A Catholic Revolution

Catholics from all over the country are responding to the call for a Catholic Revolution after recognizing the division within the church which became so clearly evident during the recent Presidential election. The call is being answered by Catholics who are angry, feel betrayed by weak leadership on the part of many bishops, and are searching for a voice. I hear it all the time from callers on the Catholic radio programs I listen to.

RealCatholicTV owners sent out an email late Friday from Michael Voris, host of The Vortex, who says the culture of death demands a counter-cultural revolution on the part of faithful Catholics. Read and listen to the message from RealCatholicTV.com:

My Fellow Catholics,

I wanted to take a moment following the election to reflect with you.

This is a link to a video commentary (The Vortex) from the day after the election that I invite you to watch. http://www.realcatholictv.net/embed.php?videoID=1226 (also seen at the end of this post)

But in short, Our Blessed Lord tells His faithful that we are the "salt of the earth". Considering that at the time Our Lord said that, salt was just as valuable as gold. That is no small statement.

I firmly believe the Catholic Church in the United States and the west in general is entering a time of great change.

This change will demand much from us, much more than we have perhaps ever conceived of having to sacrifice. We have to come to the realization very quickly that we could be entering into a period of persecution against the Church.

We are all sadly aware that the last forty years have brought about many destructive changes in the spiritual lives of many Catholics - most refuse to go to Mass, engage in the sacraments and so forth. We know the devastation.

What is needed now is a total rock-solid re-commitment to the Faith and teachings of the Apostles, a counter-attack that has enveloped the culture and large parts of the west.

I ask you to prayerfully and seriously consider this one question -- What am I doing to advance the Kingdom of Heaven against Satan and his allies?

RealCatholicTV.com and Saint Michael's Media are done grieving over political outcomes. A time for bold counter-cultural action is now needed - A Catholic Revolution.

Let's all join together and allow ourselves to be used to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven - no matter the personal cost.

God bless and happy viewing.

Michael Voris

P.S. I'm very interested in your responses to our call for a revolution. Please feel free to contact me with your reactions at michaelvoris@realcatholictv.com.

Pope Benedict XVI, Divine Revelation and the recent elections

A message from Father John Corapi:

Pope Benedict XVI Asks Catholics to Read the Bible as the Church Reads the Bible
A recent priority of the Holy Father has been to motivate more Catholics to read the Bible as the Church reads the Bible—in other words, authentically. Pope Benedict XVI chose the Sacred Scriptures as the topic of the fall Synod of Bishops. There has been a healthy interest in reading the Bible since the Second Vatican Council, but all-too-often there hasn’t been proper instruction and direction for the lay faithful in this area.

One of the most important major documents that came out of the Second Vatican Council is the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, or “Dei Verbum,”—“Word of God.” This is the Church’s most important contemporary document on how to read and interpret Sacred Scripture, indeed on Divine Revelation as a whole.

The Holy Father expressed concern recently that there is a real danger in some modern biblical interpretation that he believes can diminish the meaning of Sacred Scripture and erode the bond between the Bible and the Church. The substance of the Pope’s concerns are pastoral in nature, more than academic, although the two certainly converge. He wants Catholics to be enriched on a daily basis by the proper and authentic reading of the written Word of God. The Church has given us the “road map”, if you will, of just how to do this in “Dei Verbum.”

Several years ago we presented a series entitled “Word of God,” seeking to do exactly what the Holy Father has now called for. This six-part seminar synthesizes in a clear and easy way the six chapters of this landmark Church document. It will help you to better read and interpret the written Word of God as the Catholic Church reads and interprets it.

Surely one of the most important teachings we have ever produced, I know “Word of God” will help you greatly in reading and understanding the Bible as the Catholic Church does, and as the Holy Father has recently asked us to do.

THERE IS STILL A GOD IN HEAVEN!
The American people have now made it abundantly clear who they want to lead them, and the policies and practices that this president-elect has represented for some time, they can now claim as their own. Actions have consequences, and I am sure God has duly noted what our priorities are in the US of A. Economic matters would seem to take precedence over moral matters; money more important than life itself to most people (I guess they don’t consider almost 50,000,000 innocent children murdered by abortion part of life).

Now we shall see what the fruit of such a tree will be. I predict that we won’t have to wait long. In recent months we have seen “corrections” in the stock market, housing market, and banking industries. Now we’ll see if God orchestrates a “correction” in a country and a world that has demonstrated quite clearly that it prefers convenience and wealth to life itself.

Regardless of whatever happens next, remember there is still a God in Heaven and He loves you. He is infinitely merciful—and He is infinitely just as well.

God Bless You

Fr. John Corapi

See also Fr. John Corapi's Television Schedule.

The Intentions of Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for November 2008

General Prayer Intention:

"That the testimony of love offered by the saints may fortify Christians in their devotion to God and their neighbor, imitating Christ who came to serve and not to be served."

Missionary Prayer Intention:

"That the Christian communities of Asia, contemplating the face of Christ, may know how to find the most suitable ways to announce Him, in full faithfulness to the Gospel, to the people of that vast continent so rich in culture and ancient forms of spirituality."

REFLECTIONS ON POPE BENEDICT XVI'S
MONTHLY INTENTIONS

November 2008

The Apostleship of Prayer receives monthly prayer intentions from Pope Benedict XVI and urges Christians throughout the world to unite in prayer for those intentions. The reflections below seek to illuminate the Holy Father's concerns.


General Intention:

Love of God and Neighbor. That the testimony of love offered by the saints may fortify Christians in their devotion to God and neighbor, imitating Christ who came to serve and not to be served.

This month Pope Benedict XVI points us to the saints of the Church, that all Christians may imitate them in their imitation of Christ. For this is the love of God and neighbor, to serve and not to be served.

Scripture is very clear on this: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us" (1 John 4: 11-12).

We pray that all Christians may be fortified in love that serves others, because any love that does not serve others isn't really love at all. The saints have shown us that there are thousands of ways to serve others, but it's the serving of others that is essential. As we faithfully serve others, we are living out the love of God, even in those times we don't feel the love.

The Feast of All Saints on November 1 puts us in mind of one we claim as our own, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. A member of the Apostleship of Prayer, Frassati was devoted to both prayer and action. He used to say, "Charity is not enough; we need social reform." He also said, "We need constant prayer to obtain from God that grace without which all our prayers are useless; organization and discipline to be ready for action at the right time; and finally, the sacrifice of our passion and of ourselves, because without that we cannot achieve our aim."

Blessed Frassati died in 1925 of polio. Many of the sick people he helped came to his funeral. May all Christians be inspired to a love that expresses itself in prayer and service.

Reflection:
In what ways has your love for God led you to serve others? Thank God for the privilege of extending his love.

Reading:
James 2:26 - Just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.


Mission Intention:

Church in Asia. That the Christian communities of Asia, contemplating the face of Christ, may find the most suitable ways to announce Him, in full faithfulness to the Gospel.

Last December Pope Benedict XVI addressed a group of Korean prelates, exclaiming: "The Church in your countries has made remarkable progress since the arrival of missionaries in the region over four hundred years ago, and their return to Mongolia just fifteen years ago."

The Holy Father attributed this growth to the "outstanding witness of the Korean Martyrs and others throughout Asia who remained steadfastly faithful to Christ and his Church."

This month he asks us to pray for the many and diverse Christian communities throughout Asia. These communities include the Philippines, Asia's most populous Catholic country; India, where Catholicism goes back to St. Thomas the Apostle; South Korea and Vietnam, where Catholics make up a surprisingly large percentage of the population; China where there are new hopes that persecution is slowly easing; Indonesia, where there are conflicts with Muslims; India, where there are conflicts with Hindus; the Middle East, where many conflicts continue; and Iraq, from which Christians are fleeing.

After visiting Asia, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe reported on Vatican Radio that the Christian minority there often lives the faith "with great enthusiasm," comparing themselves to the first Christians who set out to evangelize the world.

We are praying this month that Asian Christians may find the most suitable ways to announce Christ. We in the West must respect the ancient cultures of the East and let the Church in Asia find the best ways to spread the Gospel. After all, Christianity is a religion that transcends, rather than imposes, culture. Cultures are transformed and elevated by Christ living among the people, for the Church is his Body.

May the Holy Spirit guide those who preach and teach the faith in Asia. May this be, as Popes John Paul II and Benedict have said, the millennium for the evangelization of the East.

Reflection:
People come to know Jesus Christ in a tremendous variety of ways. How did you come to Christ? Who helped?

Reading:
Acts 20: 17-24 - I consider this life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God's grace.


Prayer of the Month

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. You are glorified in your saints, for their glory is the crowning of your gifts. In their lives on earth, you give us an example. In our communion with them, you give us their friendship. In their prayer for the Church you give us strength and protection. This great company of witnesses spurs us on to victory, to share their prize of everlasting glory. May we imitate their lives of service and daily give you all honor and glory. Amen.