Catholic Musings

This post, written by Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver, is taken from the First Things blog . The Catholic faith is not simply a collection of doctrines and ideas, or a body of knowledge, or even a system of beliefs, although all those things are important. At its root, Christianity is an experience: a life-changing, personal experience of the risen Jesus Christ. Everything else in the writings of St. Paul, and everything else in our life as Catholics, flows from that personal encounter with Jesus Christ. If we truly seek him, then we will always find him. But when we find ... Read Full Story

Pastor Ken Pagano of the New Bethel Church, an Assemblies of God church in Louisville, Ky, has come up with a rather interesting approach to the upcoming celebration of Independence Day on July 4. He is encouraging “responsible handgun owners” to wear their firearms inside the church on June 27. There will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music, and information on gun safety. The pastor says, “We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation. And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms — without that this country wouldn't be here.” ... Read Full Story

Often we like the concept of being front-runners, out in front of the pack, on the cutting edge. Washington and Oregon have earned this distinction by virtue of laws permitting assisted suicide. There are now no legal penalties for physicians who prescribe lethal doses of drugs for the purposes of suicide. A Montana judge has ruled that physician-assisted suicide is legal in that state as well. The decision affirms that “Montana constitutional rights of individual privacy and human dignity” grant someone with terminal illness the right to “die with dignity”. When former Attorney General John Ashcroft challenged the Oregon law, Supreme Court Justice Anthony ... Read Full Story

I’m reading the most peculiar book, called Silent Night: The Story of the Christmas Truce , by Stanley Weintraub. To be more accurate, I suppose, it is the story behind the book is so odd. In it, the author recounts the history of the 1914 “Christmas Truce”. The events described took place in the midst of World War II, the so-called “war to end all wars”. For a time, weapons were laid down on both sides of the battlefield, and enemies walked across the front lines, sharing holiday greetings and contents of their Christmas packages from home. There had been strange “outbreaks of peace” ... Read Full Story

The National Day of Prayer was designated by the United States Congress in 1952 as a day for people in the United States to pray for their country, although there had previously been several national days of prayer in the U.S. The Continental Congress first established “a time for prayer in forming a new nation” in 1775., President John Adams later declared May 9, 1798 as “a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer,” during the Quasi-war with France. Citizens of all faiths were asked to pray “that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it”. On April 17, 1952, ... Read Full Story