Quote of the Week

"The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed to destroy her; in fact, it was during times of persecution that the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves, and those whom the Church would destroy, are the very ones who came to nothing.  ...Again, errors have assailed her; but in fact, the greater the number of errors that have arisen, the more has the truth been made manifest. ...Nor has the Church failed before the assaults of demons: for she is like a tower of refuge to all who fight against the Devil."

- St. Thomas Aquinas 

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit, the end of the Easter Season, and marking the anniversary of the beginning of the Church's mission converting the world to Christ: Happy Birthday Catholic Church!

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We in the United States and the rest of the developed West are lucky to live in a society with so many comforts and luxuries. But sometimes, as we go about our daily grind, we forget to keep that in perspective. We may grumble sometimes when an appliance breaks down, or when we're stuck in traffic, or if our favorite TV show gets canceled... Certainly these are annoyances, but in many parts of the world people contend with far worse problems. Imagine if your family were killed by insurgents in a civil war, or you don't know where your next meal will come from, or if you wander the streets with only the clothes on your back and no place to lay your head. These are Third World problems that most of us here in the First World will never have to face. Suddenly that broken garage door opener doesn't seem so bad.

I recently watched a YouTube video poking fun at our First World complaints. (You can watch the video here.)Since seeing this video, my wife and I constantly reminded each other how lucky we are, even in the midst of the problems we may be facing. The YouTube video is certainly funny, but it can also be a serious reminder to keep in prayer all those in need in the faraway places of the world.

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At our parish we have a choir loft in the back of church, which is a pretty long walk from the altar. When the choir and organist are present at Mass, an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist brings a small ciborium down the isle to administer the Sacrament to them during Communion time. There is no ceremony or procession...it is simply one among many extraordinary ministers walking to his or her station to serve the congregation. The Eucharistic minister walks down a side isle which happens to pass right next to our usual pew, and for some time now, we as a family have adopted the practice of making the sign of the cross as the Eucharist passes by. It may not be necessary, and no one else in the congregation does it (as far as I know), but it has certainly raised our own awareness of Christ's Eucharistic Presence and has been a great teaching moment for our kids.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like. I'll serve up more next Friday...

"Let's Ask Ourselves: Are We Open to the Holy Spirit?" - [An appropriate reflection from Pope Francis as we prepare for Pentecost - includes full text of Wednesday general audience address.]

Pope: 'If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord' - "...let us ask the Holy Spirit for this grace of apostolic zeal, let’s be Christians with apostolic zeal, onwards, as the Lord says to Paul, take courage!" [Very glad to here the pope say this... I know I have annoyed a few people when I share the faith. But when you speak the truth, you must expect some to reject it.]

Church needs believers with zeal, not couch-potato Catholics, pope says - "'Today let us ask the Holy Spirit to give this apostolic fervor to all of us and also the grace to be a nuisance to the things that are too quiet in the church' and go to the 'outskirts' of life, he said."

Pope Francis surprises attendees of Italy’s March for Life - "The organizers of the event did not know the Holy Father would meet with them, but were delightfully surprised when they saw the popemobile heading their way."

Today, a Social Teaching Triple Header - "On May 15, three popes made major contributions to the development of Catholic social teaching..."

R.I.P., American Family - "With the assistance of emotionally charged slogans like tolerance and diversity—always applied selectively—liberals have set their sights on the American family. And it will never be the same." See also: How the West Really Lost God

Justice and the Marriage Debate - "Proceeding from different but all-too-often-unarticulated conceptions of what marriage is and why it matters for society, advocates on both sides tend to lock into patterns of reasoning that seem impervious to opposing arguments."

A Primer on Rights, With Reference to Gay Marriage - "If Rights exist–and no one is ques­tion­ing that they do–they come either from God or from the state.  There is no other option. "

Hints on How the Supreme Court May Rule on Homosexual "Marriage"? - "Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently commented on the infamous Roe v. Wade decision in a way that may shed light on how she—and the Court—will rule in the cases involving homosexual 'marriage' that are currently before the Court."

Cultural Imperialism on the March: Obama Promotes Gay Pride Worldwide - "...the Obama administration, after promoting homosexual rights and marriage in the US, has undertaken the task of universalizing the rationalization for sodomitical behavior and is doing so with high moral rhetoric—in this case, by appropriating the language of human rights."

Bill Donohue: IRS Targeted Catholic League - "Just weeks after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, I was notified by the IRS that the Catholic League was under investigation for violating the IRS Code on political activities as it relates to 501(c)(3) organizations."

The IRS Scandal Round-up - [There is a lot of information here...but worth reading.]

News to ruin your morning: IRS official who targeted conservatives for audit now oversees your Obamacare compliance - "One f the greatest faults with Obamacare is that the IRS is the chief enforcer of the act as far as individual citizens are concerned. Consume Obama's insurance and you'll be fine. If you don't consume enough however, it will be up to Ingram to penalize you."

‘Very Frightening’: Prominent Catholic Prof. Claims IRS Audited Her After Speaking Out Against Obama and Demanded to Know Who Was Paying Her - [She's not the only one!]

Did the IRS Target Pro-Life Groups, Too? - "It looks like the IRS also targeted pro-life groups for some very special attention, and not just by stuffing their applications for tax-exempt status in a broom closet."

Kermit Gosnell Found Guilty on Three First-Degree Murder Charges - [By now this is old news, but it is such good news it bears repeating.]

Gosnell Gives Up Appeal, Prosecutors Agree to Life in Prison, No Death Penalty - "In total, Gosnell was found guilty of 21 out of 24 felony counts of illegal abortions beyond the 24 week limit and found guilty on all but 16 of 227 misdemeanor counts of violating the 24-hour informed consent law."

Nine of 12 Jurors Convicting Kermit Gosnell of Murder Were "Pro-Choice" - [I wonder if any opinions were changed?]

Monsters Inc: Douglas Karpen Picks Up Where Kermit Gosnell Left Off - "With a web of underground killing fields in New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Maryland, and now Texas clinics, this is no longer a hypothetical question of children’s safety. It’s a pervasive practice that had obviously gone undetected for years–until Gosnell trial’s and Lila Rose’s undercover videos." See also: Kermit Gosnell 2, Abortionist Douglas Karpen, Now Faces Investigation and this: Media Ignores Abortion Doc Who Killed Babies With His Bare Hands

Time to ask Obama about Gosnell - When President Barack Obama was asked about the murder trial of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, he said 'I can't comment on it because it's an active trial.' Now that a jury has found Gosnell guilty...we can find out what Obama thinks about the case and the country's abortion culture." Of course, we already have his own words: New Audio Surfaces of Obama Defending Infanticide in Illinois See also: When Politicians Allow the Murder of Infants

Are Embryos Human After All? - [Some great thought experiments presented here.]

Death penalty in Cleveland horrors? Wait, who died? - "Clearly, journalists are struggling here to try to determine how to answer a question that, in court debates, has often turned on theological issues linked to personhood, ensoulment, human rights, etc., etc. To be blunt: Precisely when does an undesired 'fetus' turn into a 'unborn child' when the biological, dare I say 'journalistic,' realities are the same?"

Cleveland Kidnap Victim Wants to Reunite With Son Conceived in Gang Rape - "How could any woman possibly want to carry to term, give birth to, and parent a child conceived in rape? We hear this question all the time on political soapboxes. It is a mantra that hurts women, because it rejects the idea that women will naturally love their children regardless of the circumstances of their conception."

Chilling note scrawled by bloodied Boston terrorist reveals motive - "Legal analysts say the note will be admissible in court. It will combine with his earlier testimony, provided before he was mirandized, to build the case against him."

Culture of Corruption: Why Obama's misuse of Marines is wrong - "Yesterday, during a light sprinkle, Obama ordered two Marines to hold umbrellas over his head and that of the Turkish Prime Minister. Marine Corps regulation MCO P1020.34F, Chapter 3, does not allow a male Marine to carry an umbrella. - Ever. "

NBC Worries Pope's New Saints Will Hurt Islam's Feelings - [...Because that's what we should do. Tiptoe around them. Being careful not to hurt their feelings. - I have some advice to all who read this: Stop watching the mainstream media.]

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...But Not Your Homeschoolers - [Not a good development for homeschooling families.]

The Little Way v. The Great White Way - "We now live in an age in which the world is our soapbox. Social media makes it possible to regale the world with instant updates on the food we ate for breakfast, on how our children did in school, and on how many imaginary crops we planted on non-existent acreage each evening before bed. If we want to rant about the latest news headlines, there is always an audience somewhere ready to be held captive for a few seconds."

What do baby names tell us about the reliability of the Gospels? - "You might be surprised, but the names of the figures mentioned in the gospels actually provide evidence that they're true. Here's the story..."

Did Dinosaurs Die Before the Fall? - [Not a complete treatment of the question, but an interesting presentation nonetheless.]

Why Catholics Call Priests "Father"

Much of what follows is taken from material I have posted on this subject in the past. I am posting it anew for two reasons: 1) this is always an important issue to address, as it does cause concern among non-Catholic Christians, and 2) this very issue was raised with me on at least two separate occasions recently - it is thus fresh on my mind and deserves my attention. As a bonus, I had already planned on re-posting my blog series on the "male-only priesthood," and this current post presents a nice lead-in to that topic.

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Non-Catholic Christians often object to the Catholics using the term "Father" as a title for priests. The primary reason: the Bible forbids it! That seems like a very good reason, and one that Catholics ought to heed...that is, if it were actually true. However, as with many criticisms concerning Catholic practices and teachings, this common misunderstanding stems from a poor interpretation of Scripture. Here is the passage in question:

“But you are not to be called 'Rabbi' [Master], for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:8-11) [Emphasis added]

The verse we are most concerned with here is in bold in the quote above. Protestants insist that Jesus meant these words literally. When He said to call no one on earth "father," that meant that you should call absolutely no one on earth "father" – – end of story. Thus Jesus instituted an outright ban on the use of this title among Christians. If this is true, then Catholics are obviously in disobedience to Jesus’ clear scriptural command.

A few problems arise from this literalist interpretation, which becomes clear when we consider the larger context of our verse. If Jesus truly meant to ban outright the use of the title "father," then He also forbade anyone to be called “teacher” (vs. 10, above): "Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ." If we take these verses literally, then Jesus breaks his own command just a few verses later by calling someone other than the Christ “teacher.” In Matthew 23:13 He says,  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees…” Indeed Jesus never avoided the word “teacher” after seemingly banning the word here. He uses it freely as a title for people other than Himself. Nor does the average Protestant avoid using the word "teacher." How many Christians – the very ones who criticize Catholics for calling their priests “Father” - call their Sunday school instructors “teacher”? This would violate Jesus’ command every bit as much as Catholics calling their priests “Father.”

Furthermore, notice in verse 8 at the beginning of our passage from Matthew above: Jesus forbids the use of the word “master” (a form of which is “Rabbi”). But we all use a form of the word “master” whenever we say Mister or Misses (words that are derived from the same word as "Master"). So do we violate a direct command from Jesus anytime we attach the word “master” to our own names? If Catholics are unbiblical then so are Mr. Protestant and Mrs. Evangelical.

Surely there must be some other way to interpret this text. Jesus must not have meant to ban the word “teacher” since He Himself used it immediately after saying not to do so. He would not have made such a strict rule only to break it in His very next breath. And how can Protestants criticize Catholics for using the term "father" when clearly Protestants use "teacher" and "master" themselves.

So what about the word "Father"? Are there any biblical examples of this title being used? The answer is a resounding, yes:

Paul calls himself a “father” in the same spiritual sense that Catholics use the term: “For if you were to have countless tutors [also rendered “teachers” – notice Paul uses this forbidden term too] in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father [‘I have begotten you’] through the gospel.” (1Corinthians 4:15) Paul often called those who were under his spiritual care his “children” implying his spiritual fatherhood.

In Acts, as Stephen is about to be martyred he calls the Jewish leaders “fathers”: “Hear me, brethren and fathers!” (Acts 7:2)

Also in Acts, we find a reference to “our father David” (Acts 4:25). Not all Jews were directly descended from David; nonetheless the title “father” is applied to David because of his spiritual fatherhood rather than a direct biological connection.

Jesus calls Abraham “father”: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56) Often the Patriarchs (which is from the Latin for father – “pater”) of the Old Testament were referred to as “fathers” because of their great importance in the Jewish faith. Hebrews 1:1 does this as well: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways…”

Shockingly, Jesus even calls the devil a “father”: "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth.” (John 8:44)

And of course, apart from the Bible, we cannot neglect to mention our everyday usage of the term. We all call our own male parent “father” and we use terms like “father of the country” or “founding fathers” for our secular heroes.

So why is it that Catholics are singled out, when clearly the Biblical and historical evidence shows that this passage from Matthew was never meant to be taken literally? Or more to the point, why did Jesus speak in such stark terms if He did not mean exactly what He said? How are we to interpret this passage from Matthew?

In Matthew 23:8-11, Jesus is using a rhetorical device called hyperbole – which means to exaggerate in an extreme way in order to make a point. We do this when we say things like, “I had to wait forever in line…” or “I’ve done this a million times…” No one takes you literally when you say these things, because everyone knows that you are overstating the truth in order to make a point. You are speaking in hyperbole.

So Jesus did not mean to forbid the use of certain words. Rather He intended to emphasize that our earthly experience of teachers and masters and fathers pales in comparison to the Teacher/Master/Father that is God.

Thus regarding teachers, Jesus’ point is this: Christ is the Ultimate Teacher. He is THE Teacher - above all other teachers. Just as Jesus is the most perfect of all human beings and deserves to be called Son of Man more than any of us do, so too does He deserve the name Teacher more than any earthly teacher does. Likewise, the word “Father” describes God as the Ultimate Father above all others. Anything we experience of fatherhood here on earth (even our own biological father) is an imperfect reflection of the divine paternity of God. The two are miles apart. And the same can be said of masters.

The reason Jesus is stressing this difference is not to ban these words from usage. The real reason is found in the final lines of our passage above: “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus is telling us to avoid puffing ourselves up with pride concerning titles and official names. We may be father, master, or teacher to our fellow Christians, but these titles bear with them a humble acceptance of servitude, not a grand air of superiority. Catholics call their priests “Father” because as priests they accept the role of service and self-giving that is a reflection of God’s own gift of Self as Father to us all.

Quote of the Week

“The next great heresy is going to be simply an attack on morality; and especially on sexual morality. And it is coming, not from a few Socialists surviving from the Fabian Society, but from the living exultant energy of the rich resolved to enjoy themselves at last, with neither Popery nor Puritanism nor Socialism to hold them back… The roots of the new heresy, God knows, are as deep as nature itself, whose flower is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life. I say that the man who cannot see this cannot see the signs of the times; cannot see even the skysigns in the street that are the new sort of signs in heaven..."

- G. K. Chesterton

Catechism for the Year of Faith

Part of a continuing series.A selected quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in honor of the Year of Faith (October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013)

1210 Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.

1212 The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. "The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity."

1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),4 and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."

1218 Since the beginning of the world, water, so humble and wonderful a creature, has been the source of life and fruitfulness. Sacred Scripture sees it as "overshadowed" by the Spirit of God:

At the very dawn of creation
your Spirit breathed on the waters,
making them the wellspring of all holiness.

1219 The Church has seen in Noah's ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism, for by it "a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water":

The waters of the great flood
you made a sign of the waters of Baptism,
that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness.

1220 If water springing up from the earth symbolizes life, the water of the sea is a symbol of death and so can represent the mystery of the cross. By this symbolism Baptism signifies communion with Christ's death.

1221 But above all, the crossing of the Red Sea, literally the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, announces the liberation wrought by Baptism:

You freed the children of Abraham from the slavery of Pharaoh,
bringing them dry-shod through the waters of the Red Sea,
to be an image of the people set free in Baptism.

1223 All the Old Covenant prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He begins his public life after having himself baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

1226 From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans. Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family."

1229 From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion.

1231 Where infant Baptism has become the form in which this sacrament is usually celebrated, it has become a single act encapsulating the preparatory stages of Christian initiation in a very abridged way. By its very nature infant Baptism requires a post-baptismal catechumenate. Not only is there a need for instruction after Baptism, but also for the necessary flowering of baptismal grace in personal growth. The catechism has its proper place here.

1232 The second Vatican Council restored for the Latin Church "the catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps." The rites for these stages are to be found in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The Council also gives permission that: "In mission countries, in addition to what is furnished by the Christian tradition, those elements of initiation rites may be admitted which are already in use among some peoples insofar as they can be adapted to the Christian ritual."

1247 Since the beginning of the Church, adult Baptism is the common practice where the proclamation of the Gospel is still new. The catechumenate (preparation for Baptism) therefore occupies an important place. This initiation into Christian faith and life should dispose the catechumen to receive the gift of God in Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.

1250 Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth.

1252 The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole "households" received baptism, infants may also have been baptized.

1256 The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the bishop and priest and, in the Latin Church, also the deacon. In case of necessity, anyone, even a non-baptized person, with the required intention, can baptize , by using the Trinitarian baptismal formula. The intention required is to will to do what the Church does when she baptizes. The Church finds the reason for this possibility in the universal saving will of God and the necessity of Baptism for salvation.

1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.

1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery." Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.66 In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God.

1264 Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, "the tinder for sin" (fomes peccati); since concupiscence "is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ." Indeed, "an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules."

1265 Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte "a new creature," an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature," member of Christ and co-heir with him,70 and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

1266 The Most Holy Trinity gives the baptized sanctifying grace, the grace of justification: 

- enabling them to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him through the theological virtues;
- giving them the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
- allowing them to grow in goodness through the moral virtues. 

Thus the whole organism of the Christian's supernatural life has its roots in Baptism.

1267 Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore . . . we are members one of another." Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."

1272 Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated.

1274 The Holy Spirit has marked us with the seal of the Lord ("Dominicus character") "for the day of redemption." "Baptism indeed is the seal of eternal life." The faithful Christian who has "kept the seal" until the end, remaining faithful to the demands of his Baptism, will be able to depart this life "marked with the sign of faith," with his baptismal faith, in expectation of the blessed vision of God - the consummation of faith - and in the hope of resurrection.

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

Today is May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. May is Mary's month, and this being the day after Mother's Day today is the perfect day to pray a rosary. Pick up your beads and get at it.

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Remember that we still have one week of Easter left. Don't forget to wish someone a Happy Easter while we are still in this liturgical season. Of course the pop culture forgot about Easter many weeks ago, but as Catholics we are called to transform and transcend the culture. Surprise someone with a "Happy Easter!" greeting while there is still time left. You might get a strange look , but you may also get an opportunity to share your faith.

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Last week was busier at home than I expected, so I did not get around to posting here on the blog as I intended. This week should be less hectic, so hopefully I'll have more time to blog. As usual though, I won't make any promieses. :)