Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

In a recent interview by Aleteia , Cardinal Robert Sarah was asked a number of questions, including the following: Can evangelism be intensified in France, which is confronting a robust Islam? (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) We would be wise to take note of this well-respected prelate’s response which is descriptive of the tragic reality in, or aspirations of, many other nations today, including our own: “France has in any case renounced its Christian roots; the Gospel is no longer its reference. God no longer has a place in its society. The only place where it is tolerated is the private domain, and even then, it is confined to house arrest. Man has taken the place of God. It enacts laws in total opposition to the laws of God and those of nature. You believe that men, or women, can marry between themselves…While everyone is fighting for the abolition of the death penalty, the murder of unborn children is legal, as is divorce. While we are fighting genital mutilati...

Thank you Allison Gingras  (Reconciled To You) and Elizabeth Riordan ( Theology Is A Verb ) for hosting Worth Revisiting . Be sure to stop there every Wednesday . You will enjoy your visits. Here is my contribution: Help Me Understand! Should Not the Salvation of Souls Be Our Primary Concern?  [Originally published July 3, 2012 - We may have dodged a bullet temporarily. But sadly, nothing much has changed since I first posted this.] I understand that in a democratic society, the Catholic Church and its members must try to shape social and political policies and to have their voices heard on the pressing moral issues of the day. There is no doubt that an increasing number of recent actions (beyond the HHS contraception and sterilzation mandates) taken by the Obama administration pose real and imminent threats to our God given and constitutionally recognized fundamental right - freedom of religion. Freedom loving people of all religious persuasions and those of ...

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb for hosting "Revisiting Wednesday" each week and those Catholic bloggers who re-post their favorite articles there.  Go there now. (and every Wednesday). You will be inspired by the variety of spiritual insights these authors share.  I am sharing the following post: Stop Searching For Loopholes and Make The Salvation of Souls Priority Number One!  (Originally posted in a slightly different form on April 19, 2013) More than fourteen months ago, I offered my few cents on the unprecedented attack on our religious liberty. Sad to say, not much has changed since I wrote those words. If you not already done so, I suggest you read those comments here if the rest of this entry is to make sense.   The current Administration still refuses to acknowledge our God-given right to freely practice our religion. In fact, it has expres...

Let’s be honest. Up to recent years, it has not been too difficult to live as a Catholic in these United States. But that is changing. Efforts have been underway for some time to undermine our right to the free exercise of our religious beliefs. For the most part, we have sat silently, acquiescing to such a radical agenda. In the not too distant future, each of us may have to make the same type of choice my Lay Dominican brother, Roman Gorski, had to make some years ago in his native Poland – forfeit his physical comfort, and freedom or lose his soul. He has given me permission to share his story, not to bring attention to himself but in hopes it will serve as a clarion call to all Catholics and Christians in this nation – be ready to suffer for your Faith. Although lengthier than most of the work I have shared on this blog, the article is well-worth your time. Strengthened by Faith b y Mr. Roman Gorski, O.P. (Image Source: From the House Tops ) [...

I understand that in a democratic society, the Catholic Church and its members must try to shape social and political policies and to have their voices heard on the pressing moral issues of the day. There is no doubt that an increasing number of recent actions (beyond the HHS contraception and sterilzation mandates) taken by the Obama administration   pose real and imminent threats to our God given and constitutionally recognized fundamental right - freedom of religion. Freedom loving people of all religious persuasions and those of no religious affiliation must stand up and defend this fundamental principle – one which no man, no government, no nation has the right to restrict. Nonetheless, I am at a loss to understand how political strategizing and judicial skirmishes, no matter how well-intentioned and necessary they both may be, should take precedence over the Church’s primary duty - the sanctification and salvation of souls. The Catholic Church has a duty...