Blogposts

Fr. Francisco Vera, elderly priest, shot in Jalisco for celebrating Holy Mass 1927

An important centenary and a persecution that continues. The film For Greater Glory with Andy Garcia is a film about the persecution to destroy the Church and the Cristeros resistance. by Marco Invernizzi

In 1928 Pope Pius XI issued an encyclical letter on the love of Jesus Christ to counter those who portrayed God as a distant and unforgiving Judge. It emphasized this love, but also called on Catholics to make up for the rejection of the Lord and His love. This is called reparation: (making amends) for sins and ingratitude towards God. This idea of actively striving to atone for one's sins and those of others, with God's help, counters the notion that human efforts are essentially futile and that sin is almost inevitable. In the prayer at the end of the encyclical letter, it prayed the following:

Pope Benedict, before he was Pope, as Cardinal Ratzinger, commented on the title of this essay in a book called The Ratzinger Report pages 105-109. About this saying he said: It seemed exaggerated to me. So, it was difficult for me to understand the true meaning of another famous expression…the declaration that designated the Virgin Mary as the “conqueror of all heresies.” Now in this confused period where truly every type of heretical aberration seems to be pressing upon the doors of the authentic faith-now I understand that it was not a matter of pious exaggerations, but of truths that today are more valid than ever. Then Cardinal Ratzinger listed six things, which point to the importance of Mary, about the fullness of the Catholic Faith:

I give my life / For the Law of God above the Law of Man
Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliott

We just celebrated the remembrance of St. Thomas Becket this past December 29th. His witness reminds us that every Christian is obliged to lay down his life rather than deny any of the articles of our holy Faith: it was the debt we contracted with Jesus Christ when He adopted us in Baptism and received Confirmation as His Brethren and soldiers.

Stir up that fire of faith. Christ is not a figure that has passed. He is not a memory that is lost in history. He lives! The Way #584

Christ the center of our lives, there can be no compromises Blessed Rupert Mayer S.J.

Declassified Chinese government documents confirm that Mao's aim was to destroy completely the Catholic Church in China, not merely to bring it into line with the regime. Mao Zedong was a Chinese politician, communist revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China in 1949 and led the country from its establishment until his death in 1976. Communism is in control in China to this day.

Contemporary claims to machines having intelligence lie precisely in projecting out our own understanding capacities onto a machine. We talk about decisions and choice, but what we actually have is a sophisticated tool designed by humans. The machine does not understand; it mimics. It uses something called algorithms, a step-by-step set of instructions or rules to solve problems or complete tasks, somewhat like a recipe for a computer or for everyday life, ensuring a specific outcome every time. It's a clear, ordered sequence that tells you exactly what to do, from making toast to Google Search finding the best route. It is like a recipe. Follow the steps, you get a cake, a gourmet dish, or whatever.

They who want to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come into conflict with it. ~Blessed Titus Brandsma O.Carm, Martyr

Christ Is the Center of Life. There Are No Half-Measures Blessed Rupert Mayer S.J., Apostle of Munich, Germany

Hearing (Mark 8:34ff), the following hard words of Jesus hit home: For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Advent

Heavenly Word, proceeding from the bosom of the Eternal Father, Thou wast born and didst come to the aid of the world, in the fleeting course of time. Enlighten now our hearts and kindle them with Your love; so that the heart, letting go of passing things, the joys of heaven may fill; That when the tribunal of the Judge will condemn the wicked to the flame, a friendly voice will call the just to heaven promised May we not be whirled about in the turbines of the dark whirlpool, the food of flames, but sharing in the vision of God, we may enjoy heavenly happiness To God the Father, with the Son and to Thee, Holy Spirit, may there ever be, as has ever been, glory forever and ever. Amen.