Catholic Fire

On June 24, we celebrated the birthday of St. John the Baptist; on August 29, we honor the anniversary of his martyrdom, also known as the Passion of St. John the Baptist. After he had baptized Jesus, John the Baptist began to condemn Herod Antipas, the governor of Galilee.  John had the courage to confront Herod and condemn him for the scandal of his illegal union with his sister-in-law Herodias, whose husband was still alive.  John the Baptist stated, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  With those words, Herod threw him into prison. Not only did Herod fear John and his disciples, he also knew that he was a virtuous man, so he did not kill him. However, Herodias was determined to bring about John's death so she contrived a plot to do just that.  Herod gave an eloquent banquet to celebrate his birthday. His full court was present as well as many other powerful and influential Palestinians. Herodias's daughter Salome pleased Herod so much when she dan...

Bishop Barron's powerful talk at the 2016 World Youth Day "Night of Mercy" event, hosted by the Knights of Columbus, on July 27, 2016. Over 25,000 young people were present at the Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland.

Pope Francis has approved a decree that officially declares Msgr. Oscar Romero as a martyr. In the document, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints states that the Salvadorian Archbishop was killed because of hate towards the Catholic faith. With this approval, Msgr. Romero can be beatified without the need of a miracle attributed to him. The late Archbishop was killed in El Salvador on March 24th, 1980 while celebrating Mass in a hospital. During the height of the country's ten year civil war he defended the poor and needy. On his flight back from South Korea, the Pope announced that Romero's beatification process had been unblocked. It was stalled for many years, as the Vatican investigated if he was killed for political reasons or for preaching the Catholic faith. The next step will be for Pope Francis to announce a beatification date for Msgr. Oscar Romero.

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio 1608 Oil on canvas, 361 x 520 cm Saint John Museum, La Valletta Shortly after he had baptized Jesus, John the Baptist began to denounce Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. Herod had divorced his own wife and taken Herodias, the wife of his half- brother Philip and also his own niece. John the Baptist declared, "It is not lawful for you to have her," so Herod threw him into prison. Not only did Herod fear John and his disciples, he also knew him to be a righteous man, so he did not kill him. Herodias was determined to bring about John's death. From prison John followed Jesus's ministry, and sent messengers to question him (Luke 7:19-29). One day Herod gave an eloquent banquet to celebrate his birthday. His entire court was present as well as other powerful and influential Palestinians. Herodias's daughter Salome so pleased Herod when she danced to entertain the company that he promised h...

Today we celebrate the "Martyrdom" of St. John. (The feast of St. John before the Latin Gate was on the General Calendar of the Roman Rite before 1962.) According to a tradition mentioned by St. Jerome, which goes back to the second century, when St. John the Apostle was about 80 years old, he was taken to Rome under the Emperor Domitian and plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil; by a striking miracle he came out safe and sound from this torture. A church dedicated in honor of St. John was built near the Latin Gate, the spot referred to by the tradition. In the year 95, John appeared before the tribunal of pagan Rome. He was convicted of having propagated, in a vast province of the Empire, the worship of a Jew who had been crucified under Pontius Pilate. He was considered a superstitious and rebellious old man, and it was time to rid Asia of his presence. He was, therefore, sentenced to an ignominious and cruel death. A huge cauldron of boiling oil was prepared in front of ...

This Friday, November 25, the 80th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Miguel Agustin Pro will be observed. Miguel Agustin Pro was born January 13, 1891, in Mexico. From his childhood, he was known for his high spirits and happy personality. The son of an affluent mining engineer and a pious and charitable mother, Miguel had a special affinity for the working classes. At 20, he became a Jesuit novice and shortly afterwards was exiled due to the Mexican revolution. He traveled to the United States, Spain, Nicaragua and Belgium, where he was ordained in 1925. Father Pro suffered greatly from a severe stomach disorder. When his health did not improve after several surgeries, his superiors permitted him to return to Mexico in 1926. At this time, the revolutionary government in Mexico had banned all religious practice. The churches were closed and priests were in hiding. The government was particularly focused on finding and persecuting priests. Father Pro became a great master of disgui...

Eight French Jesuit missionaries came to North America in the 17th century, amidst the hardships of sickness and extreme poverty, to bring the Word of God to the native Indians. They endured many horrific tortures and death in order to accomplish what they had set out to do. In 1625, St. John de Brebuf, at age 32, entered into the Huron tribe in the harsh frontier of Canada. John had tuberculosis, but the climate so agreed with him that the Hurons, surprised at his endurance, called him Echon, which meant load bearer. John was tortured and martyred in 1649. The Indians, hoping to gain the incredible strength he had, drank his blood. St. Isaac Jogues was sent to Canada in 1636, where he worked among the Mowhawks. He was taken captive by the Iroquois in 1642 and imprisoned for thirteen months, where he was kept as a slave and beaten by the women of the tribe. While in captivity, Father Jogues secretly taught and baptized the other captives and slaves of the tribe. His greatest sorrow wa...

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio 1608 Oil on canvas, 361 x 520 cm Saint John Museum, La Valletta Read my post on the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist here.

"Openness to the Father's will supposes a total self-giving, including even the gift of one's life: 'the greatest witness is martyrdom.'...The basic task for which Jesus sends out His disciples is the proclamation of the Good News, that is evangelization." ~ Pope John Paul II