Catholic America

Faith and Works

2008-06-09T08:55:00.001-07:00

By Jimmy Akin

One passage Fundamentalists often cite as a proof against the Catholic view of salvation is Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."

Though this passage can often stymie Catholics in conversation, it is nothing to be threatened by.

Even if we assume that Paul is speaking of "good works" when he says we have not been saved by works, this in no way conflicts with Catholic theology. Notice that the passage speaks of salvation in the past tense-"you have been saved." In Greek this is the perfect tense, which denotes a past, completed action. (more below)

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9909chap.asp

Contraception and the Catholic Vision

2008-06-05T16:50:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Jeff Mirus, May 16, 2008

On May 10th, Pope Benedict XVI called Paul VI’s landmark encyclical On Human Life an act of courage which has “become a sign of contradiction.” He made his remarks at a conference on the fortieth anniversary of the encyclical held at the Pontifical Lateran University. While many Catholics still find Humanae vitae’s condemnation of contraception difficult to understand and accept, it should be more than evident by now that the Catholic vision of life and love enunciated by Pope Paul VI is one of the great keys to reviving our dying culture. (more below)

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=247

The Rev. Michael Pfleger

2008-06-05T07:13:00.001-07:00

(CNN) -- The Catholic priest who mocked Hillary Clinton in an animated sermon has been placed on leave from his Chicago, Illinois, parish.
art.pfleger.file.afp.gi.jpg

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, left, marched with the Rev. Jesse Jackson last year in Barrington, Illinois.

Father Michael Pfleger was asked to "step back from his obligations" at St. Sabina's parish for two weeks, according to a statement by Archbishop Cardinal Francis George.

"Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time," George said in the statement.

"While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church's regulations for all Catholic priests." (more below)

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/03/priest.removed/?iref=mpstoryview

2008-06-04T15:21:00.001-07:00

Beyond Politics at the White House: What the Pope said, and what he didn’t say

As I listened to Pope Benedict XVI’s speech at the White House this morning, I thought of a very wise statement about God: “He loves us just the way we are, but he loves us too much to let us stay that way.” (read more, website below)

http://www.godspy.com/opinion/beyond-politics-what-the-pope-meant-and-what-he-didnt-mean/

Check out this website: http://www.godspy.com/

Excellent stuff.

...Do Not Pass Go...Do Not Collect $200...YESSSSSS!!!!

2008-06-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

Participants in Attempted 'Ordination' of Women Excommunicated

5/30/2008

Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is said to be absolute, universal and immediately effective.
(more - click on site below)

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=28092

Dissident Catholic Politicians, Refrain from Communion

2008-05-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Naumann: Dissident Catholic Politicians, Refrain from Communion

By Michael Baggot
5/29/2008

LifeSiteNews (www.lifesitenews.com)

"It is my intention . . . to have similar pastoral dialogues with other Catholics in elective office who support legalized abortion"

The story of Governor Sebellius, a Dissident Catholic Governor who overtly rejects the teaching of the Catholic Church on the inviolable dignity of every human life, and her Bishop,who expresses concern both for her spiritual well being and for the faithful, now frames an increasingly contentious and important debate within Catholic circles and beyond.

KANSAS CITY, KS (LifeSiteNews) - Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City on Friday published a question and answer explanation and defense of his May 9 public request to Governor Kathleen Sebelius to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until repenting of her political support for abortion.
(more below: website)
http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=28077

English Government Coup in Catholic Orphanage Stand-off

2008-05-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

New Book! The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture
by Phil Lawler, CWNews.com Editor

English Church forced to drop adoption services

London, May. 27, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Catholic dioceses in England are pulling out of adoption agencies because of government policies requiring equal treatment of same-sex couples seeking to adopt children, the London Daily Mail reports.

The dioceses of Southwark, Portsmouth, and Arundel and Brighton have agreed to end their affiliation with the Catholic Children's Society. The group will be renamed Cabrini Children’s Society.

The Mail predicted that other dioceses would soon follow suit, while some Catholic agencies vowed a court battle to protect their right to continue offering adoption services without compromising their Catholic identity.

"The government has forced us into this position by obliging the adoption agency to place children with same-sex couples," Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton told the Mail. Last year Parliament approved new guidelines barring discrimination against same-sex couples, rejecting a bid by Catholic leaders to grant an exemption for Church-based charities.

AmeriCats

2008-05-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=88686

21-May-2008 -- Catholic News Agency

Ban on Human-animal Hybrid Embryos Fails in U.K.

London, May 20, 2008 (CNA).- Despite criticism that the research techniques involved are unethical and overhyped, British lawmakers on Monday defeated a proposal to ban the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos for medical research. (more)

Catholics: Consider Your Candidates Carefully...

2008-05-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/338/

Obama has 100 percent congressional voting ratings from NARAL Prochoice America for his three years in the U.S. Senate. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund similarly gave Obama a perfect score on its 2006 congressional scorecard.

http://house.ontheissues.org/Senate/Hillary_Clinton_Abortion.htm

Clinton scores 100% by NARAL on pro-choice voting record

For over thirty years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been the political arm of the pro-choice movement and a strong advocate of reproductive freedom and choice. NARAL Pro-Choice America's mission is to protect and preserve the right to choose while promoting policies and programs that improve women's health and make abortion less necessary. NARAL Pro-Choice America works to educate Americans and officeholders about reproductive rights and health issues and elect pro-choice candidates at all levels of government. The NARAL ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.

Ahmadinejad Preparing For Armageddon

2008-05-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Return of the Mahdi is Imminent; The West's Hegemony Has Come to an End

(MEMRI) -- In his speech at the annual International Seminar on the Doctrine of Mahdism, held in Tehran August 25-26, 2007, Ahmadinejad stated that Western dominance has come to an end, and called on the nations of the world to rebel against "the oppressive imperialist powers" in preparation for the coming of the Hidden Imam:

"The Hidden Imam is heir to everything that has been good and beautiful throughout history, and the call [to await his coming] is a call [to have faith] in the missions of the divine prophets, in monotheism, and in justice... In these days, humanity longs for monotheism and justice. With God's grace, the [preparations] for a flood of compassion, truth and justice will soon be complete...(more)

Liturgical Mish-Mash

2008-05-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Catholic World News
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=58473

Pope Paul accepted the liturgical reforms after Vatican II "with pleasure," Cardinal Noe said. He added that Paul VI was not be nature a sad man, but "he was saddened by the fact of having been left alone by the Roman Curia." Regarding the late Pope's famous remark about the "smoke of Satan," Cardinal Noe said that he knew what Paul VI intended by that statement. In that denunciation, he said, the Pope "meant to include all those priests or bishops and cardinals who didn't render worship to the Lord by celebrating badly Holy Mass because of an errant interpretation of the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. He spoke of the smoke of Satan because he maintained that those priests who turned Holy Mass into dross in the name of creativity, in reality were possessed of the vainglory and the pride of the Evil One. So, the smoke of Satan was nothing other than the mentality which wanted to distort the traditional and liturgical canons of the Eucharistic ceremony."

California Supreme Court Gives California Voters the Bird

2008-05-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Click here to read article (San Fransisco Chronicle).

The "Underground Church" in America

2008-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Most Catholics are not aware of a movement called 'the underground church', which operates clandestinely within the Roman Catholic Church. Those who are involved in this movement reject Catholic dogma and the rubrics of the mass, engaging in practices that are considered heresy. (more...)

Anti-Catholic Slant in Media Reporting of Sexual Abuse Scandal

2008-05-15T17:40:00.000-07:00