The Epiphany is the feast of God's challenge.
The "mission" is the proper name of the Church, and in a certain sense defines her. The Church becomes herself when she carries out her mission. The Church is herself, when men—such as the shepherds and the Magi Kings from the East—reach Jesus Christ by means of faith. Saint John Paul II's homily on 6 January 1979.
The real epochal change is in Church-State relations
Right from the start and until quite recently, the spiritual power of the Church had never accepted to be placed on the same level as the latest ruler’s temporal power. But today you are considered a good Catholic if you support the UN objectives for 2030, if you get vaccinated, if you support the ecological transition. It is the completion of the secularisation process.
Blasphemy and Blindness of The Mind
Following unbelief, there are two more vices which work against faith: blasphemy which is to deny God what is due to Him and to attribute to Him what should not be; blindness of the mind, on the other hand, is the impediment of intellectual vision, and it can be either a punishment or a sin.
World Day of Peace: where’s the substance?
Poverty, migration, environmental degradation, and climate: for some time now the messages for the World Day of Peace have focused on contingent themes, with the serious risk of entangling the Church in partisan political visions at war with each other.
Vaccines for children: Church leaders in conflict
The recommendation to vaccinate children aged five and over, originally contained in the Documents of the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAL), had been removed at the last minute by the Secretariat of State, but has resurfaced in an agency release and press conference. Even the Italian bishop’s newspaper Avvenire, challenges the Secretariat of State.
Vices contrary to faith
Faith can be weakened or destroyed by vices, which are divided into three groups. General unbelief, heresy and apostasy are the three categories of the first group and consist of resistance to preaching about faith or contempt for this preaching. This is an important issue because today those who don’t believe, who have doubts, are considered virtuous.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light
Christmas is an event of light, it is the feast of light: in the Child of Bethlehem the primordial light once more shines in humanity’s heaven and dissipates the clouds of sin. The radiance of God’s definitive triumph appears on the horizon of history in order to offer a new future of hope to a pilgrim people.
Ancient Mass, another axe in the answers to the dubia
The Congregation for Divine Worship has published the Responsa ad dubia on the interpretation of Traditionis Custodes: further restrictions, with respect to Pope Francis' motu proprio, on the Sacraments, an ultimatum for those who do not want to concelebrate, and the centralisation of decisions (to the detriment of the bishops). In short, they want to bury the traditional Latin Mass.
Being disposed to the act of faith
Even if Grace is preeminent, the will and intellect dispose mankind to the act of faith or ensure that faith grows. Apologetics plays a fundamental role for the intellect; whereas for the will, it is necessary to cultivate virtues and fight vices.
LGBTQ lobby has already triumphed at the Synod
The wrestling match over a link to an American LGBTQ organisation on the Synod website - put, removed, put back - reveals just how influential the gay lobby is today at the top of the Church. It amounts to the official recognition of a group disavowed by the American bishops, condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 22 years ago, but now promoted by Pope Francis.
Grace, Will, Intellect
Grace is a gift that comes from God. By subjective grace God intervenes to illuminate the intellect and move the will. A fundamental aspect of preparation for the act of faith is the Church's prayer for others and a fundamental aspect for our faith to grow is our own prayer.
Who are you, O Immaculate Conception?
The Immaculata is the “complement of the Blessed Trinity”. In this union heaven and earth are joined; all of heaven with all the earth, the totality of eternal love with the totality of created love. It is truly the summit of love. The Daily Compass is publishing the last reflection Saint Massimiliano Kolbe wrote on the Immaculate Conception, 17 February 1941, just hours before the arrest which would lead to his martyrdom.
