Catholic Foundation Library

Catholic Foundation Library #37Our Lord told us that He is "the way, the life and the truth" and since Mary is his mother it is only right to address her under the title "Mary Mother of Life."Eve was called the Mother of the Living, but Mary is Mother of Life to indicate that she is not only the Mother of the Living but the Mother of Life itself -- Our Lord.Eve was the Mother of the Living -- those under the original curse: "for dust you are to dust you will go." In contrast, Mary is the Mother of those who have received life in Christ -- eternal life.In this talk, we explore the importance of this title and its relevance to our times plagued by contraception and abortion. Come and learn how Mary can lead all those who are lost back to Christ so that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Catholic Foundation Library #36Many have heard of Our Lady of Guadalupe and many have seen the famous image imprinted on the tilma of St. Juan Diego, yet few truly understand the importance of this divine intervention in the life of the Church.What was the life of people of the Americas before the Church reached the continent? What did they believe in and why did they refuse the Christian message with such a great determination that only a very small portion of the population had converted?How can we then explain that in the span of 10 years following the apparition, over 8 million converted to the faith? What did they see in the tilma that was not made visible to them before?This talk presents the story of Guadalupe against its historical backdrop and will help you better understand the great gift Our Lord gave us from the Cross when he told the Beloved Disciple: "behold your mother." It will also help you better appreciate the importance of the pilgrim site of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Catholic Foundation Library #35In 1917, Our Lady appeared in the small town of Fatima, Portugal to 3 children and entrusted them with three important messages, the last of which became known as the Third Secret of Fatima.In this lecture, we give a practical, historical example of the workings of God in history through the covenant. We explain how the Lord is leading all of history to its appointed end via political and economic events. By listening to this lecture you will learn to see the world through the covenant and realize more and more that the events of our time are as biblical as the exodus of Israel out of Egypt.Highlights What are the weapons of the Catholic Church? Prayers and sacrifice. Find out why. If Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, where is his throne? In heaven or on earth? Yes and Yes. Find out why. On March 25th, 1884, Pope Leo XIII ordered the prayer of St. Michael the Archangel to be said in all Masses throughout the world. One hundred years later, day-for-day, an event of world-wide importance took place. Find out what happened during these 100 years and how Christ is ruling the world.

Catholic Foundation Library #34In this talk, we will listen to what saints and other pious people have had to say about their experiences with angels.Some have seen their guardian angels since they were little. Others, like Padre Pio, saw and conferred with their angels and the guardian angels of other people regularly.Highlights Are we held by the Holy Spirit during struggles and temptations? Yes. Find out why. Illusions, apprehensions, and anxiety cloud our intellect. Find out why this is dangerous. Angels have two powers to battle the devil. Angels can physically protect you. Train yourself to depend on your angel. Angels are not optional, we need them. A guideline to daily prayer.

Catholic Foundation Library #33This lecture is a meditation on the role of the Archangel Raphael who is much neglected in Catholic circles.We will study the Book of Tobit and discover all that this great, heavenly saint can do for us.Highlights Do angels know the future? No. (this applies to demons as well). Find out why. Can an angel help us discern our vocation? Absolutely. Can St. Raphael help us find a wife/husband? Ask him. You will be surprised. Do angels intercede on our behalf before the throne of God? Yes. Even when we do not ask? Yes. They are our best friends.

Catholic Foundation Library #32In this talk, we will learn why we need a guardian angel, or more specifically, why it is impossible for us to get to heaven without our guardian angel. Against the three enemies of the flesh, the world, and the devil, our Lord has given us an angel to protect us, to guide us, to encourage us when we fall, and to console us.Highlights We are disordered because of original sin. We need our guardian angel's help. There are three enemies recorded in Scripture that we must fight: the flesh, the world, and the devil. To win we must understand the nature and purpose of the enemy. Do we need guardian angels? Absolutely. Find out why. We need the sacraments, and our guardian angel leads us to them. Find out five ways your guardian angel helps you.

Catholic Foundation Library #31In this talk, we will be studying the nine choirs of angels from the Seraphim down to the choir known as angels.We will learn about each of these choirs and find out more about their angelic nature. Also, we will understand the statement of Our Lord when he said inA Luke 20:36 that the saints in heaven are like angels.Highlights After we die, do we become angels? No. At the end of the world, we will have a body. Angels are pure spirits, they do not have bodies. Are angels natural creatures? Yes. Find out why. What does Jesus mean when he says we shall be like angels? Can angels control physical matter? Yes. We will learn why. Do holy and fallen angels have the same faculties? Yes, they do but we do not need to worry. Learn why.

Catholic Foundation Library #30You may have heard this expression associated with non-Catholic groups or organizations, and what you may not know is that this expression refers to the time we live in, the time of the Church, the end times.In this lecture, we study passages such as Matthew 19:27-30, Luke 1 46-55, Romans 16:24-27, to understand what was meant by this expression. We will clarify its meaning and grasp the relationship that exists between the new age and the Church.Highlights Why is there an overlap of the new and old covenant? What do we mean when we say that the Church is a battlefield? Is God's kingdom established?

Catholic Foundation Library #29Passages such as Acts 2:12-40, Timothy 3:1-12, Hebrew 1:1-3, James 5:1-11, 2 Peter 3, and 1 Peter 1:5 will reinforce what we have learned in the preceding lecture.We will see that all these texts dealing with the end times function as a cohesive whole echoing one another in a harmonious way.There is no contradiction in Scripture provided Scripture is interpreted according to the mind of the Catholic Church. These passages are a perfect illustration of this principle.

Catholic Foundation Library #28In this first lecture, we study the various passages of the Gospels that deal with the end times.Specifically, we focus on Matthew 16:31, Matthew 24, Matthew 13, and Luke 21.In this context, the four senses of Scripture and the Covenant will prove particularly useful to help us understand what Jesus meant. We will see that the words of the Lord did not deal with the end times principally but with events that were at hand and that signaled the end of the old covenant. We will also see how these same words can be applied to the end times.Another important element that will help us here is the relationship of the Temple of Jerusalem to the cosmos.

Catholic Foundation Library #27In this third talk, we focus on the vision in Chapters 10 through 12. We follow its historical development by studying the royal dynasties and their timeline.This vision is important because it sets the timetable of the coming of Jesus Christ. Another important aspect of this vision is that the Archangel Gabriel tells Daniel to seal the vision for its time has not yet come, and in the Book of Revelation, Our Lord unseals a sealed scroll.Highlights The devil is the accuser of each and every one of us. Find out how he does it. What is the abomination of desolation that Gabriel speaks of?

Catholic Foundation Library #26We focus on the visions contained in Chapters 7 through 9. These visions play a critical role in the Book of Revelation and in the Gospels.Jesus ascribes to himself the title, "Son of Man", more than any other title. This title does not mean, as some may think, a meek and humble Jesus hiding his divinity; quite the contrary, it is a messianic title that means "Son of God" and it is taken from the Book of Daniel.Highlights The four beasts are identified with four empires. Which empires? Is this book about the end of the world? If not, what end is it about? Who is the "Ancient of Days"?

Catholic Foundation Library #25We focus on Chapters 1 through 6 of the Book of Daniel where we read of three tests of faith that Daniel (and some of his companions) had to undergo.These tests were ordained by God for the sanctity of Daniel. Through them, he was learning about God, his love, and his nature, and so God was preparing him for his prophetic mission.Highlights How strong is our faith? Are we ready to be tested? How important is personal prayer? Is living a Christian life supposed to be easy? If our life is easy, what does it say about our faith?

Catholic Foundation Library #24In this third and last lecture on the Book of Ezechiel, we observe that God does not always speak to us with words.Most of the time we simply do not want to hear God speaking to us that way. In particular, we will meditate on holy indifference.Next, we study the New Temple described in the latter part of the Book of Ezekiel and see the splendor of the Church.Highlights Why did God take Ezechiel's wife away and command him not to mourn? What is holy indifference? Where do all the graces flow from? What does it have to do with the river that watered Eden?

Catholic Foundation Library #23We continue the study of the Book of  Ezekiel beginning with Chapter 9 with the marking of those who sigh about all the iniquities that take place in the Temple.We will understand how the Covenant removes every city, country, or power that stands before it. Anyone who tries to break the Covenant is broken by it. The question, therefore, is not if but when.Highlights 665 appears in the Book of Ezechiel. What is its relationship with 666? Can one be a committed Christian and be anxious? Why is it that the Church insists that without a physical relationship there is no marriage? The  Temple built under Ezra and Nehemiah was materially poorer than the  Temple of Solomon, but how is it described in the Book of Ezechiel?

Catholic Foundation Library #22In this lecture, we begin by looking at the overall structure of the Book of Ezechiel, and then we will cover chapters 1 through 5.In particular, we will look at the vision of the dead bones, and we will point out the similarity in structure between the Book of Ezechiel and the Book of Revelation.Highlights What is the relation between the vision of the dead bones and the final judgment? How are we to understand the vision of the throne and the strange creatures surrounding it? Why did God make Ezechiel's tongue cleave to his mouth so that he could not talk anymore?

Catholic Foundation Library #21 Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert, prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low;  the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all mankind shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. These five verses begin the 40th Chapter of the Book of Isaiah. We all know that Jesus went and lived in  Capernaum at the very beginning of his ministry. Why did he go up to  Galilee and begin there instead of starting in Jerusalem?Isaiah prophesied that where the desolation of Israel began, the restoration will begin also, and when Samaria attacked the northern Kingdom of  Israel, it conquered first Zebulun and  Naphtali. Capernaum was a touchpoint for the land of these two tribes, so Jesus went to Capernaum because where the desolation started, there the restoration would begin. St. Matthew understood all  this when he wrote in Chapter 4 of his Gospel beginning with verse 13: He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.

Catholic Foundation Library #20We continue and complete our study of the Book of Damnation.Highlights Why God allows his enemies to flourish? To make good use of them, of course. What is this business of speaking in tongues? Is it real? Why is the Catholic view of the world optimistic and triumphant? Do you really understand why Galileo was excommunicated?

Catholic Foundation Library #19What is striking is that these woes are not immediately followed by a sweeping action on God's part. It is as if  God promises woes to those who are unfaithful to Him but seems to hesitate; Is God unfaithful to His word?The interpretive key here and elsewhere is that God is a loving father. He will warn multiple times before taking action, but when He does the action is definitive, efficient, and cannot be revoked.

Catholic Foundation Library #18In this lecture, we cover the meaning of the Zodiac, natural elements like the sea, the mountains, trees, etc., colors, precious stones,  weapons, and animals.Highlights What is the sea a symbol of? What is the fig tree a symbol of? What is a horse a symbol of?

Catholic Foundation Library #17In this lecture we will look at the symbolic meaning of numbers: 1,  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 24, 100, 1,000, 144,000, what do these numbers mean?Does 144,000 mean exactly 144,000?As with everything else, we need to realize that the ancients looked at numbers differently and ascribed different meanings to them. It is important for us to recover this meaning so that we may properly understand their usage in the Bible.Highlights Why is 666 the number of the beast? Where in the bible is 666 mentioned first? If 666 is the number of the beast, what would 777 mean? Why?

Catholic Foundation Library #16The three last feasts of the Temple liturgical year were no less important than the first three. The Feast of Tabernacles takes place 50 days after Yom Kippur and is the foreshadowing of the Feast of Pentecost in the Catholic Liturgy.These three feasts have an eschatological dimension and play an important role in the Book of Revelation.Highlights What are the 10 Days of Awe? What is the scapegoat and what role does it play? Why are trumpets important?

Catholic Foundation Library #15We begin this lecture with an overview of the Jewish calendar and its importance. Next, we study the first three feasts of this calendar, namely Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First  Fruits.These three feasts occurred during the week of Nissan 14  (specifically beginning with Nissan 14 and ending on the 21st of Nissan.  From an analogical point of view (see the four senses of scripture) it is clear that Passover is a type of the passion, Unleavened Bread of the  Eucharist, and First Fruits of the resurrection.HighlightsWhat does "no salvation outside the Catholic Church" mean?

Catholic Foundation Library #14In this lecture, we will attempt to explain why God spent two chapters in Scripture talking about creation, and fifty chapters talking about the Tabernacle and the Temple.God gave direct, specific instructions about the Temple; its architecture, its size, its decoration, the furniture that went in it. Everything was directed by  God.Why?Part of the answer is that the Temple is important in the eyes of God.Why?Because Heaven is important.The Temple is the first glimpse of Heaven on Earth in a symbolic way. With the Church, it becomes a sacramental reality.In this lecture, we will also begin to understand that the Temple is a  physical manifestation of Jesus Christ. "Destroy this Temple and I will  rebuild it in three days." The Temple is a prefiguration of Christ, and by studying the Temple we come to learn God's plan for the coming  Christ.Highlights What is the relationship between the Tabernacle and the Temple? What is the relationship between nature and Christ? What are the 5 types of offerings?

Catholic Foundation Library #13The Temple of Jerusalem, built during the reign of Solomon, was the only place on Earth God dwelt in a visible fashion. The Shekinah, the Presence of the Lord, was in the Holy of Holies until shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 587 A.D.The  Temple was built with a system of concentric courts. The Court of the  Gentiles was open to everyone. It was the largest court and anyone, Jew or Gentile, could walk there. A dividing wall separated this court from that of the women where only the men and women of Israel could enter; a  law enforced under penalty of death. The beautiful gate separated the court of the women from the court of men and women were not allowed to go past that gate. A small wall separated the court of men from the court of the priests.Inside this court stood the great altar of sacrifice and the bronze laver in which twelve priests could bathe themselves.It was inside this court that the Temple proper stood. Known otherwise as the Holy, this building was inlaid with gold inside and out.Inside and towards the back stood an impressive curtain that was twenty feet wide and thirteen feet high. Behind the curtain was the Holy of Holies, a  cube where the tabernacle was placed and where the Shekinah, the presence of the Lord dwelt.Highlights Why all these courts? Why not have one external court and then the Temple proper? Why was the altar of sacrifice outside the Temple proper? What did the Holy contain and why?

Catholic Foundation Library #12In this lecture, we study the blessings and curses in Leviticus 26 and  Deuteronomy 28, and their implications as they apply to us today. We study Psalm 91 and Wisdom 7 to understand the curses of God in light of his mercy so that we conform our consciences to a proper understanding of who God is and who we are in his sight. As the Book of Wisdom states,  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom." We rely on the analogical sense to see how Wisdom 7 applies to the Lord, and on the anagogical sense to see how it applies to Our Lady. Highlights  Is the bible biased against the Egyptians?  The curses in Deuteronomy 28 and  Leviticus 26 are terrifying. Do they apply to us?  What do Deuteronomy and Leviticus have to say about the end of the world?

Catholic Foundation Library #11The 10 plagues of Egypt are important for anyone who wishes to understand the Book of Revelation. Yet, in and of themselves, the plagues are dreadful and strange. Locusts, frogs, nights of darkness,  blood ... what is God up to? In this lecture, we study these plagues and deepen our understanding of Our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation and of his love for us. We also look at the role angels play during the old covenant and reflect on the power they have to influence us. Highlights Why did God harden the heart of Pharaoh?  Why did He kill every first-born son? How do angels and demons fight? 

Catholic Foundation Library #10In this lecture, we build upon our study of the Covenant and the blessings and curses by considering the presence of Israel in Egypt,  their fall into slavery, and their call out of Egypt. We use the senses of Scripture to apply their plight to the present time in order to understand God's plan of salvation for us today.Highlights Why did God let Israel stay in Egypt for 400 years before calling them out? Why did God make it so difficult for them to reach the Promised Land?  Jericho was a powerful city. Two chariots could run side-by-side atop its fortified walls. Why did God ask the Israelites to walk around it blowing trumpets?

Catholic Foundation Library #9In this lecture, we explore a simple question: Why the Covenant? Why all the sacrifices? Why the blessings and the curses? Couldn't God find an easier way?Highlights If dogs beget dogs and cats beget cats and humans beget humans, how could we be called children of God? Is this symbolic? Do unbaptized babies go to heaven? Can we get to heaven outside the Covenant?

Catholic Foundation Library #8What do we mean when we say that God blesses? Likewise, what do we mean when we say that God curses? This talk defines these terms;  explains what they mean. In particular, we will clear a common misconception that cursing and swearing is the same thing. It is not.Highlights When God blesses someone, is his family blessed as well? When God curses someone, is his family cursed as well? Do we have the power to bless? Do we have the power to curse?

Catholic Foundation Library #7The Covenant with Moses is, without doubt, a foundational event. In it, God makes the twelve tribes a nation; Moses gives them the law and promises to lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey. The  Covenant with David ratifies this promise and seals it: the Kingdom of  David is born.Beyond the literal meaning of these texts, we see shining forth Christ and his Church. In this series we study these two  Covenants and understand how they apply to the Lord and to the New  Israel, that is the Church He founded on Peter.

Catholic Foundation Library #6In this lecture, we explain what a covenant is and what it is not. In particular, we explain the difference between a Covenant and a contract and then we study the first three Covenants with Adam, Noah, and Abraham.  The anagogical sense of Scripture shows us how each: Adam, Noah, and  Abraham is a type of Christ and of God. The anagogical sense shows us that Eve, Noah's wife, and Abraham's tribe are a type of the Church.Highlights What is the difference between a Covenant and a contract? Will I go to hell if I pronounce the name of Jesus in vain? Find out. Should I swear to God? Why and why not?

Catholic Foundation Library #5In paragraph 117, the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the anagogical sense allows us to " view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance,  leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign  of the heavenly Jerusalem." The anagogical sense then allows us to understand what Scripture has to say about the Church (and Our Lady) and about the end times.The moral sense, adds the Catechism in the same paragraph, allows us to understand that "the events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written 'for our instruction'".This lecture focuses principally on the anagogical sense; the moral sense being familiar to most of us.Highlights Why was Eve created out of Adam's rib? Find out. What does it mean for a wife to submit to her husband? Find out what the anagogical sense has to say about contraception. What does it mean to speak in tongues?

Catholic Foundation Library #4In paragraph 116, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that "we  can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing  their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign  or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian Baptism." This is what the allegorical sense of Scripture stands for: Understanding the literal passage as it applies to Christ.Highlights In  John, Chapter 3, Jesus compares himself to a serpent of bronze. What did he mean? Find out how the allegorical sense helps us to understand this text. Find out why Moses did not lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Learn to see the Face of Jesus in the Old Testament.

Catholic Foundation Library #3In Matthew 20:29 and following, and Luke 18:35 and following, we read of the healing of the blind man. Trouble is that  Matthew tells us that Jesus was entering Jericho and Luke tells us that the Lord was leaving Jericho.  It can't be both. Is there a contradiction in Scripture? Obviously, we can't take Scripture word-for-word here, so how are we to understand what actually took place? Learn how to apply the literal sense properly.In the second chapter of Mark, we meet Jesus and the disciples walking through a field of wheat. The disciples start plucking the wheat and eating the grain. The Pharisees ask Jesus why he lets his disciples do this on the Sabbath when, according to them, plucking wheat is considered work and thus, unlawful.Jesus asks them if they heard how David went to the high priest, Abiathar, and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat.What's so strange in this passage is that, if you read 1 Samuel 21:2 and following, you find out that it was not Abiathar, the high priest, but his father Ahimelech.It sounds like Jesus got it wrong or Mark got it wrong. There are theologians who would say that this is a mistake but it is a small mistake so it does not matter.I beg to differ.Scripture is inerrant -- no errors. We need to properly read it.

Catholic Foundation Library #2In paragraph 116 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read "The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by  exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: 'All other senses  of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal.'"The literal sense is not necessarily the word-for-word meaning of the text.  The context, the writing style, the epoch, the subject, and the whole of Scripture in the Tradition of the Church must be taken into consideration to properly understand what the text is saying.Highlights The literal sense tells us that Scripture cannot explain itself. Find out why. The literal sense tells us that the Sacred authors used images, euphemisms,  hyperbolae, metaphors,   and idioms, just like us. Taken literally, these devices lead to absurd interpretations.

Catholic Foundation Library #1According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses."The  profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to  the living reading of Scripture in the Church." So says the Catechism of,  the Catholic Church in paragraph 115.In this talk, we learn about the literal and the spiritual senses of Scripture and we begin to understand how we need to use the four senses in order to read Scripture according to the mind of the Church.Highlights The importance of the literal sense cannot be underestimated. Find out why. Is the literal sense the same thing as the word-for-word meaning? It all depends. The spiritual sense is divided into three senses. Learn what they are.