The recent Pew Forum survey confirms data published years ago that indicated that Catholics understanding of the Eucharist is deplorably inadequate. More than four in ten Catholics (45%) do not know that the Church teaches that presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not merely symbolic. Whatever efforts the Church took years ago to correct this deficiency has proved to be woefully inadequate. The Second Vatican Council declared the Eucharist to be the source and summit of the Christian life. If the Pew survey is to be believed, this declaration has fallen mostly on deaf or indifferent ears.Based on these results, it's easy to see why so many Catholics either fall away from their faith or become just lukewarm. If 45% percent of Catholics don't know the Church teaching on the Eurcharist, then one can only imagine what else in regards to their faith that they don't know. This is a big reason why so many Catholics support politicians and groups that advocate pro-abortion and anti-family policies. These Catholics don't know their faith well enough to defend Church teaching and are easily convinced to vote otherwise. While I agree with Fr. Grunow that religious education has been "woefully inadequate", I also feel that some of that responsibility falls on us as lay Catholics. We have to take that initiative and continually strive to learn more about our faith as well as educate our children on it. Unfortunately, many of us have followed the secular world's example and have chosen to fill our days with our careers, sports, and other material pleasures, leaving no room for religion.
Catholics Rank Poorly in Religious Knowledge Survey
Anti-Catholic Propaganda in the Main Stream Media
But just when you think they can’t stoop any lower, CNN rolls out a series of articles and a TV special once again implicating the Pope in the sex abuse scandals. These supposed journalists have decided to drag out the same cases that the NY Times first surfaced in March. The most ridiculous part about this is that CNN delivered absolutely no new facts or information about these cases. The just rehashed the same false arguments all over again. These are the same accusations that were proven to be lies back in March by many prominent figures inside and outside the Church.
First, I want to get the facts straight. CNN, much like the anti-Catholic NY times, left out the important details that prove the Pope’s innocence. Both cases were covered up by Bishops who themselves were actively gay, credibly accused of sexual abuse, and resigned in shame, Rembert Weakland and Daniel Ryan. In both cases these bishops attempt to deflect the blame from themselves by implying that the Pope failed to protect children by not defrocking certain abusive priests in their diocese. In both cases, it was proven conclusively that these bishops covered up sexual predators in their diocese and failed to notify the police. These bishops deserve the blame because they failed to remove the abusive priests from active ministry. What then Cardinal Ratzinger did was to tell these bishops that he would not laicize these priests without the proper Canonical trial and that these bishops are responsible for handling this mess in their own diocese. The other important fact that the media left out was that neither the Bishop nor the Vatican needs to defrock a priest in order to remove him from active ministry and hand him over to authorities. Weakland and Ryan purposely chose to cover up the abuse by shuffling these priests to other parishes and then claim the Pope failed to act.
The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail
I am not usually a fan of rap music, but I just couldn't resist passing this video along. It is a rap song by rapper and Catholic convert Akalyte. His song is about Christ's promise in Matthew 16:18, where He said that the gates of Hell would never prevail against the Church.
It is an awesome song with a powerful message and it is probably the only time you will hear the voice of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen in a rap song.
Thank you Akalyte for showing us what it means to be proud to be Catholic.
Related Links:
It is an awesome song with a powerful message and it is probably the only time you will hear the voice of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen in a rap song.
Thank you Akalyte for showing us what it means to be proud to be Catholic.
Related Links:
Catholic Heroes
This is an outstanding video from Michael Voris at RealCatholicTV. He speaks about the current state of our Catholic Church and what it means to be a true Catholic hero in a world with so much evil.
Please click on the link above to visit RealCatholicTV's Youtube page or click here to visit their homepage at RealCatholicTV.com.
Please click on the link above to visit RealCatholicTV's Youtube page or click here to visit their homepage at RealCatholicTV.com.
The Holy Spirit at Work in the Church
It seems as if you can't turn on the news or read a newspaper today without some so-called journalist attacking the Church and the Pope with lies and distorted facts. Just look at headlines over the past several months. Old stories of sex-abuse allegations in the US and Europe were being dragged out and twisted in every way possible just to find even the most remote link to Pope Benedict XVI. I am not trying to deny or make light of the pain suffered by the victims of these predatory priests. However, it is sickening to see how enemies of the Church exploit the victims of these crimes in order to unjustly implicate the Pope who has done more than anyone else in the Church to clean out this filth.
In the face of this anti-Catholic crusade by the media, faithful Catholics shouldn't forget that the Holy Spirit has not abandoned the Church. As evidenced by the recent stories below, the Holy Spirit is leading the Church into what Pope John Paul II called the "new springtime."
The Coming Vocation Explosion
Wisconsin men’s group spreading nationwide, emphasizes restoration of the sacred
The mainstream media choose to ignore the fact that God is blessing us with workers to rebuild his church. Throughout history, each time the Church has been plagued with scandals, God has called forth great saints to restore His Church. Many seminaries and convents are reporting significant increases in the number of men and women entering to answer God's call. It is also worth noting that these young seminarians and postulants are very devout and orthodox in their faith. It is a true sign of the Holy Spirit that some religious orders are looking the build new facilities to accommodate their growing numbers. That is the type of vocation crisis we need more of.
In the face of this anti-Catholic crusade by the media, faithful Catholics shouldn't forget that the Holy Spirit has not abandoned the Church. As evidenced by the recent stories below, the Holy Spirit is leading the Church into what Pope John Paul II called the "new springtime."
The Coming Vocation Explosion
Wisconsin men’s group spreading nationwide, emphasizes restoration of the sacred
The mainstream media choose to ignore the fact that God is blessing us with workers to rebuild his church. Throughout history, each time the Church has been plagued with scandals, God has called forth great saints to restore His Church. Many seminaries and convents are reporting significant increases in the number of men and women entering to answer God's call. It is also worth noting that these young seminarians and postulants are very devout and orthodox in their faith. It is a true sign of the Holy Spirit that some religious orders are looking the build new facilities to accommodate their growing numbers. That is the type of vocation crisis we need more of.What it Means to Be a Real Man
I recently came across this great article on Catholic Exchange by Maurice Bloomberg of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men:
What is a Real Man – Part 1?
In this article, the writer lists the characteristics of a true Catholic man. This is a long list, but it details those important qualities that all us men need to strive for. Here is just a sample:
That brings me to something else that Mr. Bloomberg mentioned in his article, the movie Courageous. This movie is produced by the same people who created the Christian movie Fireproof. In the same way that Fireproof became a tool to strengthen marriages, Courageous looks to do the same for men and men's ministries. Please watch the video below to get a synopsis and behind the scenes look at this new movie scheduled for release in 2011.
What is a Real Man – Part 1?
In this article, the writer lists the characteristics of a true Catholic man. This is a long list, but it details those important qualities that all us men need to strive for. Here is just a sample:
A Real Man…
Puts his faith in God – not in himself
Knows he is a child of God
Understands his purpose in life
Is obedient to God’s will.
A Real Man…
Respects himself and other people
Has strength of character as well as body
Behaves with dignity
Accepts responsibility for his actions
Thinks before he acts
Takes pride in his work.Please click on the link above to read the article and the full list of qualities in the ideal Catholic man. As Mr. Bloomberg points out, society and media are flooding us with images that are counter to what Christ calls men to be. It should come as no surprise then that many boys are growing up with no real understanding of what it means to be a man of God.
That brings me to something else that Mr. Bloomberg mentioned in his article, the movie Courageous. This movie is produced by the same people who created the Christian movie Fireproof. In the same way that Fireproof became a tool to strengthen marriages, Courageous looks to do the same for men and men's ministries. Please watch the video below to get a synopsis and behind the scenes look at this new movie scheduled for release in 2011.
Adults Acting Like Spoiled Children and the Pope's Visit to the U.K.
As many of you already know, Pope Benedict is visiting Great Britain for the beatification of Cardinal Newman. As expected, the media and the rest of the anti-Catholics are piling up the verbal attacks on the Holy Father. Just look at the list of headlines from CNN.com this morning:
Pope: Priest abuse came as 'a shock'
Pope hasn't done enough to stop abuse, British say
Why I oppose the pope's visit
Our moral code is out of date
These articles are beating the usual drumbeat of how organized religion is bad, the Pope is out of touch and intolerant and the Catholic Church is evil. Blah, blah, blah. We are living in a world were the Pope can't even sneeze without someone attacking his every action, this includes some Catholics. But what I found most interesting about England recently was this article:
Catholic Marriages Plummet in Britain
According to this article, Catholic marriages in Britain have declined dramatically over the past three decades. A Catholic priest in London made some interesting observations about this decline:
Pope: Priest abuse came as 'a shock'
Pope hasn't done enough to stop abuse, British say
Why I oppose the pope's visit
Our moral code is out of date
These articles are beating the usual drumbeat of how organized religion is bad, the Pope is out of touch and intolerant and the Catholic Church is evil. Blah, blah, blah. We are living in a world were the Pope can't even sneeze without someone attacking his every action, this includes some Catholics. But what I found most interesting about England recently was this article:
Catholic Marriages Plummet in Britain
According to this article, Catholic marriages in Britain have declined dramatically over the past three decades. A Catholic priest in London made some interesting observations about this decline:
Fr. Timothy Finigan, a parish priest in the London diocese of Southwark and founder of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life, told LifeSiteNews.com that in general Catholics of Britain have followed the trend in the secular world of rejecting marriage.
“Sadly, Catholics who are not well catechised tend to follow the prevailing culture.”
“In the UK, marriage is regarded by many as risky because of the possibility of divorce,” he said. “They have not been helped to understand that non-marital relationship are far more likely to break up.”
He also pointed to a deeper cause, saying that men in particular are unwilling to commit to a permanent relationship. They suffer from “a mistaken belief that commitment involves predicting the future instead of making a promise whatever the future holds.”There is a connection here between the reaction to the Pope's trip and the plummeting marriage rates. People are are forgetting what it means to be real men and women. In Britain and Europe, as well has here in the U.S., people are being brainwashed by a hedonistic culture that tells them it is normal and good to avoid commitments and true virtues such as loyalty, honor, humility, and self sacrifice. Instead they are acting like selfish spoiled little children whose only goal is their personal pleasure and entertainment. They choose cohabitation and contraception over marriage and children because it allows them to selfishly focus only on themselves.
An Awesome Message From a Pro-life Prodigy
I saw Lia Mills first pro-life video over a year ago and very impressed. She is truly a phenomenal young lady and a real pro-life prodigy. Her latest video below is awesome. I can only imagine how proud her parents must be. I pray that more youths and even adults follow her example and passion in spreading the truth and protecting the sanctity of human life.
Please watch the following video and then visit the related article for more information and videos on Lia's work to protect life.
Related articles:
Please watch the following video and then visit the related article for more information and videos on Lia's work to protect life.
Related articles:
Steven Hawking Claims God is Not Needed
This editorial cartoon in response to Steven Hawking's latest statement about creation was just too good to pass up.
10 Things to Pray For and With Your Child
One of the regular features on All Pro Dad is their daily Top Ten List which provides daily tips on topics such as raising children, improving your relationship with your wife and living your faith each day. I posted in its entirety the 10 Things to pray for and with your child. It is based on the Our Father and is contains great advice on not only what we as dads should pray for, but what we can teach our children to focus their prayers on. Please visit All Pro Dad and pass it along to others.
10 Things to Pray For and With Your Child
We all want the best for our children, and prayer can be an important part of helping them to grow up. But how should we pray for them and with them?
Well, there's no better guide for prayer than listening to Jesus. When His friends asked him how to pray, He suggested an outline we have come to know as “The Lord's Prayer.”
This “10-Ways” list is based on these words of Jesus:
“Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. Your kingdom come, Your will be done - in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive the sins of others. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.”
Pray that your kids make a real connection with God: this is the starting place. The fact of prayer assumes a God who is not distant. This is where we all must begin.
Pray that your children honor the Creator: It's important that kids learn to believe in a real God, a Being of light and power who we can't help but respect and honor – a Creator they can revere rather than the light-weight “Heavenly Santa Clause” of myth. Prayer becomes more meaningful in the context of respect and reverence.
Pray they translate that honor into action: Kids who honor God are more inclined to participate in their Creator's work. It's the way “Thy will be done” turns into, “Yes, and we'll do it every day.”
Pray that they are well-equipped to meet every daily need: Prayer as a vehicle to honoring God, is less concerned with “God - give me what I want”, or “me, me, me” as a matter of course. But it is absolutely appropriate to pray that our kids acquire the wisdom and the skills to live in freedom, without going hungry and without fear.
Teens and ‘Sextortion’
The following article by L. Brent Bozell is something all parents should read. Teens are already facing various pressures and temptations from a sex saturated society, but this latest threat is just sick and twisted.
Teens and ‘Sextortion’
According to the article, perverted individuals are using social network sites to blackmail teens into taking indecent photos of themselves or even committing sexual acts. It is frightening to think about how much of a threat that sites like facebook or myspace have become to our kids. You don't have to look very far to find reports of teens who have gone as far as suicide all because of harassment they endured on social network sites.
Please read the article above as well as those below just so you can become aware for the sake of protecting your children. Pray for our children as well. It just seems that with each passing year our world becomes a darker and more threatening place for our kids.
Teens and ‘Sextortion’
Please read the article above as well as those below just so you can become aware for the sake of protecting your children. Pray for our children as well. It just seems that with each passing year our world becomes a darker and more threatening place for our kids.
Real Men Pray the Rosary
More Catholic men are praying the rosary to grow spiritually
I came across the article in the link above about an awesome apostolate in Texas called Real Men Pray the Rosary. It was started by David Calvillo as a way to reach out to men and share with them the true power of praying the rosary. His website at the link above contains information on how to pray the rosary, related events in the Texas area, a blog that discusses the mysteries of the rosary, and a place to order gear displaying the logo to the left.
I agree with Mr. Calvillo. The rosary has gotten the reputation over the years as something for old women and that it is not very masculine. However, some of the greatest male saints in our Church's history fervently prayed the rosary. These saints were courageous men, some were knights and others were martyrs who willingly laid down their life for our Church. Through their example, we men today can learn what true manliness and masculinity really means.
Thanks to the work of apostolates like Mr. Calvillo's, we are seeing more men and women embracing their faith and the rosary. In this increasingly atheistic society, the rosary is a powerful way to strengthen our faith, bring our families closer together and be a witness for Christ to those we encounter.
Thank you David and Josefina Calvillo for this wonderful apostolate. They will be in my prayers. I encourage you to visit their website and learn more about the rosary.
I agree with Mr. Calvillo. The rosary has gotten the reputation over the years as something for old women and that it is not very masculine. However, some of the greatest male saints in our Church's history fervently prayed the rosary. These saints were courageous men, some were knights and others were martyrs who willingly laid down their life for our Church. Through their example, we men today can learn what true manliness and masculinity really means.
Thanks to the work of apostolates like Mr. Calvillo's, we are seeing more men and women embracing their faith and the rosary. In this increasingly atheistic society, the rosary is a powerful way to strengthen our faith, bring our families closer together and be a witness for Christ to those we encounter.
Thank you David and Josefina Calvillo for this wonderful apostolate. They will be in my prayers. I encourage you to visit their website and learn more about the rosary.
The Modern View of Families and How I Miss Ben Cartwright and Charles Ingalls
I wasn't surprised at all by the news in the following article:
ABC'S HIT COMEDY "MODERN FAMILY" CAPTURES SIX EMMY AWARDS, THE MOST FOR ANY SERIES
First, if you think these awards are not politically motivated, then I have a bridge I would love to sell to you. It's pretty obvious that the Hollywood elite are trying to send a message by giving 6 Emmys to "Modern Family". For those of you who are not familiar with this comedy, it focuses on the lives three "families". The first is a husband, wife, and their children. The second is an older man who left his wife to marry a much younger woman. The third "family" is a gay man, his partner and the baby they adopted.
It was bad enough when Hollywood chose to portray dads as immature, scheming fools. But this show takes it to a whole new low. This show is trying to make the statement that gay men are just as capable, if not better parents than a man and a woman. It also gives the subtle message that heterosexual men will eventually leave their wives for younger women. According to this show, a "modern" family is what we choose it to be according to our own desires. Apparently God's plan for marriage is considered old and obsolete since it doesn't include a gay partner or divorcing your wife for a younger woman.
It is truly sad that long gone are the days when you could turn on the TV and watch a show with your kids that had strong father figures with good values. These outstanding fictional dads included Ben Cartwright on Bonanza, Howard Cunningham on Happy Days, Charles Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, John Walton on The Waltons and Cliff Huxtable on the Cosby Show. Each one left a lasting positive impression on the millions of families that watched them every week.
It is upsetting to think of how many children and families will never be influenced by positive role models like these. Instead they will be exposed to a myriad of lifestyles, living arrangements, and broken homes on TV each week all under the umbrella of "tolerance", "inclusion", and "progress". Welcome to the reality of "modern families".
Ben Cartwright, Charles Ingalls, Howard Cunningham, John Walton and Cliff Huxtable, you are all greatly missed.
ABC'S HIT COMEDY "MODERN FAMILY" CAPTURES SIX EMMY AWARDS, THE MOST FOR ANY SERIES
First, if you think these awards are not politically motivated, then I have a bridge I would love to sell to you. It's pretty obvious that the Hollywood elite are trying to send a message by giving 6 Emmys to "Modern Family". For those of you who are not familiar with this comedy, it focuses on the lives three "families". The first is a husband, wife, and their children. The second is an older man who left his wife to marry a much younger woman. The third "family" is a gay man, his partner and the baby they adopted.
It was bad enough when Hollywood chose to portray dads as immature, scheming fools. But this show takes it to a whole new low. This show is trying to make the statement that gay men are just as capable, if not better parents than a man and a woman. It also gives the subtle message that heterosexual men will eventually leave their wives for younger women. According to this show, a "modern" family is what we choose it to be according to our own desires. Apparently God's plan for marriage is considered old and obsolete since it doesn't include a gay partner or divorcing your wife for a younger woman.
It is upsetting to think of how many children and families will never be influenced by positive role models like these. Instead they will be exposed to a myriad of lifestyles, living arrangements, and broken homes on TV each week all under the umbrella of "tolerance", "inclusion", and "progress". Welcome to the reality of "modern families".
Ben Cartwright, Charles Ingalls, Howard Cunningham, John Walton and Cliff Huxtable, you are all greatly missed.
Christian Persecution and a Catholicism of Resistance
A Catholicism of Resistance: Archbishop Charles Chaput's Prophetic Voice
In the article above, Deacon Keith Fournier highlights Archbishop Chaput's speech. I strongly recommend that you read the entire article, as it is well worth the time. The Archbishop's words are powerful as he boldly describes the growing threats to Christianity, in particular, a "state-encouraged atheism". He also suggests what we as Catholics can do to truly live our faith and oppose this "secularization" and "de-Christianization" in our society. At the end of the article, there is a link where you can read his entire address. It is a lengthy read, but very eye-opening and worth the time. I pasted below two excerpts from Archbishop Chaput's speech that I thought were brillant and extremely accurate.
We face an aggressively secular political vision and a consumerist economic model that result - in practice, if not in explicit intent -- in a new kind of state-encouraged atheism. To put it another way: The Enlightenment-derived worldview that gave rise to the great murder ideologies of the last century remains very much alive. Its language is softer, its intentions seem kinder, and its face is friendlier. But its underlying impulse hasn't changed -- i.e., the dream of building a society apart from God; a world where men and women might live wholly sufficient unto themselves, satisfying their needs and desires through their own ingenuity. This vision presumes a frankly "post-Christian" world ruled by rationality, technology and good social engineering. Religion has a place in this worldview, but only as an individual lifestyle accessory. People are free to worship and believe whatever they want, so long as they keep their beliefs to themselves and do not presume to intrude their religious idiosyncrasies on the workings of government, the economy, or culture.
We live in a time when the Church is called to be a believing community of resistance. We need to call things by their true names. We need to fight the evils we see. And most importantly, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that by going along with the voices of secularism and de-Christianization we can somehow mitigate or change things. Only the Truth can set men free. We need to be apostles of Jesus Christ and the Truth he incarnates.
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