RomeCast 12: The Last Four Things (Part 1 of 2)
In today’s podcast, Oz and I talk about what the Catholic Church teaches about Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell and how that ties into our modern lives.
20
06, 2019
16
06, 2019
On Commendation of the Soul and Expiration
For probably over 1000 years, these are the last prayers any Catholic would hear at the moment of death, prayed by the priest after both extreme unction and the Apostolic Pardon. These prayers are known as the Commendation of the Soul, the Litany for the Dying, The Three Prayers for Mercy and the Prayers at the moment of Expiration.
8
05, 2019
World Religions Part II: The Exclusive, All-Embracing Cross
Because this blog post will inevitably raise the question "Who can be saved?" I would like to give the two bookends within which all Catholic orthodox answers must fall. One the one end, Pope Pius IX wrote, "By Faith it is to be firmly held that outside the Apostolic Roman Church none can achieve salvation. This is the only ark of salvation. He who does not enter into it, will perish in the flood. Nevertheless equally certainly it is to be held that those who suffer from invincible ignorance of the true religion, are not, for this reason, guilty in the eyes of the Lord." (Denzinger 1647, Ott 312.) Invincible [...]
12
03, 2019
Salvation Podcast 1
Who was Pelagius and what is Pelagianism? How did Pelgianism in the 5th century lead to ecumenism in the 20th century? Has ecumenism led the Vatican to begin an approach to the UN’s Agenda 2030? What is "one world religion”? Is salvation a free-gift or must we work hard for it? What is that 18th century heresy of Quietism? How does free-will come into salvation? What importance does faith, grace and works make in our lives? "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For [...]
10
12, 2017
Second Sunday of Advent
The people that John the Baptist preached to were very similar to the people of today.
3
12, 2017
First Sunday of Advent
How to understand the importance of our short time on earth before the return of Jesus Christ, regardless of His timing on the Final Judgment.
2
10, 2017
Hugh Hefner Part II
My last blog post called How Many Will Be Saved? had a lot of shares but also a lot of critique. This makes for good Catholic dialogue. I want to respond in a short blog post to a few objections. St. Augustine wrote: "There are two things that kill the soul: Despair and false hope.”—St. Augustine, Sermo 87.8. Another word for “false hope” is presumption. The reason I included in my blog post all the saints’ quotes on hell was not to judge Hugh Hefner but to show how many American Catholics live in presumption of last-minute imperfect contrition. So, if someone were to read those saints’ quotes about hell [...]
28
09, 2017
How Many Will Be Saved?
"And a certain man said to him: 'Lord, are they few that are saved?' But He said to them: 'Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able.'"—Luke 13:23-24. Hugh Hefner died today, and even bloggers like Fr. Dwight Longenecker at patheos are promoting a very different attitude towards Hefner than the tradition of the Catholic Church. I don't know where Hefner is any more than Fr. Longenecker, and I'm not saying Fr. Longenecker has a theology that is wrong, but his attitude towards heaven and hell is very, very different from that of Jesus Christ in the [...]
28
08, 2017
The Conversion of Gloria Polo
On the 5th of May 1995, Gloria Polo, a dentist and mother, was struck by lightning just outside the University of Bogotá, Columbia. She died shortly afterwards in the trauma unit. She went before God and her sentence was hell. God gave her another chance, and this is the account she has given to millions of South Americans with the approbation of the South American Bishops. You will see while reading this rather-long but worthwhile blogpost why she was given another chance by God. Although not a word of this blog post is mine, it is the most important blog post I have ever produced. This is Gloria Polo’s conversion [...]
20
08, 2017
11th Sunday After Pentecost
Extreme Unction: This sermon is about the last rites a priest will pray over you, as well as the last words that a dying Catholic is supposed to say. Photo credit Fr. Richard Heilman.