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Did the Catholic Church give us the Bible?

In everyday speech, “Sacred Scripture” is used interchangeably with, “the Bible”. And in most contexts, there is no problem with that. But not in this one. Because the Catholic Church certainly gave us the Bible, but the Catholic Church did not give us all of Sacred Scripture. 
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Priests for life

February 17, 2016

Many of you have subscribed to my biweekly columns. Fortunately, more and more of them are being picked up by major print and online publications. Below, I've included links to some of those published most recently. I invite you to read and comment on them and also share them on your own social media accounts, email lists etc. This is a simple action you can take to help spread the pro-life message and counter any anti-life comments that others may have submitted.

On other matters… As we make our Lenten journey, I invite you to make use of our Lenten resources found at PriestsForLife.org/Lent, which include a Lenten Prayer for Life to be said every day.

May I ask you once again to demonstrate that you stand with Priests for Life in our Supreme Court case by submitting your name on the form at IStandWithPFL.com, if you have not already done so. I want to show the media and the members of Congress all of the people that are on our side in this battle. The more names we have the better! I would be grateful if you would also encourage others to submit their names as well.

Please continue to pray with us for victory in the Supreme Court at SupremeCourtVictory.org and also for the 2016 elections ElectionPrayer.org.

This week I sent out some action alerts. The alerts are designed to give you the ability to act quickly on urgent issues that need immediate attention. You can find them at StopAbortionNow.org.

Thanks in advance, and here are some of my recent op-eds:

President’s Day In A Nation Past Presidents Wouldn’t Recognize (DailyCaller.com, February 15, 2016)

President’s Day is an opportune moment to consider the office of the President of the United States, its previous holders, the man who sits in the Oval Office today, and the man or woman who might become the leader of the free world before the next President’s Day.  GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio has run into trouble for his insistence that President Obama is intentionally trying to alter the kind of country the United States has always been. I can’t disagree with him, but I can say that our country, and the kind of government we have, changed in 1973 with the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. We can lay the blame for that on the steps of the Supreme Court.…MORE

NARAL Can't Win Against Ultrasound, Science and Common Sense (National Catholic Register, February 8, 2016)

The abortion industry and its apologists have tried for decades to persuade us that the baby in the womb isn’t a baby.  NARAL, for instance, took exception on Twitter to a Doritos ad that aired during the Super Bowl that, in their words, tried to “humanize” the child in a mother’s womb. A Twitter storm of derision for NARAL followed.  Science, common sense, and the ultrasound images of unborn sons and daughters posted on refrigerators across the country have refuted such nonsense for years.  Now, as more and more women come forward to share their emotional, psychological, and physical pain from abortion, the truth-deniers in the abortion lobby have come up with a new tactic.  They are trying to tell us that women who suffer after an abortion don’t really exist….MORE

Florida Trying To Give Women Time to Consider The Price of Abortion (Breitbart.com, February 9, 2016)

Hindsight is 20-20, as the adage goes. Where abortion is concerned, that clarity of vision comes fatally late. Florida’s 24-hour waiting period before abortion is an attempt to give women time to think before they do something that will impact them forever. Abortion is a matter of life and death – sometimes for the mother, always for her child – and giving a woman an extra 24 hours to consider the ramifications of that action should not be controversial. It just makes sense. I hope Florida’s First District Court of Appeals agrees after hearing oral arguments today….MORE

Blessings,

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Phone: 888-735-3448
718-980-4400
Fax: 718-980-6515
Email: mail@priestsforlife.org
www.priestsforlife.org

Does the Catholic Church have authority over the Bible?

People who believe in Sola Scriptura will frequently make the statement that the Bible alone is the highest authority over men. And they make the claim that the Catholic Church holds itself as the authority over the Bible. Thus, making itself the highest authority. 
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The unmarried, focus upon the Lord

LG:

1 Timothy 3:2
King James Version (KJV)
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

So, you're pitting one verse of Scripture against another?

1 Corinthians 7:32-33

King James Version (KJV)

³² But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
³³ But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

We accept both. Apparently, you deny and reject 1 Cor 7:32-33.

Sincerely,

De Maria

Is salvation conditional or unconditional?

Many times, you’ll hear people to say that salvation is an unconditional gift from God. I’ve heard that from Catholics and Protestants. However, the saying is not true. Salvation is a gift of God, but it is not an unconditional gift. 
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Paraphrasing the Summa, First Part, Question 4

Question 4. The perfection of God

Is God perfect?  There are people who do not believe that God is perfect because they see an imperfect world.  They claim that a perfect God would not permit sin and death.  They claim that a perfect God would not create creatures that were deformed.  

CCC#1 God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

310 But why did God not create a world so perfect that no evil could exist in it? With infinite power God could always create something better. But with infinite wisdom and goodness God freely willed to create a world "in a state of journeying" towards its ultimate perfection. In God's plan this process of becoming involves the appearance of certain beings and the disappearance of others, the existence of the more perfect alongside the less perfect, both constructive and destructive forces of nature. With physical good there exists also physical evil as long as creation has not reached perfection.

In this part of the Summa, St. Thomas wrestles with the following questions.  

1. Is God perfect?
2. Is God perfect universally, as having in Himself the perfections of all things?
3. Can creatures be said to be like God?

How would you answer them?

Is God perfect?

Yes.  By definition, God is all knowing, all powerful and eternal.  Can't get anymore perfect than that, can we?

Is God perfect universally, as having in Himself the perfections of all things?

God is all good and all good things come from God.  Therefore, yes.

Can creatures be said to be like God?

I would say, "only in a metaphorical sense."  God is the way, the truth and the life.  We are like God in the attributes that He has shared with us.  Such as life.  We are living beings sharing in the life which He has given to us.

Let's see how close those are to St. Thomas' answers.

Catholic Answers

We’d like to invite you to take advantage of a special “early-bird” offer by supporting Catholic Answers Forums.   Just for the Early Birds If you support CAF by February 21, we’d like to send you a free Customized Catholic Answers Flash Drive. It’s a $50 value and includes talks by: Tim Staples Trent Horn Devin Rose Steve Weidenkopf Matt Fradd You need to donate by midnight, February 21 to receive the early bird gift, so . . . CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW. CAF is a valuable service for people across the country and across the world. It provides information, companionship, and the chance to grow closer to God, but it needs your help to stay online and keep helping people. And you can receive up to THREE additional free gifts for your support. Up to 3 Free Gifts We’d like to send you several special thank yous if you can support the Forums by making a one time gift of $200, or a monthly donation of $18 or more: 20 Answers Essentials of the Faith Pack—A set of 7 short books from our 20 Answers series that offers hard facts, powerful arguments, and clear explanations of the basics of Catholicism. From Creation To Catholicism—A 3-CD set by Trent Horn and Patrick Coffin that presents the grand arc of salvation history from the beginning of the universe to the establishment of the one true Church And if you can make a one-time gift of $500 or more, or a monthly gift of $60 we'll also include: Catholic Answers Church History Treasure Trove—A set of nine of our best books on the major events and crises of Church history. We know that you value Catholic Answers Forums and all the good they do. The Forums reach people all over the world with the gospel and many new people are joining them every day, so please CLICK HERE TO HELP SUPPORT THE FORUMS AND REACH MORE SOULS FOR CHRIST. Thank you for your generosity. The Catholic Answers Forums Team P.S. Don’t forget that the chance receive a free Customized Catholic Answers Flash Drive is only available until midnight, February 21, SO CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND BE SURE THAT YOU DON’T MISS OUT ON IT The Catholic Answers Forums Team

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No, Jim, that's not what the Scripture means.

Kevin and Jim were debating Purgatory. I suppose Jim thought these verses somehow argue against the existence of Purgatory, but they have nothing to do with the subject matter. None of these verses say that all faithful men will go directly to heaven. 
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Trending now:

New and Trending Articles • Feb 13, 2016 A Simple Explanation for the Drop in Mass Attendance By Bill Dunn Many people nowadays wonder why attendance at SundayMass has dropped so drastically. For example, here in the Hartford Archdiocese on any given weekend, the number of people at Mass is a full 65% less than during the 1960s. Read More... Giving Up Something For Lent? Not so FAST By Jacob Escobedo Ah Lent! The season of the universal Church’s liturgical year that is centered on penance. Also known as the time in which the Gloria and Alleluia are not sung and Mass tends to be slightly more solemn in order to provide an environment for reflection and humble prayer. Read More... Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us! By Catholic365 Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us! Read More... RCIA - We're Doing it Wrong By Matthew Newsome Signum Crucis: A Spiritual Weapon for Men By Rexcrisanto Delson God Shares Our Pain: Lessons from the Adoration Chapel By Amanda Knapp What Protestants should know By De Maria Strengthen Your Lenten Journey Through Fasting By Ellen Gable Hrkach That you glorify God with one mind and one mouth By De Maria

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What is the difference between Catholic and Protestant?

Catholicism teaches the orthodox Christian faith. In other words, Catholicism is the standard of all Christianity. Other Christians have fallen away from the Catholic Church and have adopted beliefs which differ from those which Jesus Christ passed down to His Apostles and in turn they passed down to us. 
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What Protestants should know

Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church. It is clear from even a cursory reading of the New Testament, that there is no mention of any Protestant Church within those venerable pages. Nor is there any mention of any Protestant doctrine which contradicts the Catholic Church. 
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Resist the HHS mandate!

February 11, 2016

As you know, Priests for Life -- and I personally -- are plaintiffs right now in the US Supreme Court as we continue to resist the HHS mandate that tries to force us to expand coverage for abortion in health insurance. The Priests for Life case, one of the first to be launched, along with six others (including the Little Sisters) have been consolidated by the court and oral arguments will occur on Wednesday, March 23.

In a nutshell, the Obama Administration is trying to make us cooperate with the government in expanding abortion and the very purpose of Priests for Life is to end abortion. They are trying to force groups like ours to cover abortion-inducing drugs, and other 'services' we find morally objectionable, in the health insurance coverage we offer our employees. It is about the freedom of us, as employers, to practice our own religious beliefs, not just in Church on Sunday, but in the workplace on Monday.

I ask you today to let me know you stand with us on this case by filling out the form on IStandWithPFL.com. I want to show the media and the members of Congress all of the people that are on our side in this battle. The more names we have the better!

Please also encourage others to submit their names. 

Another way you can show your support is on social media by using our special “twibbon” on Facebook and Twitter. A “twibbon” will change your default photo to an image showing you stand with us. Here are instructions.

The HHS Mandate is just one piece of evidence that we need to take the elections of 2016 very seriously. One way to become an informed voter is to watch the debates. There are debates both tonight, February 11 and on February 13. See our election calendar for more information.

Prayer is also crucial. Please see www.SupremeCourtVictory.com for an ongoing prayer campaign for victory in the Supreme Court. SupremeCourtVictory.com will lead you to ten prayers that focus on various aspects of religious freedom, and the need for the People of God to defend that freedom against the unjust Mandate.

And Lent is the perfect time to increase our prayers and sacrifices for religious freedom and life. Priests for Life has Lenten products to aid you in your prayer and meditation. We are offering a special Lenten packageconsisting of The Way of the Cross for Families and The Cross and the People of Life: The Seven Last Words and a Good Friday Homily (2 CD set). Both are only $20 including shipping and handling.

I hope I can count on you to stand with us and pray with us for victory!

Blessings,

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Phone: 888-PFL-3448
718-980-4400
Fax: 718-980-6515
Email: mail@priestsforlife.org
www.priestsforlife.org

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