Without the Cross

There is No Crown

As we approach the joy of another Easter victory it is necessary to first pass through the penance and prayer of another Lent. There is no glorious sunrise on Easter morn without first passing through the darkness of Good Friday. This was true for the Master, and, as He told us, “the servant is no better than his Master.”

Lent is a preparation for Easter, just as Advent is a preparation for Christmas. It is a time when we should redouble our efforts to “fight the good fight and run the race to the finish line.” As Scripture tells us, “A three-ply cord is hard to break.” This cord in the spiritual life is prayer, fasting, and good works. Each one strengthens the other, making that cord that binds us to God all the stronger.

Have a real plan to maximize the potential of this Lent. Perhaps you can attend Mass daily, or 3 times each week of Lent. Make a good Confession at least once during Lent, if not monthly or even weekly. Pray the Rosary daily. Eat less and more simply if you can. Even something like sacrificing desserts for Lent can be a fine penance. Remember St. Therese’s “Little Way,” doing “little things with great love.” Please do something for the poor. There are actually thousands of normal people who are suffering the terrible anxiety of seeing their children hungry. Do something to feed the hungry, house the homeless, visit the sick or the elderly. They are the least of Jesus’ brethren and as you care for them, you care for Him.

Remember that you cannot float through the spiritual life, or life in general. It takes work to succeed. Work at your spiritual life. One of the greatest benefits of doing this is that you will find peace and joy almost immediately. All of your problems won’t go away, but you will be given strength to handle them. That three-ply cord of prayer, fasting, and good works will bind you closer and more strongly to God who loves you.

Most of all remember the last chapter of the Book: We win! Lent and Good Friday always lead to Easter Sunday.

With God’s blessing,

Fr. John Corapi, SOLT

In The End My Immaculate Heart Will Triumph

My Immaculate Heart will Triumph.

This is the hope that Our Lady gave to us at Fatima.  The hope is  that no matter how bad things get, we have the promise that her Immaculate Heart will triumph. As the battle for life, unity, truth, goodness, and beauty heats up and becomes a raging fire, the Mother of the Lord in battle array leads the forces of Her Son against the forces of darkness. Her Immaculate Heart, where She conceived Jesus before conceiving Him in Her womb, is the safe refuge for those that fight the good fight. In the end, Jesus will share the victory with His Mother, she who was with Him from beginning to end. Her Immaculate Heart, beating one with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, will triumph over the tidal wave of sin, darkness, and evil that is even now sweeping over all the earth. God Bless,

Father John Corapi

Two Virtues that cannot be Separated

The Holy Father’s most recent encyclical is entitled Caritas in Veritate in which the Holy Father teaches that charity and truth are united, and cannot be separated.  I have frequently preached and taught on the indissoluble and absolute integrity of love and truth. There is no authentic charity without it being rooted in truth. If love is not in fact rooted in truth, then it is not authentic love. Charity in truth is the driving force behind the authentic development of every person, as the Holy Father points out.
The contemporary disintegration of societies and economies has at its root a failure or denial of this essential reality. When individuals fail or refuse to live charity in truth, then this is reflected in societies and economies. Love and truth are names for God. Jesus, the Lord (the God that is Love and Truth) is the Vine. We and all of society are the branches. If we refuse to live in Christ, then there is no life, either in societies or economies. This follows ultimately as surely as morning follows night.
The Holy Father points out the indispensable link between life ethics and social ethics. If a person or nation fails or refuses to respect the right to life, then it is folly to imagine that they will respect anyone or anything ultimately. If you don’t respect an individual’s right to life, how will you ever ultimately respect a worker’s right to work? You won’t.
We are on a collision course with social and economic chaos unless we begin to live charity in truth. This happens one person at a time. Make sure that you are one person that is living charity in truth.

God bless you,

Fr. John Corapi

edited slightly by: Jeffrey David

To Stifle the Enemy’s Advances

Christmas is one of the greatest of our religious feasts in the Catholic and Christian world. It is, in itself, a most beautiful and joyous time. Existentially, it is a paradox, however, because large numbers of people suffer terribly at this time of year. Why? I suppose there are a lot of reasons, but one is that depression – one of the Enemy’s greatest weapons – gets the better of many of us. The world can be a cold place, and rejection and isolation in their various forms take a terrible toll on humanity.

This Christmas, make it a goal to educate yourself and your family on the weapons of the Enemy. The effects of Immortal Combat are perhaps even more evident during this season, as the opportunistic Enemy exploits the weaknesses of the lonely and depressed. Learn how to combat the Enemy with love. Go out of your way to radiate God’s love to someone who is most in need of it. Love is like fire. It illuminates the darkness and transmits heat to those around it.
God bless you and yours this Christmas, and forever,

Fr. John Corapi

Trust in Our Lady

At a time when it surely seems that capitalism has run amuck and poised the world on the edge of economic ruin, the temptation is very strong for the pendulum to swing too far left into the failed and immoral territory of socialism. Historically pure socialism has never worked, philosophically it cannot work, and morally it is inherently evil (because it undermines the right of private property ownership, an inherent human right) and hence should not be given a chance to work.

The response might be that what we have at the moment isn’t pure socialism. The problem is that the moment is incredibly fluid and the direction toward a more radical form of socialism under way with frightening speed. Unless, of course, you believe the politicians and their appointees whose stock-in-trade has become lies, deception, and self-interest.
The common error is to think that socialism helps the poor and disenfranchised. As Pope Leo XIII pointed out as long ago as 1891 in his Encyclical “Rerum Novarum”, socialism does not help the poor. Rather, it reduces everyone to the same lowest common denominator of poverty and misery, while at the same time drying up the very sources of capital.

No matter what the future holds for the United States and the world, let us hold tight to the promise that Our Lady made at Fatima.  “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

God Bless you,

Father John Corapi

edited by:  Jeffrey David

Faith, Hope, and Love Endure

As we approach the United States’ traditional holiday of Thanksgiving, moving toward the Christian, and very American, celebration of Christmas, I am seeing more uncertainty, sadness, and fear than I can recall previously in my own lifetime. I have to admit I experience these things myself. Many good people might think that I should be above and beyond such emotions. Perhaps, but we are all human, and for better or for worse, we all experience emotions of different types and degrees.

Fr. John Corapi

Jesus often said things like “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust;” and “Let your hearts not be troubled..;” etc. We would do well to remember this at a time when it is often not easy to be certain, happy, and without anxiety and fear. Change can be traumatic. Often the older you are, the harder it is to endure change. I am not good at it, I must admit. Look at what has happened to the United States in our lifetime. If you think the trend is positive, we’re on a far different page. Seemingly caught in a fog of indecision, poor leadership, and rapidly evaporating wealth, America is dying. The cause is moral, not economic. If we end up with the curse of socialism, know very well that it was because we refused to “repent and believe the Good News, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Hope is the key in this little note to you. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraph #1817:

“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23).

God bless you always,

Fr. John

edited by:  Jeffrey David

Advent Is Coming: Preparation for “the Preparation:”

The liturgical season of Advent is four weeks dedicated to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. We should think about this now while we have time. We are publishing this message more than two weeks before the beginning of Advent this year to give you a head-start to enable you to prepare for the preparation. Advent is also the beginning of the Church’s year. Just as we make resolutions at the beginning of the secular new year, how much more we should try to make some serious resolutions for a better life at the beginning of the Church’s new year.

Preparation is of great importance in almost anything you do in life. Much of the chaos and incompetence we see in various spheres of influence today is due to lack of preparation. Everyone that takes any pride in their work, their sport, their profession, etc. has to be prepared. To go into battle unprepared is to invite disaster. To go into a football game, or any other sports contest, unprepared is to invite defeat.

One of the not so edifying facts that I’ve seen in my lifetime, the last 30 years of it anyhow, is that large numbers of people have lost the will for excellence, and that’s why we have so little of it: in education, in politics, in service, in products, etc. The great American institution of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts contributed very materially to the greatness of our nation by “preparing” our young people for life. “BE PREPARED!” was surely the Boy Scouts’ motto that we learned and were schooled in.

Lower things can prepare us for higher things. The natural order is a good teacher of things more moral and spiritual. We can learn much from nature. This Advent we should make an effort to truly prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus at Christmas. Prepare for the preparation, now. How will you spend Advent? How will you prepare for this Christmas? Now is the time to plan it out.

Certainly attend Mass on all of the Sundays of Advent, four of them, as we should attend holy Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation. Perhaps this year you can have an Advent wreath at home. Light the candles on the Sundays of Lent at the dinner table. Explain the meaning of the Advent wreath to your family. Do some easy research on the internet, or other reliable source to learn more about your faith.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in paragraph 524:

When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the Precursor’s birth and martyrdom [St. John the Baptist], the Church unites herself to his desire: “He must increase, but I must decrease (Jn 3:30).

Do something special this year during the season of Advent that will help you and your family to appreciate the great event of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem at Christmas. The name Bethlehem means House of Bread. Try to recall and consider that in a town named House of Bread Mary laid Jesus, the Bread of Life, in a manger—a place where higher beings set food for lower beings. There is a deep Eucharistic meaning in the depths of Christmas. Use this Advent, this time of preparation, to discover the connection between Jesus’ coming at Christmas, and his coming to you and to me in the holy Eucharist.

Make a plan now for Advent. Prepare for the preparation now. Resolve to perhaps go to Mass an extra day during the week. Read the Bible and Catechism a half hour each day during Advent, pray the Rosary every day of Advent. Do something special this year to make your Advent truly a preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus at Christmas.

God bless you,

Fr. John Corapi

Top Ten Father Corapi Facts.

10. When Father Corapi does push-ups, he doesn’t push up.  He pushes the world down.

9. Father Corapi doesn’t sleep.  He waits.

8. Father Corapi makes onions cry.

7. Father Corapi keeps a night light on when he goes to bed, not because he is afraid of the dark, but because  the dark is afraid of him.

6. Superman wears Father Corapi Pajamas.

5. Father Corapi doesn’t read books.  He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

4. Every night before going to bed, the Boogeyman checks under his bed for Father Corapi.

3. Father Corapi can lead a horse to water and Make it drink.

2. Father Corapi’s calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd.  Nobody fools Father Corapi.

1. Father Corapi went to Burger King and ordered a Big M ac and he got it.

HT:  Patrick Madrid

In Many Different Ways:

Every four years we enjoy a very great privilege, one that carries with it an equally great responsibility: that of voting for the officials who will govern the country and affect the lives of tens of millions of people, for better or for worse. Good government and just laws are not optional if the human family is to survive, much less prosper.  It will be another year before we elect our new congress, and three more years before we elect a new president.  However, it is good to go over exactly what and who we can vote for and remain faithful Catholics.

The tired argument that is so often heard these days about the separation of Church and State is a patently specious one, to say the least. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The current erroneous interpretation of the separation of church and state is nothing less than an attack on the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America itself.

Every citizen has a right to express their views and to vote in accordance with those views. The legitimate separation of church and state concerns the constitutional prohibition of one state sponsored religion, as well as the Founding Fathers’ intent to keep the government out of the affairs of the various religions. The version of separation of church and state that is presently being foisted on an unsuspecting public is tantamount to a suppression of the fundamental constitutional rights of a class of citizens. Since when is Christian thought not permitted to influence a country that was founded on Christian principles? We share in the good and the evil of those we place in office. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that, although “sin is a personal act, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them” (CCC #1868).

How else can we participate in the sin of another:

By participating directly and voluntarily in them;
By ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
By not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so; (emphasis author’s)
By protecting evil-doers” (CCC #1868). The Catechism is thus consistent with traditional Catholic teaching which held that there are nine ways we can be an accessory to another’s sin:
1. By counsel. i.e., “I think you should have an abortion; go ahead and have the abortion. It will help preserve your lifestyle.”
2. By command. i.e., Telling your child, your friend, or your co-worker, “Have an abortion, you may lose your job if you don’t.”
3. By consent. i.e., “If you and your partner feel it’s the best thing, go ahead and have a sexual relationship, get married. even if you’re both of the same sex, etc. It’s nobody’s business.”
4. By provocation. i.e., “Have the abortion! Aren’t you in charge of your own life? The Pope is old and out of touch, who cares what he says.
5. By praise or flattery. i.e., “Oh, Senator, you are so courageous and kind in defending a woman’s ‘right’ to an abortion.”
6. By concealment. i.e., The pastor allows the senator, judge, president, etc. who has voted for, or otherwise promoted, abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, same-sex marriage, etc. to appear to be in good standing, when, in fact, they have caused grave public scandal by their actions. When the sin is public, the redress must be public. Although, I don’t disagree with the courageous bishops who would deny such persons Communion, I do believe that the “confrontation” should take place, without question, long before they arrive at the altar rail.
7. By participation. i.e., “I’ll drive you to the clinic. You need that abortion to be able to continue your lifestyle.”
8. By silence. i.e., You refuse to speak out against what is a clear violation of human rights, an incredible persecution and prejudice against a class of human beings (the unborn). You hide behind the Supreme Court’s unjust and inherently illicit decision on abortion, saying it’s the law of the land, when in fact it is the subversion and perversion of authentic law. The Nazi SS officers tried for war crimes used a similar defense, saying they were only following orders. They hung them, guilty as charged!
9. By defense of the evil. i.e., “It prevents child abuse by eliminating unwanted children; Women are more in charge of their lives, more liberated; it’s so much more sophisticated and educated a thing to do., “etc. etc.

Your conscience must be formed to the objective norm of that truth, which is Church teaching in faith and morals. Since a physician needs to be concerned with what’s sick, let’s get right to the point. It is not morally possible for any Catholic to support abortion, euthanasia, fetal stem cell research, human cloning, or same-sex marriage. There are no ways around this, no justifications what so ever!!  They are all ,Intrinsic Evils, which means they are always evil, all the time, no exceptions.

By: Father John Corapi

Edited by: Jeffrey David

but against Powers and Principalities.

As Halloween approaches, we are surrounded by themes of the occult, ghosts, demons, curses, and hauntings. Demonic and occult themes permeate the media at this time of year. Most of this material is pure fiction, yet the part that is not fiction is an acknowledgment that angels and demons exist.

One cannot understand reality if one brackets out a large portion of reality – the preternatural order (angels and demons). If you try to arrive at valid conclusions concerning reality, but have left out a good part of that reality you are engaged in an exercise in futility. So many things today can only be understood in the light of this spiritual reality. Have you ever wondered why so many apparently educated and intelligent people just don’t get it, especially with respect to such life and death matters as abortion?

There is a battle that goes on in the spiritual order between the forces of God and the forces of Satan, “the adversary.” This battle between cosmic good and evil, between angels and demons, has man caught in the crosshairs. Man is an active player in his own salvation. We need the help of our allies the angels. To fail to enlist their help is reckless. To fail to realize the reality of the enemy forces, the demonic legions, can be ultimately and eternally fatal.

We are at war and our battle is not against flesh and blood, as St. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6. The battle between good and evil, truth and lies, life and death involves these angelic legions – good and evil. We are soldiers in God’s army, like it or not, believe it or not. We must be aware of these fundamental teachings, learn them, and live in accordance with them.

God bless you,

Fr. John Corapi