CATHOLIC BELLATOR

Whatever Comes, Do NOT Comply iFrame is not supported! Source: Remnant TV

  Image Credit: Unknown (Old Photo), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Happy Feast of St Charbel! Saint Charbel, also known as Charbel Maklouf, was a Lebanbese monk who lived in the 1800's. His life and teachings continue to inspire believers around the world. Born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in 1828 (and venerated as Saint Charbel) in a small village called Bekaa Kafra. Charbel grew up in a humble family and was deeply devoted to his faith from a young age. He later entered the Lebanese Maronite Order, where he dedicated his life to prayer, asceticism, and the pursuit of spiritual perfection. Saint Charbel became renowned for his holiness and his mastery of the contemplative life. His disciplined lifestyle and profound humility became a model for other monks and clergy seeking to deepen their spiritual journey. One of the most remarkable aspects of Saint Charbel's life was his commitment to silence and solitude. He spent several years living as a hermit in a small room adjacent...

Photo by: François-Régis Salefran, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons In Mexico, Cardinal Robert Sarah, the former Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, presented valuable guidance amidst the prevailing crisis of faith faced by the world today. The Cardinal presented the magisterial conference Witnesses of the truth in a world of crisis to La Salle University, Mexico City campus on Monday, June 26. In todays world, according to the African Cardinal, there is an overwhelming amount of confusion, ambiguity, and uncertainty prevailing in doctrinal and moral instruction in both external society and within the Church itself, specifically concerning Christs identity and the salvation He offers. 𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 He emphasized the importance of immersing oneself in the teachings of the Bible, as it provides guidance and strength to resist the temptations of evil. The Cardinal encouraged the participants to delve deep into the script...

  A French nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque, received a divine vision of Jesus in 1673, where He urged the Church to pay homage to his Most Sacred Heart.  Jesus revealed to St. Margaret Mary 12 specific promises made to all who venerated and promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart. The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart Devotion 1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life. 2. I will establish peace in their homes. 3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.  4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.  5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.  6. Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.  7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.  The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: How to Practice the Sacred Heart Devotion 8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.  9. I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honor...

  Photo:  Иван, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons "It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." —Saint Augustine The doctrines and moral values of the Catholic church are based on the teachings of the Bible, the teachings of the Church, and the traditions of their faith. Only this specific type of relationship—marriage—is permissible to engage in sexual activity, according to the Catholic Church's doctrine. The union of a man and a woman is referred to as marriage. Homosexual acts are considered to be  gravely disordered  according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexua...

“In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.”  —St. Boniface

If then we wish to receive the Lord’s blessing we should restrain not only the outward expression of anger, but also angry thoughts. More beneficial than controlling our tongue in a moment of anger and refraining from angry words is purifying our heart from rancor and not harboring malicious thoughts against our brethren. The Gospel teaches us to cut off the roots of our sins and not merely their fruits. When we have dug the root of anger out of our heart, we will no longer act with hatred or envy. ‘Whoever hates his brother is a murderer’ (1 John 3:15), for he kills him with the hatred in his mind. The blood of a man who has been slain by the sword can be seen by men, but blood shed by the hatred in the mind is seen by God, who rewards each man with punishment or a crown not only for his acts but for his thoughts and intentions as well. As God Himself says through the Prophet: 'Behold, I am coming to reward them according to their actions and their thoughts’ (cf. Ecclu...

  Christ Crucified with the Good Thief Francesco Allegrini da Gubbio, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Here's an AMAZING reflections about the experience of our own sin and the willingness to bear the burden and pain that it causes us even while we struggle against it: "So often we ask ourselves and one another a very tormenting question: How can I deal with my sinful condition? What can I do? I cannot avoid committing sins, Christ alone is sinless. I cannot, for lack of determination, or courage, or ability truly repent when I do commit a sin, or in general, of my sinful condition. What is left to me? I am tormented, I fight like one drowning, and I see no solution. There is a word which was spoken once by a Russian staretz, one of the last elders of Optina. He said to a visitor of his: No one can live without sin, few know how to repent in such a way that their sins are washed as white as fleece. But there is one thing which we all can do: when we can neither avoid sin, nor ...

  Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. —Isaiah 53:4-5

  Sin and Hell, Sermon by Bp. Sanborn (2013) Photo:  Gareth Williams | flickr

Fr. Chad Ripperger: Our Lady said, just about the time the whole world will appear to become communist, God will intervene... We're there..

  Week of Prayer for Christian Unity The Church Unity Octave is a special eight-day prayer period from January 18-25, when Catholics around the world pray for the unity of the Church. This octave was first established in 1908 by Father Paul Wattson, co-founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. Father Wattson saw the Church Unity Octave as a way to bridge the divide between Catholics and Protestants, and to promote Christian unity. The Octave begins on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter and ends on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.  During the Church Unity Octave, Catholics pray for the unity of the Church and for Christian unity in general. They also pray for all Christians who have left the Catholic Church, that they may return to the fold. The Church Unity Octave is a good time for all Christians to reflect on the importance of unity within the Church. It is also a time to pray for those who have left the Church, that they may find their way back. CHURCH UN...