Sacrilegious Reporting and the Confessional
Wednesday, January 31st, 2007
A large Italian magazine sent reporters to 24 different Churches or priests throughout Italy to go into confessionals pretending to be confessing delicate moral problems to see if the different priests would give the same advice. Their mock confessions involved confessing pretended sins on such moral issues as pulling the plug on a relative kept artificially alive on a respirator; accepting a lucrative job involving embryonic stem cell research; being an active homosexual; use of condoms, etc. etc.
The results were published in the magazine in Italy showing the diversity of what the priests supposedly advised and what Pope Benedict XVI teaches.
What those reporters did, was highly unethical and no less then a sacrilegious abuse of the Sacrament of Reconciliation [Confession] instituted by Jesus Christ. To go into the Confessional and pretend to be penitents with supposed sins one had committed - all of which was a lie and a mockery of the Church, an attempt to divide priests and Pope - to get a sensational story to sell copy of their publication - was an objective sacrilegious act whether those reporters and their magazine executives had the faith or not.
With such dishonest and sacrilegious endeavors - how can readers trust that the answers the priests were supposed to have given - were honestly represented and reported??????????? With that many reporters accepting such immoral and sacrilegious assignments - how could anyone trust in the future what those reporters would write???? If they would not stop at sacrilege regarding one of Christ’s Sacraments - how can any one trust their reporting????????
Catholic Evangelizing - Duty of all Catholics
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007
When I agreed to live near Mother Angelica’s Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels, Hanceville, Alabama, I did not realize the great evangelization that takes place here, empowered, no doubt, by the prayers, sacrifices, perpetual adoration of 45 Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration. These were to be my retirement years with the most beautiful opportunity to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass daily at the Shrine. People come here from all the States - and at times - even from other countries.
Among the stories I could tell of people who have come into the Catholic Church or reverts who found their way back to the fullness of true faith, by coming to this Shrine - I choose one of the latest which happened a couple days ago.
As I had completed my usual more than two hours daily at the Shrine, offering in the large lower church , Christ’s Sacrifice of the Cross perpetuated, meditation, etc. - I was crossing the the big piazza in front of the Shrine on my way to the parking lot. A couple in their 60’s approached me. The man had been a biblical scholar; he said, “a biblical scholar with a small `s’ “. They had stopped at the Shrine before, he said, and they had seen me about - but this was the first time the opportunity presented itself to talk to me. Strict observance of reverential silence is kept at the Shrine in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord.
The man who had spent most of his life studying the Bible said: “I entered the Catholic Church two years ago. Your book, “Protestant Fundamentalism and the Born-Again Catholic” got me started. I wanted to thank you. “How did you discover this book?” I asked. I bought it here at the Castle store. The man, aware that the converted scriptural scholar, Scott Hahn, had endorsed the book - had a need to talk, as did his wife who followed him into the Catholic Church. Many other stories could be told about the BORN- AGAIN CATHOLIC BOOK - including a 25 year old man whose Aunt, married to a minister, wanted him out of the Catholic Church - so she gave him my book, thinking it was by a fallen away Catholic. Instead, it set the young man on fire with love for the Catholic faith and the desire to evangelize others.
I have already given out about 40 of the small book, “A Young Catholic’s Apology for the Faith” - to Spanish speaking Mexicans in the Hanceville and Cullman area. I wrote this little book to whet the appetite of young people, hoping they would then dig deeper and want also to read: PROTESTANT FUNDAMENTALISM AND THE BORN-AGAIN CATHOLIC. The small book is in both English and Spanish “Iglesia en la Balanza - Apologia de la Fe - de un Joven Catolico. Today I requested the order department of the FATIMA FAMILY APOSTOLATE INTERNATIONAL - of which I am director - with its printing hdq. in Minnesota - to send me 50 more copies of A YOUNG CATHOLIC’S APOLOGY - FOR THE FAITH - Spanish edition - to give out to the young Spanish speaking people in the area.
You can obtain information on these two books - and many others - by clicking on the store at the top of this column. Also, information on the Apostolate’s magazine by clicking at the top.
Thanks for visiting our website. They tell me I am an old priest now but I feel very young in heart. - Fr. Robert J. Fox
“Mary and the Moslems” and many other topics
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007
In 1952 Bishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote on “Mary and the Moslems.” Like many of his speeches and articles they are still timely as if written today. Bishop Sheen told us how the Koran has verses on the Annunciation, Visitation, and Nativity. The Koran, which is the bible of the Moslems has many passages concerning the Blessed Virgin and presents belief in Mary’s Immaculate Conception.
Bishop Sheen reminds us that Mohammed’s daughter had the name “Fatima.” He added. “I believe that the blessed Virgin chose to be known as “Our Lady of Fatima” as a pledge and a sign of hope to the Moslem people, and as an assurance that they, who show her so much respect, will one day accept her Divine Son, too.”
The Re-emerging Catholic Culture
There is once again a slow but gradual emerging Catholic culture among practicing Catholics. It is happening also among youth. In the late 1960s and early 1970s there swept over the country, in fact, over Europe as well, cultural changes amidst various kinds of social revolutions. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said: “The day will come when voices from all corners will call out: `Here is Christ, there is Christ, I speak for Christ.’ When that day comes, you must listen to the Pope.”
From where will come the Emerging Catholic Culture into our lives and society again? It will come from the leadership of the Pope and from families who respond to restore a true Catholic culture and life to their families………..
What does it mean to be a Man?
Sometimes a man has to do what is unpleasant. That is the demarcation line. Boys stop and look for sympathy and understanding, while the men keep going into territory where it gets hard, painful, and more than that, boring-sickeningly and painfully boring. But they go resolutely on and do it because it has to be done. Men don’t put it off until tomorrow, that nebulous time where it is certain to never get done; they knuckle down and do their duty today. That is a real man. ……
All the paragraphs above are quotes from various articles in the IMMACULATE HEART MESSENGER recently released. You will find much more, including
Father John f. Harvey, O.S.F.S., who leads the nation’s most successful and faithful ministry to homosexual Catholics under an Apostolate known as “Courage” (to be chaste) as he writes on: Developments in Catholic colleges threaten moral health and spiritual well being of thousands. He names specific colleges.
You’ll read of “Why priesthood ? Would preacher suffice?” and “Marian Apparitions at key moments in history”; also, “Mortal sin exposes soul to eternal deprivation of God.” Likewise, you will learn of Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas (of the Rocks) where in Columbia 200 years ago Our Blessed Mother left her image embedded deep in the rock in a Cave where she is seen today distinctly, colorfully, flanked by St. Francis and St. Dominic. Geologist drilling deep find that the image goes deeply into rock in the cave. This and much more when you read the IMMACULATE HEART MESSENGER. Those who order our family magazine soon will also get free a recorded talk on “The Root Cause of Problems in the Family Today” given by Fr. Robert J. Fox.. He delivered it at a retreat and thousands of cassettes with this talk are now in circulation.
Click on Immaculate Heart Messenger to order our magazine which will inform you as a Catholic and keep you up to date.
