Podcasts about mystical body

“The Church is communion with Jesus.” The Catechism shows us what it means for the Church to be considered the “body of Christ”. Fr. Mike explains how being part of the Church makes us “united in him, in his body”—more intimately connected with Jesus than even the Apostles were. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 787-791. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Mystical Body of Christ Hello St. Mary Magdalene,  This week the Church invites us to reflect on the diversity and uniqueness of our gifts and how each of us offers something back to God for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel and sharing the Good News of Jesus with everyone! God bless,  Fr. Chris Visit us: https://www.smarymag.org Support us online: https://membership.faithdirect.net/AZ754

This is a live recording of a homily that Fr. Eric gave on Jan. 26, 2025 at St. James in Colgan, Ontario. Fr. Eric reflects upon St. Paul's description of the Mystical Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-30) in speaking about how the passage guides us in the sense of building and living out of an authentic sense of Christian community. Watch Catholic Latte on YouTube and Facebook. An audio version of the podcast is available on Spotify, iTunes and Podbean.

Mystical Body Revealed by Fr. Josh Waltz

When someone stubs their toe, the whole body reacts and works for the good of the toe because the toe is needed as a member of the body to serve the good of the whole body. So we as members of the Mystical Body of Christ are to contribute and to help one another in the building up of the Kingdom of God here on earth. Listen to my homily to learn more.

Fr. Eric reflects upon St. Paul's description of the Mystical Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-30) in speaking about how the passage guides us in the sense of building and living out of an authentic sense of Christian community. Watch Catholic Latte on YouTube and Facebook. An audio version of the podcast is available on Spotify, iTunes and Podbean.

Today is Sunday, January 5, 2025, The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, a 2nd class feast, with the color of white. In this episode: The meditation: “The Mystical Body,” today's news from the Church: “When Pius XII Warned Chinese Catholics,” and today's thought from the Archbishop. Sources Used Today: A Child in Winter, Caryll Houselander “When Pius XII Warned Chinese Catholics” (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/when-pius-xii-warned-chinese-catholics-49576 “The Holy Name of Jesus” (SSPX Sermons) Watch on YouTube Listen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life- Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press) We'd love your feedback on these Daily Devotionals! What do you like / not like, and what would you like us to add? podcast@sspx.org - - - - - - - Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional - it's a perfect companion! Subscribe to this Podcast to receive this and all our audio episodes Subscribe to the SSPX YouTube channel for video versions of our podcast series and Sermons FSSPX News Website: https://fsspx.news Visit the US District website: https://sspx.org/ - - - - - What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.  - - - - - - What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

THE MYSTICAL BODY

Read OnlineJesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. John 2:19–21We celebrate, today, the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the mother church of the entire Roman Catholic Church. It was given to the Bishop of Rome in the fourth century and remained the pope's primary residence until the building of St. Peter's Basilica, at a time when the Lateran Basilica was falling into ruins. However, the Lateran Basilica to this day remains the most important Church in the world, since it is officially the Cathedral Church of Rome.As we honor this church, we honor more than a building. The Lateran Basilica is a symbol of the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Its interior is beautiful and awe-inspiring so as to point us to the unimaginable beauty of the Church Herself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.Today's Gospel depicts Jesus entering the Temple and driving the money changers out with a whip and the animals they were selling for profit. As He did so, He cried out, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace.” Psalm 69 is then quoted: Zeal for your house will consume me.Jesus loves His Church as His own Body—because that is what it is. As His Body, the members of His Church are called and sent to act as His instruments, members of His saving action. Much more than a church building, today we honor the Church Herself—which means we honor you, insofar as you are a member of the Body of Christ. And in light of this Gospel passage for today's Feast, we are reminded of the zeal that our Lord has for the cleansing of His Church.How is the Church purified? It is purified by the cleansing of Her members. That means that Jesus desires, with perfect zeal, to drive out every sin from your soul, cleansing the filth that keeps you from fulfilling your essential role as a member of His Body.Sometimes we become slack in our own commitment to be purified. We can easily become comfortable with the sins we commit, and we can form habits that are hard to break. When this happens, it is useful to ponder this story of the cleansing of the Temple and see it as Jesus' desire to cleanse our own soul. At times, we need to be shaken up, challenged, confronted and encouraged with the unwavering zeal in the heart of our Lord. Reflect, today, upon this powerful image of Jesus cleansing the Temple. As you do, apply it to your own life. The people selling and buying in the Temple must have been shocked at Jesus' zeal and actions. If you have become complacent with your sins, try to allow this holy shock to also wake you up. Allow our Lord's zeal to affect you, and know that His purifying actions are acts of love by which He desires to free you to become a more fully functioning member of His holy Church.My zealous Lord, Your heart burns with a deep desire to cleanse me and all Your children from sin. Your zeal reveals Your deep love and Your willingness to do all that You can to make me a fuller member of Your Body, the Church. Open my mind and will, dear Lord, to all that You wish to say to me and give me the grace to respond to Your purifying action in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Jesus Speaks Near the Treasury by James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to the fifth in the series: Being the Child God Made You where we're exploring how to be the child that Jesus asks us to be. Today we'll be talking about Mary who teaches us how to receive the Spirit. Excerpts: Finally, the apostles had gathered around the Mother of Jesus after he had ascended into heaven, waiting with her for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Mary knew well the presence, almost the “feel”—spiritually speaking—of being inhabited, of being a Temple, of the Spirit of Jesus. She had profound spiritual sensitivity and was no stranger to the movement of the Spirit, through whom the Son of God took flesh within her. At the Annunciation she became the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of the Son of God, and at that moment, in some mysterious way, the Mother of us, all of us who are the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. In the Cenacle, as the Spirit is poured out on all Jesus' disciples praying there, Mary is manifested as a type of the Church who, as Mother herself, will give birth to children of God at the baptismal fonts of every country and every time through the grace poured out by the Spirit. This grace is a gift given on the initiative of God, purifying and elevating our nature without suppressing or changing it in its very being.... Mary, Mother of the Church, teach me how to be a mother to people who have fallen away from the Church. Inspire me how to enter into the troubled moments of others' lives with a quiet invitation to accompany me to the Eucharist or adoration, there to meet your Son. Encourage me to say a gentle word of faith at a time when their heart is ready to receive it. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.... To connect to more resources for spiritual formation: www.touchingthesunrise.com    

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 11, is the Memorial Day of St. John XXIII, pope, for five years until his earthly death in 1963. He was called “the good Pope” and was known for convening the Second Vatican Council. Sustained by a profound spirit of prayer, John XXIII was seen as a reflection of God's goodness. Today is also the day of the Divine Maternity of Mary, or the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast instituted by Pius XI in 1931. The faithful emphasize Mary's divine maternity and her motherhood of all Christ's Mystical Body members. The Pope himself singled out Mary as the foremost model for the dignity and sanctity of chaste married life and the religious education of youth. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John XXIII, Pray for Us! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 11, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

The Mystical Body 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Speaker: Weston Brown More info @ covenantshreveport.org

The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, but the fact that it is a body means a lot. On one hand, no principle of Catholic Social Teaching stands except that it rest of the foundation of the "brute reality" of the Church. On the other, the members of the Faith become worldly, even in their best intentions, unless they rest their efforts on the fact of the Church as the portal between time and eternity. This and more on the new episode!

How does rationality/ea and faith intersect? Austin Chen joins me to explore the overlaps between Catholic upbringing and EA principles. We discuss his car wash story, tithing/earning to give, the concept of utilons and fuzzies, creating secular liturgies like Taco Tuesday, the tension between being agentic and the savior complex, on rest and waiting, and seeing the uniqueness of each person amidst the systems we create. (Recorded May 2024) Transcript: https://hopeinsource.com/charity(00:00) - Jewish Culture and Rationalism (00:57) - Growing up Tithing (02:16) - Car washing for missions to earn to give (03:49) - Ebbs and Flows (05:32) - How far does a dolllar go (08:49) - Separate your utilons and fuzzies (09:55) - Assumptions in value (11:24) - EA as at it's best a meta-framework? (13:18) - Friends vs Movements (15:42) - Continual commitment (18:56) - Babel and Pentecost (20:16) - The Mystical Body and Taco Tuesdays (24:23) - Agentic or Salvific (26:08) - Humility of Sabbath (28:22) - Efficiency and Waiting (29:49) - Hope is trusting in people (32:06) - Knowledge Progression, Loose Structure ★ Support this podcast ★

“I hope this is a renewal of our own sense of Christ's presence in the Eucharist, but [also] what it means to be the Body of Christ…and how we go out and witness to others as the Body of Christ."  - Archbishop ThompsonIn this episode, Tim and Archbishop Charles C. Thompson discuss how Indianapolis was picked to be the host of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. Archbishop Thompson also discusses praying before the Indy 500, his role with the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis at the USCCB, and the Synod on Synodality. As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, Archbishop Thompson reminds us that we must “remember that we're called to transform the world, not to let the world get the best of us.” We are very grateful for His Excellency's leadership and hospitality as he welcomes us to his great city!If you have enjoyed Season 2 of Revive, please leave us a review!.Find resources for the ongoing Revival by visiting: www.eucharisticrevival.orgFind resources for the ongoing Pilgrimages by visiting: www.eucharisticpilgrimage.orgFind resources for the upcoming Congress by visiting: www.eucharisticcongress.orgThis episode is sponsored by Sacred Heart Major SeminaryUNLEASHING THE POWER OF THE EARLY CHURCHStudy "Acts of the Apostles" with Dr. Mary Healy online at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. CLICK HEREAn OSV Podcasts original. Discover more ways to live, learn, and love your Catholic faith at osvpodcasts.com. Sharing stories, starting conversations.

The Catechism has spent considerable time unpacking Holy Communion—the “sacrament of sacraments”—with us, and now she summarizes the most essential truths that we must internalize and move forward with. Fr. Mike takes this “nugget day” to tell us that God desires to feed us. He has given us his Son so that we might be filled with him and made whole again, in unity with him for all of eternity. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1406-1419. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

The sacrament of Holy Communion unites the faithful together in a most profound, visible way. It also makes disunity in the Church all the more painful and apparent. The Catechism reveals the Church's teachings regarding the Eucharist and Christian churches who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. Fr. Mike addresses a most common and difficult question: “If a non-Catholic believes that the Eucharist is truly Jesus, why can they not receive him in the sacrament?” Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1396-1401. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Sponsored by Devout Decals https://www.devoutdecals.com/ Sources: https://www.returntotradition.org Contact Me: Email: return2catholictradition@gmail.com Support My Work: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AnthonyStine SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.net/return-to-tradition Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AnthonyStine Physical Mail: Anthony Stine PO Box 3048 Shawnee, OK 74802 Follow me on the following social media: https://www.facebook.com/ReturnToCatholicTradition/ https://twitter.com/pontificatormax +JMJ+ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anthony-stine/support

TGIF with Fr. Anthony, Tony, and Christina.  Today they discuss the reality of the times we're living in.  Where is the hope?  We give our lives to Christ.  It will cost us much but it is certainly worth the cost.  In the end, the Mystical Body of Christ will have to pass by way of the Cross.     St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

“The Church is communion with Jesus.” The Catechism shows us what it means for the Church to be considered the “body of Christ”. Fr. Mike explains how being part of the Church makes us “united in him, in his body”—more intimately connected with Jesus than even the Apostles were. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 787-791. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

“Have the courage to be a Christian, which means every day is a new day and God's grace is real and his compassion and love for you is the strongest thing...in the universe."  - Montse AlvaradoIn this episode, Tim and Montse Alvarado discuss how Montse received the invitation as a lay woman to be one of the three emcees for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. They also discuss the power of truly and intentionally encountering those around us. Just like Jesus exemplified, even our brief encounters can change people's lives. Tim and Montse also discuss politics, how the Lord has moved through our bishops, and the future of Catholic media.As the Mystical Body of Christ, we need to be much bolder when it comes to petitioning Our Lord. In this episode, Montse tells us, “Ask! Nag! Do it!” Our Lord desires to move for us! Please remember to leave us a review and share with your family and friends!Watch Montse's weekly newscast on EWTN by visiting: https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/ewtn-news-in-depthFind resources for the ongoing Revival by visiting: www.eucharisticrevival.orgFind resources for the ongoing Pilgrimages by visiting: www.eucharisticpilgrimage.orgFind resources for the upcoming Congress by visiting: www.eucharisticcongress.orgThis episode is sponsored by Saint Meinrad Seminary.Click saintmeinrad.edu/OSV to learn more about Graduate Theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary & School of Theology. Laity and deacons are invited to inquire or apply. Pursue your MA or certificate in theology via weekend and online offerings. An OSV Podcasts original. Discover more ways to live, learn, and love your Catholic faith at osvpodcasts.com. Sharing stories, starting conversations.

In this deeply enriching episode, we explore the concepts of the Cosmic Christ, Teilhard de Chardin, and the Mystical Body of Christ, guiding listeners through a transcendent yet practical understanding of how these ideas can inspire and impact our daily lives.Cosmic Christ: Discover how the Cosmic Christ concept offers a unique perspective on spirituality that transcends traditional religious boundaries, inviting us into a deeper, more inclusive relationship with the divine and the universe.Teilhard de Chardin: Delve into the life and groundbreaking ideas of Teilhard de Chardin, a visionary Jesuit priest, scientist, and philosopher whose thoughts on evolution, technology, and spirituality were far ahead of his time. Learn how his vision of ongoing evolution and human's role in it connects with today's debates on ecology, climate change, and the rapid development of AI.Mystical Body of Christ: Understand how the Mystical Body of Christ invites us to realize our interconnectedness with all beings and the divine, encouraging us toward unity, compassion, and the collective endeavor of building a more loving and harmonious world.Additionally, we announce our exciting, free live online class, The Camino Experience, which ties into these themes by teaching the spiritual meaning of The Camino and offering practical tools for navigating life's challenges with wisdom and grace.SAVE YOUR SPOT

What do we do with suffering? Why would we want to cooperate with the pain? How can suffering be helpful? There are many reasons to be concerned with the way organized religion handles these very vulnerable questions. In this episode, I talk with worship leader Charlie Hall, an old friend about these things. That we can engage such vulnerabilities after so much time--this bears witness to the mystical body of Christ that exists beyond time and space. The prayer for this episode: that we might recover a deeper trust in God and other people, to be honest about our suffering, and not alone. I visited Oklahoma City in December of 2017 to gain support during the launch of the Invitation as a not-for-profit. OKC had been a spiritual home for much of my early adulthood. This conversation with worship leader, Charlie Hall is the second of two conversations I recorded during that trip. As I review the previous conversation with Brock Bingaman (episode #94) and this one with Charlie, my heart is full of gratitude for the spiritual reality of the church. Subscribe to the Invitation podcast: theinvitationcenter.org/subscribe To learn about the Invitation School of Prayer: theinvitationcenter.org/school-of-prayer To learn about the School of Contemplative Listening: theinvitationcenter.org/socl

Friends of the Rosary: "I have come not to abolish the law but to fulfill it," Jesus said to the Pharisees, as we read this Wednesday (Matthew 5:17–19). The Son of God Jesus denounced the hypocrisy of the instructional religion of that time, but He didn't call for its dismantling. "What He effected was a transfiguration of the best of that classical Israelite religion—temple, law, priesthood, sacrifice, covenant—into the institutions, sacraments, practices, and structures of his Mystical Body, the Church," explained Bishop Barron. Many evangelicals want Jesus without the Universal Church. Also, followers of the New Age spirituality reject any religion. The Catholic Church is holy and sinner at the same time. However, this universal institution with its lights and shadows is the continuation of the preaching and faithful love of Christ. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 9, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Most communication takes place through body language. That's no less true for the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, as we communicate Christ via our spiritual gifts. 

Today's Topics: 1) Seven Ways to Strengthen Your Faith in 2024 2) What was the "Star of Bethlehem?" 3) The Real Novelty of Fiducia Supplicans 4) Belonging to the Mystical Body

Recorded in 2008 during the Jubilee Year of St Paul, June 2008-June 2009. This presentation on St. Paul's writings on the first of the Sacraments of Initiation kicks off Fr. Mitch Pacwa's series on St. Paul and the Sacraments. St. Paul's further elucidation of Christ's doctrine that one must be born of water and of the Spirit is invaluable to understanding our own initiation into the Mystical Body of Christ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Browse Great Resources: https://store.parousiamedia.com/ Join the Parousia mailing list at: https://www.parousiamedia.com/mailing... Parousia is committed to proclaiming the fullness of truth! If you wish to help us in our mission with a donation please visit our website here: https://www.parousiamedia.com/donate/ to learn ways that you can contribute.

John the Baptist can inspire us to have a deeper relationship with Jesus. The transcription for this Podcast can be found at https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/he-must-increase.html ADDITIONAL LINKS: The Surrender Novena The Definition of the Mystical Body of Christ Public Domain Art Tag for the Image of John the Baptist

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 489The Saint of the day is Saint Leo the GreatSaint Leo the Great's Story With apparent strong conviction of the importance of the Bishop of Rome in the Church, and of the Church as the ongoing sign of Christ's presence in the world, Leo the Great displayed endless dedication as pope. Elected in 440, he worked tirelessly as “Peter's successor,” guiding his fellow bishops as “equals in the episcopacy and infirmities.” Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into four main areas, indicative of his notion of the pope's total responsibility for the flock of Christ. He worked at length to control the heresies of Pelagianism—overemphasizing human freedom—Manichaeism—seeing everything material as evil—and others, placing demands on their followers so as to secure true Christian beliefs. A second major area of his concern was doctrinal controversy in the Church in the East, to which he responded with a classic letter setting down the Church's teaching on the two natures of Christ. With strong faith, he also led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack, taking the role of peacemaker. In these three areas, Leo's work has been highly regarded. His growth to sainthood has its basis in the spiritual depth with which he approached the pastoral care of his people, which was the fourth focus of his work. He is known for his spiritually profound sermons. An instrument of the call to holiness, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness, Leo had the ability to reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. One of his sermons is used in the Office of Readings on Christmas. It is said of Leo that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body, the Church. Thus Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ, the head of the Mystical Body, and Saint Peter, in whose place Leo acted. Reflection At a time when there is widespread criticism of Church structures, we also hear criticism that bishops and priests—indeed, all of us—are too preoccupied with administration of temporal matters. Pope Leo is an example of a great administrator who used his talents in areas where spirit and structure are inseparably combined: doctrine, peace, and pastoral care. He avoided an “angelism” that tries to live without the body, as well as the “practicality” that deals only in externals. Click here for quotes from Catholic saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. John 2:19–21We celebrate, today, the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the mother church of the entire Roman Catholic Church. It was given to the Bishop of Rome in the fourth century and remained the pope's primary residence until the building of St. Peter's Basilica, at a time when the Lateran Basilica was falling into ruins. However, the Lateran Basilica to this day remains the most important Church in the world, since it is officially the Cathedral Church of Rome.As we honor this church, we honor more than a building. The Lateran Basilica is a symbol of the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Its interior is beautiful and awe-inspiring so as to point us to the unimaginable beauty of the Church Herself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.Today's Gospel depicts Jesus entering the Temple and driving the money changers out with a whip and the animals they were selling for profit. As He did so, He cried out, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace.” Psalm 69 is then quoted: Zeal for your house will consume me.Jesus loves His Church as His own Body—because that is what it is. As His Body, the members of His Church are called and sent to act as His instruments, members of His saving action. Much more than a church building, today we honor the Church Herself—which means we honor you, insofar as you are a member of the Body of Christ. And in light of this Gospel passage for today's Feast, we are reminded of the zeal that our Lord has for the cleansing of His Church.How is the Church purified? It is purified by the cleansing of Her members. That means that Jesus desires, with perfect zeal, to drive out every sin from your soul, cleansing the filth that keeps you from fulfilling your essential role as a member of His Body.Sometimes we become slack in our own commitment to be purified. We can easily become comfortable with the sins we commit, and we can form habits that are hard to break. When this happens, it is useful to ponder this story of the cleansing of the Temple and see it as Jesus' desire to cleanse our own soul. At times, we need to be shaken up, challenged, confronted and encouraged with the unwavering zeal in the heart of our Lord. Reflect, today, upon this powerful image of Jesus cleansing the Temple. As you do, apply it to your own life. The people selling and buying in the Temple must have been shocked at Jesus' zeal and actions. If you have become complacent with your sins, try to allow this holy shock to also wake you up. Allow our Lord's zeal to affect you, and know that His purifying actions are acts of love by which He desires to free you to become a more fully functioning member of His holy Church. My zealous Lord, Your heart burns with a deep desire to cleanse me and all Your children from sin. Your zeal reveals Your deep love and Your willingness to do all that You can to make me a fuller member of Your Body, the Church. Open my mind and will, dear Lord, to all that You wish to say to me and give me the grace to respond to Your purifying action in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

The Mystical Body of the FamilySubscribe to receive every sermon here: https://sspx-sermons.captivate.fm/listenSee all our Sermons: https://sspxpodcast.com/sermons/Donate: https://sspxpodcast.com/faq/#donateView on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SSPX

Lord Jesus Christ, Our God and Saviour, You are the Head of the Church, Your spotless Bride and Mystical Body. Look mercifully upon the profound distress to which Our Holy Mother Church has been subjected. Doctrinal confusion, moral abomination, and liturgical abuse have, in our day, reached an unprecedented height. “The heathens have come into your inheritance, having defiled your holy temple, and laid Jerusalem in ruins” (Ps 79:1). Churchmen who have lost the true Faith and become promoters of a worldly globalist agenda, are intent on changing Your truths and Commandments, the Divine Constitution of the Church, and the Apostolic tradition. O Lord, with humble spirit and contrite heart we beseech You, prevent the enemies of the Church from exulting in a victory over the authentic Catholic Church obtained by imposing a counterfeit church under the guise of “synodality.” Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come to the aid of Your Church with Your almighty strength. For where sin and apostasy in the Church abounds, the victory of Your grace will abound the more. We firmly believe that the gates of Hell will not prevail against Your Church. In this hour, in which our beloved and holy Mother Church is suffering her Golgotha, we promise to remain with her. Graciously accept our interior and exterior sufferings, which we humbly offer in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of the Church, as a reparation for our own sins and for the sins of sacrilege and apostasy within the Church. O Lord, send forth your Holy Angels under the command of Saint Michael the Archangel, to bring your heavenly light to the Pope and synod participants, and to frustrate the plans of your enemies within the synod assembly. O Lord, look mercifully upon the little ones in the Church, look upon the hidden souls who sacrifice themselves for the Church, look upon all the tears, sighs and supplications of the true children of the Church, and through the merits of the Immaculate Heart of Your Most Holy Mother, arise, O Lord, and by Your intervention grant Your Church holy shepherds who, imitating Your example, will give their lives for You and Your sheep. O Lord, we beseech You: Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us a holy Pope, zealous in promoting and defending the Catholic Faith, we implore You, grant it! Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us holy and intrepid bishops, we implore You, grant it! Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us holy priests, who are men of God, we implore You, grant it! In You, O Lord, we rest our hope: let us never be put to shame. To You, O Lord Jesus Christ, be given all honour and glory in Your Holy Church. You live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit: God, forever and ever. Amen.   September 29, 2023 + Athanasius Schneider

NOTE: This article from May 2023 was fairly popular, so I decided to record it for YouTube and for the Podcast streams. Enjoy, and please comment, like, and share!IntroductionThis is not an article refuting various theological points of the Society of St. Pius X. It is not an extensive refutation of the pernicious errors of sedevacantism. What it aims to be is a reiteration of what the Church Herself is, who we are in relationship to Her, and a warning to avoid the grave sin of schism.The Church of Jesus Christ is the Catholic Church. This Church is visible and clearly manifest. Jesus is not trying to trick us. God, our Father, desires our salvation. The Holy Spirit guides and guards the Church. Our Blessed Mother never ceases to intercede for us. No matter how bleak things seem, staying in the Barque of Peter is always the best option. What is the Church of Jesus Christ?During the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the Council Fathers took up the task of writing a Dogmatic Constitution (the highest magisterial level of a Church document) on the Church Herself. The Mystery of the Church is expounded in this constitution: Lumen Gentium. Promulgated by Pope St. Paul VI in November 1964, the Council Fathers provided a clear and beautiful description of Holy Mother Church.Found in paragraph 8 of Lumen Gentium, in particular, is a nuanced and gorgeous explication of the Church. Passages such as these must be read in continuity with everything that came before this moment in the Church or we run the risk of reading it outside of the heart and mind of the Church. One word, especially, provides difficulty for some readers of Lumen Gentium: “subsists.” However, I hope to show, in short order, that this word is inspired. The paragraph begins: “Christ, the one Mediator, established and continually sustains here on earth His holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as an entity with visible delineation through which He communicated truth and grace to all. But, the society structured with hierarchical organs and the Mystical Body of Christ, are not to be considered as two realities, nor are the visible assembly and the spiritual community, nor the earthly Church and the Church enriched with heavenly things; rather they form one complex reality which coalesces from a divine and a human element. For this reason, by no weak analogy, it is compared to the mystery of the incarnate Word. As the assumed nature inseparably united to Him, serves the divine Word as a living organ of salvation, so, in a similar way, does the visible social structure of the Church serve the Spirit of Christ, who vivifies it, in the building up of the body (LG, 8; emphasis added).”Let us pause here for a moment. To summarize: Christ is the one Mediator between God and man and the Church which He established and continually sustains is His Church. In a strongly analogous sense, the Church is both human and divine because there is a visible structure but an internal cohesion as well. The passage continues:This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth.' This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity.”If we understand that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, founded a Church two thousand years ago, then we can acclaim rightly that this Church is divinely constituted. As the Church has always affirmed, the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. This Church is visible. As Lumen Gentium, this Church IS the one Church of Christ professed in the Creed. So, why do folks have a problem with the phrase “subsists in?” Generally, it is due to a suspicion of the Second Vatican Council that sees the modernist boogeyman in every page of the documents of this Council. The Latin phrase used “subsistit in” is actually quite ancient, the meaning going back at least to the terminology of Aristotle. It means to exist as a substance. In other words, the Church was founded by Christ and has been sustained by Him as one, true, substantive thing. This one Church is the Catholic Church. So, why not just say is (est in Latin)? Well, not to belabor the point, but they did! The first part of the paragraph containing “subsistit in” begins: “Haec est unica Christi Ecclesia (this is the one Church of Christ).” The Council Fathers are not disputing the understanding of the Catholic Church as the Church of Jesus Christ.The Church of Jesus Christ can be encountered as a concrete subject only in the Catholic Church. The “elements of sanctification and of truth” outside the visible structure of the Church are the reality that God is present and operative in the Sacraments, such as Baptism and Matrimony, in Protestant communities and present and operative in all seven Sacraments in the Orthodox Churches. Nonetheless, the Church subsists only in the Catholic Church. These elements of sanctification are not substantial and concrete instantiations of the Church of Jesus Christ apart from the Catholic Church, rather they are an admittance that moves as He wills and is drawing all people to Himself in the Catholic Church. This is true ecumenism: being willing instruments in helping the Holy Spirit guide all persons to the truth and fullness of the Catholic Church, which is visible and concrete. To take another approach, we could say that when God effects a Sacrament or moves in grace and power outside the visible bounds of the Catholic Church, it is nonetheless a fact that “the one Church of Christ has an operative presence in them (Ut Unum Sint, 8),” as St. John Paul II wrote. So, if someone is saved by sacramental grace, it is still only by the grace flowing from the one true Church of Jesus Christ which is the Catholic Church, our sacrament of salvation on Earth. How Can We Identify the Catholic Church?The Catholic Church has always been visible, though admittedly clandestine in certain circumstances. We can think here of the difficult situation in China today or of the Church in Communist nations in the 20th Century. Or we can look at England under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Or under Roman persecutions or Muslim occupations. Nonetheless, the Church was founded by Christ and continues to be sustained by Him and guided and guarded by the Holy Spirit. The four marks of the Church are present in fullness in the Catholic Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The Church is one because Christ is one. In the inner life of the Trinity, there is no disunity. Likewise, the Church cannot have disunity, as it is the Mystical Body of Christ. The Church is holy because Christ is holy, though it is composed of sinners. The Church is catholic because it is universal (Greek: katholou - “according to the whole”). God desires the salvation of all and our Blessed Lord commissioned the Apostles to preach the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. This apostolicity finds fruition not only being built upon the successors of the Apostles, but it is also firmly set on apostolic teaching. As a result, the Church has a true unity of governance, preaching, teaching, and means of sanctification.The Catholic Church has a visible hierarchical structure. The successors of the Apostles are the bishops of the Catholic Church - this is historically provable. However, apostolic does not only mean the successors of the Apostles exist. If that were the case, then the Orthodox Churches would rightly be considered apostolic. However, apostolicity also requires the recognition that Jesus designated Peter as the Prince of the Apostles. The Papacy is the succession of this Petrine office. The teaching authority of Christ passed on to the Apostles, the Magisterium, is thus the successor of Peter in union with all the successors of the Apostles. In other words, it is the Pope in union with all the bishops of the world. The Church of Jesus Christ will thus be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. It will have a visible hierarchy of the Pope, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and lay people. Just as a body, the Church will have a metabolism, an internal means of sustenance, as well. This is clearly the Holy Eucharist: the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ hidden under the veil of a sacrament. There will be actual church buildings. There will be assemblies of the faithful. The visible Catholic Church will be manifest and clear to all who seek Her out, because Jesus is not trying to trick us. Good Distinctions is free to read and listen, but if you have appreciated the channel, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for as little as $5/month. It would greatly help us continue to produce content - Podcasts and YouTube software and equipment aren't cheap! Thank you for your consideration and prayers!What is Radical Traditionalism?Finally, with a working understanding of what is meant by the Church of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, we can turn our attention to “radical traditionalism.” Granted, this is a term which means as many different things as “conservative” and “liberal” do in American politics. My usage of the term is pragmatic, more than descriptive. A Catholic ought to be traditional, in the fullest sense of the term. A Catholic also ought to be radical, in the sense that radical comes from the Latin radix meaning “root.” We are rooted in Jesus Christ, and apart from Him we can do nothing.The Southern Poverty Law Center associates Radical Traditionalism with white supremacy, anti-immigrant attitudes, and anti-Semitism. Though there is some correlation in reality between radical traditionalist communities and these ideologies, there is no causation. In general Catholic circles, the main characteristic of radical traditionalism is not only a preference for the Latin Mass according to the Missale Romanum of 1962, but a tacit (if not explicit) rejection of the Roman Missal of 1970 (called the “Novus Ordo”). Further, “radical traditionalists” reject the Second Vatican Council, usually in its entirety. They see it as heretical nonsense, unfaithful, and a divergence from the true Faith. The term “radical traditionalist” is often wrongly associated with thrown around against those who attend the Holy Mass with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP), and other communities in full and complete union with Rome. This needs to stop. These communities are obedient to the Holy Father and their local ordinary. They do not reject Vatican II or the Novus Ordo. They have a deep love and reverence for the Vetus Ordo (the Old Order of Mass and the Sacraments) and have permission to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy according to that charism. Simply having a preference for the Latin Mass does not make someone a “radical traditionalist.” Radical Traditionalism is a rejection of Catholicism, underneath the veneer of a heroic savior-complex of safeguarding Tradition against the Modernists. Now, I want to be clear: Modernism is a serious problem in the Church and the world today. Pope St. Pius X referred to Modernism as the synthesis of all heresies. Ultimately, it is a denial of the supernatural and of mediation. This liberalizing tendency should be fought tooth and nail, without doubt! But what we cannot do is reject the Second Vatican Council, deny the legitimacy of the Novus Ordo, or choose to be disobedient to the competent authority. What is Sedevacantism?One of the loudest voices within radical traditionalism (at least on Twitter) is sedevacantism. Sede means “seat” in Latin and vacante means “empty.” Sedevacantists believe that due to formal heresy, the sitting pope lost the papacy. Usually, these groups will maintain that Pope Pius XII was the last valid pope, others will make arguments for Pope John XXIII and I have even heard one argument for Pope Paul VI (though this one makes the least sense). Mario Derksen of “Novus Ordo Watch” in his talk “Eclipse of the Church: The Case for Sedevacantism” on October 8, 2021 lays out his arguments. I do not intend to litigate them here, but I will share part of the conclusion of his talk: “If Francis and his five predecessors of unhappy memory were true Popes, then the forces of darkness would indeed have prevailed. Then the ‘most deadly foes of the Catholic religion,' as Pope Pius IX called them, would have triumphed, then the ‘proud gates of hell' would have succeeded in overthrowing the Chair of Truth and turning it into a fount of blasphemy and heresy. Then what had been the ‘citadel and bulwark of the Catholic faith' would have become the bulldozer of Catholicism.”So, for the sedevacantist, none of the Popes since Pope Pius XII have been true Popes. For those who are curious, that would be since 1958. For the last 65 years, the Members of the Body of Christ have been misled en masse, according to this view. Further, with virtually all of the cardinals, bishops, and priests complicit in this great apostasy, how are we to restore the Church to its former glory? Again, I do not intend to debate sedevacantism here because, frankly, I think the position is so intuitively absurd that it would be a waste of time to do so. If Mario Derksen is being honest about his own conclusions, he would likely agree. In the paragraph directly before what I have already quoted, he says:“Yes, we are happy to call it ‘Sedevacantism,' but it really isn't an ‘-ism' other than Catholicism during these perplexing times. It is a theological position that ‘creates itself', as it were, after we've ruled out the things we know to be impossible in light of the timeless truths of the Catholic Faith. Sedevacantism is what is left once we have rejected what is clearly false.”In other words, in the face of the entire Mystical Body of Christ on Earth, including five legitimately elected Popes, the sedevacantist chooses to trust his or her feelings rather than trusting that the Holy Spirit guides and guards the Church. I cannot think of anything more modernist than that.However, I will be honest. I am sympathetic to the sedevacantist view. We do live in troubling times. The Popes of recent memory, even the amazing St. John Paul II and the incredible Pope Benedict XVI, have made some strange choices and prudential decisions. Further, many bishops and priests have said and done horrifically scandalous things without any sense of justice of discipline meted out by the Church. But this is not an excuse to abandon reason and play the hero who is “preserving” the Church precisely by leaving it. Because, make no mistake, sedevacantism is formal schism. Though there are many independent sedevacantist churches, the most prominent are the Roman Catholic Institute (RCI), Most Holy Family Monastery (MHFM), Society of St. Pius V (SSPV), St. Gertrude the Great Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). If you want a more substantive refutation of Sedevacantism, I would recommend this fantastic resource from Noah Perez at Catholicism Coffee entitled “3 New Arguments Against Sedevacantism.”What is the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)? In this article I want to outline some of the dangers of radical traditionalism. This article would get far too broad if I began refuting various points or getting into the nitty gritty. Those resources exist. My goal, again, is only to show some of the spiritual dangers posed by sedevacantist and non-sedevacantist radical traditionalists. The largest group of “radical traditionalist Catholicism” is the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). Officially, the SSPX is not sedevacantist. They acknowledge the legitimacy of the Roman Pontiff and his predecessors. However, they reject the Second Vatican Council because they believe it contains theological errors and heresy. They reject large parts of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Over half of priests and most of the original and current leadership of SSPX reject the New Mass as containing elements dangerous for the Faith. Since the days of Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre, they have conducted illicit ordinations of bishops and priests and consecrations. The Society has even discouraged its followers from attending the Latin Mass offered by priests in full and manifest union with Rome because of the belief that these ordinations are deficient because they were conducted by a revised rite.  The website of the Society of Saint Pius X claims that “no canonical censures against the SSPX have ever existed (SSPX).” They also claim that the “persecution” of the SSPX is political in nature and that any notions of excommunication and schism are “false accusations.” To the contrary, Pope St. John Paul II through the Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops publicly decreed on July 1, 1988 that Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre and the four new bishops he consecrated illicitly had incurred the penalty of excommunication. The legitimacy of these excommunications was further clarified and reiterated by the Vatican in 1996 and 1998. More recently, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have made great strides in attempting to normalize the canonical status of the SSPX. Admittedly the level of ambiguity of their current canonical status among informed and very bright Catholics is puzzling to me. What is clear to me, though, is the spirit of disobedience that runs rampant through the SSPX. For example, the SSPX do not believe that they are in Schism (or ever were) nor do they believe that Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated (he was and that excommunication has not been lifted). Their reasoning can be found on their own website archives: “No penalty is ever incurred without committing a subjective mortal sin (canons 1321 §1, 1323 70). Now, Archbishop Lefebvre made it amply clear that he was bound in conscience to do what he could do to continue the Catholic priesthood and that he was obeying God in going ahead with the consecrations (Cf. the Sermon of June 30, 1988, and Archbishop Lefebvre and the Vatican, p. 136). Hence, even if he had been wrong, there would be no subjective sin (SSPX).”Archbishop Lefevbre believed, erroneously, that if he did not gravely disobey the Pope, then the Catholic priesthood would not continue. And they say that this was not a mortal sin; actually, they say that it was no sin at all. There are recent books that continue this line of thinking, such as SSPX “apologist” Kennedy Hall's new defense of the Society. This thinking is ridiculous and insidious. For a more sufficient refutation of this line of reasoning, I would recommend this 2008 article on the excommunications from Cathy Caridi, J.C.L. of Canon Law Made Easy. The disobedience of the SSPX is insidious because they believe they are the saviors of Catholicism and that they alone are safeguarding Tradition from the Modernist Church. However, unlike the sedevacantists, they still acknowledge the rightfully elected Pope and his authority. They simply choose to be disobedient. In some regards, this position is even less tenable and less sympathetic than full-blown sedevacantism. The SSPX has significantly more faculties under some of the allowances granted by Pope Francis. Pope Francis gave priests of the SSPX faculties to validly and licitly absolve sins; this is a faculty granted by the local ordinary regularly. They were also granted faculties to witness Holy Matrimony validly and licitly. Those within the Society argue that this shows that they are not in schism and they are in union with Rome. I think it says more about Holy Mother Church's care for souls who are currently under the care of the Society than it does about the priests and leadership of SSPX. These are not canonical changes; they are indults (extension of legal authority in an action that the Church does not sanction). The reality is that the SSPX is not in full communion with the Catholic Church, they have no canonical status in the Church, and they are in schism (just as the Orthodox Churches are in schism). There is an excellent compilation of references by prominent clergymen about the reality of schism of the SSPX by no less than Cardinals Burke and Mueller here. A Schismatic Spirit is DeadlyThe Church of Jesus Christ is the Catholic Church, which is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Sedevacantism and positions such as that of the SSPX do harm to each of the four marks of the Church. The clear and manifest schism of sedevacantism is a wound to all four marks of the Church, but so is the ambiguous and insidious schismatic spirit of the SSPX. The Church of Jesus Christ is one, with Christ as Head and we as Members of His Mystical Body. This is an invisible reality but it is also clearly visible and hierarchical. As a Catholic, to reject the Vicar of Christ as the head of the Church on Earth is to reject Christ Himself. It is to cut off oneself from the Church. Of course, we pray for reconciliation and unity! As long as someone has breath in their lungs it is not too late to repent and return. However, we need to understand that schism is a grave evil on the same canonical level as formal heresy and apostasy. To leave the Barque of Peter in times of turbulent water is a misguided plan. Yes, times are difficult. Yes, the Church is in crisis. But Jesus Christ is not in crisis. He is asleep on the bench as the waves and wind rock and batter the boat. He is with us and all we need to do is call upon Him; He will calm the raging sea. Instead, if we trust in our own power, we will drown. If we make ourselves the authority, we will be doing the will of the Enemy rather than the Holy Will of the Father. If we are to love Christ and His one, true Church then we must avoid radical traditionalism and every sense of a schismatic spirit with a holy fervor. Noone knows better than Holy Mother Church. Times are tough. But the Church of Jesus Christ is the one place to be. A schismatic spirit is deadly to the soul.As St. Augustine said: “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.”Good Distinctions is free to read and listen, but if you have appreciated the channel, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for as little as $5/month. It would greatly help us continue to produce content - Podcasts and YouTube software and equipment aren't cheap! Thank you for your consideration and prayers! Get full access to Good Distinctions at www.gooddistinctions.com/subscribe

The Catechism has spent considerable time unpacking Holy Communion—the “sacrament of sacraments”—with us, and now she summarizes the most essential truths that we must internalize and move forward with. Fr. Mike takes this “nugget day” to tell us that God desires to feed us. He has given us his Son so that we might be filled with him and made whole again, in unity with him for all of eternity. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1406-1419. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB.

The sacrament of Holy Communion unites the faithful together in a most profound, visible way. It also makes disunity in the Church all the more painful and apparent. The Catechism reveals the Church's teachings regarding the Eucharist and Christian churches who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. Fr. Mike addresses a most common and difficult question: “If a non-Catholic believes that the Eucharist is truly Jesus, why can they not receive him in the sacrament?” Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1396-1401. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB.

On June 3, 2023 at Holy Angels Cathedral by the power of  the Most Reverend Robert J. McClory Bishop of Gary, Steven Caraher was ordained into the order of the Diaconate.I was a beautiful day both in weather and the ceremony.    Though he did not sleep much the night before, Steven woke up full of energy.Seeing most of the priests of the diocese and many of the deacons participating in the ceremony, it felt part of the Mystical Body of Christ.During the Litany of the Saints, while Steven lay prostrate on the floor, it was a powerful moment.   During this time Steven prayed for specific gifts; courage, wisdom, security in his vocation and the grace to remember names and forget sins.When the time came for the Bishop to lay his hands on Steven, he felt a powerful feeling of peace overwhelm him.    Many graces; specifically peace and joy have flowed from being a deacon.For Dad, seeing him proclaim the Gospel and preach the homily at our local mass, it sunk in that Steven was a different man.

Friends of the Rosary: St. Paul VI, at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1964, declared the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church, establishing that “all Christian people, the faithful as well as the pastors, should further honor and invoke the Mother of God.' Decades later, Pope Francis promoted this devotion in order to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.” Saint Augustine and Pope Saint Leo the Great both reflected on the Virgin Mary's importance in the mystery of Christ. “Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church,” wrote St. Augustine. St. Leo the Great indicated that “Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.” The fathers of the Church have always highlighted the divine motherhood of Mary and her intimate union in the work of the Redeemer. Mary was depicted at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25). “There she became the Mother of the Church when she accepted her Son's testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life eternal,” wrote St. Paul VI. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Thou Holy Spirit, Come!Mary, Mother of the Church, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 30, 2023, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

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This weekend Adam and Debbie discussed the role and understanding of the mystical body of Christ, especially the importance of baptism in making us into the body of Christ. Plus calls on spiritual experiences, marriage troubles, and corporate new age bosses. References: 1 Corinthians 12 Catechism 771 and 791 https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_29061943_mystici-corporis-christi.html

IntroductionIf you ask the average American on the street what religious freedom is, you will get all sorts of different ideas. Some places, you will hear: “keep your religion to yourself. Haven't you heard of the separation of Church and State?” Others might answer: “People are free to believe whatever they want. Who am I to judge if they're right or not?” Still others might claim that religious freedom means the ability to pray privately however you want.None of these are what religious freedom actually is specifically. But it should also be noted that the American constitutional notion of religious freedom is not precisely what the Catholic Church holds religious freedom to be. And, so, the object of today's exploration is to look at what religious freedom is in the United States of America. Then, more importantly, to view what religious freedom is, in principle, as defined by the Catholic Church at the Second Vatican Council. Separation of Church and StateThe First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, the first of the ten amendments which comprise the Bill of Rights, adopted on December 15, 1791, reads thusly:“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”For our purposes we will focus on the first phrase: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” This is known as the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.I do not have the time or space here to provide an exhaustive account of American jurisprudence on the matter of religious liberty. But, I do want to draw out a few key moments in American History where this question came up and which will give us a clearer view of what religious freedom is.Thomas Jefferson's Danbury LetterIn a letter to the Danbury Baptists, Thomas Jefferson wrote:“GentlemenThe affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem (Danbury Letter).”He wrote this letter in response to a letter from the Danbury Baptists in order to explain his views on federalism and the meaning of the Establishment Clause. The main meaning of his “wall of separation between Church & State” is an assurance that the government would not interfere with the church of the Danbury Baptists or give special treatment to any particular religion or sect. Justice Hugo Black, an appointee of Franklin Roosevelt to the Supreme Court, would even refer later to the Danbury explanation as an “almost authoritative declaration” of the Founders' intent for the Establishment Clause (cf. Bill of Rights Institute).Two days after sending this letter, though, Jefferson attended a religious service in the House of Representatives location in the Capitol. As Daniel Roeber notes: “Jefferson and others recognized the benefits of developing a national identity that transcended interdenominational division (Roeber).” Yet, since 1795, public worship was administered at the partially completed Capitol Building each Sunday at noon (cf. ibid).Religious liberty was the motivation of the Plymouth Pilgrims and many Catholics who settled in Maryland. However, the colonial period was far from united on religious matters. Protestant sects disagreed amongst themselves. Catholics were seen as untrustworthy papists of low social stature. Jewish people were tolerated, at best. The nascent country needed an identity which transcended these divisions. The importance of developing a national identity was something that would take over a hundred years more as most identified most readily with their own state. Lemon V. Kurtzman and the Three Pronged Test (1971)Let us now skip forward quite a bit to 1971. In that year, a case was brought to the Supreme Court in which the Court considered whether a law in Pennsylvania violated the Establishment Clause. The law reimbursed religious schools with state funds for textbooks and salaries for teachers for non-public, non-secular schools. The Court responded 8-0 with a three-pronged test for determining whether a given statute is constitutional. The government may assist religion only if:* The primary purpose of the assistance is secular* The assistance must neither promote nor inhibit religion, and * There is no excessive entanglement between church and stateIn this specific case, the Pennsylvania law was struck down because of excessive entanglement between church and state. It is worth noticing here what is implicit: there is nothing wrong, in the American understanding, with some implicit entanglement between Church and State. The issue, ultimately, is when the line is crossed towards “excessive.”Marsh v. Chambers (1983)The Nebraska legislature opened each of its sessions with a publicly funded chaplain offering a prayer. The Supreme Court, in Marsh v. Chambers (1983) determined that this was NOT a violation of the Establishment Clause. Though this instance does not pass the “Lemon” three-pronged test, the Justices argued that there is a long historical custom going back to the Continental Congress and the very Congress that resulted in the Bill of Rights. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote: “In light of the unambiguous and unbroken history of more than 200 years, there can be no doubt that the practice of opening legislative sessions with prayer has become part of the fabric of our society. To invoke Divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making the laws is not, in these circumstances, an ‘establishment' of religion or a step toward establishment; it is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of this country (Citation: 463 US 783).”As we saw with the Capitol Building services, there is not a strict and non-transversable wall of separation of Church and State. Other Supreme Court CasesI now want to walk through several other Supreme Court cases that touched on religious liberty. Again, this list is not exhaustive, but it can help us round out our picture.Reynolds v. United States (1879)In 1879, in Reynolds v. United States, the Court upheld a federal law banning polygamy. They claimed that the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment forbids government from regulating belief but that government can nonetheless punish acts which it judges to be criminal, regardless of religious belief.Torcaso v. Watkins (1961)As of 1961, the State of Maryland had a requirement that a candidate for public office needed to declare that they believed in God in order to be eligible for the position. Unanimously, in Torcaso v. Watkins, the Court agreed that this gives preference to believers who were willing to publicly profess; therefore, Maryland was aiding theistic religions and beliefs overr atheistic ones.Engel v. Vitale (1962)In the 1962 case Engel v. Vitale, the Court ruled 6-1 that a New York prayer to begin the school day was unconstitutional and in violation of the Establishment Clause despite being a nondenominational prayer. Abington v. Schempp & Murray v. Curlett (1963)The following year in 1963, the Court heard the case of Abington v. Schempp and the related case of Murray v. Curlett. In both cases, public schools were involving students in daily Bible readings and in the latter case of the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Both of these cases were seen as violating both the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)In 1972, Amish parents sued the State of Wisconsin for requiring that their children attend school until the age of 16. The unanimous decision held that the Amish teens were exempt from the state law of requiring 14 to 16 year olds to attend school because the Amish religion required a living apart from worldly influences. In other words, though it was in the state's interest that the children receive two years more schooling, this did not outweigh the free exercise of the religion of the Amish.McDaniel v. Paty (1978)A Tennessee law barring clergymen from serving in public office was challenged in 1978 in McDaniel v. Paty. The Court unanimously ruled that this law was a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment (as well as the Fourteenth Amendment) because it made holding public office contingent on surrendering religious beliefs. Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993)In 1993, the Court heard Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah. There were ordinances passed by the city of Hialeah, Florida that banned animal sacrifice. These laws were not written in a neutral and generally applicable way. They specifically targeted Santeria, a Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba and some Catholic elements. Because animal sacrifice is an important part of Santeria, the Court ruled that the ordinances were designed as a form of religious persecution in violation of the Free Exercise Clause.  Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000)The Sante Fe Independent School District of Texas in 2000 had a policy permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games. In a 6-3 decision, the Court upheld an appellate court's ruling that this was a violation of the Establishment Clause. The school district tried to argue that because it was student led and initiated, it was private speech, and, thus, protected under the First Amendment. However, Justice John Paul Stevens argued that it was not private speech because it was done over the P.A. system, by a student body representative, under school faculty supervision, and under school policy. Also, it did not pass the “Lemon” test because it did not have a secular purpose and was implemented with the purpose of endorsing school prayer.Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow (2004)California's Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow in 2004 investigated the policy requiring each elementary school class to say the Pledge of Allegiance daily. Michael Newdow, a father of one of the students, challenged this because of the words therein contained of “under God.” Because Newdow did not have custody of the child, he did not have standing to bring the case to court. However, in concurring opinions, Justices William Rehnquist, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Clarence Thomas, said that the words “under God” do NOT violate the Establishment Clause.As the Bill of Rights Institute reports:“Further, they noted, ‘the phrase ‘under God' in the Pledge seems, as a historical matter, to sum up the attitude of the Nation's leaders, and to manifest itself in many of our public observances. Examples of patriotic invocations of God and official acknowledgments of religion's role in our Nation's history abound.' They concluded that ‘the recital, in a patriotic ceremony pledging allegiance to the flag and to the Nation, of the descriptive phrase ‘under God' cannot possibly lead to the establishment of a religion, or anything like it' (Bill of Rights Institute).”Van Orden v. Perry (2005)In a similar case in Van Orden V. Perry in 2005, in a 5-4 decision, the Court determined that a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments on Texas State Capitol grounds did not violate the Establishment Clause. There were 38 other monuments on the grounds and highlighted different parts of Texan history. Justice William Rehnquist argued that the monument had a religious message, however, it was presented in a context showing that:“[a] secular moral message about proper standards of social conduct and a message about the historic relation between those standards and the law.” Therefore, the religious message is part of a broader context of cultural heritage and patrimony of the people of Texas. Teaching Evolution in SchoolsThere are two Supreme Court cases worth looking at briefly which discuss the teaching of evolution in schools. Generally, there is a perceived discrepancy of considerable magnitude between the theory of evolution and the evidence for creation from the Book of Genesis. I am not getting into that minefield right now, but these cases show how religious liberty and the government of the United States interact.Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)In Epperson v. Arkansas in 1968, Arkansas passed a law saying that public school teachers were banned from teaching evolution because it was in contradiction with the Bible account of creation.Justice Abe Fortas wrote in the majority opinion:“In the present case, there can be no doubt that Arkansas has sought to prevent its teachers from discussing the theory of evolution because it is contrary to the belief of some that the Book of Genesis must be the exclusive source of doctrine as to the origin of man. No suggestion has been made that Arkansas' law may be justified by considerations of state policy other than the religious views of some of its citizens (Epperson v. Arkansas).”He continued to argue that the law of Arkansas is clearly not a religiously neutral act. Instead it was the targeting of a particular theory on Biblical grounds, literally read. Therefore, it is a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.Edwards v. Aguillard (1987)Nineteen years later in Edwards v. Aguillard in 1987, the Court examined a Louisiana law forbidding the teaching of the theory of evolution in public schools unless it was accompanied by an equal treatment of creationism. In a 7-2 decision, the Court declared that this law violated the Establishment Clause because it failed all three parts of the “Lemon” test. It lacked secular purpose, endorsed the view that a supernatural being created mankind, and it entangled the interests of Church and State by seeking “to employ the symbolic and financial support of government to achieve a religious purpose (Citation: 482 US 578).”The American View of Religious LibertyIn sum, the evolution of religious liberty in the United States has its basis on the cultural milieu of the time. In the colonial period and in the early days of the country, there were few true atheists. Deism was exceptionally popular, but even Deists acknowledge a belief in the Creator. So, a nondenominational prayer to the Creator at the state of a session of Congress was a forgone conclusion. Since that time, the United States of America has become far more cultural, religiously, and politically diverse. As a result of this undeniable diversity, it cannot be said that the United States is currently a Judeo-Christian nation, even if the case can strongly be made that it began that way. Private speech and religious practice is unambiguously protected. However, as we have seen, the nature of the public exercise of religion is questioned when public funds are in the mix. Each of the examples mentioned above, and where problems usually arise, is in publicly-funded schools, government property or buildings, and in relation to public office. However, the Supreme Court has upheld that religious beliefs which are not criminal are protected in the public sphere. A religious person need not check their religion at the door when engaging in public matters (and how could they, really). The First Amendment of the Constitution protects all Americans against the establishment of any one religion to the competition or detriment of any others. Any law which would exclude a person from public life on the basis of religion is unconstitutional. And the free exercise of religion is safeguarded and held in a careful balance with the interests of all other religions, beliefs, and ideas. This reality is a blessing and a curse for Catholics. On the one hand, we have freedom to boldly speak the truth without fear of legal reprisal, within due limits. Yet, on the other hand, there is a bland tolerance of false religions and ideas antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church.The Church's View of Religious FreedomAll of that being said, what is the Catholic view of religious freedom? Is it precisely the American view or are there significant differences? When I speak to American Catholics about this question, there is no real sense of a firm understanding of the Church on the matter. And, frankly, when people read the official Church teaching, they do not understand the nuances offered there. I am going to do my best to help shed some light on the subject! Dignitatis HumanaeOn December 7, 1965, Pope St. Paul VI promulgated a Declaration on Religious Freedom which is one of the sixteen documents of the Second Vatican Council. Dignitatis Humanae (DH) is only fifteen paragraph sections long and is highly worth reading in its entirety. What I will offer here is a brief summary and the main conclusions. In the interest of keeping this to the point, I am going to be looking at three questions:* What is religious freedom in the eyes of the Catholic Church?* Why is religious freedom based on human dignity?* How has God revealed religious liberty?What is religious freedom in the eyes of the Catholic Church?God has made Himself known to man, shown us how we are to serve Him, and how we are saved in Christ and come to eternal blessedness. The Church unequivocally affirms in Dignitatis Humanae that:“We believe that this one true religion subsists in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which the Lord Jesus committed the duty of spreading it abroad among all men. Thus He spoke to the 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 things whatsoever I have enjoined upon you' (Matt. 28: 19-20) (DH, 1).”Many of those who are suspicious of the Second Vatican Council read this not as the full throated profession of Christ and His Church that it is. Instead, they read the word “subsist” in an uncharitable and ignorant way. We could say that the one true religion IS the Catholic and Apostolic Church, but subsists is actually a richer word. Subsists means to begin in a certain way and remain in that way. In other words, there is no true religion apart from the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, as our Lord began it and has constantly sustained it to this day. The Church which, of course, is His own Mystical Body.The Council Fathers continue:“On their part, all men are bound to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and His Church, and to embrace the truth they come to know, and to hold fast to it (DH, 1).”Elsewhere in Vatican II in the documents Lumen Gentium and Ad Gentes we hear: “Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved… The bonds which bind men to the Church in a visible way are profession of faith, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical government and communion. He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but, as it were, only in a ‘bodily' manner and not ‘in his heart' (LG, 14).”For those who claim that Vatican II is weak on doctrine and the truth and is overly ambiguous or some other such nonsense, it is abundantly clear that they never read the documents or they have read them in an uncharitable and ignorant way.At any rate, all of this being said, what is religious freedom? The Council Fathers write:“Religious freedom, in turn, which men demand as necessary to fulfill their duty to worship God, has to do with immunity from coercion in civil society. Therefore it leaves untouched traditional Catholic doctrine on the moral duty of men and societies toward the true religion and toward the one Church of Christ (DH, 1).”So, the moral duty of man towards the Catholic Church remains untouched by religious freedom. What is vital to understand the Church's view is that phrase: “immunity from coercion in civil society.” That is the key. A more substantial definition is then given, with very official verbiage:“This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits (DH, 2).”The Church has always held to this doctrine. We know, for example, that the Church has always condemned forced conversions as illegitimate and compelled baptisms as invalid. As St. John Paul II often said: the Faith is always proposed, not imposed.'Why is religious freedom based on human dignity?This right to religious freedom is rooted in human dignity. The Church even calls for this right to be enshrined in constitutional law throughout the world. Our human dignity points to the fact that God endowed man with reason and free will and therefore personal responsibility. We are impelled by human nature and bound by moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. Once we know the truth, we are bound to adhere to it and order our lives towards it. The Church declares that religious freedom is thus necessary because:“... men cannot discharge these obligations in a manner in keeping with their own nature unless they enjoy immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom (DH, 2).”There is no love without freedom, there is no seeking of the truth without freedom. So, religious freedom does not belong to feelings and subjective disposition. No. It belongs to the very nature of the human person. Faith comes from what is heard. And as truth is discovered, “it is by a personal assent that men are to adhere to it,” to use another phrase from Dignitatis Humanae (DH, 2). Personal though this assent is, religious freedom also extends to religious communities. They should not be hindered:“either by legal measures or by administrative action on the part of government, in the selection, training, appointment, and transferral of their own ministers, in communicating with religious authorities and communities abroad, in erecting buildings for religious purposes, and in the acquisition and use of suitable funds or properties (DH, 4).”Nor should they be hindered from public teaching and witness of faith, whether spoken or written. As the preeminent religious community, all of these freedoms belong to the family as well.How has God revealed religious liberty?In Divine Revelation, the doctrine of religious freedom finds its roots. The Council Fathers write:“Revelation does not indeed affirm in so many words the right of man to immunity from external coercion in matters religious. It does, however, disclose the dignity of the human person in its full dimensions (DH, 9).”First and foremost, man's response to God in faith must be free for it to be legitimate. No one can be forced to become Catholic. The act of faith is a free act. Forcing someone to love is not love at all. As Dignitatis Humanae states:“It is therefore completely in accord with the nature of faith that in matters religious every manner of coercion on the part of men should be excluded. In consequence, the principle of religious freedom makes no small contribution to the creation of an environment in which men can without hindrance be invited to the Christian faith, embrace it of their own free will, and profess it effectively in their whole manner of life (DH, 10).”God is very clear, however, in what He has revealed that we are to boldly proclaim the truth. Therefore, are we to be “tolerant” and “accepting” of other religions and simply have a bland indifference? Absolutely not! The Council Fathers write:“The disciple is bound by a grave obligation toward Christ, his Master, ever more fully to understand the truth received from Him, faithfully to proclaim it, and vigorously to defend it, never-be it understood-having recourse to means that are incompatible with the spirit of the Gospel. At the same time, the charity of Christ urges him to love and have prudence and patience in his dealings with those who are in error or in ignorance with regard to the faith (DH, 14).”Freedom from CoercionFreedom from coercion in religious matters is the crux of the Church's view of religious liberty. Really, it pertains directly to the establishing of an environment in which a person may freely seek and adhere to the one, true religion. Though there are elements of truth outside the Catholic Church, there is no salvation. If someone outside the visible bounds of the Church is saved, it is only by the superabundant merits of Jesus Christ and the instrumentality of the Catholic Church, the sacrament of salvation.We must not be indifferent. We must boldly preach the truth at all times. And we must not be afraid to stand up for these beliefs, even when it is inconvenient. In some contexts doing so can lead to our bodily martyrdom. In the United States of America, the constitutional order is more or less compatible with the free practice of the Catholic religion. However, we must be cognizant that there is a distinct difference between religious freedom in the American idea and the Catholic teaching.The American notion protects us, to an extent, but it is more geared to creating a national identity that transcends religion. This should make any faithful Catholic nervous because it is working. How many American Catholics do you know who are more concerned about being American Catholics than being Catholics who happen to be American? Religious freedom is freedom from coercion. Ultimately, it is freedom FOR the truth, FOR the Catholic Faith. We cannot forget this, lest we descend into a banal coexistence or tolerance without the drive to share the fullness of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot be indifferent and we cannot be content to allow anyone to stay in error. We must respect their right to religious freedom by not coercing them and respecting their journey, in good conscience. But the task and privilege of evangelization remains in full force. Get full access to Good Distinctions at www.gooddistinctions.com/subscribe

Friends, on this Sixth Sunday of Easter, the Church gives us a kind of foretaste of Pentecost. In all three readings, we hear descriptions of the work of the Holy Spirit—the animating principle of the Mystical Body. What are the signs that the Holy Spirit is at work? Let's look at five of them.

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Episode 372 debuts on April 26, at 8:00 PM Eastern. Rebroadcasts will take place according to the Crusade Channel programming schedule (note: all times listed are Central time). The topic is Yes, Limbo is Church Teaching! Yes, Limbo is Church Teaching — by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M., at catholicism.org Wrestling with the Fate of the Unbaptized — by Father Thomas Crean, O.P., at catholic.com Limbo and the Mystical Body: on the Borderlands of Dogma — by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M., at catholicism.org The Limbo of the Infants — by Brother Thomas Mary Sinnott, M.I.C.M., at catholicism.org Weighing in on Limbo — by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M., at catholicism.org The Fate of Unbaptized Infants In Light of the Universal Necessity of Baptism — by Mike Malone, at catholicism.org He Descended into Hell — by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M., at catholicism.org There Is a Hell, and It Makes Perfect Sense — by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M., at catholicism.org Reconquest Episode 121: The Harrowing Of Hell — by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M., at crusadechannel.com Gustave Doré, Dante Alighieri - Inferno - Plate 11 (Canto IV - Limbo, the Virtuous Pagans), public domain “Reconquest” is a militant, engaging, and informative Catholic radio program featuring interviews with interesting guests as well as commentary by your host. It is a radio-journalistic extension of the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center. Each weekly, one-hour episode of Reconquest will debut RIGHT HERE on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM Eastern (7:00 PM Central). It will then be rebroadcast according to the Crusade Channel programming schedule (note: all times listed are Central time).

“The Church is communion with Jesus.” The Catechism shows us what it means for the Church to be considered the “body of Christ”. Fr. Mike explains how being part of the Church makes us “united in him, in his body”—more intimately connected with Jesus than even the Apostles were. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 787-791. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB.

A prayer request: https://ctkclassical.org/employment.html Jesus Christ still lives upon earth as surely, though in another and what must be called a "mystical" sense, as He lived two thousand years ago. For He has a Body in which He lives, a Voice with which He speaks. As two thousand years ago He assumed one kind of Body by which to accomplish His purposes, so He has assumed now another kind of Body in which to continue them; and that Body consists of a unity of a myriad of cells—each cell a living soul complete in itself—transcending the sum of the cells and yet expressing itself through them. Christianity, then, to the Catholic is not merely an individual matter—though it is that also, as surely as the cell has individual relations with the main life of the body. But it is far more: it is corporate and transcendent. The Catholic does not merely as a self-contained unit suck out grace through this or that sacramental channel; the priest to him is not just a viceregent who represents or may misrepresent his Master; a spiritual life is not merely an individual existence on a spiritual plane. But to the Catholic all things are expanded, enlarged, and supernaturalized by an amazing fact: he is not merely an imitator of Christ or a disciple of Christ, not merely even a lover of Christ; but he is actually a cell of that very Body which is Christ's, and his life in Christ is, as a matter of fact, so far more real and significant than his individual existence, that he is able to take upon his lips without exaggeration or metaphor the words of St. Paul—“I live—yet it is no longer I what live; it is Christ that liveth in me”; he is able to appreciate as no separatist in religion can appreciate that saying of Christ Himself, that unless a man lose his life, he cannot save it. --Robert Hugh Benson, The Mystical Body and Its Head --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hucklefather/support

"There are no excuses at the gate of heaven." There are powerful podcast episodes; and then there are powerful, POWERFUL podcast episodes. I'd argue this one is one of the latter. Wow! This week we were absolutely honored to interview our good friend Rob Helfrich, who is studying to be a surgeon in the Army, about his faith life, what the Mystical Body of Christ is, and how we simply cannot pursue Jesus alone. We hope you enjoy listening! Thank you for all your support and prayer. We're praying and fasting for YOU

Salt and Light - The Mystical Body of Christ by Fr. Barry Braum

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul by Dr. John Bergsma. Conversion of Paul, Apostle Feast First Reading: Acts 22: 3-16 or Acts 9: 1-22 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 117: 1bc, 2 Alleluia: John 15: 16 Gospel: Mark 16: 15-18 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

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Questions Covered: 07:56 – Did Pope Francis engage in a Pagan ritual in Canada? 13:16 – What are the limits of invincible ignorance? 32:25 – Does our being a part of the “Mystical Body of Christ” make us biologically related to him and Mary? 37:46 – What happens when I die? 46:13 – What Biblical evidence is there for the sovereignty of God? …