Catholic Fire

VATICAN CITY, 29 OCT 2008 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 20,000 faithful, the Pope spoke of St. Paul's theology of the Cross. The Holy Father recalled how the Apostle of the Gentiles, following his experience on the road to Damascus, changed his life completely. Paul remained deeply marked by "the central significance of the Cross: he understood that Jesus died and rose for everyone. The Cross, then, demonstrated the gratuitous and merciful love of God", he said. "For St. Paul the Cross had a fundamental primacy in the history of humanity. It is the focal point of his theology because 'Cross' means salvation as grace for all creatures. The theme of the Cross became an essential and principal element of the Apostle's preaching". Benedict XVI then went on to highlight how "the 'stumbling block' and 'foolishness' of the Cross", of which St. Paul, speaks are to be foun...

Peter was the youngest child born to a large family in Ravenna, Italy in 1007. His parents both died when he was young and he was placed in the care of one of his brothers, who treated him like a slave. His eldest brother, a priest in Ravenna, rescued him and sent him away to study. Peter was quite brilliant and excelled in his studies (theology and cannon law) and later returned to Ravena as a professor. In his late 20's, he joined a group of Benedictine monks (followers of St. Romauld known as the Camaldolese ) who were living in northern Italy, where he became prior at the young age of 36: a position he held unto his death. Peter performed austere penances to the extent that he developed near permanent insomnia and was forced to modify them. Although living in a cloister, Peter kept close watch on the Church and worked for her purification. He wrote to the pope, urging him to deal with the scandals of the Church in Italy. In 1051, Peter published his treatise on the vices of th...

This Oct. 26 will see the crucial opening weekend of a new movie, Bella. The film is being celebrated as a triumph for Latino filmmakers, and for independent filmmakers. Catholics have another reason to celebrate — and support it. This movie gives us hope that Catholics can reclaim territory we used to own, but have too often ceded: The arts. Communicating about God through art has always been a Catholic specialty. MORE

Worldwide Children's Holy Hour via Leticia at Cause of Our Joy takes place tomorrow, Friday, on EWTN.

The Vatican's new doctrinal statement, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which confirms the essential role of the Catholic Church in God's plan for salvation, has been released. The CDF affirms that while other Christian bodies can play a role in bringing people to salvation, it is in the Catholic Church that "the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth." The Vatican document makes a further distinction between Orthodox churches that have preserved valid sacraments, and should be recognized as "sister churches," and Protestant groups that have not preserved the Eucharistic presence. The document, entitled "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church," is approved by Pope Benedict XVI. The full text can be found at the Vatican Website here. Obviously, some non-Catholics aren't too happy with this document and of course mainstream media is blowing the whole thing out of proportio...

Mother's Day, which is celebrated the second Sunday in May, is remembered by most Catholic parishes. In some parishes, women receive flowers. At my former parish, following the weekend Masses, our pro-life group sold beautiful long-stemmed roses for a few dollars and donated the money to an organization which provided counseling and assistance to pregnant mothers. We rarely had any left. When we did, they were placed in front of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother. Sometimes the Sunday homily will include a discussion of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, the model for mothers to emulate. The parish may also recite special prayers for mothers and mothers will receive a blessing from the priest. At home, family members may pray a blessing for mothers and grandmothers around the family table. Here is one you can use: God of love, listen to this prayer. God of holy people of Sarah, Ruth, and Rebeekah, God of holy Elizabeth, mother of John, of holy Mary, Mothe...