A favor?

After six years publishing this blog, I'm still learning stuff about blogging!

Do me a small favor?

If you like a post, please go to the post's footer and click the "Recommend this on Google" button.

In fact, do this on all your fav Catholic blogs. . .that way, Catholic blogging will get a boost on the Google search engine.

Thanks, Fr. Philip Neri, OP

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NB.  The "Recommend" button is directly below. . .

Thanks!

My thanks to T.M.P.S. for the Kindle Book!

Good choice. . .I needed something freaky to read.

Fr. Philip Neri, OP


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Coffee Cup Browsing

An atheist asks whether or not the War Against Nativity Scenes present atheists as "killjoy blights on the polity who are only out to destroy joy and good cheer, and who would leave a vacuum in the human spirit. . ."   Um, why yes, it does.

Members of the Religion of Peace blow up Catholics in Nigeria on Christmas.

HA!  A cookie recipe written in the style of the new Missal translation. 

Muslim father dressed as Santa murders entire family in TX to prevent his daughter from dating non-Muslims.

This sort of thing is why indoor malls are closing. . .the trend now is toward outdoor malls. 

Austrian court upholds blasphemy conviction. . .against Islam, of course.

Excellent post on the Feast of the Holy Innocents!

Speaking of the corruption of innocents. . .the Girl Scouts of America continues its leftist suicide.

When cartoonists forget history. . .

When sci-fi geeks do Christmas. . .

Lying bunny. . .he's gonna lie.

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Holiness is a risk well worth taking. . .

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Dominic Church, New Orleans

The incarnation of the Son in the birth of Jesus brings with it the promise of eternal life for all those who believe, pick up their cross, and follow Christ. Born along with Jesus is a dark promise of persecution and violence for those who walk his narrow way. Just two days ago, we honored Stephen who was brutally murdered for publicly praising God in the name of Christ Jesus. Stephen's death fulfilled our Lord's promise: “You will be hated by all because of my name. . .” But Stephen reaped the glory of another divine promise, “. . .whoever endures to the end will be saved." Suffering at the hands of those who hate us and dying while persevering in the faith is the Church's most profound witness to the truth of the gospel. It is one thing to endure ridicule, argument, and imprisonment in the name of Christ. It is quite another to die by torture, execution, or a terrorist bomb all the while loving and forgiving your murderer for Christ's sake. Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. We honor those thousands of children slaughtered by Herod in a vain attempt to murder the Christ-child. Though they did not themselves profess the faith, they died horribly for Christ's sake. The Holy Family escaped into Egypt, while the children Herod massacred escaped into martyrdom: innocent of any crime, their lives were ended to assuage the political fury of a tyrant. We look to their innocence and their sacrifice to show us the way to holiness.

Herod's massacre of the Innocents reveals an ugly truth about human nature and the fallen order of creation: a man with nearly unlimited power will almost inevitably commit horrible crimes. The marriage of disordered passion and worldly power often gives birth to genocide, war, and the destruction of nations. But none of us here wields nearly unlimited power. That plague infects only a few. Most of us are burdened with a far less comprehensive but nonetheless potentially destructive plague—a wholehearted belief in our innocence. We believe that we are entirely free of sin. John writes, “If we say, 'We are without sin,' we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. . .If we say, 'We have not sinned,' we make [Christ] a liar, and his word is not in us.” Make no mistake here! We are free from sin, but being free from sin does not mean that we are free of sin. The prison doors are unlocked and jammed open, but we sometimes stand in our cells refusing to walk free. John continues, “If we acknowledge our sins, [Christ] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.” The first step on the way to holiness, true innocence, is the acknowledgment of our sins and the reception of God's forgiveness. The pretense of innocence—that we are without sin—prevents us from receiving the forgiveness we have been given. 

The Holy Innocents died at the hands of a sinful man seeking to prolong his corrupt rule. That innocents die everyday is a consequence of creation's fallen order and our own rebellion against God's Word. So long as we refuse to walk freely the narrow way of Christ—loving, forgiving, showing mercy—we prolong and give comfort to the corrupting rule of the Enemy. However, as Stephen and the Holy Innocents have shown us, choosing to step away from our culture's disordered passions and embracing the way of peace risks the dark promise of Christ's birth: we may die for his sake. Keep this truth close: “[Christ] is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” Holiness is a risk well worth taking.

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-3 Monday

Almost forgot to post Ye Ole Weight on this Weigh-in Monday!

Down to 335lbs.  Not bad considering we just finished the first day of Christmas. . .

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Whoever endures to the end will be saved. . .

St. Stephen, Martyr

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Dominic Church, New Orleans

I hope you're not surprised that we are celebrating the martyrdom of Stephen the day after we celebrated the incarnation of the Word in the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, it's a bit weird that we draw ourselves away from the frolicking fun of the Nativity in order to take solemn note of the Church's first death by stoning. Yes, it is a bit morose for us to turn our attention toward a bloody execution and remind ourselves—after a day's worth of feasting, gift-giving, and family time—that there was a dark promise delivered along with the Baby Jesus. Stephen is the embodiment of that dark promise, and we remember him and his death not to harsh the buzz of Christmas but rather to prepare ourselves for the consequences of Christ's birth. What consequences are those? When the life-giving light of the Christ entered the world through our Blessed Mother, the world's darkness drew back and its soldiers furiously blinked in surprise and disgust. Now, a day later, they've regain their senses and readied themselves for a new battle. For them, Stephen was the first casualty in this war, the first victory for their side. Praying with Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-child in his crib, we know better. Stephen's death was our victory; his death at the hands of our enemies was a divine promise fulfilled.

If Christ's birth into the world of men frightened the forces of darkness, putting them on alert to the fact that their days are numbered, then those who follow Christ are just as frightening. Unable to do battle with God Himself, the armies of deceit and destruction will settle for laying waste to the lives of those of us who pick up the cross and follow Christ. Am I being a little too dramatic here? Maybe. Luke reports in Acts that certain members of a local synagogue debated Stephen, and he won against them b/c he was filled with the Holy Spirit. When they heard him praise God “they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. . .they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.” Did they insist on a respectful dialogue? Or suggest a inter-religious prayer meeting? No. “They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.” So vile to their hearing was Stephen's praise that they murdered him. Stephen must've said something horribly insensitive or intolerant or divisive. What did he say to these men that provoked their murderous rage? He said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” And for this Stephen was beaten to death with rocks. Christ's dark promise to his Church is fulfilled: "Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake. . .”

Following the light of Christ comes with a promise of eternal life. Not as a reward for doing the right thing but as a consequence of setting aside failure, anger, and revenge, and embracing the liberating power of mercy granted in love. We are free b/c the Son of God was born a Man and died a Man. And when the appointed time came, he was raised from death to sit at the right hand of his Father. He opened for us the way to peace. For the Enemy and his allies, even the chance that God's children might be free is almost too much to bear. That we are in fact free provokes a murderous rage. In the face of this rage we have only one credible response: preach the truth of God's freely offered mercy; love those who hate us; and endure to the end. This was Stephen's victory, and it is ours as well if we persevere in holiness.

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Becoming Theotókos

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Dominic Church, New Orleans

In 431 A.D., our Church Fathers gathered in Ephesus for a council and decreed that the Blessed Virgin Mary would be honored with the title, Theotókos, God-bearer or the one who gives birth to God. For a majority of Christians at the time, this decree was yawn-inducing b/c Mary had been known as Theotókos for a couple of centuries. However, one bishop, Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, objected to the title because he thought it was irrational to believe that a creature of God—a human woman—could be the mother of the God who had created her. He preferred the title, Christotokos or bearer of the Christ. This title makes it clear that Mary is the mother of Christ, the man, but not the mother of Christ, who is God. Nestorius was credibly accused of dividing Christ into two persons—a human person and a divine person—and thus destroying our means of salvation. After all, we are saved by Christ precisely because he is one person possessing both a human nature and a divine nature. The council fathers declared Nestorius' teachings heretical and supported the teachings of his opponent, the bishop of Alexandria, St. Cyril. In support of his position at the council, Cyril wrote, “I am amazed that there are some who doubt whether or not the Virgin should be called Theotokos. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how is the Virgin who gave him birth, not the one who gives birth to God?” 

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself: Father, we're all stuffed with ham, sweet potatoes, yeast rolls, and pie. . .and we have a big mess to clean up at home. . .what have we ever done to you to deserve a lecture on fourth-century Christological controversies? Well, you've probably done something in the last year to deserve it. . .but that's not really the point. The point is this: the event we celebrate today is not Jesus' birthday. . .this is not a Birthday Party. The event we celebrate is (quoting John's gospel): “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. . .” The Word became flesh. Who is the Word? Again, quoting John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Don't miss that last bit: “and the Word was God.” God took on skin and bone and blood, and He dwelt among us as one us. Today, we celebrate the event of our Creator stepping into His creation to become a creature. This is most emphatically NOT a birthday party. . .this is an Incarnation Party! The Word of God, the Christ, who is God, becomes Man so that we might become Christs. 

And that's the answer to my next question: why did the Word of God, the Christ, who is God become Man? So that we might become Christs. John writes, “. . .to those who accept [Christ] he gave power to become children of God.” To be a child of God is to be a co-heir to God's Kingdom, to be a brother or sister to the Son of God. To be one of the Father's children is to be one who sees “[Christ's] glory. . .full of grace and truth.” And to see Christ's glory, full of grace and truth is to see clearly the righteous path back to the Father. When we follow that path—with humility, in obedience; loving, forgiving, showing mercy all along the way—we grow closer to Christ and become more and more like Christ. But the only reason we can even begin to walk this path is because the Word of God, the Christ, became human like one of us; suffered and died like one of us; and rose from the tomb in order to show us how it's done. He had to go first, so that we might follow.

Today, Christ is born to the Virgin Mary. She is Theotókos, God-bearer, Mother of God Incarnate. And if you step onto the narrow way, the path of holiness, you too can bear Christ into the world; and not only bear him into the world, but become him for others in the world. Your words, deeds, thoughts can all reveal God's glory to the world just as Christ himself revealed God to us. When you leave this evening. . .when you go back out there. . .back to your Christmas mess. . .or someone else's mess. . .wherever you go. . .remember that this holy day celebrates the ultimate triumph of Light over darkness. . .and so, as you go, be “the true light, which enlightens everyone.” Be Christ!

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A very important message. . .

To all HancAquam Readers. . .

Merry Christmas!

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Grieve or die:  nine minutes of N. Korean propaganda.

No.  Mary was not an unwed mother nor was Baby Jesus an illegal immigrant.

This kid is grounded for life. . .and then some.

President Present is lazy.  Who knew?  Maybe we should have guessed, uh?

If you don't think that this vid is cute. . .you might be Scrooge's meaner second-cousin.

Where do I find an oil painting of circus clowns storming the beach at Normandy?

Change "Honey" to "Father" and "house" to "priory" and you have one of the friars talking to me.

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Be guided onto the way of peace. . .

4th Week of Advent (S)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Dominic Church, New Orleans

Zechariah and Elizabeth's neighbors watch a cosmic drama play out before their eyes. For months, Zechariah has been rendered speechless as a consequence of his disbelief. Elizabeth, miraculously pregnant all this time, gives birth to a son. Refusing to follow the traditional practice of naming a son after his grandfather or father, she names her child John. Over the objections of family and friends, Zechariah confirms the name in writing, and his tongue is set free. His first words are blessings upon God for the birth of his son. Watching all this, the neighbors become increasingly fearful, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” Though they do not yet know the specifics of John's ministry, they feel his arrival signal the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: their freedom is at hand. The long-promised Messiah is coming! Zechariah's song of praise recalls God's promise of freedom to His people and confirms what they have all believed for generations. The Lord has never and will never abandon His people to the slavery of sin. The sign of our freedom is the Christ-child born to Mary and Joseph. And John—the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth—is his herald.

Zechariah's hymn of praise lays out for us—over and over again—a historical pattern: “[The Lord] has come to his people and set them free. . .He promised to show mercy to our fathers. . .He swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies. . .free to worship Him without fear. . .and to guide our feet into the way of peace. What prompts Zechariah to sing this hymn of thanksgiving? Notice that he addresses his new born son, "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. . .” Why is this child to be called a prophet? “. . .for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way. . .” How will John the prophet prepare the way of the Lord? “[by giving] his people knowledge of salvation [through] the forgiveness of their sins.” And it is through the forgiveness of our sins that we are set free. Since the establishment of the covenant with Abraham, God has promised His people freedom from the slavery of sin. Through the Law and the Prophets and with the advent of the Messiah, God's faithful people have been shown a path toward salvation, salutem in Latin, health. Our salvation is rightness with God, spiritual health, the fullness of peace.

Lest we forget, let Zechariah's song bring to mind again the whole point of our celebrations today and tomorrow: we are free; we are made free, given our freedom. We exchange gifts to mark the day. We do not buy stuff from one another. We do not work for one another in order to earn the stuff under the tree. We give gifts; we exchange graces, freely given and freely received blessings in celebration of our release from the bonds of sin. We cannot freely give or receive if we are bound by sin. Therefore, Zechariah reminds us to be prophets of the Lord, to prepare God's people for the arrival of the Christ-child, to give one another knowledge of our salvation by forgiving those who have sinned against us.

When you receive a brightly wrapped present from under the tree, you say, “Thank you!” Under a brightly lit star, lying in a stable, a tightly wrapped child presents himself to you as a gift. Receive his gift and say, “Thank you!” And do more than receive his gift of freedom and give him thanks, give freedom again and again. Release all those who have offended you. Free all those who have hurt you. Do not “dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” Be guided onto the way of peace.

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Why are they afraid of John?

NB.  I got a third of the way through this homily before I remembered that Deacon John is preaching at this morning's Mass.  So, let's hear what you think about the question:  Why would all those who hear of John's birth be afraid?

4th Week of Advent (F)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Dominic Church, New Orleans

Doubting the word of the angel Gabriel, Zechariah's tongue is stilled. Because he failed to listen and believe, he is prevented from praising God's gift of a son while his wife, Elizabeth, is pregnant. In order to understand Zechariah's punishment we must remember that God has no need of our praise. Praising God benefits the one who praises Him and those who hear Him praised. Thus, Zechariah is denied the benefits he might have otherwise received by giving God thanks for his child. Once Zechariah agrees in writing to name his child “John,” his tongue is freed, and he heaps blessings on God for His gift. Zechariah's reaction to John's birth is perfectly understandable. Both he and Elizabeth are elderly, and Elizabeth was known to be barren. To be given a child is a spectacular blessing! Less understandable is the reaction of their neighbors. Luke reports that “. . .fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, 'What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.'” 

Question:  Why would all those who hear of John's birth be afraid?

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Thanks!

 My thanks and Christmas blessings to Gregg F. for the Kindle Book!

I feel smarter just knowing that I have a Mamet book in my library. . .


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The Way of Spiritual Magnification

4th Week of Advent (Th)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Dominic Church, New Orleans

Our Blessed Mother praises her Savior: Magnificat anima mea Dominum! My soul magnifies the Lord! She is “most blessed among women” b/c she believed that the Word of her Lord would be fulfilled. And even as she sings God's praises, His Word is being fulfilled in her body: the Christ-child readies himself to be born. The prayer we know as the Magnificat, or the Canticle of Mary is more than an outburst of joyful praise; it is also a recollection of God's promises to His faithful people. Not only do we hear a recitation of God's saving deeds, we also hear the Spirit rededicate Himself to the tasks of preserving, protecting, and providing for those who place themselves in His fatherly care. In other words, our Blessed Mother reminds us of all that He done for us; all that He is doing for us now; and all that He will do until Christ is among us once again. 

What has our Lord done for His people? “He has mercy on those who fear him. . .He has shown the strength of his arm. . .[He] has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones. . . [He] has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things. . .[He] has sent [the rich] away empty. . . .[and] He has come to the help of his servant Israel. . .” Why has He done all these things? “[Because] He remembered His promise of mercy. . .” To whom did He make this promise of mercy? “[To] our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever." We are the children of Abraham, the adopted sons and daughters of our father in faith, co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven through the grace of Christ Jesus. Our Lord has done these great deeds for us out of His mercy. . .not b/c we deserve them, not b/c we have earned them, not b/c we have purchased them but b/c He loves us and wills for us only what is good. Mary remembers the Lord's historical works; she proclaims His on-going works, and she prophesies His works for us in our future.

How do we as creatures—beings of ash and air—acknowledge the providence of God, His loving-care for us? Mary shows us the way when she sings, “My soul magnifies the Lord! My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Following the Blessed Mother, the way for us is the way of spiritual magnification: to set our souls to the task of bringing the Lord's love and mercy into sharper, keener focus; to amplify, to enlarge the works of the Lord by acting, speaking, feeling, thinking—doing all that we do for His greater glory. We labor to ensure that our words and deeds expand His love and mercy. We work at making sure that our thoughts and feelings prosper in His promises of forgiveness. We do not wallow in self-pity, recrimination, or vengeance. We do not nurture grudges or pick at our wounds. We make gratitude our minute-by-minute prayer, sacrificing entitlement and greed, exchanging ingratitude for humility and feeding the roots of holiness with the same song of joy that our Blessed Mother sings. She exults in her Lord and shows us the way to Christ.

Is there a better time in the Church year to practice being Christ among your family and friends? We all wait for the birth of the Christ-child among us. Will there ever be a better chance for each of us to be born into the world as bearers of the Good News? To arrive among those we love as a herald of Love Himself? If you nurture bitterness, anger, a desire for revenge, why not risk forgiveness? Gamble them all on the mercy of God. He will magnify your soul as you magnify Him!

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What is the Incarnation? (Repost)

Just in time for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord:

The Nativity of Christ, or Christmas ("Christ Mass"), celebrates one of the most important events of the Church: the incarnation of the Son of God. Like the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, etc., the Incarnation is one of those rock-bottom Christian beliefs that most Christians assent to but probably don't really understand. Though Catholics all over the world affirm their belief in the Incarnation every Sunday by reciting the Creed, how many could explain this tenet of the faith in the simplest terms?

Let's start with a story. . .

The archangel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces to her that God has chosen her to be the mother of the Christ Child, His Son. Mary says, "Your will be done" and the Holy Spirit descends on Mary, giving her the child. Nine months later the Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Simple enough story, right? If we left the incarnation there, we would still have the basic truth of Christ's arrival into the world. Things get a little more complicated when we start to think about what it means for the Son of God (who is God) to take on human flesh and live among us. How does the God of the Old and New Testament become incarnated yet remain sovereign God? We are immediately confronted by what theologians call "the Christological question": how is the man Jesus also God?

Before this question was settled by the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., a number of answers were offered and rejected:

Jesus is really a man who possesses God-like qualities.

Jesus is really God in the appearance of a man.

Jesus is half-God and half-man.

Jesus' soul is divine but his body is human.

Jesus' body is human but his mind is divine.

Complicating matters even more was the lack of an adequate theological vocabulary with which to think about and write about the incarnation. Early Christian theologians turned to the available philosophical vocabularies for help. The most prominent philosophical system in the first few centuries of the Church was a developed form of Platonism. Borrowing heavily from the Platonists, the Church Fathers crafted a creedal statement that said: The Father and the Son are the same in substance ("consubstantial"), meaning that they are the same God: "God from God, light from light, true God from true God." The Son was not created in time like man but rather begotten from all eternity. He "became incarnate" through the Virgin Mary--fully human in all but sin.

This creedal statement defined the orthodox position of the Catholic Church. However, interpretations of the creed abounded and additional councils had to sort through them all in order to discover the orthodox expression of the true faith. In the end, the Nicene Creed was taken to mean that Jesus was fully human and fully divine: one person (one body/soul) with two natures (human and divine). "Person," "essence," "being," "nature" are all terms borrowed from Greek philosophy. So, as the West discovered new ways of thinking philosophically, these terms took on different meanings and our interpretations of theological expressions of the truth developed as well. The basic truth of the incarnation does not change; however, how we understand that truth does change.

For example, the Greek word we translate as "person" is prosopon, or mask. This term was used in the Greek theater to denote the different characters played by one actor. A single actor would hold a mask in each hand and shift the masks in front of his face to say his lines, indicating that the lines were being said by different characters. Applying this term to God, the Blessed Trinity, we arrive at a single actor (God) using three masks (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Same actor, different characters. Ultimately, this metaphor is woefully inadequate for expressing the deepest truth of the Trinity. Yet, we still say that the Trinity is three divine persons, one God. "Person" as a philosophical term used to describe a theological truth had to be developed.

Eventually, we came to understand several vital distinctions: The Church uses the term "substance" (rendered also at times by "essence" or "nature") to designate the divine being in its unity, the term "person" or "hypostasis" to designate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among them, and the term "relation" to designate the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others (CCC 252).

So, God is one substance; three divine persons; distinguished from one another not by their natures or persons but by their relations one to another. The incarnation then is the second divine Person of the one God becoming a human person with two substances or natures.

You are one person with one nature: "I am human."

God is three divine persons with one nature: "I am divine."

Christ is one person with two natures: "I am human and divine."

Aquinas, quoting Irenaeus, writes, "God became man so that man might become God." The incarnation of the Son makes it possible for us to become God (theosis). This is how Catholics understand salvation.

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A Catholic governor meets his bishops

Cardinal George and several bishops in Illinois held a meeting with IL Gov. Pat Quinn in order to re-teach him the meaning of Catholic conscience.  When the governor tried to downplay the teaching element of the meeting and play up the social justice angle, the Cardinal and bishops responded.

Their response is a good summary of Catholic teaching on the nature of moral conscience:

“As Catholic pastors, we wanted to remind the Governor that conscience, while always free, is properly formed in harmony with the tradition of the Church, as defined by Scripture and authentic teaching authority. A personal conscience that is not consistent with authentic Catholic teaching is not a Catholic conscience. The Catholic faith cannot be used to justify positions contrary to the faith itself.  It is a matter of personal integrity for people who call themselves Catholic to act in a manner that is consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

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