Catholic Fire

In Torchbearer , Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson makes a convincing argument on the absurdity of life without God. He begins the hour long documentary by narrating the story of creation, defining God as the “Creator of all things” and human beings as “image-bearers of God.” After the fall of our first parents, death entered into human history, which resulted in loneliness, depression, betrayal, hatred, and war. It was no longer God who determined man’s worth in this world, but “the man with the biggest stick.” From there, Robertson takes us on a journey throughout history of various world events in which man tried to live without God and the appalling, morally decadent results. He begins with the world-famous Scopes Trial -- the State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes – an American legal case in 1925 in which a substitute high school teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which had made it illegal to teach human evolution in any state-funded sc...

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. - Psalms 33: 12. Eternal God, stir our minds and stimulate our hearts with a high sense of patriotism on this Fourth of July. May all that this day symbolizes renew our faith in freedom, our devotion to democracy, and redouble our efforts to keep a government of the people, by the people, and for the people truly alive in our world. Grant that we may highly resolve on this great day to dedicate ourselves anew to the task of ushering in an era when good will shall live in the hearts of a free people, justice shall be the light to guide their feet, and peace shall be the goal of humankind: to the glory of your holy name and the good of our nation and of all mankind. Amen. - Prayer offered in Congress by Chaplain, Rev. Edward G. Latch, D.D. Wednesday 1974

Bishop Robert Barron comments on the New York Times Bestseller, All The Light We Cannot See.

The recently released videos featuring Planned Parenthood employees bartering body parts of aborted infants are startling and appalling. This brings forth dialogue about the human person and the dignity of life, the argument for which is not based upon sentimentality or compassion but rests firmly upon a belief in the existence of God.

Lesson 1 from Fr. Robert Barron's "The Mystery of God" film and study program. Learn more at http://MysteryOfGod.com . This sample lesson is on "Atheism and What We Mean By 'God'".

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” -- Psalm 33:12  "Be free people! What do I mean? Perhaps it is thought that freedom means doing everything one likes, or seeing how far one can go.... This is not freedom. Freedom means being able to think about what we do, being able to assess what is good and what is bad, these are the types of conduct that lead to development; it means always opting for the good. Let us be free for goodness. And in this do not be afraid to go against the tide, even if it is not easy! Always being free to choose goodness is demanding, but it will make you into people with a backbone who can face life, people with courage and patience.... Be men and women with others and for others: true champions at the service of others."  - Pope Francis Happy 4th of July!

1.  "As a Father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who trust Him." - Psalm 103:13 2.  “To be a good father, the first requirement is to be present in the family. To be close to his wife, to share in everything, joy and pain, burdens and hopes." - Pope Francis, General audience, Feb. 4, 2015 3.  "A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." - Unknown. 4.  “The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” – John Wooden 5.  “Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad.” -Anne Geddes 6.  "Dads don’t need to be tall and broad-shouldered and clever.  Love makes them so." - Pam Brown 7.  "Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance." - Ruth E. Renkel 8. "Father!–to God himself we cannot give a holier name." - William Wordsworth 9.  "A father acts on behalf of his childre...

The new biopic “A Theory of Everything” does indeed engage in a fair amount of Hawking-hagiography, but it is also, curiously, a God-haunted movie.

Thanking God today for all of you, my dear readers. May you and your loved ones have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving! Jean

Atheists, Agnostics, and believers alike appeal to philosophy to support their claims on the existence or non-existence of God. However, Thomas Aquinas' "Argument from Motion" offers a proof that cannot be easily refuted, as it appeals to the the concept of an "actus purus," or the unmoved mover that we call God.

Related Post: Fifteen Favorite Quotes From St. John Mary Vianney

For me, the Fourth of July was about fireworks and picnics as a young child. However, as I grew older, I learned the true purpose of celebrating Independence Day. I learned that it is about celebrating our freedoms and the responsibilities we have as a result of those freedoms. I learned that it is about being grateful to God for all that He has given us – our lives, our families, our faith, and so much more. It is about appreciating those gifts and using them to know, love, and serve God with our whole mind, our whole soul, and our whole strength.  After all, what good are our freedoms if they are not used for the ultimate purpose for which they were created? Each new day is a gift God gives us to use and develop our gifts to the fullest. While each day may not be perfect, He continues to love me, despite my imperfections. Today I am thanking God for my freedom to worship Him in my vocation as a wife, mother, and writer. I am holding up my life – as imperfect, but as beautif...

In his Monday morning Mass, the Pope talked about how Christians should deal with every day problems. He said, first and foremost, the heart must be fixed on God. POPE FRANCIS "What kind of heart do we have? Is it a fickle heart, that just like a dancer or like a butterfly moves from one place to another…always in motion; Is it a heart that is scared by life's happenings and is hiding and afraid to give witness to Jesus Christ?” The Pope highlighted that the strength to be fixed on God comes from the Holy Spirit, who always helps Christians move forward. SUMMARY OF POPE'S HOMILY: (Source: Vatican Radio) "We all have many of these, all of us; we are surrounded by many events that move us from one place to another. But we asked for the grace to have a fixed heart, like Paul: so as not to complain about the persecution he went in search to another city; he began to preach there; to heal the sick; realizing that that man had enough faith to be healed; then, c...

November 22, 2013. (Romereports.com) During his daily morning Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis talked about the temple, both as a structure and a symbol. He explained that whenever a group gathers at a parish, God should always be the focus.   POPE FRANCIS “I think that, and I say this humbly, that perhaps we Christians have somewhat lost our sense of Worship. We'll say: 'Let's go to the parish and  meet everyone there.' This is good and beautiful, but the core focus should be God. We Worship God.” The Pope added that a parish is the site where everyone gets together to pray, praise and thank the Lord. SUMMARY OF POPE'S HOMILY Source: Vatican Radio A temple is a place where we meet to pray, praise and thank the Lord, but above all, it’s a place where we gather to worship God. At his morning Mass in the Santa Martha Chapel on Friday, Pope Francis focused his homily on both the temple as a building and St Paul’s understanding of our bodies as temples of ...