Owner: phatcatholic apologetics URL:http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:13:44 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: "phatcatholic apologetics" is a blog devoted to defending the Catholic faith via Q&A's, debates, tracts, papers, and an extensive collection of links to the best Catholic resources on the internet. Site statistics:Click here
What's This "Holy Communion" That You Speak Of? 2007-08-01 14:45:00 What follows is a short exchange with "btate0121" on the meaning of Holy Communion
, and then a brief rebuttal to what "BlackCalvinist" interjected in refutation of what I had been presenting. BC hasn't written back yet. I imagine he's probably tired of this debate, since he did a lot of debating with Catholics in the past. At any rate, if he responds I'll make an update."btate0121" will be in gray/silver. "BC" will be in brown. - - - - - -Hi guys. Please don't stone me. But I'd like some clarity on the role of Communion in the life of a modern day Christian. I understand that it's taken to remind ourselves of the sacrifice made by Jesus, but i'm confused by the SPIRITUAL benefits and in particular the ramifications for taking it out of place. I know this is a broad question, and it's designed to be that way because i'm looking for a lesson on this instead of a specific answer. so if someone could please take the time to explain the whole thing in entirety (and please don't be
Catholicism Reppin at the Podcast Awards 2007-08-01 11:08:00 There's still time to vote in the 2007 PodcastAwards
. What's great is that a few Catholic podcasts are finalists in various categories: People's Choice: Catholic InsiderBest Mobile Phone Formatted Podcast: Praystation PortableCulture/Arts: Secrets of Harry PotterHealth/Fitness: Healthy CatholicPodSafe Music: Catholic RockersReligion Inspiration:Catholic InsiderDaily BreakfastIpadreMeditations from CarmelThe Hands and Feet ShowThe Catholic Jukebox Blog explains the significance of this: Speaking of PodcastsA win for a Catholic podcast helps bring recognition to all Catholic podcasts. The Catholic Church isn’t always seen as progressive when it comes to the media, but with the call of Pope John Paul II for a new evangelization, more Catholics are using the media. Being part of SQPN, we are striving to be the best in Catholic podcasting so that we can be an example for all Catholic podcasting. Previous wins by The Catholic Insider and Rosary Army has shown to all podcasting fans tha Read more:Catholicism
"Unless You Become Like Children...." 2007-08-01 10:04:00 Christine from Domestic Vocation has a great post on how to explain the Sacrifice of the Mass to little children. I liked it so much that I couldn't help but provide a little bit of it here: First, to understand how the sacrifice of Calvary is present at the Mass, we must understand that God is outisde of time. Gracious! How on EARTH do I explain that everything in time is an ever-present NOW to God?Suddenly, a picture came into my head: a snow globe.Imagine the people inside the snow globe are real. Inside their tiny world, they can look around and see stuff. But they cannot see everything. We, outside, can see the entirety of the snow globe. In this way, we are like God looking at Man who is trapped in time. He can see all of time all at once, while we can see only what is right in front of us.[. . .]Next was how to explain Jesus offering Himself to the Father daily. Offering, specifically, His Sacrifice on the Cross.Again, I got a clear picture in my mind of my daughters' art work Read more:Become
, Children
In Case You Didn't Know.... 2007-07-31 16:18:00 Don't make Pope Paul VI put the smack down on you.Pax Christi,phatcatholic
NFP Is Waaay Cooler 2007-07-31 12:14:00 Check out these three YouTube videos on the differences between contraception and NFP. They are patterened after the popular Apple commercials. The script is great. I even laughed when I was supposed to, which is hard to accomplish when you're making a skit. Look at the nerdy guy and his stupid contraception. NFP is waaay cooler. For more on contraception, go here. For more on NFP, go here.Pax Christi,phatcatholic
Can God Be Hateful? 2007-08-03 14:22:00 A question came up in the HCR forum as to how we should understand the various passages from Scripture that speak of God "hating" particular persons and things. Here are a few of the passages in question:Psa 5:5 The boastful may not stand before thy eyes; thou hatest all evildoers.Psa 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.Mal 1:2-3 "I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How hast thou loved us?" "Is not Esau Jacob's brother?" says the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob 3 but I have hated Esau; I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert."God also hates religiosity (Isa 1:14; Amos 5:21), hypocrisy and lies (Zec 8:17), wrongdoing (Isa 61:8); divorce (Mal 2:16), violence (Mal 2:16), idolatrous practices (Hosea 9:15), and the way the prophets are treated (Jer 44:4).But how can this be? How can God "hate" if God is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8)? The key is in how we understand hate. Hatred in these instances is not the kind that aro
Is Scripture Self-Interpreting?: Part 2 2007-08-08 12:24:00 "C-dero" agreed with everything I said in my last post except for the last paragraph. Here is my response to his thoughts on that section.I think it when you even bring the issue that one's interpretation being authoritative over another is when you create more problems.Having an authoritative interpretation of Scripture
doesn't create problems, it solves problems. Now, whenever there is a question in the Christian community regarding what is true doctrine, we have a voice given authority by God to settle the matter, instead of everyone having to rely on their own abilities and their own perception of being "inspired" by the Holy Spirit. No contradiction in teaching. No democratic vote. Just the authority of God.This is when I become a minimalist in Biblical interpretation. What I mean is that you have the Bible in its historical context, written to a certain type of people in particular times which meant what it meant to them and even within this understanding there is self-evidence Read more:Interpreting
Is Scripture Self-Interpreting?: Part 1 2007-08-08 12:06:00 "C-dero" asked the following question in the HCR forum, and I think it is an important one, especially within the Protestant community. The division and contradiction that sola scriptura creates is the big pink elephant in the living room of Protestantism. I can't tell you how many Protestants I've heard who either utterly deny that there is a problem, or who actually praise denominationalism as "diversity."However, it seems to me that C-dero is a person who is not afraid to confront the problem areas in Protestantism and to search out a solution, instead of just pretending that these problems don't exist. This is not the first time that he has asked a question that attempts to take a bold and honest look at his faith. I respect that and I think it is refreshing.You may have heard this before, "the best interpreter of scripture is scripture itself."How meaningful is this catch phrase? Is it not true that the one who asserts such a concept is the Bible's interpreter? Does he/she not Read more:Scripture
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How Much Do You Want for Uncle Jimmy? 2007-08-08 08:56:00 "Remnant" asked the following questions about indulgences in the HCR forum. I could have put the doctrine of indulgences in my own words, but sometimes nothing beats what the Catechism has to say:I have no clue if this still goes on or what but I have heard on multiple occasions that as a catholic that is alive, you can buy a dead relative out of purgatory!!???So my question is has this ever been taught, is it still being taught, and if it has been abolished then why did the Catholics belief change??? Thank you for your response.This was never the teaching of the Church, even though in the past the doctrine on indulgences was abused and degraded. Here is what the Church teaches about this, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It's a little long, but it really is the best way to explain indulgences without writing a novel. I hope that you will read it:X. INDULGENCES1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Pe Read more:Uncle
Anointed with the Oil of Gladness 2007-08-08 07:58:00 "btate0121" asked the following questions about holy oil in the HCR forum:1) Should we still be using oil annointings today in the Body?Yes. I think a lot of people are saying "No" here because most protestants don't have a sacramental worldview like Catholics do. Catholics firmly believe that God can bless us and protect us through the things of this world: water, oil, bread, wine, laying on of hands, etc.2) What do we use it for?Catholics use it for the administration of the Sacraments and the blessing of objects. Persons are anointed with oil by the priest during Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the Sick.3) Do I annoint my wife, kids, and my doorposts, or is that just out in left field somewhere?Well, for ordinary circumstances like this, Catholics usually use holy water instead of oil.After I had a conversation with a person who was possessed (or, at least, tormented) by a demon, I put holy water on my thumb and made the sign of the cross on my door posts, my window frame,
Poll-Release Monday #25 2007-08-06 22:59:00 Here is this week's poll question: What does "Deuteronomy" mean?"Fifth book" because it is the fifth book of the Bible."The numbering" because it recounts appointments of chieftains over certain numbers of Israelites."Second law" because it reiterates the Mosaic law in Leviticus."End of wandering" because the Israelites are finally in the Promised Land.I'm not gonna lie, I copped this from Catholic Exchange. I couldn't think of a poll for the life of me. Thinking of a different poll every week can be difficult sometimes. But it's all good. These Catholic trivia polls are great teaching tools. But, don't cheat and look up the answer before you vote! Just vote based on your best guess.Here are the results from last week's poll:It was fun watching the results pan out for this one. Hmm, who knows the CDF document and who doesn't? Let's look at each one of the options that you all voted for and the paragraphs from the document that pertain to each option. This will reveal which opti Read more:Monday
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Poor, Poor Onan 2007-08-06 15:06:00 "JARZJR" posted the following follow-up question to the answer I gave him regarding contraception (which, in retrospect, I feel was written too harshly). What actually was the sin of Onan?Thanks for the response to my question. However, i have a few more questions concerning contraception. When i read the story of Onan plainly w/o any presupositions i see that what Onan did was dishonor his dead brother and shirk his responsibility to provide his brother with an heir under the law of levirate marriage. Exactly how he shirked his duty is irrelevant. The plain reading is that Onan's sin was refusal to provide his dead brother with an heir, not that he sinned by "spilling his seed".Thank you for your question. I'm happy to answer it, but I'd rather not get into a debate here on contraception, since this is a Q&A thread. If you want to engage what I have written in this post, I suggest starting a new thread or pm'ing me.I would also like to point out that the sin of Onan was not even t
For the Feast of the Transfiguration 2007-08-06 11:30:00 Liturgical Calendar: Feast
of the TransfigurationCatechism of the Catholic Church: "A foretaste of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration"Pope St. Leo the Great: Homily on the TransfigurationNew Advent: TransfigurationNew Advent: Feast of the Transfiguration of ChristSt. Augustine: Sermons 78 and 79 on the TransfigurationSumma Theologiae, Third Part, Question 45: Christ's TransfigurationModern Catholic Dictionary: Transfiguration of Our LordFeast of the TransfigurationThe Transfiguration in ScriptureWikipedia: Transfiguration of JesusSlideshow of Artwork Depicting the Transfiguration
A Film Beyond Belief: Part 2 2007-08-05 18:24:00 Here is Part 2 of my critique of Brian Flemming's The God Who Wasn't There. See Part 1 here.There are zero contemporary accounts by historians showing any knowledge whatsoever of Jesus--even though he was supposed to have attracted crowds in the thousands with his miracles, almost incited an insurrection in Jerusalem, and was put to death by Pontius Pilate--after a Jewish trial on Passover eve.Zero? None? Well, supposing a "contemporary account" would be anything written within a generation of the time Jesus began his ministry (30 AD; when large groups of people would have began hearing about him for the first time), and that a Biblical generation was 40 years, that would mean that the first 23 works from the list previously cited are contemporary to Jesus. All of these works show a knowledge of Him.Somehow, historians of the day didn’t notice these remarkable events. And somehow Paul and his fellow early Christians forgot Jesus had lived. And then, apparently, decades later, peopl
A Film Beyond Belief: Part 1 2007-08-05 11:58:00 I was checkin out the Searching for Christianity blog because the author left a comment on my last post saying that she has been struggling with her beleifs about God and the Bible. One thing I found there was a synopsis of a documentary called The God Who Wasn't There: A Film Beyond Belief. This synopsis basically gives the main arguments that the movie makes against the existence of Jesus. Movies like this can be alarming for people who are searching for Christianity for the first time, and even for long-time Christians. It's only fair that the other side of the story is presented and the real errors of this movie are exposed. Therefore, I have written the following:The film begins with a view of our solar system from a distinctly Christian perspective--with the sun revolving around the earth. Having established the religion’s credentials in the field of science, the film goes on to examine how well the religion is doing in the field of history.Note the argument here: "Christians
I Knew This Blog Was Good for Somethin 2007-08-10 12:41:00 Today I received an email from two different publishers offering to send me a free copy of one of their books. I'm sure this happens to the big shots (Mark Shea, Jimmy Akin, Amy Welborn, etc.) all the time, so much so that they don't even consider it worth blogging about. But, it has just recently begun happening to me and I'm pretty psyched about it. This will make 4 free books within the last month!Beyond the fact that I love books, I really appreciate these offers because they are implicit validation of my blog. They wouldn't be sending me these books if they didn't think that me blogging about it would get the word out to a lot of people. It just makes me feel better about all the work I put into this to know that it is actually making an impact on people. Honest to God, that's all I care about.Anyway, here are the two books I will be receiving shortly, followed by the description provided with the book:- - - - - - - - - -The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates
Falling from Grace 2007-08-10 11:09:00 St. Stephen condemning the "stiff-necked people" -->This post is a reference for me, a list of the Scripture passages that reject "Once Saved Always Saved." I'll probably update this as I find more, but this is a good start. If a Christian really can't fall away after being regenerated, then I simply do not know what to make of the following:Acts 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.Rom 11:20-23 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God Read more:Grace
Responsibility in Community 2007-08-10 09:35:00 I don't know how many of you pay attention to the Catholic quotations that appear every day in my sidebar, but they really are some of the greatest bits of wisdom you'll ever find. Today's quote is just plain awesome: "What a travesty to think religion means saving my little soul by my little good deeds and letting the rest go hang." — Gerald Vann, O.P., The Heart of ManI love quotations like this because they pack a punch. They're so true too! Fr. Vann's words here expose a potential weakness in the "personal relationship with Jesus" mantra that Protestantism has stolen and made it's own. In Protestantism itself there is no community (just division), so I guess it makes sense that individualism would assert itself in their theology.But, even as Catholics, we would do well to heed the wise father's words. I know that, at least with myself, I can get very caught up in my own feelings and my own problems. "Oh, I am so anxious, I am so tired, I don't feel well, I.., I.., I.." In Read more:Responsibility
Marking the Year with Mary 2007-08-09 19:20:00 Yesterday, the 2008 calendar of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception came in the mail.....for free! (DOPE!). I was really happy to come home to that. The picture for each month is amazing. If you've ever been to the Shrine you know that it's more beautiful than words can describe. But, a picture's worth a thousand words, and I think this calendar does a great job of capturing the beauty of all that the Shrine has to offer.I think what I like the most about the Shrine is that it gives you a truly deep sense of the catholicity of the Church. She truly is worldwide and universal, and the little side chapels dedicated to the various Marian apparitions all over the world really give you a feeling of the richness and depth of the Catholic faith. I think most Catholics in the U.S. are used to only seeing "caucasian Mary," white like most of us are. So, it's great to see chapels dedicated to Our Lady of China, Our Mother of Africa, Our Lady of La Vang, etc.Below
Optional Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross 2007-08-09 18:18:00 A Witness for Christians and JewsEdit Stein: Our Newest SaintEdith Stein: Convert, Nun, MartyrHow Edit Stein Is a Christian MartyrLet Us Go For Our PeopleSt. Edit Stein: Martyr for TruthTeresa
Blessed by the Cross
: The 60th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Edith SteinThe Postulator's StoryOptional Memorial
of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and MartyrThe Vocation of the Soul to Eternal LifeVerses for a Pentecost NovenaCatholic Culture: Edit SteinL'Osservatore Romano: Edit SteinEdit Stein and the Science of the CrossEdit Stein's LetterEdit Stein's Sole Boast Was the Cross of Our Lord Jesus ChristA Chronology of Edith Stein's Road to SanctityTeresa Benedicta of the Cross
There's Still Hope in Louisville 2007-08-14 07:25:00 Matthew Hardesty is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Louisville
, KY -->The Louisville Courier-Journal, usually critical (if not hostile) to the Catholic Church, redeemed itself somewhat with a recent article on seminarians in the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY. The title was interesting: "Few Hear Call to Priesthood in Archdiocese." Apparently, God and the Editor-in-Chief are pretty tight, so much so that God gave him a list of every person in the archdiocese who He has called to the priesthood. Pretty amazing. Personally, I would have went with, "Seminarians Reppin in Archdiocese"....but that's just me.Of course, Peter Smith, the author of the article, couldn't help but share his theological wisdom with us either. The parenthetical statement in the following quote is his: "Louisville's problems are echoed nationwide, with the United States seeing a 30 percent drop in priests since 1965. (Despite efforts by some activists, the church has remained committed to an all-male, celibat
The "Born" Identity....of the Christ Child 2007-08-13 08:35:00 Check out the latest post from UNBORN WORD of the day. It links the "Bourne" movie series to the unborn child and those who threaten his life. I've seen all three movies, but I never made the connection. Pretty creative.I think a lot of what makes a good catechist is being able to find the "catechetical moment" (I just coined that phrase) in every day life. So much of what we see and hear and experience each day can be used to teach people about the faith, you just have to keep your eyes open. When you can tell a story, or relate a doctrine to something that your audience is familiar with, it helps them to grasp the message and make it their own. Movie clips in particular are helpful because they add another sensory experience and they break up the monotony of a 45-min. lecture.Btw, the new movie in the series, The Bourne Ultimatum, is off the proverbial chain.Pax Christ
i,phatcatholic
Poll-Release Monday #26 2007-08-13 07:35:00 Here is this week's poll question: How do you like the new background?I like the last one you had better than this oneI like this one better than the last one you hadBring back the first one! (the foggy forest)For some reason, I think a light blue background looks really good on this blog. Let me know what you think.As for last week's poll, here are the results:"Deuteronomy" means "second law." If you've ever heard of the "deuterocanonical books" then you had a clue. "Deuterocanon" means "second canon." Similarly, "deuteronomy" means "second law." From the Online Etymology Dictionary we read: Deuteronomy:1388, from Gk. Deuteronomion, lit. "second law," from deuteros "second" + nomos "law" (see numismatics). A mistranslation of Heb. mishneh hattorah hazzoth "a copy of this law." The book is a repetition, with comments, of the Decalogue and most of the laws of Exodus.New Advent provides more information: Deuteronomy:This term occurs in Deuteronomy 17:18 and Joshua 8:32, and is the tit Read more:Monday
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This and That 2007-08-12 12:40:00 All I have for today is a little round-up of notes and various happenings in my life and in the blogosphere: I got bored w/ the background again. Make sure you vote in tomorrow's poll and let me know what you think.All of the links in my sidebar are working now. Unfortunately, b/c the "Traditional Catholic Apologetics" website is no longer online (archived here), I had to delete a few links. The webmaster had all three volumes of Radio Replies, as well as a supplement to the 3 vols. called That Catholic Church: A Radio Analysis, and two of Belloc's works (Characters of the Reformation and How the Reformation Happened) on his site. Volume 2 of Radio Replies is still available via an archived link, but all the rest are gone. From what I can tell, no one else has them available online either. I am sad :(To offset the loss, I was able to add 6 more works from St. Thomas More, thanks to this site. I was pretty psyched about that. Check them out towards the bottom of my sidebar.Amy Welborn
One Last Hoorah 2007-08-17 21:38:00 I'm going out to lunch again :D This time, I'm heading for the Adirondack mountains to spend a week vacationing with Amy and her family. She vacationed with my family in Hilton Head. Now, it's my turn! Amy has been at home with her family for the past month, and I can't tell you how much it has sucked not having her here. I can't wait to see her again, and to have one final week to relax before the Fall semester starts.While we're there, we'll be doing some pretty cool stuff. First, check out where we'll be staying: Pretty dope :D It also has a jacuzzi and..........no internet access! I'm actually looking foward to that. Sometimes it's just good to take a break from all this and just chill. I don't know if people realize how much work it takes to post 3 times a day and have each post be remotely substantive. But, one day this blog will be the greatest of all time, so it's all good.If chillin in the cabin weren't enough, we'll also be going to the Baseball Hall of Fame
For the Feast of a Preacher 2007-08-17 12:05:00 Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Hyacinth. I like reading more about the saints of the old calendar because they are often ones that I am unfamiliar with. The lives of the saints are always interesting and edifying, regardless of how popular they may be today.The Church's Year of Grace, by Pius Parsch provides the following information about St. Hyacinth: While a canon at the cathedral of Cracow, Hyacinth journeyed to Rome, was impressed by the preaching and miracles of St. Dominic, and from the hand of Dominic himself received the habit of the newly-founded Order. Upon returning to his native land (1219), he established monasteries of his Order beyond the Alps at Friesach, Prague, Olmiitz, and Cracow.From the Breviary we have this miracle. With three companions Hyacinth had arrived at the banks of the river Weichsel during their journey to Vischegrad, where they were expected to preach. But the waters had risen so high and had become so viole Read more:Feast
More Art as Servant 2007-08-17 07:40:00 You may recall that, a while back, I made a post about a drawing by David Myers of St. Michael the Archangel. Well, I dig the guy's artwork so I'm posting some more pieces from him, along with the description he provides for each one. His depiction of St. Francis and the Crucified Christ is my favorite. For more of his artwork, go here. To order prints or to commission an original, go here.Pax Christi,phatcatholicps: If your resolution isn't set to 1024x768 then the layout for the artwork and the descriptions may not look right.- - - - - - - - - -This drawing was a happy find among things that my wife and I were unpacking as we moved. I drew it probably about two to three years ago. I had seen a mother holding her child at Mass, smiling at him and holding him close, and immediately thought of Mary and Jesus. I thought that it would be beautiful to portray their joy in each other.- - - - - - - - - -"Most High, glorious God,enlighten the darkness of my heart,and give me right faith,ce
Respect Your Bishop 2007-08-16 15:34:00 Check out the new T-shirt from Phatmass.com:Pretty dope. Plus, if someone sees it and doesn't know what it means, they'll ask you and then you'll get a chance to explain the importance of respecting your bishop. There's other phat shirts too. To get your own, go here.Pax Christi,phatcatholicUPDATE: Apparently there's people who actually can't tell what the design is. So, for the slow-on-the-uptake among us, I offer the following hint: think chess pieces Read more:Bishop
Sinning with Impunity 2007-08-16 15:07:00 Today's Catholic quotation is ingenious: "If you find a place where God is not, go there and sin with impunity." —-St. AnselmDoes anyone know the source for this quote? I love it. It's such a creative way of making the point that God sees all, and even the sin you commit in your closet is known by Him. I imagine Anselm saying this in response to someone bragging about having gotten away with murder, or stealing, or adultery, or some scandalous sin. A wise man can put a person in his place with one sentence, and I have no doubt that Anselm had that ability. I also have no doubt that the person to whom he said this walked away with his tail between his legs. That's what you get for assuming that you can ever break God's laws and get away with it.Pax Christi,phatcatholic
Background Options 2007-08-16 15:01:00 To help you all vote (see the poll in the sidebar) here are links to the two backgrounds mentioned in the poll:The last background I hadThe foggy forestLet me know which one you like the best.Pax Christi,phatcatholic Read more:Options
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