Awards and Distinctions

This post contains the list of A Catholic Life's many awards and honors received.  Thank you to everyone who continues to support A Catholic Life.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2017

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Review: "Christ the Lord Out of Egypt" by Anne Rice

My favorite program on EWTN is Sunday Night Live with Father Benedict Groeschel. Today he had several words of wisdom and one of which was on Anne Rice's new book, "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt". And, Fr. Benedict reminded viewers that this book is fiction. It is a work of religious fiction with Anne Rice's opinions on some issues and the Church's on others.

Let me explain. The book does teach some Church's firm truths, but some areas go further than the Gospel. One such instance is the Presentation of the Lord, where Anne Rice writes that Christ, as a child then, did not yet know He was the Son of God. Pope St. Pius X condemned the assertion that Christ did not always possess the consciousness of His Messianic dignity as a error in a list of errors (Lamentabili).

Above all else, remember that the Gospel should always be our main source for the truth on Jesus Christ.

This book is not recommended by me.

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A Pro-life Victory! Senate Passes Bill Providing Blood for Collection and Storage of Umbilical Cord Blood

Update: The bill has become law

Good news! A bill has just passed the Senate that will help the pro-life cause by providing blood for collection and storage of umbilical cord blood. This is a victory for the adult stem cell cause. I'm glad to see this news.

Note: Catholics don't support embryonic stem cell research because it kills a living person. And this research hasn't helped anyone like adult stem cells have helped others.

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Christmas Novena

 

Some are still praying the St. Andrew's Christmas Novena that started on Nov. 30th, but this is a different Novena.

Thanks to Inspired Traditionalist for these prayers.

December 16: O Shepherd that rulest Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep, come to guide and comfort us.One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 17: O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudenceOne Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

December 18: O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched armOne Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 19: O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 20: O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 21: O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of deathOne Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 22: O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof. O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earthOne Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 23: O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our GodOne Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be

December 24: O Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, God of hosts, come, show Thy face, and we shall be saved.One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Fourth Sunday of Advent

Traditional Propers:

INTROIT
Isaias 45: 8
Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior. -- (Ps. 18. 2). The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declareth the work of His hands. V.: Glory to the Father . . . -- Drop down dew, ye heavens . . .

COLLECT - O Lord, we beseech Thee, stir up Thy power, and come, and with great might succor us: that by the help of Thy grace that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost . . .

EPISTLE
1 Corinthians 4: 1-5
Brethren, Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Here now it is required among the dispensers that a man be found faithful. But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you or by man's day: but neither do I judge my own self. For I am not conscious to myself of anything: yet am I not hereby justified, by He that judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge not before the time, until the Lord come: Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise from God.

GRADUAL
Psalms. 144: 18, 21
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him: to all that call upon Him in truth. V.: My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless His Holy Name.

Alleluia, alleluia. V.: Come, O Lord, and tarry not: forgive the sins of Thy people Israel. Alleluia

GOSPEL
Luke 3: 1-6

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina, under the high priests Annas and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight His paths: every valley shall be filled: and every mountain shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

OFFERTORY
Luke 1: 28, 42
Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

SECRET - O Lord, we beseech Thee, look down favorably upon these present Sacrifices: that they may profit us both unto devotion and salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

PREFACE (Preface of the Most Holy Trinity) - It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out, with one voice saying:

COMMUNION
Isaias 7: 14
Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son: and His name shall be called Emmanuel.

POST COMMUNION - Having received Thy gifts, we beseech Thee, O Lord: that as we frequent this Mystery, so the world of our salvation may advance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God . . .

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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Christmas Speeches

Last Wednesday I gave my adult stem cell speech again and was delighted to hear people come up to me and tell me that their opinions have changed. Many now support adult stem cells over embroynic stem cells. Today I gave the speech again, and I will continue in January.

Thanks for your prayers.

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Putting the Corporal Acts of Mercy in Place

As Christmas nears, I have thought about how to fulfill more of the Corporal Acts of mercy this Christmas Season. These are, of course:

• To feed the hungry.
• To give drink to the thirsty.
• To clothe the naked.
• To visit the imprisoned.
• To shelter the homeless.
• To visit the sick.
• To bury the dead.

Today I volunteered at a place collecting toys for needy children (over 240 and 80 families), and I helped set up a section on coats for them to take with them for the winter. I plan on also doing other acts of charity in my community. My question is what are a few things others have been doing? If you'd like to share please do. And if there is a website to your charity or organization so that others may help out, please include it.

Thank you

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Operation Just Say Merry Christmas

I wanted to thank one of my readers for this wonderful Christmas site. It sells "Just Say Merry Christmas" wristbands for $2 proclaiming the truth of the real reason for the season - Jesus.

Why have we gone so far to remove God from our lives? I heard a man on the radio today talking and the assault on Chritmas and mirroring it to a hypothetical example of how we shouldn't sell meat in stores because it may offend those whose religion forbids eating meat. But will they? No, because we all have a Freedom TO religion not a freedom FROM religion.

This site gets an A+ Keep Christ in Christmas

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Remember - Jesus is our only true Joy

Pope Benedict XVI - "Dear friends, Jesus is your true friend and Lord, enter into a relationship of true friendship with Him. He awaits you, and only in Him will you find happiness. How easy it is to content oneself with superficial pleasures, ... to live only for oneself in the apparent enjoyment of life. But sooner or later one becomes aware that this is not true happiness, because true happiness is much deeper and is only to be found in Jesus."

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Don't use Progressive Auto Insurance

As Christmas nears we have seen more and more companies attack Christmas but remember - you can't have Christmas without Christ. We are His messengers; the ones who share in the great light of joy. With this week of Advent focusing on the joy of the Coming Birth of Christ and ultimately His final coming, let us stand up for Christ this Christmas.

I received an email from the American Family Assosication describing Progressive Auto Insurance supporting the ACLU. Here is the text of the message:

In one of his recent columns, Chuck Colson relates the following story.

In a Texas classroom, children were told to draw a tracing of their foot, and then put a message on the drawing. One little girl wrote "Jesus Loves Me" on hers. What happened next shows the abysmal state of religious tolerance in America. As Fox news anchor John Gibson relates in his new book, The War on Christmas, the child's teacher ripped the tracing off the board. "Don't you ever do this again," she said. The little girl burst into tears. When her outraged father called the school, nervous officials told the child to make another tracing.

She did so—but this time, instead of scrawling "Jesus Loves Me," she drew a tiny cross that was so small it was almost invisible.Behind nearly every such incident you will find the ACLU. According to the New York Times, Peter Lewis, chairman of Progressive Insurance, believes in the mission and work of the ACLU so much that he gave them $8.5 million.

Chairman Lewis' gift helps the ACLU promote their anti-Christmas agenda such as:

• Removing nativity scenes from public property
• Banning songs such as Silent Night from schools
• Refusing to allow students to write about the Christian aspect of Christmas in school projects
• Renaming Christmas break Winter break
• Refusing to allow a city sponsored Christmas parade to be called a Christmas parade
• Not allowing a Christmas tree in a public school
• Renaming a Christmas tree displayed on public property a Holiday tree

In addition to their war on Christmas, the ACLU uses gifts like that from Chairman Lewis to:

• Sue states to force them to legalize homosexual marriage
• Force libraries to remove porn filters from their computers
• Sue the Boy Scouts to force them to accept homosexuals as scout leaders
• Help legalize child pornography
• Legalize live sex acts in bars in Oregon
• Protect the North American Man Boy Love Association whose motto is "sex by eight or it is too late"
• Censor student led prayer at graduation
• Remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance
• Remove "In God We Trust" on our currency

Recommended action: If you have a Progressive Insurance policy, cancel it. If you don't have a Progressive policy, let Chairman Lewis know you will not be buying one. (We recommend you do not purchase Allstate Insurance. We will explain our recommendation in a future letter.)

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