Note from the Assistant Managing Editor:
We begin with a reflection from Fr. Bernard Bro, who records the thoughts of a nun who entered the Carmelite monastery at eighteen and to whom God was the "always present One." See "The Better Part."
Last April, the always incisive and often prophetic Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia offered the following warning:
"When we Christians lose a strong grasp of our own history — our own unique story and identity — others will gladly offer us a revised version of all three — a version that suits their own goals and bigotries, and not necessarily the truth."
As a small example of the history we all need to know, read "What 'Dark Ages'" by the eminent Catholic thinker, the late Michael Novak. On October 26th, more than 4,000 members of the International Astronomical Union voted to rename the "Hubble law" the "Hubble-Lemaître Law".
Fr. Peter John Cameron's "Celebrating the Saints" is chock-full of beautiful quotes that serve to remind us of our inherent, positive dependence. "Either a person conceives of themself as free from the whole universe and dependent only on God, or free from God and therefore the slave of every circumstance."
"Dare you hope that you be saved?" We all answer — yes. "Will you be saved?" — we don't know. Michael Pakaluk explains the necessity of holiness, not as a last-minute shift of attention to God but as a total and now "paradigm shift."
"The pope and bishops have asked that the Prayer to Saint Michael be restored at the conclusion of each Mass," says Fr. George Rutler. "When the Barque of Peter is tossed by storms, it is time to bring the life jackets out of the storage where some liturgists hid them." See "Chronological snobbery and Catholic Faith."
St. Michael, pray for us. - Meaghen Hale |
Web version of this CERC Weekly Update here
Previous CERC Weekly Update here
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"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature — trees, flowers, grass — grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls." - St.Teresa of Calcutta
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New Resources
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The Better Part - Fr. Bernard Bro - from Contemplative Nuns Speak
I had left school; I was not yet fifteen.
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What "Dark Ages" - Michael Novak - The New Criterion
A review of The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success by Rodney Stark.
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The Hubble-Lemaître Law - Father Raymond J. de Souza - National Post
Lemaître had no trouble at all seeing how faith — divine creation out of nothing — and the Big Bang, which seems to look just like that, were compatible.
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Celebrating the Saints - Father Peter John Cameron, O.P. - Magnificat
This month when we celebrate the glory of the communion of saints...
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Carlo Carretto - Heather King - Magnificat
Carlo Carretto (1910-1988), Italian writer, mystic, and member of the Little Brothers of Jesus, modeled himself upon desert contemplative Charles de Foucauld.
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Editorials of Interest:
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Editorials of Interest
The Letter: One Year Later - The Catholic Thing
The present sin within the Church is often terrifying and disheartening to see. But the fire of the Holy Spirit may burn, but its burning is unto holiness.
Crisis at CUA - First Things
The Catholic University of America has summarily suspended William Rainford, dean of its school of social work, simply for tweeting his disbelief in Julie Swetnick, the least believable of the three women who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Our Critically Disappearing National Consensus - The Catholic Thing
Our national divisions are far more serious than that, far more profound. We are in the midst of a clash of worldviews — or at least of nationviews. What kind of nation is the USA to be?
Take-aways from landmark ruling in Pakistan blasphemy case - Crux
Since 2007, at least seven judges have been killed in violent attacks, and within two hours of the Supreme Court's decision to set free Asia Bibi on Wednesday, Pakistan's Islamist party called for these justices to be slain as well.
The Infidelity of the Future: The Great Apostasy - Michael O'Brien
As in every generation, the "near future" approaches, never quite materializing in ways we had imagined. Because of this, our perennial temptation is to dismiss the teleology of history, and the eschatology of revelation.
Narco-Saints: Santa Muerte - TAC
A narco-saint is a supposed saint with a following among the American drug cartels, especially in Mexico.
Civil and Sacramental Marriage Ceremonies - Catholic Stand
The ceremony of a Catholic sacramental marriage is not just a civil marriage with a religious dressing, a Catholic way of celebrating a civic association.
Kissing Purity Culture Goodbye - First Things
While the biblical understanding of purity includes sexual activity, it is hardly reducible to it. Rather, purity concerns conversion of the whole self to Christ, a continual and lifelong process.
Pornography and Marriage: Eight Myths - TCM
When it comes to pornography use and marriages, there are several myths that need to be dispelled. Doing so can improve a couple's ability to heal and restore their personal lives and their marriages.
The Bookish Life - First Things
By the bookish life, I mean a life in which the reading of books has a central, even a dominating, place.
33 Days to Becoming a Saint - Catholic Exchange
I don't just invite you, I dare you to join me in the 33 Days to Morning Glory consecration to Mary.
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman and St. Justin Martyr, pray for us |
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