"A Humble Servant's Catholic Blog"

  In this time of yet another scandal, there are good and faithful Priests who encourage their flocks.  This letter can be, and has been, written in the various words of other such Priests in many parishes around the world.  This is just one example.  I keep it anonymous because I don't personally know this Priest.  (The parish name is a common one.)   " Dear Parishioners of Holy Family, Praised be Jesus Christ! I write this letter to all of you as something separate from the pastors column with the hope that I can more fully communicate my message to you. The timing seems to be perfect as we are within the beautiful Octave of Marian feasts, following the Solemnity of the Assumption and concluding with the Queenship of Mary. I write this under the protective mantle of the Holy Virgin to each of you who as disciples of the Lord Jesus are also her well-beloved children. Over recent weeks our Church, Our Mother on earth, has had to endure yet another...

I once read a comment from a combox in a discussion about clerical abuse that read something very similar to this: “ When Catholics are attacked about the sex-abuse scandal, we should only focus on the Church, not other organizations, because it only comes across as ‘making excuses’ or trying to draw the focus off of ourselves. It doesn’t help the cause .” I could not disagree more. I think we should focus on ALL areas where child sexual abuse is occurring. Anything less would be hypocrisy.  We should absolutely hold the Church accountable and keep a watchful eye. But ONLY focusing on the Church will only harm the cause, because we otherwise neglect over 62,000 other victims each year . There are an average of 8 reported sex abuse cases each year at the hands of Catholic Priests (see item #3 in that link), according to the CARA report . That’s obviously 8 too many, and we need to continue to do something about it. But in ONLY focusing on the Church here, we are doing tw...

It appeared to be a random “drive-by” smear on the Church, since the reference within it only popped up in the comment boxes of eight other Catholic blogs whose authors had written some specifically “Catholic” article. I clicked each link and, sure enough, the full comment was identical to the one I had received. I removed the comment from my own blog, but the basic message of it, when you strip away the passive-aggression and the curious paraphrasing, is actually an important one. This is what he/she wrote: “Hi- I would like to request prayers for the victims of rape and abuse by members of the Catholic Church. Many of them were children when they were attacked or abused. This is also an ongoing crisis, with new victims each year, worldwide. I will remember them and their stories forever, but for the healing to truly take place, it will take the voices and efforts of many. To paraphrase a poem by an Indian schoolgirl, "Too many Catholics, in too many countries, speak the ...

[Matthew 5:1-12] It was the very end of a retreat for Christian men. Technically, the retreat was over and I was coming off a high I had not felt in years. God had showered me with so many blessings in this short weekend retreat and I thought, “ there can't possibly be any more for God to bless me with at this moment...I can't possibly be blessed any more than this .” I was wrong. God gave to me one last blessing before my wife and I, kids in tow, headed home that afternoon. And it is a blessing like I have never received before, and likely never will again. “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven .” On the retreat, I experienced what this type of spiritual poverty is. It isn't the poverty of having “zero spiritual life”...but one of emptiness, one of need. It is that poverty that says, “ I have nothing to offer except what God gives me, and I need God to fill me .” Experiencing this was wonderful. It helped me see the areas in my life wh...

As we close the 6-part series on Boettner’s List, we look at several items revolving around the Papacy and things that, on the surface and only seeing what Boettner provides, appear to be scandalous…such as indulgences, forbidding Bibles and “the Cup”...even condemning Public Schools?!?! As before, to keep the length within reason, I’ll let Mr. Ariss’ examinations speak for themselves and add my own comments in blue where I feel more clarification is needed. Everything in black ink, from here on, is quoted directly from Wayne Ariss (with his generous permission…see link in the very first part of this series) with the bolded text being the direct quote from Boettner’s list : “ 12. Title of Pope, or universal bishop, given to Boniface III by emperor Phocas....607 . Boettner apparently wishes to give the impression that the office of Pope was invented by the Byzantine Emperor Phocas in 607, and conferred upon Boniface. The actual facts are not so simplistic. To begin with, the t...

CATHOLIC QUIZ* Please choose the best response for the following ten questions. Prayer and Indulgences   1.          a) The Catholic Church considers praying the Rosary “vain repetition” because meaningful words are repeated throughout the prayer. b) The Catholic Church considers praying the Rosary “a form of meditation” because by utilizing memorized invocations we can more easily contemplate the mysteries therein. c) To pray the “Hail Mary” is to quote both the Archangel St. Gabriel and Mary’s cousin Elizabeth directly from the Gospel of St. Luke. d) All of the above e) Only b and c     2.          a) A mystery is a divine truth the human mind cannot fully understand.             b) There are 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary.             c)...