03/9/13

Conclave Roundup!

Preparing for the next pope is quite a process, and in case you’ve been under a rock for the last few weeks you’ve probably been exposed to the gamut of excitement, coverage, speculation, and general hoopla that surrounds the election of the next Successor of Peter. I particularly enjoy all of the oddsmaking and punditry, but the fact of the matter is that nobody knows who will be the next pope yet because the Cardinals don’t even know yet. The first week or so of the conclave consists of general sessions and meet-and-greet opportunities for the Cardinals, because many of them have never met each other. During these sessions, they get to know one another and assess the state of the Church and the problems it faces as they look to the future. It is only then that the profile or dossier of the next pope begins to take shape… they try to find the right person to lead the Church from now moving forward, and there’s not exactly a rubrick to follow to include or exclude candidates.

With all that being said, the Internet is abuzz with some truly great resources for finding out more about the conclave and keeping tabs on the latest news from the Holy See. Now that the Cardinals have set a date for the conclave (March 12) and the chimney is up, it’s time to get ourselves prepared to welcome a new pontiff.

How does a pope get elected?

This interactive slideshow explains the process of the papal election, with animations and points of interest that explain facts about the conclave process. The most interesting fact that I learned from this slideshow is that the papal tailor makes the vestments in three different sizes to match differing body types, so that they’re ready for the new pontiff (whoever he is). This made me imagine a closet somewhere in the Vatican full of tiny little pope outfits and big jolly pope outfits from years past.

Adopt a Cardinal

This website has been making the rounds in the Catholic blogosphere, Adopt a Cardinal randomly assigns you a Cardinal so that you can pray for them before and during the conclave process. I got Brazilian Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo, Archbishop Emeritus of São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. They’re not prescriptive about what you do once you’ve adopted a Cardinal, I used my Adoration time this week to do a rosary for the intentions of Cardinal Agnelo and that the Holy Spirit works in him to bring about the Holy Father that the Church needs.

Pope Name Predictor

This site also includes a contest: if you pick the next pope’s name correctly, you are entered to win a chance at a new iPad mini. My vote went for John Paul III, I think even though it is soon after Pope John Paul II he provides a superior example to model one’s papacy after. The other options that I feel are likely would be Leo, Pius, or John. If you want to go in with the (fairly ridiculous) Saint Malachy prophecy crowd, you can vote for Peter II or Peter the Roman. I think it’s a fun concept with a fun prize associated with it!

Pope Alarm

When I saw the title of this website, it made me laugh and then wonder why I didn’t think of something like this. You sign up for the website, enter your mobile phone number and/or email address and when the white smoke goes up you will get an alert notifying you that we have a new pope!

Conclave Mobile Application

This Conclave application by Verbum software gives you a live video feed so you can watch the white smoke rise, information about the 115 cardinal electors, official documents about the conclave and papal elections, coverage by high-quality Catholic bloggers and news sites, and a Twitter stream to read what people are saying about the conclave right now. The price is right (it’s free!) and available on both iOS or Android. You can find out more by visiting the application’s website.

I hope you find something to enjoy! Hopefully by next week we’ll have a new pope to talk about, and one of us will have that iPad mini!

02/27/13

Thank you, Pope Benedict!

Tomorrow marks the end of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. I thought it appropriate to spend a few minutes thanking the Holy Father for his service, and for making the brave decision to resign from the Chair of Saint Peter. Why was this decision brave? Because it demonstrates for us that even the Holy Father himself must answer Christ’s call, and it seems very clear that Pope Benedict feels that the Lord was calling him to serve in a quiet life of prayer and permit the Chair of Saint Peter to be filled be someone younger, more vigorous, and more physically capable of continuing the fight.

In his final Wednesday audience, the Pope expressed thanks and gratitude for the opportunity to serve, and also articulated his personal reflections on the struggles and the times when “the Lord appeared to be sleeping.” It seems that Pope Benedict, like Mother Teresa and countless others before him, experienced a long dark night of the soul during his pontificate. He continued this reflection in noting that the Church is not his, nor ours, but Christ’s, and that is what we must remain focused on. To me, this reflects an profound example of maturity of worship. Pope Benedict continues to follow Christ’s command, even in some cases when it feels like he is not present. That is the essence of true worship and true trust, and the acknowledgement that God is always with us, even when he withdraws… and I believe that is why he withdraws, so people with profound integrity of spirit can show with their example how God should be praised.

The Holy Father continued, “Loving the Church means also having the courage to make difficult and painful choices, keeping always the good of the Church at the fore and not our own.” I pray that I am able in my life to follow the example that Pope Benedict provides us, to meet Christ wherever He is and lead wherever He follows.

Thank you, Pope Benedict, for the gifts of your writing and the strong leadership that you provided the Church. Your term as pontiff may be over, but you have proven to be a good and faithful servant of Christ. I hope that your life of quiet, reflective prayer helps to bring you closer to the Lord and that the Holy Spirit blesses your successor to lead the Church with the same care that you did.

The photo for this article was taken from CatholicVote’s Facebook page.

02/20/13

How long must a priest fast before the Eucharist?

My brother-in-law outlined a very interesting scenario and asked my opinion on it.

It seems one of their parish priests had celebrated the 7:30 am Mass, went to the Catholic school breakfast nearby, and came back to celebrate the 9:30 am Mass. The question:

Did the priest break the fasting requirement before receiving the Eucharist?

First, some background

The norms for fasting before the Eucharist are there for several reasons. Most lay Catholics are familiar with the rule to fast for an hour before receiving the Eucharist, in order to remind us of the fundamental difference between spiritual food and normal food. Also, it provides a period of reflection, appreciation, and concentration regarding the Blessed Sacrament.

This rule has changed over time and for different jurisdictions. Some men in my That Man Is You! group informed me that the norm required fasting from midnight to Mass time, then that time frame was shortened to 3 hours before Mass, and now it is an hour before Mass. There were many reasons for this practice to change over time, including availability of reliable travel and later Mass times as contributing factors.

So what’s the answer?

Based on the situation as it was presented to me, the priest did run a risk of running “up to the minute” in violating this rule. This led me to dig a little deeper and I found my answer. The Code of Canon Law states:

Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.

§2. A priest who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or third celebration even if there is less than one hour between them.

§3. The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.

As you can see here, there is an exemption for priests that celebrate consecutive Masses right there in Canon Law, sandwiched between the 1-hour rule that we are all bound by, and the exemption for elderly and infirmed.

So I learned something about Canon Law today, and now you did too.

02/12/13

Living Lent

We’re just a few short hours from the beginning of the Lenten Season, which runs from Ash Wednesday (tomorrow) until Holy Thursday. It is a season of prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial in preparation for the great celebration of Easter. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are fasting days, which restrict the eating of meat and snacking between meals. All Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence from eating meat but fish and shellfish are permitted.

Isn’t fish meat?

Yes. But it’s permitted because of the words used in Canon Law. The word “meat” in English is written in Canon Law using the Latin word carne which means meat from mammals or fowl. The observances for fasting have changed over time, but here are the current portions of Canon Law:

Can. 1249 All Christ’s faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed. On these days the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves, by fulfilling their obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence which the following canons prescribe.

Can. 1250 The days and times of penance for the universal Church are each Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.

Can. 1253 The Episcopal Conference can determine more particular ways in which fasting and abstinence are to be observed. In place of abstinence or fasting it can substitute, in whole or in part, other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety.

Note Canon 1253, which mentions the substitution of other forms of penance or works of charity and piety… it has been encouraged by the Church to go beyond the letter of Canon Law and deepen your faith in a more significant way during Lent, and over the past few years I have been doing a little more.

What’s in store for this year?

Here’s what I have planned for this Lenten Season:

Give up soda, including my beloved Diet Coke. Thankfully, my wife Tasha is doing the same thing so it will be easier but I am NOT looking forward to the withdrawal headaches that I always get.
Read Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas. I have only barely started and this is going to be a challenge. Saint Thomas was a very deep thinker and it’s going to be a battle for every one of those 550 pages.
Follow the Discerning the Will of God Lenten Journey by Steve Bollman (from That Man Is You!) to the best of my ability. It involves the following each day: morning and evening prayer, an activity or observance, Scripture reading and a rosary.
If I get through all that I will continue reading Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth series.

If you’re doing something special for Lent this year, let’s hear about it in the comments. I enjoy hearing what others find important to sacrifice or observe during this important season.

02/11/13

Don’t Panic: Pope Benedict XVI Announces His Resignation

If you have access to any sort of news outlet today, you must have heard the news: Pope Benedict XVI has announced his papal resignation effective February 28. This is certainly shocking news, given the fact that the last pontiff to exercise this authority was Pope Gregory XII who resigned 598 years ago to put an end to the Western Schism. As the day progressed more news came out: the Holy Father grappled with this question for quite some time, he isn’t going to participate in conclave to elect his successor, and he is going to move to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo for awhile and then possibly to a cloistered monastery for prayer and reflection.

Saint Corbinian’s Bear

One particularly interesting piece of commentary from The Catholic World Report notes Pope Benedict’s affinity for the symbol of Saint Corbinian’s Bear. I always find it interesting to explore the inspiration for the great thinkers of the Church, so I was interested to find out more. Saint Corbinian was an 8th-century bishop who carries a legend wherein his horse is killed by a bear. The saint rebukes the bear and enlists him to carry his burden back to Rome. Pope Benedict has used the symbol of the bear on his heraldry starting when he was Archbishop of Munich. His autobiography quotes:

The bear with the pack, which replaced the horse or, more probably, St. Corbinian’s mule, becoming, against his will, his pack animal, was that not, and is it not an image of what I should be and of what I am?

At the end of the legend, the saint lets the bear go free… seems like an appropriate symbol today. I strongly recommend reading the rest of the commentary that I linked above, it is quite thought provoking.

As the day progressed, most of my coworkers stopped by to ask if I had heard the news and ask questions. Here are a few:

Can the Pope even do that?

Yes, he sure can. The Code of Canon Law 332 §2 states:

If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.

So all he has to do is freely resign through an official manifest. There is no process of acceptance, what he says goes.

What happens next?

From the sound if it, Conclave will begin on February 28. If it follows normal procedures after a pope’s death, voting begins 13-15 days after Conclave begins. This being a rather rare situation they may begin Conclave much quicker since no official mourning period is required, but it’s anyone’s guess at this point. I’m sure we’ll know more as the 28th approaches and we get more details about what is planned. The Conclave process will apply in this situation, and there’s no direct cause for alarm… this isn’t uncharted territory, it’s just rather antique territory.

What’s the Pope going to be called once he steps down?

That one is a little tricky, since it has been so long since this has happened. Surely he will return to being known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. I have heard some news agencies report that some Vatican officials are beginning to use the title Bishop Emeritus of Rome but again… I’m sure this will become more clear as the end of the month approaches. I strongly suspect that mainstream media will continue to call him Pope Benedict in some regard, mostly because it’s easier.

What’s going to happen to the Pope’s recently minted Twitter account?

This one actually made me laugh, despite it being a sobering reflection of the times we live in. I haven’t heard one way or another whether Pope Benedict will continue to maintain his Twitter account after his reign as Supreme Pontiff ends, or if it will be turned over to his successor. I do hope that the next pope embraces new media with the same zeal as Pope Benedict, because it was really interesting to get insights into the thoughts of the pope 140 characters at a time.

What do I think?

This was the most popular question, as if I was going to come up with some sort of poetic or crushing insight. The truth is, I am sad. I think that Pope Benedict is an enlightened teacher and a truly spectacular scholar. He was a champion for the old guard of orthodoxy and traditionalism, both of which ate sorely lacking in today’s society. His background and story are extremely interesting, as is his reluctance to progress through the priestly ranks. In the end he heeded the admonishment of his predecessor Pope John Paul II: “Be not afraid!” and took the visible and demanding role that he is leaving behind at the end of the month. I find that very inspirational, that he would sacrifice so much to be the Vicar of Christ on Earth.

I am also concerned for his health. I suspect that any reason that would cause the Pope to resign just before Lent and during the Year of Faith that he himself instituted must be a grave one. I noticed that he seemed more frail in the last few years when viewed on TV, but I chalked it up to his advanced age and the demands of the job. In the end, I hope that he receives some peace and is allowed to quietly return to a life of peaceful prayer, and that he continues to release books to help the rest of us along in our faith journey.

At the same time, I am excited for the future. This is only the second Conclave that I have been alive for and it is always a mysterious spectacle. I am hopeful for another pontiff in the same mould of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict: big personalities with a great love of Christ and a great capacity for explaining the Truth that is within them.

Vivat Papa!

02/4/13

A pamphlet asks questions regarding ecumenism

Last week, I began discussion about a pamphlet that was left in my car containing false assertions about Catholicism (read it here: page 1 and page 2). Today I’d like to discuss the portion of the pamphlet on page 2 regarding ecumenism.

First, a definition

For those unfamiliar with the term: ecumenism (rooted in the word ecumenical) is a movement aimed at achieving unity among Christian Churches (and other non-Christian religions) by establishing interdenominational discussions to cooperate on matters of mutual concern.

What is Catholicism, anyway?

The actual term Catholicism has its roots in the Greek word katholikos, which means literally “universal”. Without digging into extreme detail, it stands to basic reason that the Universal Church would have a mission to explore how it is, in fact, universal with other word religions and movements. However, it is my understanding that this is not the main intent of ecumenism. The main intent would be to explore ways for reconciliation and re-unification with the various Christian sects that have broken away from the Catholic Church over the ages.

And the false premises begin…

Turning back to the pamphlet, I must admit a certain difficulty parsing out the actual arguments from amid the poisonous attacks presented in this first section on Ecumenism. The first paragraph begins by stating that the Catholic “net” includes Charismatic, homosexual, Voodoo, and Buddhist sects. This is an easy place to begin: charismatic refers to a certain type of worship. I have never been (or know of) a charismatic Catholic Church. Homosexuality is a type of sin, not a religious sect. Voodoo and Buddhist refer to other religions, neither of them Catholic.

The false argument continues atop two quotations, one by Cardinal Cooke and one by Pope John Paul II. I strongly suspected that the quotation by Cardinal Cooke was taken out of context, but my attempts to find a transcription of the entire speech or homily that it was taken from came up empty (although I did find this quotation referenced in the same way several other places). The quotation from Pope John Paul II was in reference to dignitaries from Islam, in the context of a broad faith dialogue. In fact, Jews, Catholics, and Muslims do all pray to the God of Abraham. The Catholic Church contains the fullness of Revelation accomplished through Christ. The Catholic Church in no way denies Christ, invalidates Christ’s claims, or makes Him a liar as the author of this pamphlet alleges.

The one true claim made here is that the Catholic Church accepts anything holy and true in other religions. What this means is not that we part-and-parcel accept all other world religions and their premises, but instead acknowledges the fact that there is objective Truth (note the capital T), and because God is the sole author and creator of Truth we must accept it even when it is found in other world religions. Why is this important? Because it is what Christ told us to do:

In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things; hold fast that which is good. From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18-22

Shun counterfeit Christians? Really?

This section of the pamphlet closes with a positively strange argument that asserts that “counterfeit Christians” should not be associated with and aren’t worth even eating with. They absolutely mangle the context of 1 Corinthians 5 in order to accomplish this feat of logic. Saint Paul was admonishing the people of Corinth for tacitly accepting sexually immoral practices among members of the Church there, it really takes some leaps to associate this to a sectarian dispute and that those falling into that category should be treated in the same way. One additional note: verse 12 contains a statement relevant to our previous discussion regarding dialogue with non-Christian religions:

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
– 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

So leave it to God to work out the ultimate fate of those that adhere only partially to His Truth.

If we carry the line of argument presented in the first section of this pamphlet to it’s logical conclusion, we would just allow our misguided “counterfeit” brethren to languish in their ignorance without correction. Instead of speaking with them, treating them with respect, and bringing them closer to the Lord we would just shun them immediately. Imagine if all of the Old Testament prophets or the Apostles had taken this approach! It’s not exactly following the command of Our Lord to go forth and make disciples of all nations… nowhere in there does it say “all nations, so long as they agree with you immediately.”

For an excellent representation of the Catholic stance on ecumenism, I refer you to this talk from the Cardinal’s Symposium in 2003 regarding the ecumenical efforts during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate. Further, you can read an entire address on this topic from Pope Benedict XVI, where he outlines the intent of these interfaith dialogues and also he outlines the dangers that one can encounter. I understand that these references might not satisfy anyone that does not accept papal authority regarding such matters, but I feel that between Christ’s teaching and the words of his Vicars on Earth it is directionally correct advice.

01/28/13

Saint Thomas Aquinas…

Today is the feast day of Saint Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-1274), one of the greatest philosophers of the Church. He is one of the 35 Doctors of the Church (he is often referred to as the Angelic Doctor), whose writing greatly influenced Western thought and provided us deep and rich analysis of Scripture and application of Catholic Tradition. Strongly influenced by Aristotle, Aquinas performed his work much as a scientist would – citing both sides of an argument and then exploring each to form a conclusion. The continuation of this exercise has formed the philosophical school known as Thomism, which continues to thrive to this day.

Why Saint Thomas Aquinas still matters

At Mass today, our priest declared: “Today is the feast day of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Blessed Angelic Doctor of the Church. He is the source of many headaches for seminarians or laypeople that chose to study his theology.” This is very true, based on the small amount of reading that I have done in Saint Thomas’s “Summa Theologica“. His writing is inherently rational and logical, but it is challenging. He presents very complex theological concepts in very clear terms and explores them so fully that I often find myself pondering a single page or two for a very long time.

This is why I feel that Saint Thomas Aquinas is still important: he presents a framework of exploration and argumentation that can still be used today. It proves that the scientific method can be applied to theological research and discourse. In fact, I once heard a modern Thomist explain that one of the main principles is that any argument can be presented for analysis, so long as both sides are willing to maintain civility during the discussion. I believe this is constructive given the secular focus on scientific research as a tool… the more it appears in theological discussion, the more relevant Aquinas’s work becomes. To me, it appears as a grand example that science and religion need not be enemies, and that religious people can explain their beliefs using rational thought.

My prayer today is that I am granted a small amount of the grace that Saint Thomas Aquinas had, so I might better understand the nature of God and the teachings of the Catholic Church. I think that continuing deeper into Summa Theologica will be one of my Lenten projects this year!

01/25/13

March for Life…

Today hundreds of thousands of people participated in the March for Life nationwide, garnering news coverage and even solidarity via Twitter from the Holy Father himself. I know it is popular to paint the Catholic Church as old fashioned, out of touch, and backwards in light of secular sensibilities. I’m not going to go into intense theological debate here, I’ll just state some facts:

The CDC reports just under 49 million abortions performed in the United States between 1970 and 2008 (more recent years have not been released yet). I saw someone refer to abortion as “the silent Holocaust”, and this caused me to look up those numbers as well. The estimated number killed during that time was 11-17 million. I think applying the silent Holocaust term is appropriate.

Now there will be some people that cry out “how dare you compare these two events?” It is simple. I know the value of one unborn life. Just one. You cannot quote me a scientific fact to convince me that the child we lost last year to an ectopic pregnancy wasn’t a child. If you place each one of those pregnancies even one second after birth and then kill them in the numbers cited above, I strongly suspect you would have a war-causing outrage from any rational society. To live at a time when we have rejected the fundamental notion that a pregnancy causes a person to be born, I don’t see any rational way that you can argue that society isn’t completely backwards on this topic. This is in no way intended to minimize the Holocaust, that was also a grisly and unfathomable act of murder the same as this situation.

So what’s to be done about it? Prayer for one. Marches, protests, speeches, and rallying to continue to fight against this Culture of Death that we live in. My job prevented me from marching today, but I did get to spend part of my workday discussing our recent ectopic pregnancy (interestingly, a coworker came up and wanted to talk to me about it) and why the March for Life was important to me. Because it is important.

Last Sunday, Archbishop Aquila gave a truly amazing homily that outlined why, as Catholics, we must build a Culture of Life. He explicitly warns Catholics that have bought in to the secular status quo against continuing in this vein:

Those Catholics who take a pro-choice position, those Catholics who support a so-called “right to abortion,” those Catholics who support same-sex unions, those Catholics who reject the truth about the nuptial meaning of the human body put their souls in jeopardy of eternal salvation, and we cannot ever forget that.

They are strong words, but ones we must hear and act upon.

My personal prayer for today is for all of those unborn souls that they might find eternal happiness with God, for the healing of the families affected by this grave issue, for the souls of the medical practitioners that they might have a conversion of heart and refuse to perform this grisly act, and for our country and our society to come to it’s senses and respect life.

Still confused as to why this is such a big issue for Catholics? Read my Five Facts about Abortion article published last year.

01/21/13

A pamphlet asks: “Is Catholic Christian?”

Before I begin, let me recount for you a story. Last summer, I went to Mass. It was a hot day, so I decided to leave my car window cracked. Like most other Sundays, I was on the way to take the Eucharist to the homebound of my community. My car often collects debris throughout the course of the work week, so it wasn’t too unusual to see a piece of paper sitting in the seat of my car… but it was on the driver’s side. “Strange,” I thought, “was I sitting on some paper the whole way to Church? Wait… is that Pope John Paul II?”

Sure enough, there he was humbly revering a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary along with a nice picture of Christ bowing his head in prayer. But then I noticed the title: “Is Catholic Christian?” and at the bottom “Be born again and have a loving relation with Jesus.” Weird, and not just because of the strange grammar at the bottom… what does it mean to have a loving relation with Jesus?

I looked around the parking lot and noticed these pamphlets were all over, mostly under windshield wipers. A few short minutes later I had read the entire dense, verbose, and vitriolic pamphlet and I was pretty mad. First, the contents of the pamphlet (produced by a place called SALT Ministries) present what appears to be a hastily slapped together set of wide-ranging but fairly standard objections. The mode of writing is very condescending, angry, and demeaning. I can’t imagine a scenario where leaving this in the hands of a Catholic would lead to some sort of conversion… knowing that they left this for Catholics, wouldn’t they attempt an approach that wasn’t basically calling us boastful, prideful, unrepentant and wrong? Lastly, the sheer cowardice of leaving such a offensive piece of literature on cars in the parking lot of a Catholic Church while Mass is going on is beyond offensive. SALT Ministries, you should be ashamed of yourselves to basely attack our religion and not even have the decency to do it to our faces.

But here’s the good news: I’m going to take the high road and answer these objections. While I don’t speak for the Catholic Church in any capacity, I have heard the objections (aside from the “facts” presented that are pure nonsense or take swipes at other Christian denominations that I know nothing about) and can answer them. I will do this thing with charity and good will and will not be drawn into a debate, flame-war or any other form of internet warfare. I will even include a copy of the pamphlet in it’s entirety (page 1 and page 2) along with my arguments, just as they request. I wouldn’t want to be accused of perverting their claims in any way, after all.

I am doing this for one reason: I am afraid that others might see this pamphlet and think that these claims are true. They are not.

In answer to the first question raised by this pamphlet: “Is Catholic Christian?” The answer is simple. Yes, of course Catholics are Christians… our Church was founded by Christ Himself and we have an apostolic line of succession directly back to Saint Peter and the rest of Christ’s Apostles. To claim that Catholics are not Christians is ridiculous to the point that it is nearly impossible to argue all the avenues that this question presents, so I will leave the articles to come in the following weeks and months to flesh out this answer more.

Please note: the pamphlet does not include any sort of website or URL, simply a PO Box to send donations for more pamphlets. Since I’m clearly not going to donate to them, I have not contacted this PO Box. I have found a website that matches the mailing address, but I will not link it here because I am not certain it is them and I don’t want to give them any traffic or business.

01/15/13

Do you want to know a secret?

If you want to know many secrets of the Faith, then allow me to introduce you to Mr. Jimmy Akin. He is an apologist of the highest order, and I first came to know of his work as a Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers. Beyond his work answering questions on the radio program, I found that Jimmy is a great author as well. He has written several books and keeps his own blog, as well as being a contributor to the National Catholic Register.

But we’re here to talk about secrets today. I decided to write this article because I am proud to be a member of Jimmy Akin’s Secret Information Club, where he provides exclusive articles and insights from his own research. The information is presented in a whimsical way (being part of a secret information club is a lot more fun than joining an email newsletter list!) and tackles some very interesting subjects, such as:

1st century Christian writings that *aren’t* in the New Testament (and what we can learn from them)
What the Vatican considers the absolute *worst* liturgical abuses
What Pope Benedict wants you to know about the mystery of Purgatory
How Pope Benedict understands the sinister figure of Judas Iscariot–and his eternal fate
What Pope Benedict wants you to know about that perpetually thorny issue: private revelation
Among many other interesting things!

I bet he paid you a lot of money for this!

Actually, quite the contrary. I don’t know Jimmy (maybe one day I’ll get to meet him!) nor am I getting any sort of kick-back, indulgence, thank-you card, or any other form of compensation for this recommendation. I’m just sharing the Secret Information Club because it’s awesome. The information that Jimmy provides – free of charge – is a tremendous resource for the budding apologist, interested RCIA student, or lover of Truth. I particularly enjoy his mock interviews with Pope Benedict, where he culls answers and insights out of Pope Benedict’s public writings and presents them in a question-and-answer style. These nuggets of wisdom from the Holy Father have caused me to dig deeper into Pope Benedict’s writings, and this was a nice entry-point for the otherwise intimidated.

So there you have it, gentle reader. The secret is out. Head on over to The Secret Information Club and sign up for free, you won’t be sorry. I just hope that Jimmy doesn’t revoke my membership card for cluing you all in!

This Catholic Man

Author Archives: Josh