Make a Donation
January 17, 2018

Note from the Assistant Managing Editor:

We begin this week with a clarion call from Benedict XVI: "We cannot stoop to compromise."  See "The Witness of John the Baptist."

Then we reprint the "Introduction" from A History of the Church in 100 Objects.  Our faith is incarnational: from the Sacraments to Christ himself, "God makes himself known and accessible through material things, always accommodating himself to our condition."

Fr. James Schall writes, "The purpose of weapons, as well as the purpose of words, is that things might best be decided by civil discourse in the light of a standard that cannot be denied and that does not waver."  This standard is important in a time when we have constructed so many subjective standards that fall short of the truth.  See "The death of civil discourse is the death of us."

"A culture cannot exist without relics," says Fr. Raymond de Souza.  It seems we cannot escape this material reality.  "Even those who turn murderously against God need their relics.  The communists installed in the Kremlin their own unholy sepulchre, with Vladimir Lenin still on display for his dwindling faithful.  The real holy sepulchre in Jerusalem is, of course, empty, which makes all the difference."

Continuing the theme of right reasoning, Thomas Doran says, "The return to reason requires hard work, rigorous thought — and faith."  "By its very nature, reasoning stimulates the intellect rather than the emotions."  And it is inherently and ultimately concerned with the truth.

Finally, good words from Fr. George Rutler: "Disillusionment can decay into cynicism, but it can also be a salvific dose of reality.  One does not want to be overly optimistic, but illusions are being shattered and the consciences of many may be recognizing the consequences of naïvely underestimating the forces of evil cloaked as social progress."  See "Salvific disillusionment."

Here's to looking up! - Meaghen Hale

Web version of this CERC Weekly Update here
Previous CERC Weekly Update here
Subscribe/unsubscribe here
Visit the CERC website at www.catholiceducation.org

"Political correctness is the means by which we try to control others; decency is the means by which we try to control ourselves." - Theodore Dalrymple

New Resources

 
The Witness of John the Baptist - Pope Benedict XVI - from the General Audience given at Castel Gandolfo

The entire existence of the Forerunner of Jesus was nourished by his relationship with God, particularly the period he spent in desert regions (cf. Lk 1:80).

 
Introduction - Mike Aquilina & Grace Aquilina - from A History of the Church in 100 Objects

"A fascinating, unique spiritual feast." - Rodney Stark

 
The death of civil discourse is the death of us - Father James V. Schall, S.J. - The Hill

"Color" and "niceness" are but a small part of reality. To limit civil discourse to them is itself a failure in civilized discourse.

 
A culture cannot exist without relics - Father Raymond J. de Souza - National Post

The relics of holy people — parts of the body after death, items used during life — are a fundamental part of mankind's religious imagination.

 
From the need to be popular, deliver us, O Lord! - Father Robert McTeigue, SJ. - Aleteia

How do you feel when you hear "God doesn't care about your self-esteem"?

 
Apologist Warns Catholics About Dangers of 'Mindfulness' - Patti Armstrong - National Catholic Register

Susan Brinkmann, once a New Age feminist, is now a Catholic apologist.

 
The return to reason requires hard work, rigorous thought — and faith - Thomas M. Doran - Catholic World Report

Reasoning has acquired a sketchy, even negative, reputation in recent years.

 
Salvific disillusionment - Father George W. Rutler - From the Pastor

The romantic soul of William Wordsworth thrilled over the French Revolution:

Editorials of Interest:

Sneaky Snaky Modernism - Fr. Dwight Longenecker
The New Stoicism - Fare Forward
Mudslide Claims Life of California Academy's Catholic Founder - NC Register

Editorials of Interest

Pope Francis: Homily on the Feast of the Epiphany - Vatican

Three actions of the Magi guide our journey towards the Lord, who today is revealed as light and salvation for all peoples. The Magi see the star, they set out and they bring gifts.

Pope Francis gives 2,000 poor, prisoners a day at the circus - CNA

Francis said those who are involved in circus life "create beauty, they are creators of beauty, and this does good for the soul. How much we need beauty!"

Paul, Apostle of Christ: The Heart of the Story - YouTube

In theaters March 2018: Two men struggle against a determined emperor and the frailties of the human spirit in order to bequeath the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

"Silence and the Primacy of God in the Sacred Liturgy": Address by His Eminence Card. Sarah - New Liturgical Movement

The first sentiment that I would like to express, ten years after the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, is that of gratitude to Almighty God.

Time for a Spiritual Health Assessment - Crisis Magazine

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is more than a bracing reminder about our duty to the poor; it is a cautionary tale about misjudging our spiritual condition.

Life is back to normal — do we really need the feast of the Epiphany? - Aleteia

The Epiphany reveals to the disciple of Christ their identity and mission as worshipers, witnesses and workers.

Grace Builds Upon and Doesn't Destroy Nature: On First Things, Baptism, and the Natural Family - The Stream

Canon law should never be interpreted in such a way as to contravene the natural law.

The nuns who witnessed the life and death of Martin Luther King - CNA

Sister Mary Antona Ebo was the only black Catholic nun who marched with civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama in 1965.

How their refusal to tolerate dissent is creating a global backlash against LGBT people - The Federalist

Promoting LGBT preferences abroad is more likely to cause backlash against the very people it is intended to help, besides harming our standing in the world, as recent events show.

A look at world's 50 most anti-Christian countries - CNA

There are more than 215 million persecuted Christians worldwide according to the 2018 World Watch List.

Against the Universal Basic Income - City Journal

Cash transfers for every American would bring an end to our already-endangered culture of work.

Sneaky Snaky Modernism - Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Modernists always do this. They don't change the plain words of Scripture or the creed. They simply "re-interpret."

Rabbi Sacks on The Politics of Hope - Youtube

During this year, I will be posting a series of six new whiteboard animation videos.

The New Stoicism - Fare Forward

Stoicism is about endurance, not hope.

The Real Source of Sexual Misconduct in Hollywood - Crisis Magazine

The problem isn't that Seth McFarlane sang a song that degraded so many famous women at the Oscars. The problem is the industry itself, which forced those women to do nude scenes in order to work.

The Lonely Way of the Writer: A New Year's Message for My Fellow Writers - Catholic Stand

Our writing should follow a heavenly call and raise the reader out of the depths of despair and the dull routine of everyday existence. This way, the beauty and purpose of the trials we endure can find their fulfillment and lead us to new vistas and heavenly horizons.

A Reader's Resolution for 2018 - First Things

Have you always wanted to read more Shakespeare, maybe to read all of the Bard's works?

'God's Tramp' Who Suffered Like Job Given Vatican Burial - NC Register

Cesar Willy De Vroe, 65, was born in Brussels to a prostitute and called himself "God's tramp" after experiencing many bitter years living on the streets.

Jim Caviezel's powerful and impassioned speech to young people - YouTube

He made an appearance at SLS18 in Chicago this week, promoting his new movie about the life of St. Paul and delivering a rousing speech about faith, conversion and courage.

As Pope Francis Heads to Chile and Peru, Argentina Feels Snubbed, Again - New York Times

"I really don’t like that he has not returned."

Mudslide Claims Life of California Academy's Catholic Founder - NC Register

Roy Rohter, a renowned benefactor of Catholic education, died on January 9th in Montecito.

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman and
St. Justin Martyr, pray for us

Subscribe / Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2017 Catholic Education Resource Center