Catholic apologist and author Patrick Madrid has a free video available on his website answering the question “Is it a sin to vote for a pro-abortion candidate?” The site’s promo:

In an effort to help raise awareness among Catholics and other Christians about the importance of voting pro-life, here is a 10 minute non-partisan discussion of key Scripture verses pertaining to abortion.

Download it here (WMV, 17.4MB)

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul I.

Born in northern Italy on October 17, 1912, Albino Luciani was elected pope on August 26, 1978. He was the first pope to take a double name. He explained in his Angelus that he took the name to honor his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI.

The 65-year-old pope is reported to have had a heart attack while sitting in bed on September 28, 1978. His 33-day papacy is one of the shortest reigns in history and also resulted in 1978 being the most recent Year of the Three Popes (which has happened a dozen times).

The Travel section of today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution featured an article about a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. This town is the site where the young Bernadette Soubirous saw several visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858. While the Catholic Church was initially skeptical, her claims were eventually recognized as worthy of belief following a canonical investigation, and the apparition is now known as Our Lady of Lourdes. St. Bernadette was canonized in 1933.

The AJC article does not present what I think is one of the most fascinating facts of Bernadette’s story – she is one of the Incorruptables, a group of Catholic saints whose bodies have remained free from normal decomposition.

Bernadette died in 1879 at the age of 35. Exhumation is a normal part of the investigation when a person is being considered for canonization. About 30 years after her death, Bernadette’s body was exhumed with startling results:

Bishop Gauthey of Nevers and the church exhumed the body of Bernadette Soubirous on September 22, 1909, in the presence of representatives appointed by the postulators of the cause, two doctors, and a sister of the community. They found that although the crucifix in her hand and the rosary had both oxidized, her body appeared “incorrupt” — preserved from decomposition. This was cited as one of the miracles to support her canonization. They washed and reclothed her body before burial in a new double casket.

The Church exhumed the corpse a second time on April 3, 1919. The body still appeared preserved, however, her face was slightly discolored possibly due to the washing process of the first exhumation.

In 1925, the church exhumed the body for a third time. They took relics, which were sent to Rome. A precise imprint of the face was molded so that the firm of Pierre Imans in Paris could make a light wax mask based on the imprints and on some genuine photos. This was common practice for relics in France, as it was feared that although the body was uncorrupted, the blackish tinge to the face and the sunken eyes and nose would make an unpleasant impression on the public. Imprints of the hands were also taken for the presentation of the body. The remains were then placed in a gold and crystal reliquary in the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the mother house in Nevers. The site is visited by many pilgrims and the body of Saint Bernadette to this day remains intact despite being nearly one hundred and thirty years old.

Check out these photos of St. Bernadette’s body — and keep in mind that she died in 1879. Amazing!

One aspect of the Catholic faith that Protestants don’t understand – or at least, I didn’t understand when I was Protestant – is the idea that the righteous departed (i.e., the saints in heaven) pray for us.

Where do we get this idea that the saints in heaven are even aware of our prayers? Consider this passage from scripture:

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8).

Scholars commonly understand that the “twenty-four elders” mentioned are men, most likely the twelve apostles and the twelve sons of Jacob who headed the tribes of Israel. Note what these men do: they take the “prayers of the saints” (i.e., the saints on earth) in the form of incense to the Lamb (i.e., Christ). We see here scriptural support for the Catholic understanding that saints in heaven not only hear the prayers of Christians on earth, they deliver our petitions to Christ’s throne on our behalf.

Other passages in the Old Testament also show how the saints in heaven pray for us. For example, Baruch 3:4 petitions God to hear the prayers offered by the dead:

O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel and of the sons of those who sinned before thee, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us (Baruch 3:4).

In the book of 2 Maccabees 15, a vision is recounted involving two of Israel’s righteous dead – the departed high priest Onias and the deceased prophet Jeremiah – praying on behalf of the Jews on the earth:

Onias was stretching out his hands and praying for the whole Jewish community (2 Maccabees 15:12).

And Onias spoke, saying, “This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God” (2 Maccabees 15:14).

The saints in heaven are indeed interceding for us. How comforting to know that we have friends in high places!

Even though I attended the Atlanta Eucharistic Congress this past June, I did not get the chance to hear Matthew Kelly speak. It’s been a few months, but I finally picked up a one of his books and now I wish I would have heard his presentation.

I’m about 70 pages into his book Rediscovering Catholicism which was published in 2002. I think it’s fantastic! It’s one of those books that if I tried to highlight my favorite passages, about 80 percent of the text would be soaked in yellow ink. Here’s just one:

The authentic life begins with the simple but profound desire to play the part God has designed for us in human history. The unfathomable adventure of salvation begins when we stop asking, “What’s in it for me?” and turn humbly to God in our hearts and ask, How may I serve? What work do you wish for me to do with my life? What is your will for my life?

Our modern times have revolted violently against the idea of “God’s will.” Desperate to maintain the illusion of being in control of their lives, many modern Christians have either turned their backs on God, or created a new spiritual rhetoric that allows them to determine selectively God’s will for their lives. And yet, it is the very surrendering of our own will to God’s designs that characterizes the whole Christian struggle. The interior life is primarily concerned with this single dynamic of turning our individual will over to God.

God calls each of us to live an authentic life. He has designed this life to perfectly integrate our legitimate needs, our deepest desires, and our unique talents. The more intimately and harmoniously these three are related, the more you become truly yourself.

God doesn’t call you to live an authentic life so he can stifle or control you. He calls you to live an authentic life so that, from an infinite number of possibilities, you can become the-best-version-of-yourself. By calling you to live an authentic life, God is saying, “Be all you can be.” (pp. 57-58)

This book is deep and thought provoking, but written in a style that is inviting and allows for a quick read. Highly recommend!

Father William Maestri offers some great advice for Navigating the Political Season in the latest Georgia Bulletin.

…our Catholic faith, especially Catholic social teaching, calls for us to take seriously the responsibilities of citizenship. Participation is more than an exercise in civic virtue. It is a moral responsibility to promote the common good.

I found this story in the Georgia Bulletin interesting: Deacons’ Ministry Is At World’s Busiest Airport. Two Catholic deacons minister to travelers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport as part of the Interfaith Airport Chaplaincy. It’s nice to see that the Church makes the effort to be present for people even in places where they might not expect to find her.

And what a powerful witness to have these men in Roman collars visible in the community. One police officer states, “It does me good to see them. They are very approachable. I can go talk to them. They seem genuine, very good people. Just having the guys around has a calming effect.” One manager at the Transportation Security Administration is reported as saying, “I’ve never seen either one of them frown. They really bring a light. You can always count on them.”

This last remark underscores how important the witness of our lives can be to others. Even when we think no one is looking, our attitude and behavior can shine the light of Christ to others. And even if travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson don’t stop to speak to these Deacons, their visible presence in the midst of that hectic environment serves as a reminder to us that God is always with us even as we go about our busy daily lives.

Sorry that I haven’t posted for several days. It’s been busy lately, but I expect to have a bit more time for blogging in the coming week.

Sarah Palin’s announcement that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant was apparently triggered by left-wing rumors that the governor had faked her own recent pregnancy to pass off her daughter’s child as her own. See the blog post at The Practicing Catholic for the details and some commentary on the Reuters article.