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The Four Cardinal Virtues of Masculinity

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+JMJ+ "The world's greatest need is great men ... [and] what we need are saints, for saints are truly the great men." Ven. Fulton Sheen spoke these words 85 years ago. Have our needs really changed all that much? Do others no longer need our sanctity more than we need it? Are the Evils we face too great to be vanquished by the Cross?  Absolutely not! The world still and always will need saints, and it's up to us to walk the crooked and narrow path tred before us by the Treasury of the Church. We need, and ought  TO BE  saints! We need to be virtuous. We need to graft ourselves what is known as the Four Cardinal Virtues of Masculinity: Patience, Fortitude, Perseverance, and Silence. And we should start with no other model of masculinity but with the Terror of Demons and Protector of the Holy Church: St. Joseph. The first virtue, Patience , is the ability " to endure present evils without sadness or resentment in conformity with the will of God. " A

Impromptu Poetry: The Rain Is Alright

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+JMJ+ The Rain is Alright You hear me knocking There's no need to fright Don't worry for me The rain is alright The thunder rumbles The sky is black Don't call for me I won't answer back Listen to my words I bring you a song No need to get up I won't stay long Don't fret over me I'm not yours to keep Don't look for me You need your sleep Don't look for me Tomorrow or tonight Don't worry for me The rain is alright ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leave your Impromptu Poetry in the comments for a chance to be featured on the blog, and God bless! Photo Creds:  Dominik Schröder

The Case for the Apocrypha

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Probably one of the most disputed issues between Protestants and Catholics is whether or not the apocryphal/deuterocanonical books are canon. These books are disputed because many Protestants claim they are not inspired and were added by the Catholic Church to support its doctrines. The books are also controversial because they support the doctrine of Purgatory and the practice of praying for the dead. The purpose of this article is to strengthen the Catholic laity in their knowledge of the scriptures and to present a reasonable case to our separated brethren in the Protestant denominations. I will first begin by giving a historical case for the deuterocanon and answering questions and objections brought against the historicity of the deuterocanonicals. I will then illustrate the evidence in Scripture that points to the apocryphal books. And, as a side note, I recommend you read all the sources I have linked to and cited in this article. And without further ado, I give you the

How NOT to Build Bridges

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Before I begin, I would like to build a bridge. I am a fan of Bishop Barron and always enjoy his videos. Even though I disagree with some of the things he says, I still think his commentary can play a great role in the culture. However, I do think that Barron's attempt to open up a dialogue with Protestants comes off as being quite damaging to the Church. In a recent article , Bp. Barron says Luther's protest was out of love, and even refers to Luther as "a mystic of grace." This is far from the truth of who Luther really was. For instance, Luther, as a hardworking monk, hardly made time in his days for prayer. He thought he could never be forgiven, and as a result of his scrupulosity, Luther could only see God as vengeful and hateful . Even after becoming a Protestant, Luther's writings hardly reflected love and admiration for God. Luther even went as far as saying that Jesus committed adultery and fornication . The watering down of the troubling and violen

Reflections on the Most Holy Mass - 6/19/2017

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If you're a well seasoned Catholic you probably know that last week was the Feast of Corpus Christi. All over the world, parishes celebrated the most Holy Eucharist and first communion. I myself was so overfilled with joy watching the Feast of Corpus Christi that I couldn't get rid of an uncontrollable grin that crept it's way onto my face. After the Mass, the priest led a procession around the parish for those receiving their first communion. As the procession continued, I had an overwhelming and indescribable joy wash over my heart. I just felt so at peace. The chanters with their dulcet voices only brought into perspective the Eucharist, the rose petals left by the altar boys, and all the women and girls wearing chapel veils. Seeing all the beauty in the tradition of the Extraordinary Mass made me appreciate the fact that I am not a cradle Catholic. As I've noticed among many of the faithful, cradle Catholics don't really show as much appreciation for the C

Why Tradition Matters and Why We Need it More Than Ever

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As an Orthodox Christian making my spiritual journey to Rome I've been raised and immersed to have a respect for tradition ever since I was 6 months old. So it comes as somewhat of a surprise when I have to defend my traditionalist Catholic views to my friends who are cradle Catholics. Many Catholics, post-Vatican II, in fact, have adopted a minimalist Christian view on the liturgy. Just as long as you go to Mass on Sundays, receive confession, and get Holy Communion you'll be okay. This is not a healthy path to salvation. Doing the bare minimum doesn't cut it. Because God the Father made everything and Jesus Christ gave everything for our salvation. Christ and the Saints never asked themselves "What's the least I can do, and still make a difference?" This Christian minimalism has no doubt led to many cases of abuse in the Holy Mass. If you've ever been to a Latin-Rite Mass, and then to a Novus Ordo Mass, you'll notice very significant contras

Reflections on the Rosary and Sexual Immorality

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When praying the Rosary many people see it and use it as a form of intercessory prayer. While the Rosary is used to invoke the prayers of Our Lady, the Rosary can also serve as one of the best methods for meditation. This is not a new idea though. When we pray the Rosary we are meant to meditate on the mysteries of each decade. But I propose that the people who most desperately need the meditation of the Rosary are adolescent men. If you are in your pre-teen to teenage years or you have a child who is a teenager, become acquainted and introduce them to the power of prayer (a great resource for introducing the power and benefit of prayer is Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly ). Once prayer is introduced, and a personal connection to God is made, make it a habit to be unbroken. Most of the time, however, morning and evening prayers are not enough to satisfy the soul. This spiritual malnourishment leads men and women to comprise and indulge in their sin. And no one is more in danger o