Catholic Fire

North Korea staged gruesome public executions of 80 people this month, some for offenses as minor as watching South Korean entertainment videos or being found in possession of a Bible, a South Korean newspaper reported Monday. The daily JoongAng Ilbo attributed the mass executions to a single, unidentified source, but at least one other news agency, run by North Korean defectors, reported hearing rumors of the killings in seven cities across the reclusive country. Read the full story.

(Vatican Radio) A new book was scheduled to be launched in Rome on Wednesday to encourage Catholics to prayerfully read the Bible. Published jointly by the American Bible Society and the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana), “Pray With the Bible, Meditate With the Word” uses the ancient monastic practice of Lectio Divina to help readers draw spiritual help from Scripture. “In the third century monks developed a prayerful practice called Lectio Divina, the reading of God: That meant to read the Bible in a prayerful form.” explained Mario Paredes, the Presidential Liaison of Catholic Ministries for the American Bible Society. “As the centuries went by, prayer…became very rational and very intellectual, and so the act of praying with the World of God became really obsolete until very modern times. After Vatican II, the Church clearly indicated that a Catholic person should be engaged with the Word of God.” He told Vatican Radio that the American Bible Society has co...

Another great video from Steve Silvia.

Salvation and the Catholic Church, is the start of a new series of videos by Steve Silvia.

~ Via John Francis Borra, SFO veritatis@eaglecom.net Used with Permission By John Francis Bora, SFO Well, there you have it-- in his own words, no less. Remarkably, even at age 65, Joe Biden remains confused about the Catholic faith. This becomes even clearer when you consider the preceding sentence from his autobiography: "My idea of self, of family, of community, of the wider world comes straight from my religion." Needless to say, Biden confuses the secular culture of the community in which he grew up with the Catholic faith that its members professed. In this respect, Biden is no different than many millions of other non-practicing Catholics. Often referred to as cultural Catholics, they adhere to the form of the ancient Christian faith while rejecting its substance, leading lives otherwise indistinguishable from those of atheists. But is he fully to blame? After all, his mother seems to have done young Joe no favors during his formation. In his acceptance speech at the...

This video is done as a decade of the rosary. Ten statements, each to help you meditate on the mystery of Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the temple after losing Him. Jesus tries to explain that God the Father is His Father. ~ Via Steve Silvia.

This video is done as a decade of the Rosary. ten statements, each on the birth of Jesus, to allow you to meditate on this joyful mystery. Via Steve Silva.

This is a beautiful video on the Prodigal Son, based on a homily by Pope Benedict to a group of youth in a juvenile detention center in Rome on March 18, 2007. It is narrated and set to music with classic religious art.

A new poll conducted by a leading Christian web site finds that an overwhelming majority of Christians believe that life begins at conception. ChristiaNet.com recently surveyed 500 members of its web site and asked: "Does life start at conception, first heart beat, second trimester, or birth?" Of the 500 participants, 440 (88 percent) believe that life begins at conception; nearly 7 percent believe that life begins at birth. Only two respondents selected the option that life begins at the second trimester and 24 respondents believe that life begins at the first heart beat, reported LifeNews.com. “The Bible is clear about life," said ChristiaNet president Bill Cooper. "But many people, even some Christians, are unclear on this fact because our society accepts abortion procedures. The truth has become skewed in order to ease the social conscience." Via CNA .