Revealed: secrets to a successful marriage! With hundreds of titles on how to achieve marital bliss lining bookstore shelves, why does the divorce rate remain steady? One simple reason: Getting married is easy, staying married is not. Here, a canon lawyer draws on his experience with marriage tribunals and offers basic advice for a loving, lasting relationship.
The persecution of the Catholic faith is as old as the faith itself. But few Americans are aware of the scourge visited on the faithful in neighboring Mexico less than a century ago. When an atheist regime seized control of the government, closed churches, and exiled and murdered priests, the Cristeros took up arms to defend the Church and her people. The martyrs of Mexico ensured the future of the faith.
A notorious pro-choice advocate claims she “knows with every ounce of her being” that Catholics may disagree with Church teachings but still remain faithful. Her statement betrays a widespread—but mistaken —understanding of freedom of conscience. In fact, conscience is an interior, individual encounter with the voice of God, wherein we freely elect to follow his will.
"Love is not merely a sentiment," writes Pope Benedict in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. "A sentiment can be a marvelous first spark, but it is not the fullness of love. " The fullness of love requires that romantic love (eros) be purified by self-giving love ((agape). The Holy Father explains how God’s love for his people is the perfect union of eros and agape.
"One day, on my way back from work, I tuned-in to what used to be my favorite station and started listening to Catholic Answers Live. Slowly, the hard shell that had been built around me started breaking apart every time I listened to your show. There have been several programs that have touched me very deeply, even to the point of tears."