stbarmusic's blog

A Catholic Culture Moment 

Have you ever had a non-Catholic ask why Catholics pray for the dead?  Do you know how to answer that question?  Many non-Catholics will take the stance that if you die believing in Jesus Christ you will automatically go to heaven.  They might say that praying for the dead is not in the bible.  All of their misunderstandings bank on two things: 1) the scripture referring to praying for the dead is in 2 Maccabees and is not contained in the Protestant bible unless it is part of their added books in the back which they do not consider inspired writing;

There is no more divisive component of any church than the style of worship that is offered and fostered within the liturgy. There are no more places of misunderstanding and openness to opinion than sacred art and music. Within these two facets lies the potential to alter one’s grasp and experience of the sacred mysteries of Holy Mass.

Immerse into Good Friday

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the most somber day of the entire Church calendar.  On this day many Catholics cover their mirrors, extinguish candles, and refrain from celebratory activities.  All of these help to foster a sense of mourning and prayer.

A common question asked is “how many days of Lent are there, really?”
The answer, as in many answers, is it depends. The PERIOD of Lent is a time of fasting, penance, and almsgiving.  This holy season begins ON Ash Wednesday and ends with the Easter Vigil.  If you count those days, including Sundays, you will count 46. 

Exorcisms tend to be that hush idea that no one talks about, sort of like that uncle that ran moonshine during prohibition. The fact is, every diocese has an exorcist, there is a school of exorcism in the Vatican, and spiritual warfare is on the rise by both the faithful laity and exorcists.

Here are some bits of information that may help you understand this ancient rite of our Church.

True: There are two different forms of exorcism, major and minor.

What’s the Deal with Halloween?

Angels are valuable friends to humanity. They are creatures of pure intellect, messengers of God, attendants, and often appear as humans to carry out their missions. Some people have seen their guardians and have been told their names. God created nine choirs of angels. Of those choirs are the Archangels, the highest rank of the choirs.

As Catholics we understand we can experience Christ in several ways: through the deposit of faith in the Church, through scripture, through the sacraments, through each other, and through mystics.

     Throughout the course of the history of Holy Mother Church we have been told that Catholics do not believe in scientific facts or, more recently on our calendar, one cannot believe in God and science, too. Neither of these statements is true. As a matter of fact, MANY scientific proofs and understandings have been brought to the world by the Catholic Church; more specifically by Catholic priests.