'Notorious' atheist discovers God
ReligionAndSpirituality.com
November 2, 2007 Philosopher Antony Flew published a new book, "There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind," to explain his switch from one of the world's leading exponents of materialist Darwinian philosophy to belief in the existence of a personal deity who created the universe. Flew, an Oxford educated philosopher described by some as "legendary," was a leading proponent of the pure atheistic Darwinian doctrines that categorically reject any possibility of a creative divine being. His ideas paved the way for thinkers like Richard Dawkins, the UK's most virulent opponent of religious belief, LifeSiteNews reported Friday.
"It was empirical evidence" that changed his mind, he told an inverviewer, "the evidence uncovered by the sciences. He told Dr. Benjamin Wiker two factors in particular "were decisive."
"One was my growing empathy with the insight of Einstein and other noted scientists that there had to be an Intelligence behind the integrated complexity of the physical Universe. The second was my own insight that the integrated complexity of life itself - which is far more complex than the physical Universe - can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source."
Flew described the deity he believes in as "the god of Aristotle," not quite the personal God of Christianity and Judaism, "a person but not the sort of person with whom you can have a talk. It is the ultimate being, the Creator of the Universe." He said he does not "accept any claim of divine revelation" but is continuing to study them, particularly those of Christianity.
URL:
http://www.religionandspirituality.com/currentEvents/view.php?StoryID=20071102-041755-2904r
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Catholic Church And All Things Spooky
By Random Jottings
The Catholic Church and all things spooky
PHEW … with Halloween—the season of ghosts, evil spirits and all things paranormal (and we are not talking politics here!)—over and done with for another year it was at least comforting to know that the Catholic Church in the Philippines has an official exorcist.
He is Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia (son of well-known charity worker Letty Syquia) who carries the not so spooky official title of director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism. And with excellent literary timing he has just released a new edition of an informative book he has written that answers age old questions such as: Do ghosts really exist? Are there haunted houses? Is it true that you can be possessed by demons?
These and a lot more questions about the spirits are answered in Father Syquia's book Exorcism: Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult which is published by Shepherd's Voice Publications Inc. (available at National Book Store branches).
As the main man of the Catholic Church on such scary matters, Father Syquia has performed countless exorcism rites, showing how the power of God can drive away evil spirits.
Father Syquia asserts he wrote the book because in the Philippines, there is a growing fascination for the paranormal and a hunger for answers and resolutions to demonic harassment. He says: "There seems to be no end to the supply of paranormal accounts since we as a nation have always had a certain religiosity that opens us up to interaction with the spirit world."
He adds: "Since prevention is always much easier than the cure, I hope through this work to warn Catholics about the different ways that they may get involved with demonic forces."
Father Syquia explores the world of the paranormal and the occult, particularly the realm of extraordinary demonic activity. This is to help people know how to properly view and confront the evil spirits through the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Father Syquia quotes Pope John Paul II who said during a visit to the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel in 1987: "The battle against the devil, which is the principal task of Saint Michael the archangel, is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world."
"When demonic activity is not so grave," Father Syquia says, "one can by himself find resolution through the different spiritual weapons that God has given the Church to destroy the works of Satan."
He adds: "One must keep in mind that the devil is afraid of the Christian who knows his identity as a precious child of the all-powerful God and knows also how to use the many spiritual weapons of the Church."
The book also gives other priests, who do not have time to do their own research, the principles and guidelines that can aid them when they come face to face with extraordinary demonic activity in their ministry.
Included in this gripping book of stories is the Exorcism Rite—the main weapon of the Catholic Church against demonic assaults, a concise manual of prayers for deliverance, as well as a handbook for dealing with infested locales.
Father Syquia points out that exorcism and deliverance fall under the Ministry to the Sick. He explains: "This entails a program that encompasses not merely diagnostic procedures and the exorcism/deliverance itself, but must also include follow-ups and evaluations."
He emphasizes that the whole thrust of the ministry is for the patient to grow in holiness by bringing him to an intimate relationship with Jesus. He says this may entail exorcism prayers, guidance and counseling, evangelization of the patient and his family, introduction to a community where the patient can find support and regular evaluation of progress in both his spiritual life and liberation.
Father Syquia discusses in detail requirements for the preparation for the exorcism/ deliverance team, preparation for the victim, reminders during the exorcism/deliverance sessions, what to do when liberation is not yet attained, and what to do after liberation.
According to Bo Sanchez, chairman of SVP (popularly known as the Preacher in Blue Jeans) this book will change the way you view the world. "In the end," says Sanchez, "Father Jocis' mind-blowing stories will not make you fear the devil as much as they will make you love God more."
rjottings@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/05/yehey/opinion/20071105opi3.html
The Catholic Church and all things spooky
PHEW … with Halloween—the season of ghosts, evil spirits and all things paranormal (and we are not talking politics here!)—over and done with for another year it was at least comforting to know that the Catholic Church in the Philippines has an official exorcist.
He is Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia (son of well-known charity worker Letty Syquia) who carries the not so spooky official title of director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism. And with excellent literary timing he has just released a new edition of an informative book he has written that answers age old questions such as: Do ghosts really exist? Are there haunted houses? Is it true that you can be possessed by demons?
These and a lot more questions about the spirits are answered in Father Syquia's book Exorcism: Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult which is published by Shepherd's Voice Publications Inc. (available at National Book Store branches).
As the main man of the Catholic Church on such scary matters, Father Syquia has performed countless exorcism rites, showing how the power of God can drive away evil spirits.
Father Syquia asserts he wrote the book because in the Philippines, there is a growing fascination for the paranormal and a hunger for answers and resolutions to demonic harassment. He says: "There seems to be no end to the supply of paranormal accounts since we as a nation have always had a certain religiosity that opens us up to interaction with the spirit world."
He adds: "Since prevention is always much easier than the cure, I hope through this work to warn Catholics about the different ways that they may get involved with demonic forces."
Father Syquia explores the world of the paranormal and the occult, particularly the realm of extraordinary demonic activity. This is to help people know how to properly view and confront the evil spirits through the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Father Syquia quotes Pope John Paul II who said during a visit to the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel in 1987: "The battle against the devil, which is the principal task of Saint Michael the archangel, is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world."
"When demonic activity is not so grave," Father Syquia says, "one can by himself find resolution through the different spiritual weapons that God has given the Church to destroy the works of Satan."
He adds: "One must keep in mind that the devil is afraid of the Christian who knows his identity as a precious child of the all-powerful God and knows also how to use the many spiritual weapons of the Church."
The book also gives other priests, who do not have time to do their own research, the principles and guidelines that can aid them when they come face to face with extraordinary demonic activity in their ministry.
Included in this gripping book of stories is the Exorcism Rite—the main weapon of the Catholic Church against demonic assaults, a concise manual of prayers for deliverance, as well as a handbook for dealing with infested locales.
Father Syquia points out that exorcism and deliverance fall under the Ministry to the Sick. He explains: "This entails a program that encompasses not merely diagnostic procedures and the exorcism/deliverance itself, but must also include follow-ups and evaluations."
He emphasizes that the whole thrust of the ministry is for the patient to grow in holiness by bringing him to an intimate relationship with Jesus. He says this may entail exorcism prayers, guidance and counseling, evangelization of the patient and his family, introduction to a community where the patient can find support and regular evaluation of progress in both his spiritual life and liberation.
Father Syquia discusses in detail requirements for the preparation for the exorcism/ deliverance team, preparation for the victim, reminders during the exorcism/deliverance sessions, what to do when liberation is not yet attained, and what to do after liberation.
According to Bo Sanchez, chairman of SVP (popularly known as the Preacher in Blue Jeans) this book will change the way you view the world. "In the end," says Sanchez, "Father Jocis' mind-blowing stories will not make you fear the devil as much as they will make you love God more."
rjottings@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/05/yehey/opinion/20071105opi3.html
Exorcist Fascinates Audience With Demonic Details
Exorcist fascinates audience with demonic details
By Nancy Menefee Jackson
The Catholic Review
Audience members at Church of the Annunciation, Rosedale, were so intently focused on Father Thomas J. Euteneuer's exorcism talk Oct. 21, that when someone in the crowd muffled a sneeze – they flinched.
About 130 people attended "An Evening with an Exorcist," listening carefully as Father Euteneuer talked about how demons target their victims and how an exorcism takes place.
Father Euteneuer, a priest for the Palm Beach, Fla., diocese who is living in the Archdiocese of Arlington, Va., said he's been involved in exorcisms for nearly five years and has performed three or four that expelled demons as well as several deliverances, which use prayer teams for people who aren't fully possessed.
The priest, who heads the pro-life organization Human Life International, said he is investigating three current cases of possession.
"The church does not have a magic wand they wave … exorcism and its deliverance from evil is a process," he said.
Demons tempt and persecute people, he said, but if they get inside the person, that's obsession; when the devil has complete control over the person, that's possession. "If you live in a state of grace, you have no problem with the devil getting in you," Father Euteneuer said. "I don't want people to think because the devil is so powerful there's a demon around every corner."
But people unwittingly invite a demon in, through an Ouija board, a séance or "New Age stuff," he said, adding, "if you live a life of totally unrepentant mortal sin for a length of time, that's an invitation." People who are victimized can be targeted because of their vulnerability, and demons also prey on people not in a state of grace who have contact with someone practicing the occult.
Sometimes God allows the possession, and he cited an example of an exorcism in Germany that ultimately increased faith and spirituality there.
Before an exorcism is considered, doctors must rule out physical causes or mental illness. He detailed the case of an 18-year-old who initially was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but no drug could stabilize him, and when asked to read the Bible, he read it in a language that he didn't speak.
Speaking a language the person doesn't know is a classic sign of possession; others include knowledge of things or events they couldn't possibly know, being told what to do by beings and a failure to respond to all forms of medical treatment.
If an exorcism is warranted, it must be approved by the bishop; Father Euteneuer estimated only about 5 percent of all cases investigated are strictly demonic possession. The question-and-answer period lasted as long as the lecture, with participants asking everything from has anyone ever died during an exorcism to what Father Euteneuer thought of Harry Potter to why isn't the Eucharist used on the possessed person during an exorcism.
One woman, dressed from head to toe in black, with pronounced black eyeliner and black fingernails, identified herself as a paranormal researcher and began to ask about demons growling. But Father Euteneuer cut off her questions.
"Let me encourage you to stop doing this – this kind of fascination is not normal," he told her. When she tried to continue, he said, "I reiterate my request that you get out of this completely because this can seduce you."
When the event, sponsored by Friends in Faith, concluded, the audience still had so many questions that Father Euteneuer continued to answer them while everyone enjoyed light refreshments.
"I've never seen a captive audience stay more than two hours – the installation of our new archbishop went on for two hours flat," said Annunciation pastor Father William P. Foley.
"It spooks you a little bit but it reinforces some of the notions you have," said Matthew Marshall of St. Thomas Aquinas, Hampden, who is participating in 40 Days for Life. "It's an awareness-raiser."
"I found it very interesting – it's certainly informative," said Jennifer Schmidt of St. Casimir, Canton, who came because she'd recently read a book on exorcism. "He's a very good speaker."
URL: http://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyworldnew.aspx?action=2076
By Nancy Menefee Jackson
The Catholic Review
Audience members at Church of the Annunciation, Rosedale, were so intently focused on Father Thomas J. Euteneuer's exorcism talk Oct. 21, that when someone in the crowd muffled a sneeze – they flinched.
About 130 people attended "An Evening with an Exorcist," listening carefully as Father Euteneuer talked about how demons target their victims and how an exorcism takes place.
Father Euteneuer, a priest for the Palm Beach, Fla., diocese who is living in the Archdiocese of Arlington, Va., said he's been involved in exorcisms for nearly five years and has performed three or four that expelled demons as well as several deliverances, which use prayer teams for people who aren't fully possessed.
The priest, who heads the pro-life organization Human Life International, said he is investigating three current cases of possession.
"The church does not have a magic wand they wave … exorcism and its deliverance from evil is a process," he said.
Demons tempt and persecute people, he said, but if they get inside the person, that's obsession; when the devil has complete control over the person, that's possession. "If you live in a state of grace, you have no problem with the devil getting in you," Father Euteneuer said. "I don't want people to think because the devil is so powerful there's a demon around every corner."
But people unwittingly invite a demon in, through an Ouija board, a séance or "New Age stuff," he said, adding, "if you live a life of totally unrepentant mortal sin for a length of time, that's an invitation." People who are victimized can be targeted because of their vulnerability, and demons also prey on people not in a state of grace who have contact with someone practicing the occult.
Sometimes God allows the possession, and he cited an example of an exorcism in Germany that ultimately increased faith and spirituality there.
Before an exorcism is considered, doctors must rule out physical causes or mental illness. He detailed the case of an 18-year-old who initially was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but no drug could stabilize him, and when asked to read the Bible, he read it in a language that he didn't speak.
Speaking a language the person doesn't know is a classic sign of possession; others include knowledge of things or events they couldn't possibly know, being told what to do by beings and a failure to respond to all forms of medical treatment.
If an exorcism is warranted, it must be approved by the bishop; Father Euteneuer estimated only about 5 percent of all cases investigated are strictly demonic possession. The question-and-answer period lasted as long as the lecture, with participants asking everything from has anyone ever died during an exorcism to what Father Euteneuer thought of Harry Potter to why isn't the Eucharist used on the possessed person during an exorcism.
One woman, dressed from head to toe in black, with pronounced black eyeliner and black fingernails, identified herself as a paranormal researcher and began to ask about demons growling. But Father Euteneuer cut off her questions.
"Let me encourage you to stop doing this – this kind of fascination is not normal," he told her. When she tried to continue, he said, "I reiterate my request that you get out of this completely because this can seduce you."
When the event, sponsored by Friends in Faith, concluded, the audience still had so many questions that Father Euteneuer continued to answer them while everyone enjoyed light refreshments.
"I've never seen a captive audience stay more than two hours – the installation of our new archbishop went on for two hours flat," said Annunciation pastor Father William P. Foley.
"It spooks you a little bit but it reinforces some of the notions you have," said Matthew Marshall of St. Thomas Aquinas, Hampden, who is participating in 40 Days for Life. "It's an awareness-raiser."
"I found it very interesting – it's certainly informative," said Jennifer Schmidt of St. Casimir, Canton, who came because she'd recently read a book on exorcism. "He's a very good speaker."
URL: http://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyworldnew.aspx?action=2076
Chastity Question
QUESTION:Can God forgive you if you've had premarital sex?
ANSWER:Yes. The Bible says, "To the penitent he provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope! . . . Turn again to the Most High and away from sin" (Sir. 17:19-21). If we repent he will forgive any sin, including premarital sex. In the Gospel of John, a crowd wanted to kill a woman who was caught in sexual sin. Jesus sent the people away to think about their own sins. When they left, he asked, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She answered, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again" (John 8: 1-11). Over and over, the Scriptures say the exact same thing. Psalm 103:12 reads, "As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Lamentations 3:23 states, "Every morning his mercies are new."i God holds no grudges and doesn't look down on us because of the past. On the contrary, he says, "I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. . . . I will not remember your sins" (Is. 44:22; 43:25).The history of the Church tells the same story. Many saints and heroes of the faith led immoral lives or committed grave sins before repenting and leading lives of exemplary holiness, including King David, Mary Magdalene, St. Paul, and St. Augustine. The sins these saints repented of include premarital sex, adultery, and even murder. Just as God forgave them, he can and will forgive us, if we're willing to do what they did: Repent and amend our ways. Come to him in prayer. He won't be thinking, "Oh, here comes that kid who did all of that stuff at that party." Instead, he is thinking the same thing he was thinking thousands of years ago: "I have called you by name, you are mine. . . . I have carved your name onto the palm of my hand" (Is. 43:1; 49:16 NAB). The greatest sin you have ever committed is like a grain of sand next to the mountain of his mercies.Jesus instituted the sacrament of reconciliation to bring the gift of his forgiveness to us. After he rose from the dead, he came to the apostles, greeted them; and then breathed on them. The only other place in the Bible where God breathes on anyone is at the moment of creation. So we know something big is happening here. Jesus then said, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:21-23).For two thousand years, the Church has made this healing gift from Jesus available to us, so that we can hear the consoling words of absolution: "God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Come to the great sacrament of reconciliation, and receive the gift of God's forgiveness.
URL: http://www.catholic.com/chastity/q8.asp
ANSWER:Yes. The Bible says, "To the penitent he provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope! . . . Turn again to the Most High and away from sin" (Sir. 17:19-21). If we repent he will forgive any sin, including premarital sex. In the Gospel of John, a crowd wanted to kill a woman who was caught in sexual sin. Jesus sent the people away to think about their own sins. When they left, he asked, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She answered, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again" (John 8: 1-11). Over and over, the Scriptures say the exact same thing. Psalm 103:12 reads, "As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Lamentations 3:23 states, "Every morning his mercies are new."i God holds no grudges and doesn't look down on us because of the past. On the contrary, he says, "I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. . . . I will not remember your sins" (Is. 44:22; 43:25).The history of the Church tells the same story. Many saints and heroes of the faith led immoral lives or committed grave sins before repenting and leading lives of exemplary holiness, including King David, Mary Magdalene, St. Paul, and St. Augustine. The sins these saints repented of include premarital sex, adultery, and even murder. Just as God forgave them, he can and will forgive us, if we're willing to do what they did: Repent and amend our ways. Come to him in prayer. He won't be thinking, "Oh, here comes that kid who did all of that stuff at that party." Instead, he is thinking the same thing he was thinking thousands of years ago: "I have called you by name, you are mine. . . . I have carved your name onto the palm of my hand" (Is. 43:1; 49:16 NAB). The greatest sin you have ever committed is like a grain of sand next to the mountain of his mercies.Jesus instituted the sacrament of reconciliation to bring the gift of his forgiveness to us. After he rose from the dead, he came to the apostles, greeted them; and then breathed on them. The only other place in the Bible where God breathes on anyone is at the moment of creation. So we know something big is happening here. Jesus then said, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:21-23).For two thousand years, the Church has made this healing gift from Jesus available to us, so that we can hear the consoling words of absolution: "God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Come to the great sacrament of reconciliation, and receive the gift of God's forgiveness.
URL: http://www.catholic.com/chastity/q8.asp
The Reality of the Devil
The Reality of the Devil
BY Father Andrew McNair, LC
October 28 - November 3, 2007 Issue Posted 10/23/07 at 11:18 AM
The new millennium marks for many teens and young adults a renewed interest in spirituality.
What type of spirituality? Christian? No. Islamic? No. How about an Eastern spirituality like Taoism? Wrong again.
Try Satanism.
That's right. The occult movement of Satanism ranks number one among teens and young adults as their preferred spirituality.
We could dismiss the ascendancy of Satanism in the United States as a fad of the young; something they will grow out of with time. In others words, it's nothing to worry about.
In my judgment, that's the wrong approach to the spiritual and cultural phenomenon of Satanism. People need to understand that Satanic spirituality leaves deep spiritual and psychological scars on its victims. Christians should know how to recognize and combat satanic spirituality. Where do we begin?
Let's begin by reaffirming a basic truth: Satan exists. His demonic minions exist. Scripture and Tradition depict Satan as the supreme evil leader of the fallen angels who seek to disrupt God's plan of salvation for humanity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church points out: "Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called 'Satan' or the 'devil.'" The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing" (No. 391).
St. Peter the Apostle warns us, "Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
Yet despite warnings from Scripture and Tradition about the lure of Satanism, teens and young adults see involvement in Satanic occultism as an acceptable cultural and social option. Why?
Satanic occultism wears the deceptive guise of white magic.
White magic employs the use of occult powers to do good. Black magic, on the other hand, uses occult powers to do evil. The entertainment industry cleverly hammers the notion of white magic in inattentive minds.
Take for example, CBS popular TV program, "Ghost Whisperer." The show tells the story of an attractive young woman that chats with the dead. She uses her occult powers to help the dead finish pending matters with family and friends in this life before helping them cross over to the other side. Viewers can't help but think this a wonderful way to help others. But is it really?
Another very popular CBS TV program called "Moonlight" throws a positive spin on the occult. In this program, a tall imposing vampire works as a private detective to make amends for past crimes he committed as a vampire. He no longer sucks blood from the necks of the innocent. He now keeps a stock of fresh blood in his fridge to quench his thirst. How consoling.
On the literary front, we find an entire plethora of books, magazines and columns that speak highly of the occult. For the last few years, the No. 1 best-selling novel in the United States and abroad narrates a story about a young boy wizard that uses white magic to duel the most powerful and evil wizard ever known.
Millions of youth, worldwide, look up to this courageous wizard as a perfect role model. Can a sorcerer or warlock be a role model?
The overall message of the white magic argument is clear: Magic is not bad in itself. It depends, like many things, on how you use it. In view of this assertion, white magic wins approval and respectability in the minds of many. Here, we need to make an important moral clarification.
The difference often made between white magic and black magic is woefully erroneous. The goodness or badness of an act of witchcraft or magic is not determined by the purpose of its use. Its moral quality comes from its origin.
The origin of all occult powers is the demonic realm. Consequently, all magic involving the use of occult powers is intrinsically evil. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this point abundantly clear:
"All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others — even if this were for the sake of restoring their health — are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons" (No. 2116).
The best defense against the lure of Satanic influence is an intense life of grace. In the words of St. Paul, the Church invites us to "Put on the full armor of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics."
This will permit us to utter effectively the powerful words of Christ in the hour of temptation, "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
Legionary Father Andrew McNair is a theology professor
at Mater Ecclesiae College in Greenville, Rhode Island.
URL: http://ncregister.com/site/article/6408/
BY Father Andrew McNair, LC
October 28 - November 3, 2007 Issue Posted 10/23/07 at 11:18 AM
The new millennium marks for many teens and young adults a renewed interest in spirituality.
What type of spirituality? Christian? No. Islamic? No. How about an Eastern spirituality like Taoism? Wrong again.
Try Satanism.
That's right. The occult movement of Satanism ranks number one among teens and young adults as their preferred spirituality.
We could dismiss the ascendancy of Satanism in the United States as a fad of the young; something they will grow out of with time. In others words, it's nothing to worry about.
In my judgment, that's the wrong approach to the spiritual and cultural phenomenon of Satanism. People need to understand that Satanic spirituality leaves deep spiritual and psychological scars on its victims. Christians should know how to recognize and combat satanic spirituality. Where do we begin?
Let's begin by reaffirming a basic truth: Satan exists. His demonic minions exist. Scripture and Tradition depict Satan as the supreme evil leader of the fallen angels who seek to disrupt God's plan of salvation for humanity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church points out: "Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called 'Satan' or the 'devil.'" The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing" (No. 391).
St. Peter the Apostle warns us, "Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
Yet despite warnings from Scripture and Tradition about the lure of Satanism, teens and young adults see involvement in Satanic occultism as an acceptable cultural and social option. Why?
Satanic occultism wears the deceptive guise of white magic.
White magic employs the use of occult powers to do good. Black magic, on the other hand, uses occult powers to do evil. The entertainment industry cleverly hammers the notion of white magic in inattentive minds.
Take for example, CBS popular TV program, "Ghost Whisperer." The show tells the story of an attractive young woman that chats with the dead. She uses her occult powers to help the dead finish pending matters with family and friends in this life before helping them cross over to the other side. Viewers can't help but think this a wonderful way to help others. But is it really?
Another very popular CBS TV program called "Moonlight" throws a positive spin on the occult. In this program, a tall imposing vampire works as a private detective to make amends for past crimes he committed as a vampire. He no longer sucks blood from the necks of the innocent. He now keeps a stock of fresh blood in his fridge to quench his thirst. How consoling.
On the literary front, we find an entire plethora of books, magazines and columns that speak highly of the occult. For the last few years, the No. 1 best-selling novel in the United States and abroad narrates a story about a young boy wizard that uses white magic to duel the most powerful and evil wizard ever known.
Millions of youth, worldwide, look up to this courageous wizard as a perfect role model. Can a sorcerer or warlock be a role model?
The overall message of the white magic argument is clear: Magic is not bad in itself. It depends, like many things, on how you use it. In view of this assertion, white magic wins approval and respectability in the minds of many. Here, we need to make an important moral clarification.
The difference often made between white magic and black magic is woefully erroneous. The goodness or badness of an act of witchcraft or magic is not determined by the purpose of its use. Its moral quality comes from its origin.
The origin of all occult powers is the demonic realm. Consequently, all magic involving the use of occult powers is intrinsically evil. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this point abundantly clear:
"All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others — even if this were for the sake of restoring their health — are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons" (No. 2116).
The best defense against the lure of Satanic influence is an intense life of grace. In the words of St. Paul, the Church invites us to "Put on the full armor of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics."
This will permit us to utter effectively the powerful words of Christ in the hour of temptation, "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
Legionary Father Andrew McNair is a theology professor
at Mater Ecclesiae College in Greenville, Rhode Island.
URL: http://ncregister.com/site/article/6408/
The Holy Rosary A Weapon?
The Rosary and the Republic
The Holy Rosary a weapon? Yes, a weapon! We are fighting a battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Brother Andre Marie
You may not have noticed it, but next year is an election year.
For a moment, though, we would do well to look beyond electioneering to the true hope of the Republic. This is not to dismiss politics — the way society is governed — as something of no account or something too worldly for the faithful to concern ourselves with, for neither is the case. It is, rather, to explore how the supernatural can leaven politics in order to make it Christian.
In the "Act of Dedication of the Human Race," we pray for the "ordered tranquility" of all nations. This is a prayer for nothing less than peace brought about by a Christian polity, something that seems at least unlikely in our present circumstances. No matter how unlikely it may seem, I would like to propose that a powerful means of securing this great good for our country is the spiritual weapon of the Holy Rosary.
The Holy Rosary a weapon? Yes, a weapon! We are fighting a battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. "Our wrestling," St. Paul reminds us, is "against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places" (Eph. 6:12). In short, we need the big guns — and the Rosary is one of the biggest, as history testifies.
Our Lady of Victories
The military victories at Lepanto (1571), La Rochelle (1627), and Vienna (1683) come to mind as great campaigns won through the intercessory power of Our Lady's Rosary. More recently, Our Lady saved Austria from Soviet enslavement after World War II. A priest named Father Petrus Vavlochek organized a Rosary procession led by Federal Chancellor Figl, who carried a Rosary in one hand and a candle in the other. In addition, more than 700,000 Austrians pledged to pray the daily Rosary as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. The result? On May 13, 1955, the anniversary of Our Lady's first Fatima apparition, the Soviets agreed to Austria's independence. They withdrew from the country altogether the following October, the month of the Holy Rosary and the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun.
In Brazil, the Communist regime of President Goulart came to an end when the Catholic women of that nation saw to it that 600,000 people marched through São Paolo praying the Rosary and singing hymns. Realizing that a Communist revolution was impossible in Brazil, Goulart fled the country.
Accounts like this are manifold. Mary's loving response to her children's prayers through the Holy Rosary is not merely a thing of history, though. A dear and learned teacher of mine often says of God's Providence, "it is not something to be studied in a book; we study it in our own lives!" The same is true of the Blessed Virgin's power of intercession, which is coterminus with God's Providence.
The Hungarian confessor of the Faith, Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty, had this to say of what we can expect from the Rosary: "Give me a million families with Rosaries in their hands, uplifted to Mary. They will be a military power, not against other people, but for all mankind.... Let us, therefore, take the Rosary from family to family. With it in our hands, we shall conquer ourselves, convert sinners, do penance for our country, and will certainly move the merciful, mild, and benevolent Heart of Mary."
And can we not move her maternal Heart to the conversion of our own Republic?
Fatima
The Fatima message urges us to pray the Rosary daily for peace. We should point out that "peace" is not simply an absence of war, but "the tranquility of order," something far higher. (It is the very thing we pray for in the above mentioned Act of Dedication.") Only the Faith and the virtues that accompany it (especially infused justice and charity) can give a nation order. It is, therefore, fitting that the Fatima message speaks of both peace and the conversion of Russia. As unconverted Russia was the fomenter of war, so her conversion will be a harbinger of peace. The revival of the Cold War and Russia's growing militarism should catch our attention. In 1957, Sister Lucy said, "Russia will be the instrument of chastisement chosen by Heaven to punish the whole world if we do not beforehand obtain the conversion of that poor nation."
Russia is not yet converted.
Padre Pio
Our Lady promised that Russia would convert, but what of our America? Without any apology, I will use Saint Pio of Pietrelcina as an authentic commentator on the Fatima message. The prophetical friar was doubtless possessed of more than an earthly sagacity when he uttered this: "The Russian people will be converted. Their total conversion will happen very fast. The conversion of the United States will be slow, but sure" (Padre Pio: The True Story, by C. Bernard Ruffin, p. 264). On another occasion, the stigmatist said, "Russia will be converted, as the Blessed Virgin said she would. However, Russia will teach the United States a lesson in conversion" (ibid., p. 266, emphasis mine in both passages). If I read these passages correctly, it seems evident that Russia's Fatima-promised, prodigious conversion will herald that of the U.S.
Recall that Our Lady called herself by one title only at Fatima: "I am Our Lady of the Rosary." In light of the above, that should tell us something of the role of the Rosary in the conversion of both Russia and the U.S. to Christ the King.
Let the Campaign Begin
This past October 13, the TFP organized over 2,000 Rosary Rallies to honor Our Lady on the ninetieth anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun. An impressive showing for a special occasion. But why stop at that? We can take advantage of the forward momentum. As the month of the Holy Rosary draws to a close, we should not sheath this spiritual weapon Heaven has placed in our hands. As confirmed soldiers of Christ, we should brandish it about a bit more — unto a complete victory — a Catholic America. Regular Rosary rallies or Rosary processions are simple to organize (click the links to see how simple). They are also a powerful witness to our Faith, our love of the Blessed Virgin, and our desire to save our Republic. Priests, religious, and laity; children, teens, and the elderly — all can participate in a prayerful enthusiasm for a cause both Catholic and patriotic.
How different the world would be if the American superpower were under the sweet yoke of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King!
URL: http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=11658
The Holy Rosary a weapon? Yes, a weapon! We are fighting a battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Brother Andre Marie
You may not have noticed it, but next year is an election year.
For a moment, though, we would do well to look beyond electioneering to the true hope of the Republic. This is not to dismiss politics — the way society is governed — as something of no account or something too worldly for the faithful to concern ourselves with, for neither is the case. It is, rather, to explore how the supernatural can leaven politics in order to make it Christian.
In the "Act of Dedication of the Human Race," we pray for the "ordered tranquility" of all nations. This is a prayer for nothing less than peace brought about by a Christian polity, something that seems at least unlikely in our present circumstances. No matter how unlikely it may seem, I would like to propose that a powerful means of securing this great good for our country is the spiritual weapon of the Holy Rosary.
The Holy Rosary a weapon? Yes, a weapon! We are fighting a battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. "Our wrestling," St. Paul reminds us, is "against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places" (Eph. 6:12). In short, we need the big guns — and the Rosary is one of the biggest, as history testifies.
Our Lady of Victories
The military victories at Lepanto (1571), La Rochelle (1627), and Vienna (1683) come to mind as great campaigns won through the intercessory power of Our Lady's Rosary. More recently, Our Lady saved Austria from Soviet enslavement after World War II. A priest named Father Petrus Vavlochek organized a Rosary procession led by Federal Chancellor Figl, who carried a Rosary in one hand and a candle in the other. In addition, more than 700,000 Austrians pledged to pray the daily Rosary as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. The result? On May 13, 1955, the anniversary of Our Lady's first Fatima apparition, the Soviets agreed to Austria's independence. They withdrew from the country altogether the following October, the month of the Holy Rosary and the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun.
In Brazil, the Communist regime of President Goulart came to an end when the Catholic women of that nation saw to it that 600,000 people marched through São Paolo praying the Rosary and singing hymns. Realizing that a Communist revolution was impossible in Brazil, Goulart fled the country.
Accounts like this are manifold. Mary's loving response to her children's prayers through the Holy Rosary is not merely a thing of history, though. A dear and learned teacher of mine often says of God's Providence, "it is not something to be studied in a book; we study it in our own lives!" The same is true of the Blessed Virgin's power of intercession, which is coterminus with God's Providence.
The Hungarian confessor of the Faith, Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty, had this to say of what we can expect from the Rosary: "Give me a million families with Rosaries in their hands, uplifted to Mary. They will be a military power, not against other people, but for all mankind.... Let us, therefore, take the Rosary from family to family. With it in our hands, we shall conquer ourselves, convert sinners, do penance for our country, and will certainly move the merciful, mild, and benevolent Heart of Mary."
And can we not move her maternal Heart to the conversion of our own Republic?
Fatima
The Fatima message urges us to pray the Rosary daily for peace. We should point out that "peace" is not simply an absence of war, but "the tranquility of order," something far higher. (It is the very thing we pray for in the above mentioned Act of Dedication.") Only the Faith and the virtues that accompany it (especially infused justice and charity) can give a nation order. It is, therefore, fitting that the Fatima message speaks of both peace and the conversion of Russia. As unconverted Russia was the fomenter of war, so her conversion will be a harbinger of peace. The revival of the Cold War and Russia's growing militarism should catch our attention. In 1957, Sister Lucy said, "Russia will be the instrument of chastisement chosen by Heaven to punish the whole world if we do not beforehand obtain the conversion of that poor nation."
Russia is not yet converted.
Padre Pio
Our Lady promised that Russia would convert, but what of our America? Without any apology, I will use Saint Pio of Pietrelcina as an authentic commentator on the Fatima message. The prophetical friar was doubtless possessed of more than an earthly sagacity when he uttered this: "The Russian people will be converted. Their total conversion will happen very fast. The conversion of the United States will be slow, but sure" (Padre Pio: The True Story, by C. Bernard Ruffin, p. 264). On another occasion, the stigmatist said, "Russia will be converted, as the Blessed Virgin said she would. However, Russia will teach the United States a lesson in conversion" (ibid., p. 266, emphasis mine in both passages). If I read these passages correctly, it seems evident that Russia's Fatima-promised, prodigious conversion will herald that of the U.S.
Recall that Our Lady called herself by one title only at Fatima: "I am Our Lady of the Rosary." In light of the above, that should tell us something of the role of the Rosary in the conversion of both Russia and the U.S. to Christ the King.
Let the Campaign Begin
This past October 13, the TFP organized over 2,000 Rosary Rallies to honor Our Lady on the ninetieth anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun. An impressive showing for a special occasion. But why stop at that? We can take advantage of the forward momentum. As the month of the Holy Rosary draws to a close, we should not sheath this spiritual weapon Heaven has placed in our hands. As confirmed soldiers of Christ, we should brandish it about a bit more — unto a complete victory — a Catholic America. Regular Rosary rallies or Rosary processions are simple to organize (click the links to see how simple). They are also a powerful witness to our Faith, our love of the Blessed Virgin, and our desire to save our Republic. Priests, religious, and laity; children, teens, and the elderly — all can participate in a prayerful enthusiasm for a cause both Catholic and patriotic.
How different the world would be if the American superpower were under the sweet yoke of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King!
URL: http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=11658
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)