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...

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.

Chapter 5 of the Gospel, according to Mark, describes when Jesus resurrected the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, saying "Talitha Kum,” or "Little girl, rise.” Fast forward 2,000 years later, a network of nuns is doing the same, helping girls and women rise again, after becoming victims of human trafficking. Very fittingly, they call themselves Talitha Kum. SR. ESTRELLITA CASTALONE Coordinator, Talitha Kum "Sisters have opened their houses to welcome victims of human trafficking. Those who have chosen to leave the circle, those who are able to escape, and those who the sisters are able to rescue.” Statistics are unreliable, but its a lucrative business, second only to weapons trafficking. Now in its fifth year, Talitha Kum has morphed into world-wide network, not just helping trafficking victims, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. They started off with courses, but quickly took a hands on approach. As a network, the sisters rely on each othe...

 President Obama told the National Prayer Breakfast this morning that “killing the innocent is never fulfilling God's will,” saying it is “the ultimate betrayal of God's will.” Arina Grossu, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council, called it “a tragedy that President Obama doesn't apply this same standard to the one million innocent Americans who die every year from the social injustice of abortion. All human life is sacred, valuable, and deserves to be protected, especially the littlest and most defenseless of humans.” My response: Listen to the words that are coming out of your mouth, Mr. President. Ponder on them, for God is speaking to you through them. Killing innocent babes in their mother's wombs in never God's will. Please stop supporting the murder of innocent human beings! You speak of the importance of protecting religious freedom in your speech, yet you deny religious freedom to Christians in this country and pe...

(Vatican Radio) Parents who feed their children on “unclean bread”, earned through bribes and corruption, are starving their children of dignity, because dishonest work robs us of our dignity. These were the words of Pope Francis during his homily at Mass on Friday morning in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis focused his homily on the parable of the dishonest steward, in order to talk about the dangers “of worldliness, of mundane affairs”. Jesus “prayed to the Father that his disciples might not fall into the trap of worldliness”, which is “the enemy”. “When we think of our enemies, we really think of the devil first, because it’s the devil that harms us. The devil enjoys the atmosphere, the lifestyle of worldliness. And this steward is an example of worldliness. Some of you might say: “But this man only did what everyone does!”. But no, not everyone! Some company administrators, some public administrators, some government administrators… perhaps there are not even ve...

October 24, 2013 (Romereports.com) Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, intolerance and racism. The audience took place Thursday inside the Vatican's Clementine Hall.   The Pope denounced the persecution of any minority group “because of their religious convictions or ethnic identity.” He specifically singled out the suffering of many Christians around the world, living under the threat of persecution. Pope Francis then called for a culture of encounter and respect. He praised the work the Simon Wiesenthal Center carries forward, and urged them to continue. POPE FRANCIS “To combat every form of racism, intolerance and anti-Semitism, to keep alive the memory of the Shoah, and to promote mutual understanding through education and commitment to the good of society.” The Pope also asked the delegation to get young people involved and educated. He said it's important...

This morning, Friday, October 2nd, in Castelgandolfo the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of three new ambassadors to the Holy See: Mercedes Arrastia Tuason of the Philippines; Henriette Johanna Cornelia Maria van Lynden-Leijten of the Netherlands, and Miguel Humberto Diaz of the United States of America. Peace, economic ethics and the role of religion in public debate were the themes that Benedict XVI addressed. In his audience with the new ambassador from the United States, the Pope referred to the need for "a model of globalisation inspired by an authentic humanism, in which the world's peoples are seen not merely as neighbors but as brothers and sisters.". "Genuine progress, as the Church's social teaching insists, must be integral and humane; it cannot prescind from the truth about human beings and must always be directed to their authentic good", he said. "Religious vision and religious imagination do not straighten but enrich...

While those who are drawn by money, power, and prestige honor the diabolical pro-death Barack Obama, heaven gives 80 year old Father Norman Weslin a standing ovation. Shame on you, Notre Dame! H/T: Some Have Hats.