" When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed" (Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta)Monday, July 10, 2006
" When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed" (Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta)Sunday, July 9, 2006
Between the doctrine of Christ, as taught in the Catholic Faith, and the doctrine of Luther, there can not be a greater divide. They are not the same. Martin Luther’s heresies continue to fracture the Christian religion throughout the world. Unlike what some Lutherans – and even Catholics might think – being a Lutheran is not being “Catholic lite.” Lutheranism is directly contrary to the religion established by Christ. It is not the True Faith, and those who adhere to it can not enter Heaven. Understanding the errors of Lutheranism is essential to refuting it.
A 2016 Latin Mass magazine details how Martin Luther actually admitted to having many discussions with the devil himself! In fact, many of the arguments he made against the Holy Mass came from the devil himself, and this is found in his own writings. There is clearly a great deal of ignorance on this subject. But this is mentioned in his own biography!
Please also read Exsurge Domine by Pope Leo X, issued June 15, 1520.
Who Was Luther?
At eighteen, Martin Luther entered the University of Erfurt and quickly completed his studies. His father hoped Luther would become a lawyer, but Luther, troubled by fears about his soul's salvation, decided to become a monk. However, life in the convent didn't bring him the peace he sought. Despite rigorous fasting, self-mortification, and frequent confessions, Luther remained tormented by his conscience.
In 1507, Luther was ordained as a priest and earned a Doctor of Theology degree in 1512. He was then assigned to teach at the University of Wittenberg. Despite his academic success, Luther's inner turmoil persisted. A visit to Rome in 1510 only deepened his dissatisfaction with his spiritual state. He eventually concluded that good works couldn't bring salvation and that faith alone justified a person before God. This belief led him to assert that, due to Original Sin, humans were incapable of doing anything good and were inherently sinful.
Luther began teaching these ideas at Wittenberg as early as 1516. In 1517, when Pope Julius II announced a Plenary Indulgence to fund the construction of St. Peter's Basilica, Luther publicly opposed the practice. He famously nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on November 1, 1517. These Theses, some of which challenged the Church's teachings on indulgences and purgatory, spread rapidly across Europe, gaining Luther widespread support, especially among those critical of the Papacy.
Luther's challenge to the Church did not go unanswered. Catholic theologians like Tetzel and Professor Eck published rebuttals, but Luther's skill as a writer and orator helped him gain a substantial following. The support of figures like Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony further bolstered his confidence.
In 1518, Luther met with the Papal Legate, Cardinal Cajetan, in Augsburg, but the meeting failed to resolve their differences. Luther refused to accept the Church's teachings on indulgences and sacraments and appealed to a General Council instead. Despite writing a conciliatory letter to the Pope in 1519, Luther's later correspondence revealed his deep suspicion of the Papacy. His writings, such as "An Address to the Nobility of the German Nation" and "On the Liberty of a Christian Man," criticized the Church's abuses and advocated for the secular power's right to decide spiritual matters. This stance eventually led to the rejection of Church authority by civil leaders.
Ultimately, his own scruples and pride caused him to invent a religion that fit his views.
What's Wrong with Luther?
The “Open Letter to Non-Catholics” states:
One key figure in the Protestant Reformation was Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, who, led astray by private judgment, set himself against the Faith held for 1500 years. He decided that all Christians before him had been in error. Is it possible to believe that Jesus founded a Church to mislead the world, and then after 1500 years, approved of over 500 contradictory church denominations founded by men? But, you may say, the Protestant Church is the Church of Christ, purified of error, and only this purified form dates from Luther. I answer that you must choose between Luther and Christ. Jesus said His Church would never teach error (John 14:26); Luther says it did teach error. If Luther is right, Christ is wrong; if Christ is right, Luther and all his followers are wrong.
Luther's chief errors are contained in the following propositions: (1) There is no supreme teaching power in the Church. (2) The temporal sovereign has supreme power in matters ecclesiastical. (3) There are no priests. (4) All that is to be believed is in the Bible. (5) Each one may interpret Holy Scripture as he likes. (6) Faith alone saves, good works are superfluous. (7) Man lost his free will by original sin. (8) There are no saints, no Christian sacrifice, no sacrament of confession, and no purgatory.
Luther's Errors Are Contrary to All of Christianity Before
The Bible As the Sole Authority: Luther emphasized the authority of the Bible as the sole source of religious truth in a rejection of any other authority. He rejected the Catholic view that tradition, along with Scripture, held equal authority in matters of faith. This Protestant view is refuted by both Scripture itself and 1,500 years of actual Church history.
Justification by Faith Alone: Luther held to the doctrine of "sola fide," or justification by faith alone. He taught that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone and does not require us to live out our faith through any works, which contradicts the teaching of our Lord directly.
Denial of the Visible Hierarchy Established by Christ in the Priesthood: He opposed the hierarchical system of the Church which was established by Christ to have a physical presence on earth, including the authority of the pope.
Rejection of Church Tradition: Luther objected to the veneration of saints and the use of images and relics. He also denied Purgatory and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice. Such rejections are contrary to the Bible and the actual practice of the Christian Religion as it was actually observed back to the time of the Apostles.
Christ vs. Luther
Following are some significant excerpts from Luther's writings and lectures, as compared with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Taken from the hook CHRIST VS. LUTHER, edited by R. A. Short, copyright 1953 by the Bellarmine Publishing Company, Mound, Minn.)
Christ: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication . . . murder . . . and suchlike. And concerning these I warn you, they who do such things will not attain the Kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).
Luther: "Sin boldly but believe more boldly. Let your faith be greater than your sin. . . Sin will not destroy us in the reign of the Lamb, although we were to commit fornication a thousand times in one day" (Letter to Melanchton, August 1, 1521, Audin p.178).
Christ: "And do not be drunk with wine, for in that is debauchery" (Eph. 5:18). "Keep thyself chaste" (I Tim. 5:22).
Luther: "Why do I sit soaked in wine? ... To be continent and chaste is not in me" (Luther's diary).
- On Good Works -
Christ: "What will it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but does not have works? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:14,26).
Luther: "He that says the Gospel requires works for salvation, I say, flat and plain, is a liar" ("able Talk, Weimer Edition, II, p.137).
- On Truth -
Christ: "Do not be liars against the truth. This is not the wisdom that descends from above. It is earthly, sensual, devilish" (James 3:1~15). "Do not lie to one another" (Col. 3:9). "The Lord hateth... a lying tongue... a deceitful witness that uttereth lies. . . "(Proverbs 6:1&17). "A thief is worse than a liar, but both of them shall inherit destruction" (Ecclus. 20:27).
Luther: "To lie in case of necessity, or for convenience, or in excuse, would not offend God, who is ready to take such lies on Himself" (Enserch Conference, July 17, 1540).
- On Marriage -
Christ: "Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery" ~ark 10:11-12).
Luther: "As to divorce, it is still a moot question whether it is allowable. For my part, I prefer bigamy" (DeWette, Vol.2, p.459).
- On Free Will -
Christ: "Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It were better for that man if he had not been born" (Matt. 26:24). "Let no man say when he is tempted, that he is tempted by God; for God is no tempter to evil" (James 1:13).
Luther: "Judas' will was the work of God; God by His almighty power moved his will as He does all that is in this world" (De Servo Arbitro - Against man's free will). Accosted on all sides by charges of heresy, even by many of his former associates in the Protestant movement, Luther found refuge in this, the strangest of all his beliefs. No man is accountable for his actions, Luther taught, no matter how evil. Not even Judas!
Such are the teachings of the first so-called "reformer" of Christ's Church! If Luther was a man divinely inspired or called in an extraordinary manner, why did God permit him to fall into so many absurdities in points of doctrine?
"Luther finally brought himself to indulge the pleasing delusion that the Catholic Church was the detestable kingdom of Antichrist . . . that he himself was John the Evangelist... "(From the book LUTHER, P.65).
So you see the heresies, divisions, confusion, etc. resulting from the private interpretation of the Scriptures. Unless there is a church in the world, from the days of our Lord, which declares unmistakably (infallibly) who Jesus is, and what He taught, He might just as well have revealed nothing!
Source: Open Letter to Non-Catholics
On Saturday night, July 8, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI attended the 5th World Celebration for Families. He listened to numerous testimonies from families. Some of them had young children, and some families had to go through the loss of a child. Still other families were older. The family is the intermediate unit between individual and society. It is the concept of a family that allows all of the world (non-believers too) to have at least a small connection to others.
Here is the Holy Father's address. I bolded parts that I felt were really important.:
Photos:
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
AP Photo/Matt Dunham
REUTERS/Chris Helgren (SPAIN)
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Here is the Holy Father's address. I bolded parts that I felt were really important.:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am most happy to take part in this prayer meeting which is meant to celebrate with great joy God's gift of the family. I feel very close in prayer to all those who have recently experienced this city's mourning and in our hope in the Risen Christ, which provides light and strength even at times of immense human tragedy.
United by the same faith in Christ, we have gathered here from so many parts of the world as a community which, with gratitude and joy, bears witness that human beings were created in the image and likeness of God for love, and that complete human fulfillment only comes about when we make a sincere gift of ourselves to others.
The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and receive love. That is why the Church constantly wishes to demonstrate her pastoral concern for this reality, so basic for the human person.
This is what she teaches in her Magisterium: "God, who is love and who created man and woman for love, has called them to love. By creating man and woman he called them to an intimate communion of life and love in marriage. 'So they are no longer two but one flesh' (Matthew 19:6)" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Compendium, 337).
This is the truth that the Church tirelessly proclaims to the world. My beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II said that man has been made "in the image and likeness of God not only by his being human, but also by the communion of the persons that man and woman have formed since the beginning. They become the image of God, not so much in their aloneness as in their communion" (Catechesis, 14 November 1979).
That is why I confirmed the calling of this Fifth World Meeting of Families in Spain, and specifically here in Valencia, a city rich in tradition and proud of the Christian faith lived and nurtured in so many of its families.
The family is an intermediate institution between individuals and society, and nothing can completely take its place. The family is itself based primarily on a deep interpersonal relationship between husband and wife, sustained by affection and mutual understanding. To enable this, it receives abundant help from God in the sacrament of matrimony, which brings with it a true vocation to holiness.
Would that our children might experience more the harmony and affection between their parents, rather than disagreements and discord, since the love between father and mother is a source of great security for children and its teaches them the beauty of a faithful and lasting love.
The family is a necessary good for peoples, an indispensable foundation for society and a great and lifelong treasure for couples. It is a unique good for children, who are meant to be the fruit of the love, of the total and generous self-giving of their parents. To proclaim the whole truth about the family, based on marriage as a domestic Church and a sanctuary of life, is a great responsibility incumbent upon all.
Father and mother have said a complete "yes" in the sight of God, which constitutes the basis of the sacrament which joins them together. Likewise, for the inner relationship of the family to be complete, they also need to say a "yes" of acceptance to the children whom they have given birth to or adopted, and each of which has his or her own personality and character.
In this way, children will grow up in a climate of acceptance and love, and upon reaching sufficient maturity, will then want to say "yes" in turn to those who gave them life.
The challenges of present-day society, marked by the centrifugal forces generated especially in urban settings, make it necessary to ensure that families do not feel alone. A small family can encounter difficult obstacles when it is isolated from relatives and friends.
The ecclesial community therefore has the responsibility of offering support, encouragement and spiritual nourishment which can strengthen the cohesiveness of the family, especially in times of trial or difficulty. Here parishes have an important role to play, as do the various ecclesial associations, called to cooperate as networks of support and a helping hand for the growth of families in faith.
Christ has shown us what is always the supreme source of our life and thus of the lives of families: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one had greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13).
The love of God himself has been poured out upon us in baptism. Consequently, families are called to experience this same kind of love, for the Lord makes it possible for us, through our human love, to be sensitive, loving and merciful like Christ.
Together with passing on the faith and the love of God, one of the greatest responsibilities of families is that of training free and responsible persons. For this reason the parents need gradually to give their children greater freedom, while remaining for some time the guardians of that freedom.
If children see that their parents -- and, more generally, all the adults around them -- live life with joy and enthusiasm, despite all difficulties, they will themselves develop that profound "joy of life" which can help them to overcome wisely the inevitable obstacles and problems which are part of life. Furthermore, when families are not closed in on themselves, children come to learn that every person is worthy of love, and that there is a basic, universal brotherhood which embraces every human being.
This Fifth World Meeting invites us to reflect on a theme of particular importance, one fraught with great responsibility: the transmission of faith in the family. This theme is nicely expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "As a mother who teacher her children to speak and so to understand and communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith" (No. 171).
This is symbolically in the liturgy of baptism: with the handing over of the lighted candle, the parents are made part of the mystery of new life as children of God given to their sons and daughters in the waters of baptism.
To hand down the faith to children, with the help of individuals and institutions like the parish, the school or Catholic associations, is a responsibility which parents cannot overlook, neglect or completely delegate to others.
"The Christian family is called the domestic church because the family manifests and lives out the communal and familiar nature of the Church as the family of God. Each family member, in accord with his or her own role, exercises the baptismal priesthood and contributes towards making the family a community of grace and of prayer, a school of human and Christian virtues, and the place where the faith is first proclaimed to children" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Compendium, 350).
And what is more: "Parents, in virtue of their participation in the fatherhood of God, have the first responsibility for the education of their children and they are the first heralds of the faith for them. They have the duty to love and respect their children as persons and as children of God ... in particular, they have the mission of educating their children in the Christian faith" (ibid, 460).
The language of faith is learned in homes where this faith grows and is strengthened through prayer and Christian practice. In the reading from Deuteronomy we have heard the prayer constantly repeated by the Chosen People, the "Shema Israel," which Jesus himself would have heard and recited in his home in Nazareth.
He himself would refer to it during his public life, as we see in the Gospel of Mark (12:29). This is the faith of the Church, which is born of God's love which comes through your families. To live the fullness of this faith, in all its wondrous newness, is a great gift. All the same, at those times when God's face seems to be hidden, believing can be difficult and takes great effort.
This meeting provides a new impetus for proclaiming the Gospel of the family, reaffirming the strength and identity of the family founded upon marriage and open to the generous gift of life, where children are accompanied in their bodily and spiritual growth.
This is the best way to counter a widespread hedonism which reduces human relations to banality and empties them of their authentic value and beauty. To promote the values of marriage does not stand in the way of fully experiencing the happiness that man and women encounter in their mutual love.
Christian faith and ethics are not meant to stifle love, but to make it healthier, stronger and more truly free. Human love needs to be purified and to mature if it is to be fully human and the principle of a true and lasting joy (cf. Address at Saint John Lateran, June 5, 2006).
And so I invite government leaders and legislators to reflect on the evident benefits which homes in peace and harmony assure to individuals and the family, the neuralgic center of society, as the Holy See has stated in the Charter of the Rights of the Family.
The purpose of laws is the integral good of man, in response to his needs and aspirations. This good is a significant help to society, of which it cannot be deprived, and for peoples a safeguard and a purification.
The family is also a school which enables men and women to grow to the full measure of their humanity. The experience of being loved by their parents helps children to become aware of their dignity as children.
Children need to be brought up in the faith, to be loved and protected. Along with their basic right to be born and to be raised in the faith, children also have the right to a home which takes as its model the home of Nazareth, and to be shielded from all dangers and threats.
I would now like to say a word to grandparents, who are so important for every family. They can be -- and so often are -- the guarantors of the affection and tenderness which every human being needs to give and receive. They offer little ones the perspective of time, they are memory and richness of families. In no way should they ever be excluded from the family circle. They are a treasure which the younger generation should not be denied, especially when they bear witness to their faith at the approach of death.
I now wish to recite a part of the prayer which you have prayed in asking for the success of this World Meeting of Families.
O God, who in the Holy Family
left us a perfect model of family life
lived in faith and obedience to your will,
Help us to be examples of faith and love for your commandments.
Help us in our mission of transmitting the faith that we received from our parents.
Open the hearts of our children
so that the seed of faith, which they received in baptism, will grow in them.
Strengthen the faith of our young people,
that they may grow in knowledge of Jesus.
Increase love and faithfulness in all marriages,
especially those going through times of suffering or difficulty.
(...)
United to Joseph and Mary,
we ask this through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord. Amen.
[Original text: Spanish]
© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana [adapted]
Photos:
O Lord, I feel your grace and Your peace filling my poor soul. I feel overwhelmed by Your mercy, O Lord. You forgive me, which is more than I dared to hope for or could imagine. Your goodness surpasses all my desires. And now, filled with gratitude for so many graces. I invite You to my heart. I wandered, like a prodigal child gone astray; but you did not cease to be my Father. Increase Your mercy toward me, for You see how weak I am.Jesus: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy. (1485b)
Read more from the Diary of St. Faustina
Let's dedicate today to praying for men and women to respond to the vocation that God is calling them toward. Please pray for good and holy priests and for women to answer the call to the consecrated life as religious sisters. Please pray for their health and that they will remain in the grace of God.Image Source: FSSP
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Here is an amazing video of a Latin Mass filmed in 1941 on Easter Sunday. It was filmed at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Chicago. The celebrant is of the Servite order hence the cowls and white cassocks. It is narrated by Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Valencia, Spain today where he was greeted by King Juan Carlos (2nd Left) and Queen Sofia (Right). Tens of thousands of people waved yellow and white Vatican flags as they lined the route of the papal motorcade. He also was greeted by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who is responsible for legalizing gay marriage and many other evils. The Prime Minister has refused to attend Sunday Mass tomorrow even though people such as Cuba's Communist leader Fidel Castro, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega and former Polish President Wojciech Jaruzelski all attended Masses by Pope John Paul ll. Personally, I think it's better than a man that promotes such evil does not receive the Eucharist.
The Holy Father delivered a speech, and afterwards traveled to the Jesus Metro Station, where 42 people died just last July 3rd due to an accident.
During the Holy Father's opening remarks, he said: "The family is a unique institution in God's plan and the church cannot fail to proclaim and promote its fundamental importance." Even before he arrived in the airport, Pope Benedict XVI, in response to gay marriage questions, said, "According to human nature it is man and woman who are made for each other and to give humanity a future."
He said he wanted to stress the positive aspects of family life in Spain and elsewhere but added that there were some problems that could not be ignored.
"It is true that there are certain things that Christian life says 'No' to. We want to make people understand that according to human nature, it is a man and a woman who are made for each other and made to give humanity a future," he added.
"Let's shine a light on these positive things so we can try to make people understand why the Church cannot accept certain things but at the same time wants to respect people and help them," he said.
But he said preferred to stress the reality of "families that love each other ... which gives hope for the future."
Source: Yahoo News
Following the opening remarks, Pope Benedict XVI stopped at the Jesus Metro Station, where 42 people died on July 3, 2006 in a subway accident. The Holy Father bowed his head in silence, made the sign of the cross, asked for Mary to console the suffering, and laid a wreath of flowers there.Photo Source: (AFP/POOL/Arturo Mari)
Archbishop Fulton Sheen -
"It has been my lot to spend much time with men who have suffered in prisons, death marches, Siberia, concentration camps and other forms of Communist tortures. But I have never known any one of them who ever said a harsh word against his persecutors. Like some trees which bathe with perfume the ax which cuts them, they had nothing but pardon for those who did them violence. They hated Communism, but they loved the Communists."
Please pray for the Holy Father as he prepares to travel to Valencia, Spain today to defend the family! Spain is 94% Catholic, but Socialist Prime Minister José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero has done a lot against the Church and, therefore against Christ.Since taking office in 2004, Zapatero's government has either adopted or discussed legislation in favor of:
* Same-sex marriage legislation;
* Fast-track divorces;
* Curbing religious education in state schools;
* Supporting embryonic stem-cell research;
* Easing abortion laws;
* Reducing or eliminating public funding for the church.
Just days ago, the Prime Minister funded an event organized by the Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals, in Valencia!!! These people insulted the Holy Father and carrying signs around saying "I'm not waiting for you" and even worse, "God does not exist"!!! There is to be a nude cycling contest when the Holy Father arrives!! (Source)
The Holy Father is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister on Saturday, July 8, 2006, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday local time. The Prime Minister has refused to attend the Mass where the King and Queen of Spain will attend with an expected 1.5 million Spanish citizens.
Spain is a highly Catholic nation but is falling to the "dictatorship of relativism". We must pray for the success for the Holy Father's visit.
Friday, July 7, 2006
Today the Church remembers Blessed Roger Dickenson, Blessed Ralph Milner, & Blessed Lawrence Humphrey. All of them were persecuted by Queen Elizabeth I of England during the persecutions against the Catholic faith.
Blessed Ralph Milner, a farm laborer and father of eight chidren, was brought into the Church by the good example of his neighbors. He was arrested after he made his first Communion. For what crime - being Catholic! However, the jailer liked Blessed Ralph Milner, so he allowed him to move about more freely than the other prisioners. So, Blessed Ralph Milner helped to get supplies to Father Stanney, a Jesuit and Blessed Roger Dickenson, an undercover diocesan priest.
Fr. Roger Dickenson and Ralph Milner were caught and brought to trial. Fr. Dickenson was charged with the crime of being a Catholic priest while Ralph was charged with assisting him in his ministry. The judge wanted to show mercy, so he said to Ralph Milner: "All you have to do is visit a Protestant church, just for a few minutes, to say you have been there. I'll let you go free to be with your family."
He refused the offer to publically deny the Truth of the Catholic faith and even pretend to accept the doctrinal errors of protestant churches. Blessed Milner and Father Dickenson refused to deny the Church - they were excuted on July 7, 1591 in Winchester, England.
Blessed Lawrence Humphrey recently converted to Catholicism because of Father Stanney. He also was martyred - at the age of 21. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered. All there were beatified in 1929.
All three of these men show us the example that we are to live. For they knew the Truth of Christ was only 100% complete in the Catholic faith. For these men were willing to die for Catholicism. It was been persecuted over and over again. But, it has continued to grow! Sacred Scripture comes to mind: "For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5: 38b-39a)
Men will not lay down their lives for something that isn't worth dying for. I pray that all non-Catholics see the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith. I ask that all of us, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, pray for the health and intentions of each other.
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