Portsmouth Roman Catholic

About 40 years ago as the School Governor of a Catholic School I pointed out that the new Religious Education Instruction in Catholic Schools was not achieving anything.    I was bitterly rebuked and the usual comparisons made of how we in the Pre-Vatican Church had all run around in constant fear of Hell and Damnation.   Try though I could I did not remember myself or anyone else cringing under the desk as the teacher told us we were all going to burn in eternal fire.   But it was all part of the Revolution and nobody was allowed to contradict the new rulers.   In truly Communist fashion those who were fervent about the new version of Vatican II coming from the Reformers in the Vatican were appointed to places of influence.   Devotion to Mary and other devotions which were judged not adult were abolished and the so called age of the laity was heralded in.   I remember a bishop at the time remarking "Gone are the days of the dictatorial parish priest, ...

Saudi Arabia has deported 27 Lebanese Maronite Christians, including women and children, for celebrating the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady in their home. Saudi Arabian authorities justified the deportation by claiming the Christians participated in "un-Islamic prayer" and that they possessed the "Gospel". The religious police raided a house in the Aziziyah neighborhood of Al Khafji, in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, and arrested 27 people, including children. The Christians claimed that as the Koran esteemed the Blessed Virgin Mary, their prayers caused no insult.  In 2006 the Saudi government gave the undertaking to stop interfering with the private worship of non-Muslims, formally recognizing the rights of Christians and other to worship in private. Open Door International, a charity that monitors the persecution of Christians reports: "Even when held privately, Christian services are seriously restricted by the strict gender segregation, ...

PETER BALDWIN The Australian 12:00AM September 17, 2016 Save Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on email Share more... 346 What does it mean, these days, when someone says their politics are “left-wing” or “progressive”? This has always been debatable, but in recent times these terms have taken on meanings that earlier generations of leftists would scarcely recognise. Ideas that used to be thought cons­titutive of left-wing thinking have been turned on their head. To see what I am getting at, ponder the following thought experiment. Try to imagine how a moderate leftist in the social-democratic tradition (my own position) or a liberal in the American sense might react on awakening today from suspended animation after a half-century. Say they had just listened to Martin Luther King’s great civil rights speech of 1963 in which he yearned for the day when his children would be judged by the content of their character, not the colour of their skin. Back then,...

Nigel Farage tells Archbishop of Canterbury to step down Fri 16 Sep 2016 By Aaron James The UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said the Archbishop of Canterbury should step down. In his last day in the job before the party reveals its new leader in Bournemouth on Friday, Nigel Farage told Sky News: "It's a great shame isn't it that the head of our established church is not actually prepared to stand up and fight for our Christian culture in this country. "He's somebody else who should go too." Mr Farage and Most Rev Justin Welby have previously been involved in disputes over immigration. Earlier this year Most Rev Welby accused Mr Farage of "legitimising racism," "accentuating fear for political gain" and "inexcusable pandering to people's worries and prejudices".   I do not know enough about Rev. Welby to defend the attack on whether or not he defends Christianity however he does I am afraid exemplify ...

When the Lutherans and Calvinists came together in Geneva at the time of the Reformation to discuss a common approach to the Bible which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, despite a great deal of prayer and mediation they found they could to come to any common agreement as to the things of Scripture, so they parted and went their own ways following their own version of what Jesus taught.   There are now around 25,000 Christian sects in contradiction and following the truth.  They would deny they are following their own version of Scripture but each would insist that they are not following anyone elses version of scripture but inspired by the Spirit they are following Jesus Christ. This of course is very unhelpful to anyone who is seeking the Gospel as Jesus Christ taught. So where can we find the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Not by anyone thumping their breast and claiming "follow me"  Consider this, that for the first four hundred years there was no Bible books to...

St Mother Teresa was an outstanding example of Catholic Social Teaching.   She had a total love of Our Lord jesus Christ which sprang from her devotion to to him in her private and liturgical life.  She never questioned his Commandments or 'rules as some would have it'.  Whatever he asked she would do, and she never once compromised his teachings with her 'adult' conscience.    Her commitment to life included buying aborted babies since they were the poorest of the poor.    If the world wanted abortion she did not seek favour and excuse it, she condemned it outright.   She was a true witness of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the same way Jesus Christ came on earth to earn the forgiveness of sin, not to excuse it,   He founded a Church where all the graces were poured out on people so that they could become saints like Mother Teresa.   Unfortunately in the Church today there is a great deal of compromising of the teachings of Je...

The work of Mother Theresa is well known.   She picked up the poor and the thing from the streets.  She nursed them as best she could and she and her nuns never gave up their work but continues day in and day out.  Their dedication was almost unnatural.   But the secret of course was that her work was of the supernatural.   She did not ask for honours or respect and she made many enemies by stating her Faith in a simple and uncomplicated way - she was dealing with the Body of Christ.   Her faith also led her to rescue aborted babies and speak fiercely on behalf of the unborn, heeding not whom she offended.   She also told the world that there was a greater poverty than material poverty and that was spiritual poverty.   This spiritual poverty is yet to be understood by many who would otherwise comment on the good works of Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa was not a do-gooder.  She kept going through the power of prayer, through the Mass, daily ...

Not very long ago I said Mass and preached for their  [the Missionary of Charity’s]  Mother, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and after breakfast we spent quite a long time talking in a little room. Suddenly, I found myself asking her – I don’t know why – “Mother, what do you think is the worst problem in the world today?” She more than anyone could name any number of candidates: famine, plague, disease, the breakdown of the family, rebellion against God, the corruption of the media, world debt, nuclear threat, and so on. Without pausing a second she said, “Wherever I go in the whole world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people receive Communion in the hand.” I am sure Mother Teresa would have said this.   She spent an hour every day adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  She saw Christ in the dead, the dying , the diseased and maggot filed bodies lying in the streets of Calcutta.  Nobody discerned the Body of Christ more than St Mother Teres...