Catholic Fire

By Jean M. Heimann "Harsh rhetoric (of those who oppose gay marriage) will continue because gay activists know the war on America is not over. Only this phase of the battle has been won. They are pushing on to create a new America. Bathing the White House in rainbow colors was just the initial re-branding of the nation. The next step will be changing the understanding of religious liberty. " -- Al Kresta from his YouTube video (See bottom of the page.) "Since same-sex marriage is now recognized as a fundamental human right guaranteed by the Constitution, those who oppose it can only be characterized as bigots animated by an irrational prejudice. To be sure, Justice Kennedy and his colleagues assure us that those who have religious objections to same-sex marriage will be respected, but one wonders how such respect is congruent with the logic of the decision. Would one respect the owners of a business who refuse to hire black people as a matter of principle? Woul...

By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M.  For anyone who seeks out the real meaning of the holidays, the last few days before Christmas are the most powerful period of Advent and an intensely beautiful time of year. This weekend we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, with its spirit of joy and its rose liturgical vestments as an alternative to the season’s violet. The day takes its name from the opening words of the Introit at the beginning of Mass: Gaudete in Domino semper, or “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4,5).  And it’s followed just a few days later by the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, the time of the “O Antiphons.” In Christian worship, an antiphon is a special prayer recited or chanted before a psalm or canticle. The “O Antiphons” refer to the seven antiphons recited before the Magnificat during Vespers in the Liturgy of the Hours. They entered the Church’s liturgy as early as the fifth century. By the eighth century they were a regular part of Chri...