David Ancell's Virtual Home

Think again . . . as this article from the National Catholic Register on World Youth Day shows. Here’s an editorial from the Register that is well worth reading.

Here a nice article about Patrick Madrid. I saw him in Steubenville at the Defending the Faith conference, and he struck me as a very genuine man. He was calm and polite, but he presented the faith clearly. In fact, that’s one thing I noticed about the apologists is that I had a certain sense that they were really good, caring people. Often there is a notion that these people will be argumentative and arrogant, but I can assure you that this isn’t the case with the Steubenville crowd.

I see that Catholic Exchange has enlisted the excellent resource of Catholics United for the Faith. I’m a member of the organization myself. Check out these viewer letters to find some gems, especially concerning the existence of purgatory after Judgement Day (meaning the General Judgement at the end of the world). It seems to imply that somehow everyone will be completely purified, but we don’t know exactly how.

St. Joseph’s Communications has produced a new CD set by Fr. Isaac Mary Relyea that offers a somewhat different perspective. It’s called The Final Journey, and it’s available on compact disc or cassette. Fr. Relyea seems to think that there will be an immediate purification on Judgement Day, the severity of which will be in accordance with one’s need. A word of caution about this series: Much of the material presented relies on revelations of saints (which are not necessarily dogma), and is therefore not for the faint of heart. Fr. Relyea is especially graphic in his description of Hell.

I’ve been wanting to post on this topic, but I was waiting for some more assurance that this was to be made public. It appears that eight bishops have written a letter to the others calling for a Plenary Council. The letter (click here to read) is pretty powerful. Much good can be done if this goes through. Our church in America is in great need of a restoration of authentic Catholicism.

Please be praying that God’s will is done in this matter.

Take a look at Amy Welborn’s excellent article on her web site. Little saddens me more than our society’s loss of belief in truth. The truth matters so much to me, and I’m often at a loss to understand (or communicate with) those who don’t seem to view it as a matter of eternity.

We seem to have lost a healthy realization of the possibility of spending eternity in the smoking section. Yes, hell does exist, and you can go there. I don’t think we should live with an obsessive fear of Hell, but we should have a healthy concern for the health of our souls as well as those of whom we love.

Someone once told me that he couldn’t believe that someone could go to Hell for not believing in Jesus. I think he misunderstands Heaven. Heaven is living in a loving union with God. If one tried to know the true God but unintentionally fails, he/she will likely love the true God upon receiving the true revelation. Such a person can live in Heaven. However, if God reveals to someone who he is, and that person says “No, God, I’m going to believe [insert something else here],” then he/she has rejected God and cannot live in union with him.

Another problem is that few realize the loving revelation that God made of himself in Jesus Christ. Although it is true that we can’t know everything about God, this doesn’t mean that we can’t know anything. Because God loves us, he wants us to know him. If we love God and our neighbor, we will want our neighbor to know God.

I pray that a spirit of evangelization and missionary zeal will rain down upon all who hold the Catholic faith.

I had quite a trip to Steubenville last weekend. I must admit it was different from what I expected. There was a big element of the Charismatic Renewal there (about which I will claim no knowledge, one way or the other). The music was contemporary, as was their main chapel. However, there were great speakers, and the bookstore had so much great stuff that it seemed like a conspiracy to deplete my bank account. The speakers included Tim Gray, David Curie, Scott and Kimberly Hahn, Jesse Romero, Rosalind Moss, Benedict Groeschel, Steve Ray, Allen Schreck, and Patrick Madrid.

All in all, it was a great trip, and one well worth taking. I’ll have to try it again.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I took a trip to Steubenville for the Defending the Faith conference last weekend. I’m now going to post a little more on that. I did have a semi-humorous idea. I carried both a weekday and Sunday missal (books that I use to follow along at Mass) in my briefcase. I’m glad that I didn’t tell an airline “I have a missal in my briefcase.” Then again, maybe I could have become a joke on national news.

This article pretty much spells it out. I don’t agree entirely with the Republicans, but the abortion issue is a no-compromise issue. No one who supports murder of the unborn gets my vote regardless of their “other views.”

I noticed that they have added a link to their Catholic links, but I am just plain insulted by the inclusion of “Catholics” for a Free Choice as a Catholic link.

I couldn’t help but notice the viewer letter on Catholic Exchange from this observant 17-year-old. In it, he says:

I find it interesting that Ontario law says pro-life activists must remain 30 feet away from abortion clinics while these “pro-choice” advocates were allowed a front row seat at The Way of the Cross.

No doubt that these, as well as the Condom Distrubution Units, would hope to have some influence on young people. It’s sad that their viewpoint is so warped that they can’t see that there are young people who really do care about following the authentic teaching of the Magisterium. Pray for them. If they ever convert, it will be a beautiful sign of God’s grace.

If you are looking for a reliable Bible commentary, Scepter Publishers publishes the excellent Navarre Bible Commentary. They’ve got the whole New Testament and part of the old. This comes to mind today because they’ve just released the commentary on the books of Joshua through Kings. Four words: Buy it! I did.