Why workers must look to St Joseph
Contrary to ideologies (Marxism first and foremost) that have instrumentalised workers, the Church’s Magisterium teaches that work must be done according to God’s will. In the Christian sense, it makes man a participant in the work of the Creator and in the plan of salvation. This is why Pius XII pointed to Saint Joseph as a model.
Poverty in a communist sauce is not Christianity
On Mercy Sunday Pope Francis delivered a homily about how early Christians in the Acts of the Apostles pooled their wealth. The media then "flavoured up" what the pope preached by saying that anyone who does not share their possessions with the poor is not a true Christian. Certainly Christians have a moral obligation to help the needy, but Christianity calls for detachment of the heart from material goods, but it is not a call to poverty. St. Thomas teaches us his evaluation of "what is necessary."
Hans Küng, the theologian who sowed the seeds for Vatican III
The Swiss theologian Hans Küng has died. His name often made front page headlines when he fired hard at Catholic doctrine. A Hegelian by training, Küng wanted the ecumenical and democratic reform of the Church. While he sowed in silence, there are fruits we reap today: many think that we are already in the era of the Vatican Council III that he dreamed of.
“John Paul II and I, what joy the cause for his sainthood”
“Among the witnesses there were both lay people and priests, they all spoke of Wojtyla as ‘our Pope’. It is striking that they were people from all walks of life and from all over the world, but with a deeply rooted opinion of his saintliness.” The Compass interviews Monsignor Sławomir Oder, returning to Poland after 36 years in Rome and well-known postulator of the cause for canonisation of John Paul II, whose 16th anniversary of death fell on 2 April.
God saved us from Covid. He is better than any vaccine
Vaccines have become part a new religion. It is a religion with its own sacraments (hygiene, social distancing), saints (vaccinated people), commandments (Thou shall immunize thyself; Thou shall not covet your neighbor’s vaccination). Yet it is a false religion. This is the opinion of a person – a nun – who was on oxygen for a month and a half with very severe Covid-related pneumonia. Yet, her entire Shalom Community was saved thanks to the prayers and assistance of a volunteer nurse. Let everyone choose freely whether or not to get vaccinated, but leave us free to live our faith and, especially, not to adhere to any deviant form of faith.
Good has triumphed: Christ is risen!
The Resurrection is the event that assures us that human life is journeying towards another life: journeying towards the Promised Land! Today we are as if on a bridge: we cannot build our house on the bridge, we cannot base everything on today, rather we must live journeying; we must live warming ourselves with the hope of expectation. Without the Resurrection of Christ, it is not possible to explain what happened around Christ and after Christ.
In the night a Light is turned on
Life is this passage from darkness to light: a passage that we are all experiencing. A message has come to us, a piece of news: Christ has told us that life leads to God who is the Father. But if Christ is risen, life has a whole new meaning. Every day is Easter: because every day is a journey towards God; every day something old in us dies and we take a step towards life.
Saying yes to the love that redeemed the world
Who then is the Christian? The Christian is a person who lives by faith (cf. Rom 1:17), that is, who has regulated their entire existence on the only possibility opened up to him by Jesus Christ, obedient for us all even to the cross (cf. Phil 2:8): the possibility of participating in the obedient yes that redeems the world. The mystery of Christ passes into the Christian, who must have within him the Spirit of Christ that impels him to offer himself freely and unconditionally for the salvation of the world accepting serenely persecution and division.
We shed the tears that Judas did not want to
At the Eucharistic celebration, we return to this very question and it is God who awaits our response: a response of actions, gestures and decisions. Let us sincerely recognize that pride is the poison of human history from all time. However, for Jesus, Judas is still the long-awaited friend and lost son of the Father's heart.
Pain and indignation for the private masses forbidden in St. Peter's
Pain and indignation invade my heart to hear that they have forbidden private masses in St. Peter’s. It was the thing that strengthened my faith most every time I came to Rome. It is time to reduce the excessive power of the Secretariat of State. Let them make the Secretariat of State “a den of thieves”, But leave the devoted people of God alone!
The victor is the one who gives their life for others, not the one who takes it away
The path indicated by Christ shuns Power, it leads to the Cross, this is the triumph of God. Let’s imitate Mary’s behaviour; let us be humble and together with her follow the Lord on the way of the Cross. This is also where our victory lies.
Blessings for gays: Rome spake... but also didn’t
The intervention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prohibiting blessings for homosexual couples has provoked reactions from bishops and theologians disappointed with Pope Francis. Some believe that the praxis will not change because doctrinally forbidden praxis are still being implemented despite the fact that they are forbidden. This is the result of a confused doctrine that tolerates the intolerable after having declared that it is intolerable.
