phat catholic apologetics: November 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Fr. Matthew Hardesty Homilies for Advent

When my twin brother (who is now a priest) was but a wee seminarian, he was often tasked with writing homilies and then presenting them to his peers as a part of his preparation for the task of preaching. Well, in 2008, he wrote a homily for each of the four weeks of Advent. With Advent now upon us again, I thought you all might like to read his thoughts on this liturgical season. Looking back on these homilies, I find them to be just as instructive an edifying as I did the first time I read them.

Here they are, for you to read over at his blog:

Advent 2008, Week 1
Advent 2008, Week 2
Advent 2008, Week 3
Advent 2008, Week 4

By the way, as I make new posts throughout the season of Advent, I will be sure to also add them to my collection of "Resources for Advent 2011."

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Resources for Advent

Here are some resources for Advent to increase your knowledge of and appreciation for this liturgical season in the life of the Church. It's the Catholic New Year! Let us wait with eager anticipation for the coming of the Savior.

I will be updating this post throughout Advent.

Articles:

First Sunday of Advent: The Potter and the Clay
Second Sunday of Avent: Prepare the Way of the Lord
Third Sunday of Advent: A Not-Very-Cozy Advent - The True King Is Coming
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Adam, David, and Jesus - Three Kings

Videos:

Advent 1 Meditation
Advent 1, Lk 21
Advent Talk: Parts 1, 2, and 3
Advent Vespers
Advent
Celebrating the Seasons of Advent and Lent
Advent Confession
Fr Angelo Geiger Homily Gaudete Sunday 2006: Parts A and B
Angel Voices: Gaudete
Advent Light: Based on Jn 1
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Advent: Take Time, Slow Down, Open Up
Pro-Life Advent Reflections (2009): Parts 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4
Advent Conspiracy
The O Antiphons:

Dec. 17 - O Sapientia
Dec. 18 - O Adonai
Dec. 19 - O Radix Jesse
Dec. 20 - O Clavis David
Dec. 21 - O Oriens
Dec. 22 - O Rex Gentium
Dec. 23 - O Emmanuel

The Nativity ... If It Happened Today
The Advent Revolution

My Blog Posts

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some articles to help you appreciate this holiday and the virtue of thanksgiving that, as Christians, we are all called to embrace.

I hope you all have a joyful and relaxing day!

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

What Does the Eucharist Have to Do with Thanksgiving?

Recently, I tweeted that I wished more people thought about the Eucharist when they celebrated Thanksgiving. In response, one of my followers asked me, "What's the Eucharist got to do with Thanksgiving? Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought it was a day created by the Protestants. Besides, isn't it like the 4th of July -- a national holiday celebrating America?"

To answer his question, the word "eucharist" come from the Greek word that means, "thanksgiving." In Jn 6:11, before Christ multiplied the loaves and the fishes (an act that prefigures the Eucharistic feast), it says He "gave thanks" (eucharisteo). At the Last Supper, when He institutes the Eucharist, it says again that he "gave thanks" (eucharisteo) before He turned the bread and wine into His own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity (cf. Mt 26:27; Mk 14:23; Lk 22:17,19).

We use this word to refer to the Body of Christ that we receive in Holy Communion because it is in every way a moment of thanksgiving: It is Jesus thanking the Father:

for those of us who the Father has given Him to be united to Him through reception of the Eucharist, and
for the opportunity to perform the miracle that brings Him glory.

It is also us thanking God for coming to dwell within us in such a profound way through the Eucharist. That our Lord and Savior would come to be in our presence, veiled by the bread and wine, and come to abide in us in a substantial way is a gift unlike any other. And so, on Thanksgiving, when we are to call to mind all that we are thankful for, we should not forget that which is the very meaning of "thanksgiving."

I realize that, historically, the secular holiday has Protestant roots (at least by the popular reckoning), but there's no reason why Catholics can't use this day to call to mind what they are (or should be) the most thankful for: our Eucharistic Lord.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Sunday, November 20, 2011

What is the "Kingdom of God" and How Can I Join?

The story of the Kingdom of God is an ancient one. In the dominion of Adam over all created things (cf. Gen 1:26-28), in the promise to Abraham that kings would be among his descendants (cf. Gen 17:6), in the promise that the “scepter” and the “ruler’s staff” would come to Judah (cf. Gen 49:8-10), in the promise given to the Hebrew people at Mt. Sinai that God would make them “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo 19:5-6), in the reign of King David and the promise to him of an everlasting kingdom (cf. 2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:35-36), and in the words of the prophets after the Babylonian Captivity (cf. Isa 9:5-6; Jer 23:5; Ezek 34:23; Zech 9:9; 14:9) -- in all this we see that it was the plan of God from the very beginning to call a People unto Himself and reign over them as King.

Jesus Christ came to bring that plan to fruition. Indeed, when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to prepare for the coming of the Lord through her, he said of her Son that “the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Lk 1:32-33). Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the prophecies and promises of God about the Kingdom He would establish. But, what is this kingdom and how can we be a part of it?

The “Kingdom of God” can really be understood in three ways. It is Christ Himself, it is His rule in the hearts of the faithful, and it is the Church.

It may be difficult to understand how Jesus IS the kingdom. But, if the kingdom is wherever God reigns, and God reigns on earth through Christ, then wherever Christ is, there is the kingdom. Jesus Himself was clear on this point: “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk 11:20), and again, “Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Lk 17:21). Of course, it follows from this that, if “Christ dwells in your hearts through faith” (Eph 3:17) then the Kingdom of God is also in the hearts of men. Finally, the Church is the Kingdom insofar as it is through the Church that Jesus exercises his power and authority over the People of God on earth. Jesus gave to Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16:19) and gave the apostles a share in this authority (cf. Mt 18:18; Lk 22:29-30). In Heb 12 we see that the "assembly (or 'church') of the firstborn" (vs. 23) is the "kingdom that cannot be shaken" (vs. 28).

We receive the grace that grants us entrance into the Kingdom through the sacraments of the Church (cf. Jn 3:5) and we experience His benevolent rule over our lives through Her ministers. It is in fact through the Church that we experience the Kingdom of God to the fullest, until that day comes when Jesus will bring all things under His power and will Himself be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:28; Eph 1:23).

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Saturday, November 19, 2011

For the Solemnity of Christ the King

In honor of Jesus Christ our King and Savior, upon the conclusion of the liturgical year, I present the following articles:

Articles:

Prayers

ALL HAIL CHRIST OUR KING!!

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Two-Minute Apologetics: On Church Authority

Irecently discovered, over at uCatholic.com, a series of videos by Catholic apologist John Martignoni. These are great, quick defenses of Catholic teaching. If you're in an elevator with someone, or a news reporter confronts you as you are walking out of church, or you find yourself in some other scenario in which you have just two minutes to make your case, this is what you would say.

Here are his videos on Church authority:

For more by John Martignoni, see his Bible Christian Society website, which has a wealth of Catholic apologetics information.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Monday, November 14, 2011

Two-Minute Apologetics: On Salvation

Irecently discovered, over at uCatholic.com, a series of videos by Catholic apologist John Martignoni. These are great, quick defenses of Catholic teaching. If you're in an elevator with someone, or a news reporter confronts you as you are walking out of church, or you find yourself in some other scenario in which you have just two minutes to make your case, this is what you would say.

Here are his videos on salvation:

For more by John Martignoni, see his Bible Christian Society website, which has a wealth of Catholic apologetics information.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Friday, November 11, 2011

Two-Minute Apologetics: On Defending Catholicism

Irecently discovered, over at uCatholic.com, a series of videos by Catholic apologist John Martignoni. These are great, quick defenses of Catholic teaching. If you're in an elevator with someone, or a news reporter confronts you as you are walking out of church, or you find yourself in some other scenario in which you have just two minutes to make your case, this is what you would say.

Here are his videos on how to defend Catholicism:

For more by John Martignoni, see his Bible Christian Society website, which has a wealth of Catholic apologetics information.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Two-Minute Apologetics: On the Sacraments

Irecently discovered, over at uCatholic.com, a series of videos by Catholic apologist John Martignoni. These are great, quick defenses of Catholic teaching. If you're in an elevator with someone, or a news reporter confronts you as you are walking out of church, or you find yourself in some other scenario in which you have just two minutes to make your case, this is what you would say.

Here are his videos on the sacraments:

For more by John Martignoni, see his Bible Christian Society website, which has a wealth of Catholic apologetics information.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Two-Minute Apologetics: On Mary

Irecently discovered, over at uCatholic.com, a series of videos by Catholic apologist John Martignoni. These are great, quick defenses of Catholic teaching. If you're in an elevator with someone, or a news reporter confronts you as you are walking out of church, or you find yourself in some other scenario in which you have just two minutes to make your case, this is what you would say.

Over the next couple of days, I would like to post a few of these videos. Here are his videos on Mary:

For more by John Martignoni, see his Bible Christian Society website, which has a wealth of Catholic apologetics information.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Resources on Purgatory for All Souls Day

Since today is All Souls Day and the month of November is the month when we remember the souls in Purgatory and make a special effort to pray for their speedy entrance into heaven, I thought it would be helpful to provide some resources that explain what Purgatory is.

If anyone has any questions about this topic, just leave me a comment.

May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

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General Articles:

From the Early Church Fathers:

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

My Blog Posts on Purgatory:

Related Doctrines:

Indulgences (27 articles)
Penance/Temporal Atonement (12 articles)

Pages