Dear Friends of the Kolbe Center,
Pax Christi!
One beautiful and distinctive feature of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the Byzantine Rite is the chanting of the Beatitudes early in the Divine Liturgy. One of the most neglected of the Beatitudes within our own contemporary Catholic community is "Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." As many of us find ourselves like sheep without a shepherd, we are often tempted to isolate ourselves from fellow Catholics who do not agree with us, in an effort to hold fast to the true Faith, or in some cases to avoid being tarred with the brush of "fundamentalism" on the one hand or that of "modernism" on the other. This, in turn, often leads to conflict within Catholic parishes, communities and families.
I was greatly edified recently when Mike Church of the Mike Church internet radio show arranged to interview Fr. Paul Robinson of the SSPX on one program, and Robert Sungenis and myself on another program within a week or so of each other, so that we would have the opportunity to listen to each other and to respond to each other's arguments. In this way, Mike has helped to carry out the mandate handed down by Pope Pius XII in Humani generis to encourage an open and honest examination of the arguments for and against the traditional Catholic understanding of the origins of man and the universe. I encourage you to listen to the interview with Fr. Robinson and the interview with Robert and me and draw your own conclusions. I hope and pray that we will eventually be able to reach an understanding with Fr. Robinson and collaborate with him. If you would like to listen to the interviews, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial membership with Mike Church's internet radio network using the "coupon" at this link.
As a convert to the Catholic Faith from Protestantism, Mike Church testifies to the power of the traditional Catholic faith and liturgy to attract our separated brethren back to the bosom of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. The more Catholics embrace and proclaim the traditional Catholic doctrine of creation, the more separated brethren will follow in the footsteps of Mike Church and return to the fold. In the meantime, we owe a great debt of gratitude to protestant defenders of the sacred history of Genesis for the excellent work that they have done to show the perfect harmony between sound natural science and the sacred history of Genesis.
A great example of literally ground-breaking work in the field of geology is the analysis by Dr. Timothy Clarey and his colleagues at the Institute for Creation Research of mounds of geological data derived from cores and surveys all over the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ said on Palm Sunday that if the people did not praise Him as the Son of David, the "very stones would cry out" (Luke 19:40). In an article just published in the magazine Acts and Facts and available at this link, Clarey shows that the distribution of sedimentary rocks all over the Earth "cries out" the truth of the Mosaic account of a global Flood in the sacred history of Genesis.
Once again, I would like to announce our sixth annual leadership retreat at St. Anne Retreat Center in Melbourne, Kentucky, from June 16 - June 22. The retreat is open to all Catholics (and their families) who are committed to advancing the mission of the Kolbe Center in their spheres of influence. If you would like more information about the schedule, facilities, and suggested donations for the retreat, please email me as soon as possible at howen@shentel.net .
Yours in Christ through the Immaculata,
Hugh Owen
