http://paulabbe.net Training Catholics with the "Sword of the Spirit" to live, share, and defend the Faith. Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:55:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en "Upon this Rock..." Most Catholics, and most Protestants, are familiar with the passage from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 16, where Jesus addresses "Simon Bar-Jona" and says: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it; ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=529 I know. Your first response is "Whaaat? DON'T pray the Rosary!?"  Yes... well, sort of. Let me explain. First of all, you have to know that I was - for almost 14 years - a Lutheran pastor. It was a combination of the "push" of the theological meltdown in my denomination, ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=307 A recent email conversation with a young Catholic man, who is attempting to explain the Faith to his Protestant fiancee', provided a wonderful opportunity to revisit the issues of purgatory, temporal punishment, and indulgences -- issues that required a great deal of examination on my own journey into the Catholic Church. With ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=428 Our Church and our Holy Father are carrying the Cross with Christ this Easter. Reading the following around the internet.... The Myth of Pedophile Priests As more pedophile priest scandals blow up across Europe we should be ashamed of the offenders and those who sheltered them and oppressed the victims. The guilty should ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=625 [Note: As we approach the 5th anniversary of the death of our beloved, "blessed', John Paul II, I thought it would be appropriate to re-post this article. What follows is a true story. The young man's name* has been changed to respect his privacy.] [caption id="attachment_142" align="alignleft" width="92" caption="John Paul II"][/caption]    ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=140 Session One: “Know Your Enemy!”(Note: This is part of a Lenten series which I am currently offering at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, my parish in Raleigh, NC.  If you would like to have this series done as a retreat in your area, please contact me!) Millions of people think that Satan, ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=615 Note: Fr. Dwight Longenecker, a former Anglican priest who is now the Catholic chaplain at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Greenville, SC, (and sometimes retreat leader at Belmont Abbey College, and due to speak at this year's "Ignited By Truth"), authored the following article. My only comment I think would be ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=605 (Richard John Neuhaus, who passed away January 8, 2009, delivered these comments at the July 2008 convention of the National Right to Life Committee.) Once again this year, the National Right to Life convention is partly a reunion of veterans from battles past and partly a youth rally of those recruited ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=587 Christ the King Sunday (Note: This was the last sermon I ever preached as a Lutheran pastor; I don't believe that anything I said THEN could not be said by a faithful Catholic NOW. The lessons refered to were from the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A.)  “of Royal Blood” It seems very fitting that the ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=548 There stands in Arlington National Cemetery a monument -- a large white tomb -- which is so hallowed and revered that it receives an honor guard that stands watch 24/7, an elite honor guard whose members are chosen from only the very finest, an honor guard whose sense of duty ... http://paulabbe.net/?p=537