Learning to be Quick to Listen

The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson is the best movie ever made about the event that changed the world forever. It is a Lenten tradition in my house to re-watch it each year. I can't help but wonder what the folks at the Oscars were thinking when they failed to even nominate James Caviezel  who portrayed Jesus of Nazareth in the movie. If there was a better performance that year, I did not see it and I saw the movie that won for best male lead in 2004. No offense to Jamie Foxx but Caviezel's performance is the best I have seen by anyone ever. What the Oscar awards tell us its that the story of Ray Charles was more important than the story of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It brings me to the point about Hollywood and the movie business. Many of the heresies fought throughout the history of the Church are still around. They have merely assumed new forms, as the devil is known to do. I am speaking in this case of  Gnosticism-Docetism which involves denying God c...

A recent poll conducted by Marist College and funded by the Knights of Columbus should raise the eyebrows of any parent who is seriously concerned about raising a Catholic child in the current environment. In addition, if you are sending your child to a Catholic school, which requires a huge sacrifice on your part, you should be even more concerned. One of the most shocking points I found is that Catholic Millenials (18-29 years old) feel that plagiarism is worse than abortion. Some 58% of the Catholic participants indicated that abortion is morally wrong. But 87% found that copying someone else's work and claiming it as your own was morally wrong. How can this be in an age when folks steal music off of the Internet every minute? But it just gets more interesting as you delve into the survey. The survey found that 82% of Catholic Millenials believe that morals are relative and that there is no definite right or wrong for everyone. Is that what Jesus taught us while on earth? Is tha...

I recently noticed that my church has a picture of St. Faustina. It caused me to explore her life and find out if she has some sort of connection to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In fact, she is linked very closely to the Sacred Heart. Her visions and conversations with Jesus give us the beautiful image of Jesus with the two beams extending from his heart, one white and one red. The two beams, of course, represent the water and the blood that St. John described poured out of Jesus at his crucifixion when he was speared with the lance. But what else does the devotion to the Sacred Heart represent to us? Pope John Paul II tells us that the Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified, "My daughter, say that I am love and mercy personified" Jesus told St. Faustina. Christ pours out this mercy on humanity through the sending of the Spirit who, in the Trinity, is the Person-Love. And is not mercy love's "second name, understood in it deepest and mo...

One of the themes for Lent each year is reconciliation. Here in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, the Bishop has instituted a special program called "The Light is on for You." Numerous churches across the Diocese are holding special reconcilation hours on each Wednesday during Lent. I can testify that this is a beautiful sacrament but one that is often overlooked. Many people feel that they are in conversation with God and therefore can ask Him to forgive their sins. But the Catechism explains simply the benefits of the sacrament and why it is important to receive absolution from a priest in paragraph 1496, " The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are: reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace; reconciliation with the Church; remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins; remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin; peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation; an increase of spiritual stren...

James Arrington publishes a wonderful Catholic blog called Lead, Kindly Light! He was kind enough to respond to the Seven Question Survey and I am posting his answers today. If you would like to share your thoughts, feel free to send me an email at fellmananthony@gmail.com. Pope Benedict has called all Catholics to use technology to evangelize. Please join me in bringing people to the Church so that they can develop a fuller, deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? Sadly, in this modern world and the culture we live in, I find my faith challenged daily. But I have to say the greatest single challenge is my own sinfulness. We have to daily pick up our cross and follow Jesus, and some days I find that very hard to do. I am getting a little better one day at a time, but I always have to do battle with my own flesh. 2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? There...

How many of us arose today and designed what we were wearing around the color green? Of course it is St. Patrick's Day which is celebrated as a secular holiday in the U.S. but is observed with great solemnity in Ireland, where he is regarded as the patron saint of the entire country. St. Patrick came from a religious family, his father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Catholic Church. This was in a time period before celibacy was required for men to become Catholic priests. His early life was not markedly Catholic but he did find God eventually and when he did, it was incredible. About the year 442, tradition tells us, Patrick went to Rome and met Pope Leo the Great, who, it seemed, took special interest in the Irish Church. The time had now come for a definite organization according to the annals of Ulster, the cathedral church of Armagh was founded as the primatial see of Ireland on Patrick's return. He brought back with him valuable relics. Latin was est...

The Torah of the Messiah, as Pope Benedict describes, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, brings us freedom. Jesus preaches that the laws of man put us in bondage and control our freedom. By adopting the laws of the Torah of the Messiah, we are released from the earthly laws and are placed in this new state of freedom. But, Jesus quickly reminds us that this freedom needs to be led by the Spirit of God. How we use our freedom becomes the new focus and that is when the Torah of the Messiah comes into play. If you reread the beatitudes in the context of our earthly world with our human values, the commandments may seem unusual and perhaps ridiculous. It is this type of thinking that places us at great risk to be attacked by the dark spirits. Our mind is so cluttered, literally encapsulated, by the worldly wants and desires that we lose sight of God. We fail to see the face of Jesus in our brothers and sisters. We quickly dismiss the Torah of the Messiah as something that is un...

If you are Catholic, how often have you heard the statement that the early Church and its leadership forbid or discouraged Catholics from reading the Bible ? I have heard this statement frequently and I must admit with embarrassment, always assumed it was truthful. This blog has allowed me to sift through declarations like that and search for the truth. What I have found in this instance is that statement is false. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The Church “forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures…. Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For ‘we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles.'" The Catechism should always be the first stop for Catholics looking for the truth about the Church. My sear...

During Sandra Bullock's Oscar acceptance speech, she said that all children are special and deserve a chance. Her words have been interpreted by many as being very pro-life in nature. If you have seen the movie The Blind Side, it does have a pro-life message. The movie speaks to our soul about the difficulties that people encounter in this world. It also points out how someone can have a huge impact. By choosing to help a kid in need, the character that Ms. Bullocks portrayed certainly heeded the call of Jesus Christ. She, like the Good Samaritan, saw someone who was damaged and hurt and decided to take that person into her home and family. Again, if you saw the movie, her motives were questioned and she even questioned herself. But in the end, the beauty of her Christian outreach shone through. It is an inspirational film and sends a positive message. That is unusual in this day when so very often movies go for shock and awe. Another mo...

A cord of three strands is not easily torn apart. This quote from Ecclesiastes 4:12 appeared on my wedding invitation many years ago. It is something that my wife and I have clung to over the many years of our marriage. It comforts us because we know we are not alone and God will not forsake us. It reassures us because we have chosen to build our house on the rock of God. The entire passage from Chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes is pertinent to marriage in general. It makes the argument for two instead of one. If you have another you will be warmer, and labor less. If you should fall, there is someone there to pick you up. But woven throughout the passage is the call to always maintain your relationship with God our Father. It also predicts the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The last line tells us, "Guard your step when you go to the house of God. Let your approach be obedience, rather than the fools' offering of sacrifice; for they know not how to keep from doing evil....

Are we in the end times? The Bible gives many examples of signs that warn us of the coming end of the age. Six such signs are given by Jesus Christ, two characteristics are given by Paul, and eleven other occurrences are given by the prophets to occur prior to or soon after the end of the age. We are also told we will not know the time of the end. I, like many of you, have read the Left Behind series of books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Both men are well recognized evangelical Christians. I found myself intrigued by the concept of the end time because of the books. Each one built the anticipation of the next in the series and I must say I eagerly anticipated the next book. Most of the material in the book is based on concepts of the Bible and I found that, overall, the series was mildly critical of the Catholic Church. In fact, it was critical at times of all organized religion which can be a good thing if it is driven by Godly thinking. As with any fictitious account, La...

The low feeling I had this morning was curtailed by the powerful voice of the Christian musical group Kutlass singing "That's What Faith Can Do." Just when I was about to let the devil have a sliver of hope, God sent me an angel with a clear message. Every word in that song was what I needed to hear. My God is an awesome God. He is ever present and I am so glad that I have an ongoing, growing, loving relationship with Him. Back to the message from God's angels. Kutlass sings "Anyone can feel the ache. You think it’s more than you can take but you are stronger, stronger than you know. Don’t you give up now." Okay, so maybe this speaks to everyone but that is just the point. This morning I felt alone and was thinking why is this happening to me? Kutlass continues, "I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains, hope that doesn’t ever end, even when the sky is falling." The very essence of faith is what they are talking about here. Do you really think tha...