tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85319072024-09-04T19:32:11.353-05:00Cultivating the Catholic Conscience.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-20119740500190744262018-03-28T19:14:00.000-05:002018-03-28T19:14:19.618-05:00

This blog is dead, but it has been reborn at a new site with a new name - - at www.CatholicEvangel.com. Check out out. Also like and share its Facebook page. See you there! 

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Praying the Rosary, as magnificent and sweet as it is, can be challenging to the new convert and seasoned Catholic alike. Common to both is one big difficulty: a lack of focus. Normally, as we make our ring around the Rosary, we should be meditating on the individual scenes of the joyful, sorrowful, luminous, or glorious mysteries. We should rehearse them in our minds and ponder them in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-61503072539750154562015-02-06T12:18:00.000-06:002015-02-06T12:18:26.337-06:00

Years ago I would listen to CRI's Bible Answer Man radio broadcast on the way home from work, and host Hank Hanegraaff would often say, "Christianity is so deep, you could drown in it; yet it is so simple, a child can understand it." I like his ability to distill profound truths into pithy proverbs. That truth about Christianity resonates for me again after reading St.

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“Catholic” is not just one among many acceptable religions, philosophies, or even Christian denominations. To think a person’s church or religious affiliation is unimportant, as long as he is generally “good,” is to overlook stark incompatibilities between the Catholic Church and other religions. Consider Protestant and other non-Catholic Christians. While through their connection to

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I've often found it difficult to go to a priest for the sacrament of Confession. Pride, shame, embarrassment, despair, repeat offenses—all these can be obstacles to confessing sins. But understanding Confession makes it a lot easier, and can even make a person desire Confession. Like cleaning a wound, the temporary discomfort is worthwhile after experiencing the healing joy, peace, and

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I grew up reading the old King James Version of the Bible. I've had many of them. At 41 years old, I still have one of my earliest Bibles from when I was in the first grade. The rich leather scent of its imitation-leather cover fills my head with memories of my early encounters with Holy Writ. But it wasn't until I started reading the New King James Version (NKJV) in my early 20s that I enjoyed

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“God is not interested in chants, endlessly repeated phrases, or the superstitious fingering of beads,” writes Fred Coulter, president of the Christian Biblical Church of God, in his book Lord, What Should I Do? Having already mentioned the Rosary, he continues, “Such methods are mechanical and have nothing to do with true biblical prayer. In fact, ritual prayers are evidence that we are

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-72769402071791936032015-01-12T11:02:00.002-06:002015-01-13T04:56:53.461-06:00

I want everyone, even you, to be Catholic. It doesn't matter whether you have same-sex attraction, whether you aborted your baby or someone else's, whether you're a non-Catholic Christian, a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon, an anti-Catholic, an agnostic, an atheist, or just an all-around jerk—as long as you are human, you bear God's image, and I want you to be Catholic. Jesus loves you, and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-4865603881967863072015-01-12T10:39:00.000-06:002015-02-09T12:28:20.273-06:00

Over the years, I've read and enjoyed a couple of old books by Christian writer and preacher, Charlie Shedd (namely, Letters to Philip and Letters to Karen), but I am very disappointed with one I've come across here at the house entitled The Stork Is Dead, written in 1968 for teenagers about sex. Mrs. Billy Graham wrote a blurb for it, saying, "Thank God for a book that tells it like it is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-9822732782942318122008-06-01T20:40:00.008-05:002008-06-01T21:58:37.066-05:00

On YouTube today, I found this debate between well-known Catholic apologist Karl Keating, of Catholic Answers, and Peter Ruckman, of the Bible Baptist Bookstore.Each segment is over two hours long. I'm only an hour into the first one right now. My first impression is that it's way too disorganized. The lack of direction is disappointing. I don't think that's fair to the listener, who deserves

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-10965596181811086462008-04-27T13:24:00.010-05:002008-04-27T14:48:48.464-05:00

Just as Jehovah's Witnesses believe, I grew up believing that when a person dies, he or she remains in an unconscious state until the resurrection of the dead. I believed our souls could not survive the body. I believed this to be the biblical understanding, and that Christians believed this until pagan philosophy infiltrated the Church, certainly by A.D. 325 at the Nicene Council.The orthodox

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-34570316935464511512008-03-29T08:02:00.005-05:002008-03-29T10:26:02.161-05:00

I was told yesterday that I was "not a Catholic at heart." The reason? I believe in a "personal relationship" with Jesus.The non-denominational Christian woman who told me this is baffled that I could turn to Catholicism. She passionately explained the importance of living righteously, of letting the blood of Jesus cover me, of putting all my trust in Him. Christianity is not about academic

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-31195584688305598802008-03-16T13:50:00.005-05:002015-02-09T12:28:37.817-06:00

It is said by a number of individual Christians that "the marriage bed is undefiled," and by that they mean "anything goes" in the bedroom as long as you're married. This has been said to justify sodomy, artificial contraception, sadomasochism, wild role playing, and any number of perversions of the marital act. The scripture these people reference is often misunderstood because of the awkward

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-52414018420766768772008-02-14T20:49:00.003-06:002008-02-14T21:21:32.494-06:00

BobDobbs left a comment about my post, "Would You Wear an Electric Chair Necklace?"This god despised you and all people so much that all he could do about it was torture his son and have him nailed to a cross. Sorry, he didn't actually kill the boy because legend has him coming back to life. But the Bible teaches that "it pleased God" to do this to his boy. Too bad there wasn't a volcano handy.So

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-19089737125764083742007-12-30T06:51:00.000-06:002007-12-30T08:34:36.266-06:00

A recent comment:Yes, Darren, it's true Jeremiah 10 is referring to forming idols...so a fragrant evergreen decoration is no sin. But how do you justify all those idols that Catholics put everywhere? In their gardens, on their walls, their jewelry, statues of Mary and saints and crucifices galore? If they aren't objects of worship, why do they KISS them? Stop worshipping objects of wood and stone

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-9073744592270383662007-12-24T15:00:00.000-06:002007-12-24T18:22:07.020-06:00

I'm wondering if the Catholic Church is the only place in these parts of Texas to go for Christian worship on Christmas Day.I've heard from several non-Catholic friends who say they never have church on Christmas because their churches want you to spend time with family.Why can't the family spend time at church? Don't we claim Christmas as a Christian holiday? I know that churches have services

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-54617980940321912812007-12-22T18:32:00.000-06:002007-12-23T08:46:52.908-06:00

Having grown up believing that Christmas is pagan and not to be observed by Christians, one classic scriptural misinterpretation I had was believing Jeremiah 10 condemned Christmas trees.Read the passage for yourself here.When I became of age and seriously began to "prove" my childhood faith to myself, I "proved" that God despised the practice of cutting down a tree from the forest, putting it

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-34871264074613065002007-12-14T21:23:00.000-06:002007-12-14T21:26:43.833-06:00

Does praying the Rosary guarantee instant "yes" answers to our supplications? Not at all. God is not our Genie whose job is to grant all our wishes. If that's what He did, He would not be the God of love. As all parents know, to love a child is not to grant the child's every request; it is to provide for the child and do what is ultimately best for the child, who is often short-sighted and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-10797653064731742842007-12-09T11:32:00.000-06:002007-12-09T11:35:16.723-06:00

I just began a new blog. Add a comment to let me know what you think. Thanks.The Rosary Reader

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-30776305202221069452007-12-01T09:29:00.000-06:002007-12-03T05:08:51.810-06:00

As Advent season arrives again, so does the annual explosion of anti-Christmas rhetoric. As if we don't get enough of it from atheists, some of it is published by various Christian sects who sincerely intend to restore the true Faith -- the Faith that was "once delivered to the saints," without extra, man-made garbage to pollute the clear water of the Word. Unfortunately, their pure intentions

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-74265491120738428482007-11-22T13:41:00.001-06:002007-11-22T14:50:38.137-06:00

The commercialism I see surrounding many televangelists is off-putting to me.This past weekend, I added a picture with T.D. Jakes to my collection of photos with well-known, pseudo-Christian teachers, including Garner Ted Armstrong and Joel Osteen.I visited Jakes and Osteen with a good friend of mine just to say we saw them, to have something to talk about later.Osteen's church is a feel-good

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-70091644500168637652007-08-12T19:55:00.000-05:002007-08-13T06:07:16.836-05:00

Man is higher than beast in a fundamental way. Rather than one who works on instinct alone, he is a rational being who can make decisions based on what is good and bad, right and wrong.Yet, so many people advise us to "go with your instinct," to follow your feelings, to let your impulses lead you wherever they will. This insures that you will express your true self, who you really are. Often this

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-64079519987171775142007-08-12T19:28:00.000-05:002007-08-12T19:46:42.795-05:00

The following was written by Msgr. Zacharias Kunnakkattuthara, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palestine, Texas, for today, the nineteenth Sunday in ordinary time. Used with permission.Psychologists have long claimed that a vital sign of maturity is the ability to delay gratification. Children in their natural immaturity will insist on having what they want immediately. Their desire is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-58945377128291425652007-07-16T06:49:00.000-05:002007-07-16T13:04:26.093-05:00

I just rediscovered this water-stained photo testament of my history as an Armstrongite.GTA had a good beer buzz going on at this moment.This picture was taken at the graduation service of Imperial Academy in the summer of 1996. I had completed the church's two-year theological program. It was the last year Imperial Academy conducted classes full time. It was also the second year.It was roughly

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531907.post-68773606956963985392007-07-08T07:07:00.000-05:002007-07-08T10:16:40.983-05:00

The Catholic Church, as its ancient name implies, makes no distinction between ethnicity and the races. Racism is unwelcome in God's house.On the other hand, it was taught in the house of the late Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God, in which I was reared.I've been reading the blog Shadows of WCG almost every day since it began a few months ago. Its young, prolific author

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