Catholic Fire

Related information from Vatican Radio: Pope Benedict XVI awards "Ratzinger Prize"

Herman Cain released an epic video ad today slamming radical Barack Obama. The video includes several great Marxist moments from the past two and a half years. Via FOX Nation : H/T:  Gateway Pundit

President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed. The change would affect early retirees: A married couple could have an annual income of about $64,000 and still get Medicaid , said officials who make long-range cost estimates for the Health and Human Services department. Read more View the video: Millions in Middle Class to Get Medicaid?

The Vatican has released the prayer intentions of Pope Benedict XVI for July 2011. The Pope’s general intention is: “That Christ may ease the physical and spiritual sufferings of those who are sick with AIDS, especially in the poorest countries.” His missionary intention is: "That religious women in mission territories may be witnesses of the joy of the Gospel and living signs of the love of Christ.”

Lila Rose, president of Live Action, appeared on the O'Reilly Factor last night to discuss the defunding of Planned Parenthood in Indiana and how the Federal Government is bullying Indiana to force taxpayers to fund the biggest abortion chain in America. She does a great job in debunking the Planned Parenthood propoganda and in revealing the truth to the public -- Planned Parenthood is in the baby killing business for the money. It's not about helping women -- it's about hurting them (spiritually, physically, emotionally), killing their babies, and destroying their families. Way to go, Lila Rose! Previous Post: Medicaid Misinformation: Planned Parenthood Caught on Tape Lying About Indiana Healthcare

The Coliseum Rome, Italy From My Personal Photo Collection February, 2006 When the city of Rome had been devastated by fire in the year 64, the Emperor Nero launched a persecution against the Christians, who were soaked in tar and burned as living torches at evening banquets, fed to wild animals in the arena, or crucified. Their deaths are documented in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus and in Pope St Clement’s letter to the Corinthians. These martyrs died before Sts. Peter and Paul, and are called “disciples of the Apostles. . . whom the Holy Roman church sent to their Lord before the Apostles’ death.” Collect: Father, you sanctified the Church of Rome with the blood of its first martyrs. May we find strength from their courage and rejoice in their triumph. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We love you and we're praying for you! "In the Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep (Jn 21:15-19), down to the present episcopate." ~ St. Augustine (354–430) : Against the Epistle of Manichaeus called Fundamental

Archbishop José Horacio Gómez from Los Angeles received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI during a ceremony in the Vatican. Other three American archbishops also received the pallium: Archbishop James Peter Sartain from Seattle; Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley from Oklahoma City; and Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, from San Antonio. Among the 40 new archbishops, also Gerard Cyprien Lacroix, from Québec (Canada) received the pallium. The pallium is a garment used by archbishops as a sign of communion with the Pope.

Undercover phone calls released today show Planned Parenthood of Indiana clinic staffers at various locations admitting Medicaid patients have only to look around the corner to get healthcare. Planned Parenthood and its supporters claim poor women in Indiana will lose access to vital healthcare services if they cannot go to Planned Parenthood. But a new Live Action investigation shows the reality is quite the opposite…. “Indiana has become Ground Zero in the national battle to defund Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion business in America,” states Live Action President Lila Rose . “As more and more states, most recently Wisconsin and Texas, continue to defund the abortion giant of millions of dollars , Planned Parenthood wants us to believe they are the only game in town when it comes to providing care for Medicaid patients. In reality, their own staff admit that they aren’t the only option for women in need.” In an official press release, Planned Parenthood CEO Ce...

Sts. Peter and Paul are the co-founders of the Church - the solid rock on which it was founded. St. Peter Peter's original name was Simon. He was a fisherman and the brother of Saint Andrew, the apostle who led him to Christ. As an apostle of Christ, Simon was renamed "Peter" (in Hebrew Kephas) or "rock" by Jesus to indicate that Peter would be the rock-like foundation on which the Church would be built. Peter's house often became the scene of miracles, since Jesus would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality. Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the first of Jesus' disciples. After the Ascension, Peter took the leading role that Christ had assigned to him and became the first Pope. He served as the first Bishop of Rome and died there as a martyr in 64 a.d. crucified with his head downward, as he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ. Peter is the author of two letters, the first encyclical...

Pope Benedict XVI sent his first tweet Tuesday, typing it himself on an iPad. The Vatican had confirmed the pope's inaugural tweet, announcing the launch of news.va, a Vatican news and information site. He added, "Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI." Read more.

The saint of the day for June 28th is St. Irenaeus (c.130 - c.200), Bishop of Lyons and Father of the Church. Irenaeus was born in Smyrna (modern-day Turkey), although he subsequently settled in Rome. He was well educated and was influenced by men who knew the Apostles, especially St. Polycarp, who had been a pupil of St. John the evangelist He became Bishop of Lyons (France) in 178. As bishop, he divided his activities between the duties of a pastor and of a missionary. A prolific writer, he is known for his vigorous defense of the faith against Gnosticism , the prevalent heresy of the time. He was the first great Catholic theologian and his most significant work is "Against Heresies" (Adversus Haereses). Quotes: "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God." "Baptism gives us the grace of new birth in G...

Who can argue with this line of reasoning: it's more important to spend taxpayer money to kill human beings than to help them stay alive. This is the way the baby killers at Planned Parenthood think. The abortion providers would lose big bucks if the baby killing business were denied taxpayer funding. Planned Parenthood has filed suit today to make the court force Kansas to give tax money to them instead of indigent health clinics. The newly approved Kansas budget directs that family planning services financed in any way under “Title X” federal rules must be contracted primarily with public health clinics and secondarily with qualified non-public hospitals or health centers that provide comprehensive health care--primary and preventative. Mary Kay Culp, Kansans for Life Executive Director, responded, “ Planned Parenthood is doing everything it can to divert attention away from the fact that the criminal charges against them are going back to court here in July, after being ...

Live Action president Lila Rose discusses Indiana's defunding of Planned Parenthood and how abortion is the greatest human rights abuse our nation faces. She also discusses her new campaign to STAND WITH INDIANA Tuesday -- who is under attack by the Obama administration for defunding Planned Parenthood!

Today we commemorate Our Lady of Perpetual Help. I have had a long-time devotion to Our Blessed Mother under many titles, but began praying to Our Lady of Perpetual Help early in my childhood and continue to pray for her intercession today. She is such a sweet mother who always asks Jesus to grant me that which will draw me closest to Him. Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Byzantine icon from the middle ages that has resided in Rome since the late 1400s. It was brought to Rome near the end of the fifteenth century by a holy merchant, who, dying there, ordered by his will that the picture be exposed in a church for public veneration. It was exposed in the church of San Matteo, Via Merulana, between Saint Mary Major and Saint John Lateran. Crowds flocked to this church, and for nearly three hundred years many graces were obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Eastern Catholics refer to the icon as the "Holy Theotokos of the Passion." The Mes...

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

The saint of the day for June 27th is St. Cyril of Alexandria -- one of the great Greek fathers of the Church . He was chosen by divine Providence to be the shield and champion of the Church against Nestorius, who denied the unity of person in Christ. If this heresy had succeeded, Mary would not be called the Mother of God. Cyril was born in 376 at Alexandria, Egypt and became patriarch archbishop of his birthplace in 412. He presided over the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus which defined the inseparable unity of the divine and human natures of Christ, and thus the appropriateness of invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "Theotokos" or Mother of God. He died in 444AD. Prayer in Honor of Mary, Mother of God Hail, Mary, Mother of God, venerable treasure of the whole universe, lamp that is never extinguished, crown of virginity, support of the true faith, indestructible temple, dwelling of him whom no place can contain, O Mother and Virgin! Through you all the...

Today's saint is William of Vercelli. Saint William was born in Vercelli, Italy in 1085. He lost his father and mother in his infancy and was raised by a relative. At age fifteen, he made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. When he returned, he became a hermit in Naples and lived there in an uninhabited mountain. After a miracle was obtained by his prayers, he was discovered and his contemplation interrupted, so he decided to move to another mountain, where he built a beautiful church in honor of Our Lady. His holiness attracted many followers and, in 1119, he established the Congregation of Monte Vergine, or Mount of the Virgin. These sons of Our Lady lived in great poverty. Saint William founded several more monasteries, both for men and women, in various places in the kingdom of Naples. He assisted the king of Naples in practicing all the Christian virtues of a worthy sovereign, and in gratitude, the king had a house of the Order built at Salerno directly across fro...

The Birth of John the Baptist 1540's The Hermitage, St. Petersburg Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John....” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “[Y]et the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28). John spent his time in the desert, an ascetic. He began to announce the coming of the Kingdom, and to call everyone to a fundamental reformation of life. His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. His Baptism, he said, was for repentance. But One would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is not worthy even to carry his sandals. His attitude toward Jesus was: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). John was humbled to find among the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized the one whom he already knew to be the Messiah. “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3:14b). But Jesus insisted, “Allow it now, for th...

You must read and watch this mutli-media NYT interview with Catholic psychotherapist Marsha Linehan. Once a profoundly mentally ill young woman, she was transformed by a incredible encounter with God's love before the Blessed Sacrament and has developed the world's first effective treatment for borderline personalities - for people like herself. Be sure and watch the brief video in which Dr. Linehan describes her transforming encounter with God. It is a must-see if you or family or friends have lived the heart-breaking reality of serious mental illness. ~ Via the Catherine of Siena Institute.

Terry Barber (founder of Saint Joseph Communications ), Jesse Romero, M.A., John W. Garcia (founder of Sober for Christ), and Eddie Chavez plead with Fr. John Corapi not to leave the priesthood. You have to admire their zeal! Let's pray along with them.

Today's saint of the day is St. Thomas Moore , the lawyer, author and statesman who lost his life opposing King Henry VIII's plan to subordinate the Church to the English monarchy. Thomas More was born in 1478, son of the lawyer and judge John More and his wife Agnes. He received a classical education from the age of six, and at age 13 became the protege of Archbishop John Morton, who also served an important civic role as the Lord Chancellor. Although Thomas never joined the clergy, he would eventually come to assume the position of Lord Chancellor himself. More received a well-rounded college education at Oxford, becoming a “renaissance man” who knew several ancient and modern languages and was well-versed in mathematics, music and literature. His father, however, determined that Thomas should become a lawyer, so he withdrew his son from Oxford after two years to focus him on that career. Despite his legal and political orientation, Thomas was confused in regard to his ...

Today's saint of the day is St. Aloysius Gonzaga , an Italian Jesuit priest. The people who mass-produce statues and holy cards have done St. Aloysius Gonzaga no favors. The standard image of the saint as a frail, doe-eyed novice has given us the wrong impression. It may even be responsible for the decline in devotion to St. Aloysius. Yet Aloysius deserves a revival, especially as the patron saint of teenagers. The time and place where he grew up — 16th-century Italy — is not very different from 21st century America. It was a lax, morally careless, self-indulgent age. Aloysius saw the decadence around him and vowed not to be part of it. He did not, however, become a kill-joy. Like any teenage boy, he wanted to have a good time, and as a member of an aristocratic family he had plenty of opportunities for amusement. He enjoyed horse races, banquets and the elaborate parties held in palace gardens. But if Aloysius found himself at a social function that took a turn to the lasciv...

The saint of the day is St. Alban. St. Alban was the first Christian martyr in Britain during the early 4th century. He is the patron saint of converts and torture victims. Even though he was not a man of faith, St. Alban was very hospitable and compassionate. As a soldier, he sheltered a persecuted priest, Amphibalus, during a time that Christians were being put to death in Britain. The priest struck St. Alban with his faith and piety, as well as his dedication to prayer. Alban soon converted to Christianity. In an effort to help the priest escape, he switched clothes with him. But Alban was caught and ordered to renounce his faith. St. Alban refused to worship idols, and when asked to state his name, answered “My name is Alban, and I worship the only true and living God, who created all things.” When he refused, he was to be tortured and beheaded. The person first selected to execute Alban heard his testimony and converted on the spot. After refusing to kill Alban, he was ...

The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Incarnation of God's Son reveals that God is the eternal Father and that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father the Son is one and the same God. The mission of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son (⇒ Jn 14:26) and by the Son "from the Father" (⇒ Jn 15:26), reveals that, with them, the Spirit is one and the same God. "With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified" (Nicene Creed). "The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father as the first principle and, by the eternal gift of this to the Son, from the communion of both the Father and the Son" (St. Augustine, De Trin. 15, 26, 47). By the grace of Baptism "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy...

Read Fr. Corapi's statement at his new website. Let's keep him in our prayers. He certainly needs them now more than ever.

Today's saint of the day is Blessed Osanna Andreasi  of Mantua (1449 - 1505), a Dominican tertiary, stigmatic, and mystic. The daughter of Italian nobles Nicolaus and Agnes, she is reported to have had her first mystical experience at the age of five: a vision of the Trinity, the nine choirs of angels, and Jesus as a child her own age, carrying His Cross. Feeling called to the religious life, Osanna rejected an arranged marriage and became a Dominican tertiary at the age of 17; however, she waited 37 years to complete her vows so she could care for her brothers and sisters after the death of her parents. At the age of eighteen she experienced mystical espousal to Jesus -- like St. Catherine of Siena , she had a vision in which Our Blessed Mother made her a bride of Christ, placing a ring on her finger. When she was thirty she received the stigmata on her head, then her side, and finally on her feet. She also had a vision in which her heart was transformed and divided int...

Today's saint of the day is Saint Albert Chmielowski - Founder of the Albertine Brothers and Sisters, and one of the saints who inspired the vocation of the young Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II. Saint Albert was born on August 20, 1845 in Igolomia, Poland (near Kraków) as Adam Hilary Bernard Chmielowski. Born into a wealthy and aristocratic family, Adam was the oldest of four children. Actively involved in politics from his youth, Adam lost a leg fighting in an insurrection against Czar Alexander III at age 18. In Krakow, he became a popular artist and his talent in the subject led him to study in Warsaw, Munich, and Paris. A kind and compassionate person, Adam was always deeply aware of human suffering, and felt called to help those in need. Realizing that God was calling Him to a life of service, he returned to Krakow in 1874, determined to dedicate his talents to the glory of God. Instead of continuing his work as an artist, he decided to care for the po...

The saint of the day is St. Lutgardis , a Cistercian, and one of the first mystics of the Sacred Heart. St. Lutgardis is the patron saint of the blind and physically disabled people. Born in the 12th century, she came to her vocation, in part, due to her father’s bad business sense. Her father lost her dowry in a failed business venture and sent her to a Benedictine convent at the age of 12. A few years later, she received a vision of Christ showing her his wounds, and at age 20 she became a Benedictine nun. Her visions continued and she is said to have levitated and dripped blood from her head when meditating on the Passion. Seeking a stricter life, she joined the Cistercians and displayed the gifts of healing, prophecy, spiritual wisdom and teaching on the Gospels. She accepted the blindness that afflicted her for the last 11 years of her life as a gift that helped reduce the distractions of the outside world. In her last vision, Christ told her when she was to die, the day ...

Today is the is the feast day of St. Germaine Cousin, a simple and pious young girl who lived in Pibrac, France in the late 1500s. Germaine was born in 1579 to poor parents. Her father was a farmer, and her mother died when she was still an infant. She was born with a deformed right arm and hand, as well as the disease of scrofula, a tubercular condition. Her father remarried soon after the death of her mother, but his new wife was filled with disgust by Germaine's condition. She tormented and neglected Germaine, and taught her siblings to do so as well. Starving and sick, Germaine was eventually kicked out of the house and forced to sleep under the stairway in the barn, on a pile of leaves and twigs, because of her stepmother’s dislike of her and disgust of her condition. She tended to the family's flock of sheep everyday. Despite her hardships, she lived each day full of thanksgiving and joy, and spent much of her time praying the Rosary and teaching the village childre...

The defunding of Planned Parenthood, promoter of the Pill -- a class one carcinogen for women, which is responsible for the death of babies, and is a major killer of marriages -- is the topic of this video. Karen Garnett, Executive Director of the Catholic Pro-life Committee of North Texas, speaks at The Pill Kills Marriage National Seminar in Dallas, TX; sponsored by Stop Planned Parenthood International and STOPP of Dallas. Watch live streaming video from thepillkills at livestream.com

The saint of the day is St. Methodius of Constantinople . St. Methodius worked for unity and reconciliation in the Eastern Church and had served as the Patriarch of Constantinople for the last five years of his life. Born in Syracuse, he first felt the call to enter religious life while in Constantinople, where he had gone to seek a position at court. He left for the island of Chinos, where he built a monastery and started a monastic community. However, his time at the monastery was short-lived since he was summoned by the Patriarch of Constantinople to help govern the diocese and create unity after a debate broke out on the use of icons in worship. While in Rome, seeking the Pope’s help, he was exiled for seven years. But he returned as patriarch in 842 and continued to work for unity.

Due to my graduate studies in theology, in addition to my work, and many other responsibilities/activities, I will do only light blogging this summer. Thanks for your patience and for remaining a faithful reader of Catholic Fire !

Today is the memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, a Doctor of the Church, a Franciscan priest called the "Hammer of the Heretics", the "Wonder Worker", and the "Living Ark of the Covenant." He was born Fernando Martin de Bulhom in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, the son of a knight of the court of King Alfonso II. His parents sent him to be educated by the clergy at the Cathedral of Lisbon. At the age of 15 he joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine and at 17, in order to have more seclusion, asked for and obtained leave to transfer to the priory of St. Cross, of the same order, at Coimbra, then the capital of Portugal. There, for a period of eight years, he devoted himself to study and prayer. With the help of a remarkable memory, he acquired a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. The arrival of the relics of St. Bernard and companions, the first martyrs of the Franciscan Order, led Anthony to join the Franciscan Order at the age of 25. At this time, he c...

  In a commentary on the gospel of St. John, Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop , wrote the following on the subject of transformation by the Holy Spirit. “It can easily be shown from examples both in the Old Testament and the New that the Spirit changes those in whom he comes to dwell; he so transforms them that they begin to live a completely new kind of life. Saul was told by the prophet Samuel: ‘The Spirit of the Lord will take possession of you, and you shall be changed into another man.’ Saint Paul writes: ‘As we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, that glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit, transforms us all into his own likeness, from one degree of glory to another.’ Does this not show that the Spirit changes those in whom he comes to dwell and alters the whole pattern of their lives? With the Spirit within them it is quite natural for people who had been absorbed by the things of this world to become entirely other-worldly in outlook, and for...

On the day of Pentecost, "suddenly from up in the sky there came a noise like a strong, driving wind which was heard all through the house where they were seated. Tongues as of fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them. All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them" (Acts 2:2-4). Pentecost Reflection : Pentecost, the feast of true hope for humanity by Bishop Arthur Serratelli  PENTECOST:  A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY Today is a special day of celebration for me, not only because it is Pentecost, but because it is the anniversary of my lifetime Oblature with the Community of St. John. Six years ago today, I made my promises to the Lord with the Community of St. John. Today, I thank God for the outpouring of graces He gave me through the Holy Spirit , to do this. What a beautiful gift! I didn't deserve this gift, but God, in His loving kindness, gene...

 Today is the memorial of St. Barnabas, apostle. Barnabas was not one of the original apostles, but was a Levite from Cyprus, originally named Joseph but renamed Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement" by them. It was Barnabas who presented St. Paul to the other Apostles when, after his long retreat in Arabia, he came to Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion to submit for Peter's approval the mission to the Gentiles entrusted to him by the Master Himself. He was present with Paul at the Council of Jerusalem (ca. 50). Barnabas was Paul's companion and helper on his first missionary journey and returned with him to Jerusalem, but left him when he set out on his second journey and went to Cyprus. After having converted many souls to Christ, Barnabas died in Cyprus during Nero's reign; tradition has it that he was stoned to death. The name of St. Barnabas is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. Name Meaning: son of encouragement; son of consolation...

“The Holy Spirit leads us like a mother. He leads His child by the hand…as a sighted person leads a blind person.” ~ St. John Vianney

The saint of the day is Blessed Edward Poppe. Blessed Edward Poppe was born on December 18, 1890 in Moerzeke, Belgium, to a baker's family of modest means. From his mother he learned generosity and a devotion to prayer, and from his father a dedication to work and a love of the poor. In May 1909 Edward Poppe, a brilliant student, decided to become a priest to serve "poor Flanders". As a seminarian he was distinguished for his desire to fulfil the will of God perfectly by following the example of Jesus and Mary and by being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. After ordination he was assigned as a curate to St Colette's, a working-class parish in Ghent. His special concern was for children, the poor and the dying. Leading a life of great personal poverty, he devoted particular attention to catechesis and Eucharistic associations, and was very concerned over the increasing dechristianization of society. For reasons of health he was transferred to the rural ...