Immaculate Conception Church

Old Roman Catholic Church, Hudson Florida

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Q&A: Are Christians supposed to be Pacifist?

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Christian violence is in some cases not only acceptable but required, because it follows God’s direction and example.

Reasons and examples include self-defense/defense of those unable to protect themselves (cf. Luke 22:36 and much of the Old Testament); Our Lord beating and whipping the money changers in the Temple because they profaned a holy space- in other words God Himself used human violence against another human for disrespect of the Father. Battle of the Milvian Bridge, The Battle of Lepanto, the story of Jeanne D’Arc and other Divinely assisted military actions in post New Testament times. Finally the defense of the innocent is at times a required duty. A short time ago there was a school shooting in Florida. The police remained hiding behind their vehicles while children were slaughtered. This is an example where failure to use violence is a grave sin.

Pacifism is your right and in many cases is willed by God (think of the nuns of the Vendee, or St Francis walking into a muslim camp) but sometimes it covers a cowardice or dereliction. We are judged by what we do with what we are given. Pacifism that impacts only your life is one thing- pacifism that is contempt of the lives of others is another matter. God knows and judges the heart.

Jim Caviezel on the Love of God, the Value of Suffering, True Freedom and a Call against Indifference.

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Jim Caviezel, acted in “Person of Interest”, “Count of Monte Christo”, “Passion of the Christ” and now “Paul, Apostle of Christ”.

The story here is very interesting and reveals some of the real weird suffering he had during the filming of “Passion”.

But the real treasure here is the story of a man who “gets it”. He gets Christianity. A powerful message for us all, in particular the folks who have long forgotten or dismissed the Faith of their grandparents and ancestor saints.

I hope you find it encouraging.

Jim Caviezel

Q&A: Can we represent God the Father as an “old man”?

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How does the commandment “YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A GRAVEN IMAGE . . .” apply to images used in Christian art?

Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.”

St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,81,3 ad 3.

An excellent reflection by an artist on this subject can be found here:

Should We Paint God the Father?

Another article explaining the misrepresentation/misunderstanding of the Catholic teaching by the Seventh Day Adventists can be found here:

Graven Images: Altering the Commandments?

In Exodus 20:3-6 God forbids making graven images to worship in idolatry but does not forbid the making of all religious images. This is easily provable since He COMMANDS that they be created.

Read the following:
Num 21:4-9;
Wis 16:5-14;
Ex 25:10-22;
1 Kings 6:23-28;
1 Kings 7:23-26;
and Jn 3:14-15.


Other sources or references for further study are:

St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto 18,45: PG 32,149C
Council of Nicaea II: DS 601
Council of Trent: DS 1821-1825

CCT: Catechism of Council of Trent, Section: First Commandment

CCC: John Paul II’s Catechism of Catholic Church nn. 2129-2132 – though parts of this catechism contain error we refer to those parts that reflect normative Catholic teaching since this resource is more readily accessible to many of our readers.





Socialism and Catholicism in the Current Era

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I was struck by the excellent quality of the article by William Kilpatrick on Pope Francis’s Socialist Agenda. It’s a disturbing “elephant in the room”. Those with even a basic understanding of the Church’s social teaching know that Socialism and Communism are condemned because they seek to place the state in the role proper to God.

For a variety of reasons the mainstream Church has embraced socialist ideas on the global, diocesan and many parish levels. One is more apt to find agreement with the pronouncements and projects of the United Nations then they are a concern with the First Commandment or the command to evangelize.

In Canada, a letter of congratulations was went to the radically pro-abortion Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when his party was elected but the same courtesy was not done for his predecessor from the Conservative party. Go ahead, read that letter, the name of Jesus or God does not appear ONCE!

When a “catholic” Ted Kennedy or Pierre Trudeau or other public haters of Christ’s Law die they are feted and celebrated- a cardinal dressed in white presides over a grand funeral. Do you think that impacts their judgement one iota? Their ilk are given communion without a pause- is there no concern for their souls? Is it just optic or politics now?

Friends, the postmoderns, satanists, wicca, islamists, radical feminists, open border types, modernist Catholics, LGBT lobby, and socialists vote one way. Why? Some members of that group I’ve listed would kill others on the same list! What’s the common ground?

The common enemy is “The West”, Christendom and of Jesus Christ as understood as GOD. Fully God and Fully Human. (“Hippy Jesus” gets a pass apparently because he is mythical and harmless like santa or is regarded as a “prophet”.)

As Christians we care for the poor but we do not worship the poor.
We help them and one another voluntarily, not coerced or redistributed at the point of a gun figurative or literal.

You may also find these of interest:

Church Teaching On Socialism and Communism
Do “Leftys” incline Good?