The Romin' Catholic

Before I begin, I would like to build a bridge. I am a fan of Bishop Barron and always enjoy his videos. Even though I disagree with some of the things he says, I still think his commentary can play a great role in the culture. However, I do think that Barron's attempt to open up a dialogue with Protestants comes off as being quite damaging to the Church. In a recent article , Bp. Barron says Luther's protest was out of love, and even refers to Luther as "a mystic of grace." This is far from the truth of who Luther really was. For instance, Luther, as a hardworking monk, hardly made time in his days for prayer. He thought he could never be forgiven, and as a result of his scrupulosity, Luther could only see God as vengeful and hateful . Even after becoming a Protestant, Luther's writings hardly reflected love and admiration for God. Luther even went as far as saying that Jesus committed adultery and fornication . The watering down of the troubling and violen...

If you're a well seasoned Catholic you probably know that last week was the Feast of Corpus Christi. All over the world, parishes celebrated the most Holy Eucharist and first communion. I myself was so overfilled with joy watching the Feast of Corpus Christi that I couldn't get rid of an uncontrollable grin that crept it's way onto my face. After the Mass, the priest led a procession around the parish for those receiving their first communion. As the procession continued, I had an overwhelming and indescribable joy wash over my heart. I just felt so at peace. The chanters with their dulcet voices only brought into perspective the Eucharist, the rose petals left by the altar boys, and all the women and girls wearing chapel veils. Seeing all the beauty in the tradition of the Extraordinary Mass made me appreciate the fact that I am not a cradle Catholic. As I've noticed among many of the faithful, cradle Catholics don't really show as much appreciation for the C...

As an Orthodox Christian making my spiritual journey to Rome I've been raised and immersed to have a respect for tradition ever since I was 6 months old. So it comes as somewhat of a surprise when I have to defend my traditionalist Catholic views to my friends who are cradle Catholics. Many Catholics, post-Vatican II, in fact, have adopted a minimalist Christian view on the liturgy. Just as long as you go to Mass on Sundays, receive confession, and get Holy Communion you'll be okay. This is not a healthy path to salvation. Doing the bare minimum doesn't cut it. Because God the Father made everything and Jesus Christ gave everything for our salvation. Christ and the Saints never asked themselves "What's the least I can do, and still make a difference?" This Christian minimalism has no doubt led to many cases of abuse in the Holy Mass. If you've ever been to a Latin-Rite Mass, and then to a Novus Ordo Mass, you'll notice very significant contras...

When praying the Rosary many people see it and use it as a form of intercessory prayer. While the Rosary is used to invoke the prayers of Our Lady, the Rosary can also serve as one of the best methods for meditation. This is not a new idea though. When we pray the Rosary we are meant to meditate on the mysteries of each decade. But I propose that the people who most desperately need the meditation of the Rosary are adolescent men. If you are in your pre-teen to teenage years or you have a child who is a teenager, become acquainted and introduce them to the power of prayer (a great resource for introducing the power and benefit of prayer is Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly ). Once prayer is introduced, and a personal connection to God is made, make it a habit to be unbroken. Most of the time, however, morning and evening prayers are not enough to satisfy the soul. This spiritual malnourishment leads men and women to comprise and indulge in their sin. And no one is more in...