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On the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (Jan 22, 1973), Fr. Terrance speaks of the two main principles behind the Church's doctrine on the protection of the unborn: the intrinsic dignity of the human person and the sacredness of human sexuality. Faithful Christians cannot sincerely pray for the protection of the unborn, and at the same time vote for pro-abortion politicians.
Praying for the Unborn; Voting to Kill Them - Jan 22 - Homily - Fr Terrance
Published on 23 Jan 2018
On the occasion of the Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, as the Church grapples with the problem of the faithful interpretation of "Amoris Laetitia," Fr. Alan argues that the virginal chastity of Joseph and Mary constitutes a sign indicating the way to rehabilitate the concept of family entangled in a situation of invalid marriage.
Clue to True Doctrine on Marriage - Jan 23 - Homily - Fr Alan
If we harbour the desire to attack
someone because they are weak, it is the devil, the Pope said.
Just as the influence of the Holy Spirit is recognized when one does an act of charity, Christians also must recognize the presence of the devil when bullying occurs, Pope Francis said.
“When we realize that we harbour within ourselves the desire to attack someone because they are weak, we have no doubt: It is the devil. Because attacking the weak is the work of Satan,” the Pope said in his homily Jan. 8 at morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
The Pope centred his homily on the day’s reading from the First Book of Samuel, which recounts the verbal abuse Hannah endured because she was unable to conceive a child. Similar accounts in other Bible stories — from Abraham’s wife Sarah ridiculed by her servant to Job who was rejected by his wife after his misfortune — are stories that Christians should take time to reflect on, the Pope said.
“I ask myself: What is within these people? What is it within us that pushes us to mock and mistreat others weaker than we are?” the Pope asked.
“It is understandable when a person resents someone stronger than them, perhaps because of envy … but toward the weak? What makes us do that? It is something habitual, as if I need to ridicule another person to feel confident; as if it were a necessity,” he said.
Pope Francis said that as a child there was a woman named Angelina in his neighbourhood and she was constantly ridiculed by others, especially children, because of her mental illness.
While people would generously give her food and clothes, local children would make fun of the woman and say, “Let’s find Angelina and have some fun,” the Pope said.
“Today we see it constantly in our schools — the phenomenon of bullying, attacking the weak because ‘you’re fat or foreign or because you’re black,'” he said. “This means there is something within us that makes us act aggressively toward the weak.”
Although psychologists may give a different reason as to why some are inclined to bully the weak, Pope Francis said he believed it was “a consequence of original sin” and the work of Satan who “has no compassion.”
“Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace of God’s compassion,” the Pope said. “He is the one who has compassion on us and helps us to move forward.”
What is it within ourselves that makes us mock and belittle the weakest among us? That was the question Pope Francis posed during his homily at the morning Mass on Monday in the Casa Santa Marta.
Pope Francis at Monday morning’s Mass reflected on the many Biblical stories that tell of a powerful person humiliating someone weaker and more vulnerable. The devil is behind this type of attitude, the Pope said, because there is no compassion in him.
The Holy Father took his cue from the First Reading, taken from the First Book of Samuel, about Samuel’s parents, Elkanah and Hannah. His father, Elkanah, had two wives: Hannah, who was barren, and Peninnah, who had borne him several children. Instead of consoling Hannah, Peninnah scorned and humiliated her on account of her infertility.
‘Bible contains many stories of scorn towards the weak’
Pope Francis said other Biblical stories also tell of scorn towards the weak, as does the story of Abraham’s wives, Hagar and Sarah. He said the same attitude of scorn and contempt occurs between men. Goliath, he said, ridiculed David. Both Job's and Tobias’ wives belittled their suffering husbands.
“I ask myself: What is within these people? What is it within ourselves that pushes us to mock and mistreat others weaker than ourselves? It is understandable when a person resents someone stronger than them, perhaps as a result of envy… but towards the weak? What makes us do that? It is something habitual, as if I needed to ridicule another person in order to feel confident. As if it were a necessity…”
Cruelty among children: a childhood memory
Pope Francis noted that even among children this happens. The Holy Father said that when he was young, there was a woman with a mental illness, Angelina, who lived in his neighborhood. She would walk the streets all day, and people would give her food to eat and clothes. Local children, however, would make fun of her. They would say: “Let’s find Angelina and have some fun”.
Pope Francis lamented this situation, saying “How much evil there is, even in children, that they treat the weak in this way!”
“And today we see it constantly in our schools; the phenomenon of bullying, attacking the weak, because you’re fat or foreign, or because you’re black… Attacking and attacking… Children and young people, too. It wasn’t just Peninnah, Hagar, or the wives of Tobias and Job: even children. This means there is something within us that makes us act aggressively toward the weak.”
The desire to destroy another person is the work of Satan
Pope Francis said that psychologists would probably give another explanation of this desire to destroy another because they are weak, but, he said, “I believe it is a consequence of Original Sin. This is the work of Satan.” Satan, he said, has no compassion.
“And so, as when we already have a good desire to do a good act, like an act of charity, we say ‘It’s the Holy Spirit inspiring me to do this’. And when we realize we harbor within ourselves the desire to attack someone because they are weak, we have no doubt: It is the devil. Because attacking the weak is the work of Satan.”
Finally, Pope Francis said, “Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace of God’s compassion. He is the One who has compassion on us and helps us to move forward.”
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Pope Francis in Angelus: “Abused authority leads to corruption” Published on Nov 6, 2017
Pope\'s General Audience: Jesus died humiliated, but God\'s victory shines forth
Jim Caviezel made an appearance at SLS18 in Chicago this week—promoting his new movie about the life of St Paul and delivering a rousing speech about faith, conversion and courage.
Sony Pictures is producing “Paul, Apostle of Christ” through its faith-based Affirm Films label. The movie is directed by Andrew Hyatt (“Full of Grace”) from his own screenplay. Producers are David Zelon (“Soul Surfer”) and T.J. Berden (“Full of Grace”).
The story covers Paul, portrayed by Faulkner, going from the most infamous persecutor of Christians to Jesus Christ’s most influential apostle. The movie will follow his last days awaiting execution by Emperor Nero in Rome under the watchful eye of Mauritius, Mamertine Prison’s ambitious prefect, who seeks to understand how this broken old man can pose such a threat.
Martinez is portraying the prefect. As his days grow shorter, Paul works from prison to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and embolden his followers to stand strong in their faith against Roman persecution.
“Next to Jesus, no one played a more central role in the growth of early church than the Apostle Paul,” said Affirm Films executive vice president Rich Peluso. “He wrote a vast swath of the New Testament and traveled more than 10,000 miles by foot to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
