The Natural Law The natural law, known by reason, is the universal moral law of human nature for living well. It is ‘natural’ because it is founded on what is good for human nature and because we can know it by our natural faculty of reason. The natural law is valid for all people in all societies. Its principles can be understood by reason, even without faith. For example, dishonouring parents, murder, theft, adultery and lying are recognised by practically all human societies as being contrary to what is good for human life. Christians have a duty to uphold the precepts of the natural law, both because these …
Author: Manuel Xavier
Liturgy and Sacraments
What is the Sacred Liturgy? The sacred liturgy is the true worship of God, enacted by Jesus Christ and his body, the Church, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a shared ‘public work’ (leitourgia) with ceremonies, rites and formulas established by Scripture and Tradition. Why does the Church have liturgy? The Church has liturgy in obedience to the will of God, most clearly expressed by Christ’s command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). As the true worship of God, the Church’s liturgy follows the ceremonies, rites and formulas established by Scripture and Tradition where the will of God is revealed. Liturgy involves common …
The Eucharist
The Eucharist is a sacrifice, a presence and a food. As a sacrifice it makes present Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary for our salvation. As a presence, it is Jesus Christ himself under the appearances of bread and wine. As a food, it is the nourishment of our souls by which we share in God’s own life. The Eucharist as Sacrifice Uniquely among the sacraments, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice, the sacrifice of Christ himself. Sacrifices offer something up to God to honour him, to thank him, to gain communion with him and to make expiation for sin. The Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ achieves all of …
5 Incredible Eucharistic Miracles from the last 25 Years
As Catholics, we believe that the bread and wine used in the Mass become the body and blood of Christ. It’s a bold claim, especially considering it still looks, feels, smells and tastes just like bread and wine. Theology and scripture put aside, some of the most compelling pieces of evidence are when the Eucharist has quite literally changed into Jesus’ body and blood. It’s happened throughout history but as we can often be sceptical of events that happened long ago here we have compiled a list of Eucharist miracles, all of which happened in the last 25 years! For …
The Real Presence
The Eucharist as the Real Presence is the touchstone of sanctity. As evidence of this fact we have the witness of the saints who, when they speak or write about the power of the Blessed Sacrament to sanctify, seem to be positively extreme in their claims about what the Real Presence can achieve in making a sinful person holy. In order to appreciate the value of the Real Presence in the spiritual life, we must go back in spirit to the event described by St. John when our Lord, after He had worked the miracle of the multiplication of the …
Why I Oppose Changing the Words of the Our Father
“Why I Oppose Changing the Words of the Our Father. In asking that God not lead us into temptation, we are asking that he not lead us there without sufficient graces.” Msgr. Charles Pope Given the recent decision of Pope Francis to approve a change in the translation of the Our Father in Italian from “lead us not into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation,” I want to repeat what I have written before and intensify my opposition to such a change. I will state, for the record, that I do not speak Italian and accept that …
The True Presence: Eucharistic Miracles Over the Centuries for Corpus Christi
The ‘Miracle of Lanciano’ — the relic of the miraculous Host is shown — continues to fascinate Catholics the world over. (Wikipedia/public domain) Culture of Life | Jun. 20, 2019 The True Presence: Eucharistic Miracles Over the Centuries for Corpus Christi Lanciano might be the most famous of all Eucharistic miracles, but there have been many over the centuries, including recent ones. Joseph Pronechen During the middle of the eighth century, a Basilian monk who was more oriented toward science than faith had persistent doubts about the reality of the bread and wine becoming Christ’s true body and true blood at …
Infiltration: Real or Imagined?
William Kilpatrick taught for many years at Boston College. He is the author of several books about cultural and religious issues, including Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong; and Christianity, Islam and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Jihad. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Catholic World Report, National Catholic Register, Aleteia, Saint Austin Review, Investor’s Business Daily, and First Things. His work is supported in part by the Shillman Foundation. For more on his work and writings, visit his website, turningpointproject.com Above is Pope Francis appearing at …
Why Satanism Is Now on the Center Stage in the Culture War
John Horvat II is the Vice President of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property and the author of the recent book Return to Order. Pictured above, Mexican Antonio Vazquez, known as the “Greatest Sorcerer,” puts a spell on U.S. president elect Donald Trump, represented by a picture during a ritual in Mexico City on January 5, 2017. The greatest sorcerer made predictions for the newly started year 2017 and aims to stop Donald Trump’s intentions towards Mexico. (Photo credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images) The religious right has often been looked down upon by many Americans involved …
Back Row America
Chris Arnade is a freelance writer and photographer. This piece is excerpted from Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade, to be published on June 4 by Sentinel, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Text and photographs © 2019 by Chris Arnade. I first walked into the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx because I had been told not to. I had been told it was too dangerous and too poor, and that I was too white. I had been told that “nobody goes there for anything but drugs and prostitutes.” The people …