Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 6
June 13, 2025
What Does it Mean to be a Good Catholic Grandparent? Interesting Interview
A while ago I was interviewed for an hour by Fr. Robert McTeigue SJ on his show “The Catholic Current” on “Station of the Cross Radio.
Our topic was about how to be a good and effective grandparent. What can we do to encourage and help our grandkids stay strong Catholics? What if things have failed and we need to start over? What are our obligations? What are fun things to do together?
https://www.catholicconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/TCC-011321.mp3Here is a picture of Janet and I with our 20 grandkids (and two granddaughters-in-law and a another grandbaby on the way) We love being grandparents 
Proverbs 17:6: “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
2 Timothy 1:5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
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June 12, 2025
Drink to be Holy – A Little Humor and a Little Latin
The Latin below reads, “He who drinks sleeps; he who sleeps does not sin; he who does not sin is a saint; therefore, he who drinks is a saint. Pass the mugs!”
Was it St. Augustine who said, “He who jokes in Latin, jokes twice”? (thanks Fr. Goyo).
The post Drink to be Holy – A Little Humor and a Little Latin appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
June 11, 2025
Good Reminder in Dark Days – “I’ll Walk with God!”
This is my prayer, my humble plea
May the Lord be ever with me.
There is no death, though eyes grow dim
There is no fear when I’m near to Him
I’ll lean on Him forever,
And HE’ll forsake me never.
HE will not fail me,
As long as my faith is strong
What ever road I may walk alone.
I’ll walk with GOD,
I’ll take His hand
I’ll talk with GOD, HE’ll understand
I’ll pray to Him each day to Him,
And HE’ll hear the words that I say.
His Hand will guide my throne and rod
And I’ll never walk alone
While I walk with GOD!!!
The post Good Reminder in Dark Days – “I’ll Walk with God!” appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
June 8, 2025
Miracle 31 Years Ago! Glad to be Home!
Pentecost 31 years ago today— a miracle happened! Al Kresta behind me, Fr. Ed Fride in front of me, Holy Spirit above me, with family beside me joining with me!
The post Miracle 31 Years Ago! Glad to be Home! appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
June 6, 2025
Mary and the “Other Body of Christ” — A Reflection on Pentecost
Mary and the Other Body of Christ
The room was pretty full. It was warm but a gentle breeze was blowing—that would change.
There was fear in the room. The Roman army was a thing to be feared, they had just crucified Jesus and it was a dangerous thing to associates of an executed criminal. They were also anxious about the promise. The only thing they knew about God descending in fire was the experience of their ancestors at Mount Sinai. When that happened they all ran and hid and said to Moses, Never let God speak to us again; you go talk with Him and come back and tell us what the said.
Pentecost was approaching. Pentecost means “the 50th day.” Fiftieth day from what? From the Passover. Almost fifty days ago the Passover lambs had been slain, and so had THE Passover Lamb.
Then there was the forty mystery days when Jesus was gone but not gone—with them but not with them, at least not like before. And he kept just appearing and then disappearing. He taught them a lot in those forty days, He had breathed on them, gave them power to forgive and retain sins, fed them loaves and fish, appointed Peter as his shepherd, commanded them to go out from Jerusalem to the world. He explained to them much about the Kingdom of God and their tasks as His emissaries.
The last meeting was the most unusual of all. He answered a few questions, gave a few instructions and without even a formal Good-bye He started going up—and continued going up until all they saw was the bottom of his sandals as he disappeared into a cloud. Daniel 7:13-14 says he went back to the glory of heaven. They looked at each other with obvious concern on their faces—they were fearful.
They locked themselves in the Upper Room to pray as He had commanded. They were praying for what they feared—fire upon a mountain, Mount Zion. They prayed for nine days, the first Novena, before the promise of the Holy Spirit fell.
We are specifically told that there were about 120 people in the room. Actually the word is “names” not people. How strange. Can you imagine me saying, “About 120 names came on our pilgrimage to the Holy Land”? This made me curious so I looked up 120 in early Jewish literature and law. Sure enough, my research paid off. In Israel is a group of Jews desiring to leave the big city and start their own new community they needed a minimum of 120 names on a list. What was happening here in the Upper Room? A new community was being started.
The word “church” in the New Testament is ecclesia which means “a group of people called out.” Even today the Knessett (lawmaking body in Israel) is made up of 120 representatives. A new government was being formed, not just an amorphous fellowship of like-minded Christians but a Church, a family, a governmental body.
Mary is listed among the believers in that Upper Room. It was important that she is listed among the names with others. She is the mother of Jesus. She gave birth to him in Bethlehem as was, in a sense, giving birth to him again on Pentecost. What is our affectionate term for Pentecost? Can you sing “Happy Birthday, to you…”? Yes, it is the Birthday of the Church.
What is being born? The Mystical Body of Christ. Who is there for the birth? The mother of course. Mothers have to be present when their child is born. Mary is the mother of Jesus the God-Man and Mary is the Mother of the Church, the Body of Christ (Rev. 12:7). She was necessarily present at both births.
Mary was also there because the others were afraid of the descent of God in fire on this new mountain. I am convinced they trembled in fear not only of the Jews and Romans outside, but of the prophesied “baptism of fire” within—as they wondered and feared that might be. The gentle breeze was about to become a rushing wind. But Mary was there to calm their anxieties. I bet she said something like, “Don’t be afraid my friends, the Holy Spirit has already overshadowed me and He was pure love. Just wait until you are bathed in His love!”
The gentle breeze became a rushing wind but it was warm and after nine days of praying the Holy Spirit fell in fire on the tenth day—which was the 50th day from the death of the Passover Lamb Jesus on the cross.
The Jewish festival of Pentecost also celebrated the first fruits of the harvest. Remember, Jesus said he was like a grain of wheat that would be buried in the ground. The grain must be buried and die to bear its fruit. Jesus died, was buried in the ground and rose from the dead as the first fruit. Now on the “Feast of First Fruits” the first of the harvest is brought to God.
We learn that 3,000 people were added to the Church that day—all in keeping with the tremendous symbolism and deeper meaning to all these events. And with these deep mysteries and truths we are just scratching the surface.
Come to the Holy Land with us, get out your Bibles and study books (or Verbum Catholic Bible Study software) and dig deeper. “There is gold in them there hills” for those with eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts and minds to learn.
The post Mary and the “Other Body of Christ” — A Reflection on Pentecost appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
Everything Pentecost: My Discussion with EWTN’s Teresa Tomeo
Pentecost is not just a Catholic feast day, it originated 3500 years ago at Mount Sinai.
Pentecost means “50th day” and refers to the 50 days after the death of the Passover Lamb, when they arrived at Mount Sinai for the giving of the Law.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb and after he died, 50 days later, the law of God was written again, but this time not on Stone, but on our hearts.
Teresa and I had a great discussion on Pentecost and all of the implications and meanings from the Old and the New Testament.
Our discussion begins at 1:13:00 into the segment.
https://ondemand.ewtn.com/Home/Play/en/~CB20250606
or
The post Everything Pentecost: My Discussion with EWTN’s Teresa Tomeo appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
June 5, 2025
Quiz: Did Jesus Found a Church on Pentecost and If So, Where Is It?
I am sharing this from John Martignoni’s e-mail and website at www.BibleChristianSociety.com. Thanks for your good work John!
1) Did Jesus found a church? A) Yes; Matt 16:18
2) How many churches did Jesus found? A) One; the church is the Body of Christ and there is only one body of Christ – Rom 12:5, Eph 4:4, Col 1:18
3) So, if Jesus founded a church, then when was it founded? A) 2000 years ago
4) Was that church guided by the Holy Spirit? A) Yes; John 14:26, John 16:13; Acts 2:3-4
5) If the church was founded by Jesus Christ and was guided by the Holy Spirit, could it teach doctrinal error? A) No; 1 Tim 3:15
6) So, could we say that the church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, taught doctrinal truth infallibly – without error – to the 1st century Christians? A) Yes; Luke 10:16, John 14:16-17, 1 Ptr 1:12
7) Did the church of the New Testament teach different doctrinal truths to different people in different areas? A) No; 2 Tim 1:12-14, Eph 4:14, Titus 1:9
8) Are there any denominations in the church of the New Testament? A) No. The church in the New Testament is one, just as the Body of Christ is one – 1 Cor 1:10, 1 Cor 11:18-19, Jude 19
9) Would a church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit still be in existence today? A) Yes; Matt 16:18, Matt 28:20, Eph 3:21
10) How old would that church be? A) 2000 years old
11) Would that church still be guided by the Holy Spirit? A) Yes; Matt 28:20, John 14:1612) Could that church founded by Jesus and still guided by the Holy Spirit teach doctrinal error? A) No; 1 Tim 3:15, 1 Cor 12:28
12) So we could say that the church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit would still teach doctrinal truth infallibly? A) Yes; Luke 10:16, John 14:16-17, 1 Ptr 1:12
13) Would that church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit teach different doctrinal truths to different people in different areas? A) No; Malachi 3:6, Heb 13:8, 1 Tim 4:6
14) Would there be any denominations in that church? A) No; 1 Cor 1:13
15) Can the Lutheran denomination be the church founded by Jesus in Israel 2000 years ago? A) No; It was founded by Martin Luther in Germany in the 1500’s.
16) Can the Anglican/Episcopalian denomination, or any of its offshoots, be the church founded by Jesus in Israel 2000 years ago? A) No; It was founded by King Henry the VIII in the 1500’s because he wanted to divorce his wife.
17) Are there any Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Fundamentalist, or Non-Denominational denominations that were founded by Jesus in Israel 2000 years ago? A) No.
18) So is there any Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Fundamentalist, or Non-Denominational denomination that could be the church founded by Jesus Christ in Israel 2000 years ago? A) No.
19) So if Jesus founded a Church – one Church – in Israel 2000 years ago that was guided by the Holy Spirit and that Church is still in existence today and is still guided by the Holy Spirit, which means it teaches doctrinal truth infallibly, and there are no denominations of that Church now, just as there were no denominations of that Church 2000 years ago, then shouldn’t all Christians be in that one Church founded by Jesus? A) Yes
20) Does it make sense to be in a church that was not founded by Jesus Christ in Israel 2000 years ago? A) No.
21) How can we identify which Church – of the thousands upon thousands – is THE Church founded by Jesus? A) The Church founded by Jesus, should at least claim to be THE Church founded by Jesus; it should be able to trace its leadership back 2000 years to the Apostles; and it should claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit and to thus teach doctrinal truth infallibly with the authority of Jesus Christ, its Founder.
22) How many churches fit that description? A) 1
23) Which Church is that? A) The Catholic Church
The post Quiz: Did Jesus Found a Church on Pentecost and If So, Where Is It? appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
June 3, 2025
Questions I Answered on Catholic Answers Live – Lots of Variety in the Questions
I opened the show talking about our group seeing the Pope last week in Rome.
In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, we tackle a wide range of thought-provoking questions from callers seeking clarity on Catholic teaching and practice. The highlight question: Can a Catholic date a non-denominational Christian—and make it work spiritually and relationally? Steve Ray offers pastoral wisdom and theological insight into navigating interdenominational dating with truth and charity.
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Questions Covered:
14:02 – How do I defend our claim that the woman in Revelation 12 is Mary?18:21 – Can the saints return to earth in spirit, and can they audibly communicate with us?29:51 – How do I get over past hurts and addictions?33:27 – What advice can you offer me? I’m Catholic dating a non-denominational girl.36:20 – Why are we not supposed to wear hats when praying? When did that tradition start?41:21 – My grandmother has bought into the prosperity gospel. What advice do you have for approaching her?48:16 – How do I help my Protestant friend trust in the Church’s authority to interpret scripture?53:48 – You mentioned a great book on the geography of the holy land. What is the name of it?The post Questions I Answered on Catholic Answers Live – Lots of Variety in the Questions appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
May 29, 2025
Italy 15: Final Farewells and Comments
At the end of every pilgrimage people like to share their thoughts and ideas about the trip.
This video includes our farewell dinner and several toasts to various people, and then some sharing and comments before the bus leaves for the airport.
Hope you enjoy it.
The post Italy 15: Final Farewells and Comments appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
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