Here is this week's installment of "Five Faith Friday" which contains five, faith-based things I found interesting and am sharing on Friday.
What I'm Watching -- The ever increasing attacks against the Catholic Church. And I'm not just talking about the verbal ones, but the physical ones. 6 Catholic Churches in Canada have been set ablaze in just the last two weeks. From a news article in Canada: "Catholic churches across the country have also been defaced, many strewn in blood red hand and foot prints. Some have had stuffed animals placed near the entrance, while one church in Saskatchewan had the words “we were children” painted across its doors." There were over 80 attacks on US Catholic Churches in 2020 alone. Even in Denver there was vandalism earlier this week at a Catholic Church.
What Document I Read -- "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles" by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). It's a very short memorandum and well worth the read. Principle #5 was especially powerful to me:
- "Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist."
Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002 to 2008, sums it up best. In a 2007 speech he said that he is often asked if a politician who supports abortion should receive Holy Communion. His response?
- "Do you really need a cardinal from the Vatican to answer that? Get the children for first communion and say to them, somebody votes for the killing of unborn babies, and says, I voted for that, I will vote for that every time and these babies are killed, not one or two, but in millions, and that person says I am a practicing Catholic, should that person receive communion next Sunday? The children for first communion will answer that at the drop of a hat. You don’t need a cardinal to answer that."
Want to know what the real scandal is regarding President Biden? I'll let Bishop Tobin share:
- "Setting aside for a moment the entire Communion question, this is the problem and the scandal - professed Catholic President Joseph Biden still eagerly supports, promotes, and wants to pay for the death of vulnerable unborn children in abortion. Inexcusable."
What I'm Looking Forward To -- The next Pints & Prayers event being held on Thursday, July 8th. All men (Catholic or not!) are invited to join in to learn about the hour that will change your life. Afterwards, Father Keith Laskowski will be celebrating Mass for the group. We will start at 7pm at Our Lady of Mercy in Easton, PA. Please let me know if you are able to join via DavidRYingling@gmail.com
Also, we are going to be starting a co-ed book club. We will be reading "The Priests We Need to Save the Church" by Kevin Wells. There are going to be 3 events: 1) a meeting to cover off on the prologue through chapter six 2) a meeting to cover off on chapter seven through the epilogue 3) and a live guest speaking event with the author himself. The first meeting will be at the beginning of August (specific date to be announced soon) so please get the book and start reading. If cost is a prohibition, please let me know (DavidRYingling@gmail.com) as I have donors who feel so strongly about the need for laity (and priests!) to read the book that will cover the cost. Also, any priest, deacon, seminarian, or individual in the religious life that would like to participate, let me know and you can get the book for free.
Finally, to sign up for Five Faith Friday via e-mail and all e-mails regarding events and activities, please visit http://pintsandprayers.org/
Where I Went -- Sight and Sound to see the show "Queen Esther". Located in Lancaster, PA (note: there is another Sight and Sound theater in Branson, MO), I describe Sight and Sound as a Christian broadway style production. The stage spans 180 degrees, there are live animals using the aisleways and stage, and even props that stem from the ceiling. World class acting, singing, music, props, etc. is what you are bound to find. I highly recommend taking your family to Sight and Sound.
What Book I Read -- "What's Wrong With The World" by G.K. Chesterton. From an online description of the book: "In the aptly titled treatise What's Wrong With the World, one of the twentieth century's most memorable and prolific writers takes on education, government, big business, feminism, and a host of other topics. A steadfast champion of the working man, family, and faith, Chesterton eloquently opposed materialism, snobbery, hypocrisy, and any adversary of freedom and simplicity in modern society. Culled from the thousands of essays he contributed to newspapers and periodicals over his lifetime, the critical works collected for this edition pulse with the author's unique brand of clever commentary. As readable and rewarding today as when they were written over a century ago, these pieces offer Chesterton's unparalleled analysis of contemporary ideals, his incisive critique of modern efficiency, and his humorous but heartfelt defense of the common man against trendsetting social assaults." One part that stuck out with me was in regards to how society always seems to start conversations between two people with the weather. Chesterton says, "...to begin everything with the weather is a sort of pagan way of beginning everything with prayer." Food for thought!
BONUS -- What I Wanted To Share -- A little catechesis. Since America celebrates its Independence, I thought it would be appropriate to share what the Church teaches about freedom. What is freedom? Freedom is the power given by God to act or not to act, to do this or to do that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. Freedom characterizes properly human acts. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. Freedom attains its proper perfection when it is directed toward God, the highest good and our beatitude. Freedom implies also the possibility of choosing between good and evil. The choice of evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to the slavery of sin. If you'd like to read more on the topic, check out: CCC 1730-1733, 1743-1744.
Have a wonderful weekend and may God bless you and your family!
David
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