordinary Synod on the Family continues, Catholics are hearing a steady drumbeat of self-styled reformers calling for “pastoral solutions”, “less offensive language” and the revisiting of “alleged interpretations of dogma” in an effort … Read more
Today, I want to broach a controversial topic, knowing full well that I may cause a ruckus. I want to talk about masculinity and the liturgy. I will start with a few caveats. First, I do not believe the liturgy should ever be a controversial issue. It shouldn’t be a matter of politics, factions, personal … Read more
Caritas Internationalis is the largest social justice organization in the Catholic Church. It serves as a confederation of Catholic social justice and charitable organizations around the world. According to the history presented on the Caritas website: The Church describes Caritas as its official voice “in relation to its teachings in the area of charity work” To … Read more
As the Synod of the Bishops on the Family got underway, the Holy Spirit remained in control and spoke to the gathered participants through the Holy Word at morning Mass. Monday morning’s readings extended both a caveat and a pathway for the Bishops to follow. Let’s begin with the caveat. St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians … Read more
Back in 1998 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and its prefect at the time Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, released the document “Concerning Some Objections to the Church’s Teaching on the Reception of Holy Communion by Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful”. While it was written over sixteen years ago, Cardinal Ratzinger was … Read more
Have you ever wondered how much of Jesus’s public ministry is not reflected in the Gospels? We already know that a good deal of His earthly life was not recorded. But even the sections on his active ministry seem, as far as the narrative is concerned, somewhat truncated. It’s a very short synopsis of three very active … Read more
Damian Thompson has an excellent post over at the online edition of The Spectator regarding the controversy that has preceded the Synod on the Family (“Communion for divorced: Pope Francis has created a crisis”). To his credit, Mr. Thompson goes beyond the internecine warfare which has garnered most of the headlines in the months leading … Read more
It’s officially October, which means a yard full of leaves, pumpkin spice everything, and the Synod on Marriage and Family starts on Sunday in Rome and runs through October 19th. There are already some doctrinal clashes going in, so please add the proceedings to your prayer intentions. In case you’re not subscribed, the latest episode … Read more
“And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery.” – Jesus (Matthew 19:9) “It’s now a new situation of a marriage. They are living together, they love each other, … Read more
[powerpress] ON TODAY’S EPISODE: A roundtable discussion with 1P5 contributors Elliot Bougis and Scott Broadway. Battling Cardinals heading into the Synod on Marriage and Family; Synodal expectations; Previous Vatican statements on communion for the divorced and remarried; The questionable rehabilitation of liberation theology. Relevant Links from Today’s Episode: Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off: … Read more