Archive for July, 2007
« Previous EntriesWhat’s so “new” about evangelization?
Tuesday, July 31st, 2007Pope John Paul II devoted the last 20 years of his pontificate calling for a “new evangelization,” a call now taken up by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. Yet I sometimes wonder how many people really understand what this “new evangelization” is all about.
The glossary to the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines “evangelization” as […]
Ends, Means, and Speaking the Truth
Friday, July 27th, 2007Here is the final installment of the series of articles we are posting on this blog in observance of “NFP week.” We hope you’ve found the series helpful!
The End Does Not Homogenize the Means
by John F. Kippley
Most Christians recognize that the end does not justify the means. Many recall St. Paul’s allusions to this truth […]
Contraception is for rape victims, not spouses
Thursday, July 26th, 2007One of the most controversial topics in the field of medical ethics involves the morality of “emergency contraception” in the context of rape cases. We will be addressing this topic in future postings, and we will also provide links to insightful articles from the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC).
When we consider contraception and abortion in […]
NFP Week Continues
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007Here is the next installment of the series of articles we are posting on this blog in observance of “NFP week.” This article is particularly timely, not only in its connecting NFP with conversions and thus the “new evangelization,” but also in light of the fact that today marks the 39th anniversary of the publication […]
Crunching the Confession Numbers
Monday, July 23rd, 2007For many years I’ve had the clear sense that most parishes allot an inadequate amount of time each week for Confession. In my experience, most parishes set aside one hour per week for scheduled Confessions, some set aside two hours, and very few set aside more than that.
What does that all that mean in practical […]
Explaining Humanae Vitae
Monday, July 23rd, 2007In his 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae (Concerning Human Life), Pope Paul VI reaffirmed the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church that it is the grave matter of mortal sin for married couples to use unnatural methods of birth control. This teaching is widely misunderstood and not widely followed. This is the first of a series […]
Apostles of Kindness
Thursday, July 19th, 2007In our sexually permissive society, it is critically important to reaffirm–clearly, firmly, and sensitively–the implications of the Sixth Commandment. Yet sometimes we may act as though Moses put an asterisk next to the Sixth Commandment, as though that’s the only commandment we really need to be concerned about. The truth is that we also live […]
On this rock I will build my churches?
Monday, July 16th, 2007Today I had a letter published in a large, secular newspaper in which I came to the defense of the recent Vatican statement regarding the necessity of the Church for salvation. Last week the paper published a mischievous, front-page article blasting the Church and especially the Holy Father for taking a position that allegedly flies […]
Pope’s New Book a Beautiful Meditation
Friday, July 13th, 2007I just read Pope Benedict XVI’s latest book, Jesus of Nazareth. This is a theological and pastoral work that has the real Jesus jumping off the pages of the Gospels. While this book is not an exercise of his papal Magisterium, Benedict the teacher and evangelist demonstrates the reliability and reasonableness of the Gospels, simultaneously […]
CDF Responds to Questions on the Nature of the Catholic Church
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007The Congregration for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the Vatican’s doctrinal office, just issued a document clarfiying the doctrine of the Church on June 29, 2007, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Important issues addressed in this document include the relation of Vatican II statements to prior Church teaching; the meaning of the word […]