Ransoning Captives -The lost art of mercy

It’s hard for me to imagine a faith strong enough to willingly and literally sell oneself into slavery for a Christian held captive by hostile forces. However this has in times past been a very real act of mercy which produced even a few religious orders.
Order of the Holy Trinity for the Ransom of Captives [...]

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Creeds, Christology & unintended heresy

Many Protestant communions have issues with giving adherence to the traditional Creeds. Creeds bind individual believers to a formal expression of Scriptural truths. Creeds were created to eliminate gray areas which lead to false understandings of eternal truths. Many would view Creeds as intolerant. Especially in this politically correct world, Creeds can be somewhat insensitive [...]

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New Catholic church built in Qatar

Well to be reasonable I have to place the positive along with the negative. The building of a Catholic church in Qatar. There’s a very long way to go but this is an encouraging sign that perhaps moderate Muslims can influence the religious outlook of Islam towards other religions.
Doha (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Catholic church of [...]

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The new faithful – book review

I just finished an easy reading by the fire kind of book. Ms. Carroll looks into the unstable social changes that the gen-Xers have endured and their desire for something solid, concrete, time tested & enduring; in a word tradition. And it’s not just young Catholic’s, but many Protestant & Orthodox churches as well. With all the [...]

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Islam Law suppressing religious freedom begins to have effects

If Islam desires to be accepted into the world community, they have to reverse laws like this one. However since Islam seems unable or unwilling to separate the role of the state with the role of religion, I don’t hold out much hope in this regard any time soon. Faith regardless of who is professing [...]

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What does “Catholic” historically mean? Christian is my name, Catholic my surname

Perhaps its the internet or more specifically the blogs that I read weekly, but over the past 3 years or so there seems to be a concerted effort in some quarters to reclaim(from their viewpoint) the term “Catholic”.  As a Catholic myself I have some problems with them doing so; their claim is that one can [...]

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England has lost it’s will and it’s great heritage

Dr Rowan Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.
“There’s a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some other aspects of religious law.”
If England goes along with the Archbishop of Canterbury, England will be Islamic [...]

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Lent a time to make the body submit to the spirit

Humans are composed of both body(matter) and spirit. For many Christians only the latter component seems to matter[pun intended]. This type of view tends to be quite Gnostic in it’s outlook. During lent we attempt to teach our body that the spirit rules the flesh rather then the other way around. 

St. Paul writes in Galatians 5:16-18 

16So [...]

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Genesis 3:19 – Ash Wednesday & Hosanna in the highest

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Ash Wednesday -”Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return”.
It’s very good to be reminded that we’re moral. [...]

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We have a Cardinal in the making

Q&A with Archbishop Chaput
By Rocky Mountain News
Comments and highlight edited by me. Related post by me on the subject here

Originally published 11:53 a.m., January 31, 2008
Updated 11:53 a.m., January 31, 2008

Archbishop Charles Chaput called House Bill 1080 an “attack on religious identity” in his weekly column appearing in last week’s Denver Catholic Register. [...]

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