“It was a holy and devout thought to have atonement sacrifice offered for the dead, so that they might be released from their sin.” (2 Maccabees 12:46) Throughout November we pray for the Holy Souls. This good and holy practice is connected to our belief in Purgatory. Purgatory refers to purification which happens after death,…
Catholic Social Teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. The Church has always had social teaching, but its modern form emerged at the end of the 19th century as a response to the injustices of the Industrial Revolution and…
The Rosary can take some practice and perseverance at first. It is made up of two things: vocal prayer and mental prayer. A common complaint is that the Our Fathers and Hail Marys are repetitive, but that is exactly what helps with the mental prayer… The Rosary is a meditation on the life, death and…
Yes. Sunday is the foremost holy day of obligation in the Universal Church. On Sundays and other holy days of obligation therefore the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass. We are encouraged to attend Mass on other days if we possibly can. Read more Catechism 2189-2195.
The 40 Hours is a special 40-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance for adoration. The focus of this devotion is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist: ‘I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he shall…
Since Advent 2006 there has been a change to the holydays of obligation in England and Wales. Like Scotland, Ireland, Italy and most of the US, the celebrations of the Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi have all been moved to the nearest Sunday. The bishops were concerned by diminishing observance of these days and wanted…
Of course Christ was conceived in Mary’s womb solely by the Holy Spirit. But it is also an article of faith that Mary remained a virgin throughout the rest of her life. The earliest written reference is from 125AD, in living memory, and many of the Church Fathers from the 3rd and 4th centuries affirm…
If you have no relatives, or if your relatives are not Catholics, or do not practice their faith, it can be a worry that there will be no one to arrange a proper Catholic funeral after the Lord has called you. The best course of action is to write in your will that you want…
Jesus refers to himself as ‘Son of Man’ 88 times in the New Testament. 1. ‘Son of Man’ was a prophetic title for the Messiah in the prophecy of Daniel: ‘there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven’ (Dan 7:13-14). Jesus identifies himself with that prophecy. Likewise…
There were many serious theological controversies in the early centuries of the Church. At times the Church had to gather in council to decide formally what was genuine Christian faith. One such case was the Arian heresy. The Arians said that Jesus was not truly God, but the first and noblest creature that the Father…
