Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 71
November 30, 2022
Help Young People Stay Catholic, Donate to Inheritance Pilgrimages
Have you heard of the Jewish Birthright tour to Israel? Every year more than 50,000 young Jews come to Israel for free as “a gift to the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.”
With our new non-profit initiative, Inheritance Pilgrimages, we’re committed to revealing the Gospel in the Holy Land to young Catholics, seminarians and those discerning their vocation by helping fund their trip.
[Click here] commit to praying with us.
We have upcoming Inheritance Pilgrimage dates for Catholic young adults in 2023.
As part of the new evangelization, it’s time for Catholics to pass on the rich inheritance of our faith to the next generation.
Annually 450,000 Catholics make the trip, but the vast majority are older and retired. Many who’ve joined us on our top-rated Footprints of God pilgrimage say it was a pivotal moment in their life. We’ve seen miracles occur, hearts opened, faith kindled, and some commit to religious vocations. Let’s give this gift to the younger generation.
Imagine the impact on the future of the church if more young Catholics could experience the place Jesus was born, the Sea where He walked on water, and the Tomb where he rose from the dead.
We have an ambitious goal to bring thousands of young people to the Holy Land while covering half their cost–currently just $1750/person. The total amount of these youth-oriented trips includes airfare, all meals, all tips, and no hidden costs, all for $3500.
All donations are tax deductible and any gift amount is greatly appreciated.
A gift of $1750 will provide funding for one young adult.
If you feel called to pave the way for more young people to walk in the footprints of God please call us directly to discuss gifting options for larger donations
Donate
What Students Are Saying About Inheritance Pilgrimages“From watching Steve Ray documentaries in the living room as a little girl, to studying the geography of the Holy Land in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, I have dreamt of and prayed for an opportunity to journey on a pilgrimage like this one…”
“I have never been to the Holy Land, nor traveled out of the United States. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that could never be presented to me again …”
“It is very difficult to read the Bible and remember that what is written is real: Jesus and His disciples were (are!) real people, they visited real places, and did real, human activities. I believe this pilgrimage will make my faith come alive and be even more real in a way that I would never get to experience without this pilgrimage.”
“Since I got to college, I have experienced the most suffering in my life and I truly think this pilgrimage will bring me a lot of healing and strength in my faith.”
“Since we are social and communal beings, we are called to friendship in which we share ourselves. There is no better opportunity to respond to this calling than to share this pilgrimage to the Holy Land with my friends. This would be extremely life-giving and edifying for my spiritual growth, and bear much fruit in my friendship with God.”
“I think this pilgrimage will be a turning point in my college experience, the discernment of my future vocation, and in my love for Jesus Christ.”
“The many crosses I have carried and movements of the Holy Spirit these past couple years seem to be building up to this pilgrimage. I was supposed to go on a pilgrimage in May, but I tore my ACL, Meniscus, and LCL playing soccer beforehand. As a result, I could not go. However, I prayed a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes to heal my knee and sure enough my knee was completely healed when the surgeon went in for surgery; he said it was nothing short of a miracle!”
“The opportunity of this pilgrimage has sparked such an indescribable desire in my heart to attend. I have never been on a pilgrimage. I do not know every detail as to why God wants me to go, but it seems explicitly clear that He is calling me to make this journey.”
“I desire to encounter not only the beauty of the Holy Land itself, but also to receive new and wonderful graces by venerating the land where God became flesh.”
“Since I was a child, I’ve always waited for the opportunity to go to the Holy Land. As a child, it was simply out of the innocent desire to go to the land where Jesus walked. Now, it’s out of the desire and longing I have in my heart to walk the roads that my Beloved did, to see the places my Beloved saw, and to experience the beauty of the physical land of where the beautiful Catholic faith began.”
Please bless these students this Christmas through your sponsorship!
And please pray for us. May God bless you!
The post Help Young People Stay Catholic, Donate to Inheritance Pilgrimages appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 28, 2022
Vine, Branches & Fire: Where Will You End up?
One must care for their land. We own an acre in the country and a while ago I was cutting wild vines out of the trees and burning them. The overgrown branches from the bushes and trees were also trimmed and burned.
The flames brought to mind the words of Jesus in John 15:5–6, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.”
The post Vine, Branches & Fire: Where Will You End up? appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
Jews are way ahead of Catholics when it comes to this
Hello, This is Steve and Janet Ray,
Have you heard of Jewish Birthright tours to Israel?
They’re impressive. Every year 50,000 Jewish young folks come to Israel for free as “a gift to the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.”
Now, with our new non-profit, Inheritance Pilgrimages, we’re sending young Catholics, Seminarians and those discerning their vocation to the Holy Land with the help of donors funding part of their trip.
We are announcing upcoming Inheritance Pilgrimage dates in the Summer and Winter of 2023.
Imagine the impact on the future of the church if more young Catholics could experience the place Jesus was born, the Sea where He walked on water, and the Tomb where he rose from the dead.
Annually 450,000 Catholics make the trip, but the vast majority are older and retired. Many who’ve joined us say it was a pivotal moment in their life. We’ve seen miracles occur, hearts opened, faith kindled, and some commit to religious vocations.
Together, let’s give this great gift to future Catholic leaders.
We have an ambitious goal to bring thousands of young people to the Holy Land while covering up to half their cost – currently $1750/person. The total amount of these youth-oriented trips include airfare, all meals, all tips, and no hidden costs, all for $3500.
All donations are fully tax deductible through Ave Maria University while we await our non-profit status.
Any amount is welcomed.
A gift of $1750 will provide funding for one young adult.
If you feel called to pave the way for more young people, please email us directly to discuss options for larger donations.
Inheritance Pilgrimages: keep our kids Catholic from Steve Ray on Vimeo.
The Holy Spirit often works with small beginnings. Through your prayers and generosity, this will be the first of many pilgrimages that reach young Catholics, students, and those discerning vocations across our nation.
What Young Adults Are Saying
“I think this pilgrimage will be a turning point in my college experience, the discernment of my future vocation, and in my love for Jesus Christ.”
“From watching Steve Ray documentaries in the living room as a little girl, to studying the geography of the Holy Land in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, I have dreamt of and prayed for an opportunity to journey on a pilgrimage like this one…”
“I have never been to the Holy Land, nor traveled out of the United States. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that could never be presented to me again …”
“It is very difficult to read the Bible and remember that what is written is real: Jesus and His disciples were (are!) real people, they visited real places, and did real, human activities. I believe a pilgrimage will make my faith come alive and be even more real in a way that I would never get to experience without a pilgrimage.”
“Since I got to college, I have experienced the most suffering in my life and I truly think this pilgrimage will bring me a lot of healing and strength in my faith.”
“Since we are social and communal beings, we are called to friendship in which we share ourselves. There is no better opportunity to respond to this calling than to share a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with my friends. This would be extremely life-giving and edifying for my spiritual growth, and bear much fruit in my friendship with God.”
“The many crosses I have carried and movements of the Holy Spirit these past couple years seem to be building up to a pilgrimage. I was supposed to go on a pilgrimage in May, but I tore my ACL, Meniscus, and LCL playing soccer beforehand. As a result, I could not go. However, I prayed a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes to heal my knee and sure enough my knee was completely healed when the surgeon went in for surgery; he said it was nothing short of a miracle!”
“The opportunity of this pilgrimage has sparked such an indescribable desire in my heart to attend. I have never been on a pilgrimage. I do not know every detail as to why God wants me to go, but it seems explicitly clear that He is calling me to make this journey.”
“I desire to encounter not only the beauty of the Holy Land itself, but also to receive new and wonderful graces by venerating the land where God became flesh.”
“Since I was a child, I’ve always waited for the opportunity to go to the Holy Land. As a child, it was simply out of the innocent desire to go to the land where Jesus walked. Now, it’s out of the desire and longing I have in my heart to walk the roads that my Beloved did, to see the places my Beloved saw, and to experience the beauty of the physical land of where the beautiful Catholic faith began.”
Please bless these students this Christmas and lower your tax burden through your donation!
And please pray for us. May God bless you!
The post Jews are way ahead of Catholics when it comes to this appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 27, 2022
Cyber Monday Sale
The post Cyber Monday Sale appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 25, 2022
Positive News from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Though I’ve never had a tremendous amount of respect for this episcopal body as a whole, there are many marvelous bishops involved.
The recent news of new elections has promised a positive development for the next few years.
Here’s an excellent article, summarizing the situation and the new bishops elected.
What the USCCB elections suggest about the next three yearsThe post Positive News from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 23, 2022
20 Minute Pilgrimage Overview: the Why, the Meaning, the Effect and the Doing
Usually, I don’t put up interviews I do on various radio shows, but this one was a good one I thought and specifically on pilgrimages. It was recorded on Archangel Radio out of Mobile Alabama.
We discussed the How and Why, the effects on people and the lasting spiritual depth indelibly marked on their souls.
We discussed the way a pilgrimage should be done and the excitement of walking in the footprints of Our Lord and Our Lady, not to mention the Patriarchs, Prophets, Kings, Apostles, Saints and the first Christians.
Hope you enjoy this short 20-minute dialog about the 5th Gospel — walking through the Holy Land.
You can see our upcoming pilgrimages and register at www.FootprintsOfGod.com. We take 7 one-bus groups a year!
We have led over 100 groups through Israel with the same Nazarean Catholic local guide so you know you are traveling with professionalism and can be confident you are getting the best value for your investment.
Our interview starts at 22:30 minutes into the show. Move the slider bar at the bottom to the 22:30 marker.
The post 20 Minute Pilgrimage Overview: the Why, the Meaning, the Effect and the Doing appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 21, 2022
Find out How I Study the Bible
Find out how I study the Bible.
On Wednesday, November 23, at 7:00 PM CST I will join a Bible study expert, Steven Smith, and will collaborate to show you the newest and most powerful ways to study the Bible, Catholic doctrine, and history.
Learn how to quickly access the Fathers of the Church, the original languages (even though you don’t know them), papal encyclicals, commentaries, maps, charts, atlases, Bible dictionaries, timelines, and much much more.
Verbum Bible Software has been my primary source for Bible study and Catholic information for over 20 years. But now they just came out with version 10 and it’s the best Catholic Bible study software on the planet.
I am excited to show you what it is, how it works, and how you can get a copy for yourself on our upcoming webinar. Hope to see you there.
Click to Join the WebinarVerbum will be offering a large discount for webinar participants.
The post Find out How I Study the Bible appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 18, 2022
How Much Can a Camel Drink? – as he bites me!
Since we will soon be in Jordan and Israel again riding camels, I thought I would post some fun and interesting facts – and a movie of the camel trying to bite me.
My new commentary on Genesis will be published next year by Ignatius Press. In chapter 24 Abraham sends his unnamed servant to find a bride for his son Isaac.
The servant prays to God and asks, “Whichever girl at the well offers me a drink, and offers to water my camels as well, let her be the one you’ve chosen for Isaac.”
Come on! Get real! What girl is going to draw water by hand for a group of men and TEN CAMELS? Do you know how much a camel can drink? Try and guess!
Camels can drink _______ gallons in 10 minutes
Camels can drink _______ gallons in one session
Camels can drink _______ gallons in a day
Rebekah drew __________ gallons for 10 thirsty camels
No wonder the servant thought Rebekah was a good wife for Isaac. Good grief, this girl must have been amazing.
The answers are in the Comments below.
Camel biting me when I tried to get him to water….
The post How Much Can a Camel Drink? – as he bites me! appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.
November 17, 2022
Questions for “Bible Christians”
For a PDF printable version, click here. This list was developed to show the weakness of the Protestant “Sola Scriptura” or “Bible Alone” position.
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1) Where did Jesus give instructions that the Christian faith should be based exclusively on a book?
2) Other than the specific command to John to pen the Revelation, where did Jesus tell His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book?
3) Where in the New Testament do the apostles tell future generations that the Christian faith will be based solely on a book?
4) Some Protestants claim that Jesus condemned all oral tradition (e.g., Matt 15:3, 6; Mark 7:813). If so, why does He bind His listeners to oral tradition by telling them to obey the scribes and Pharisees when they “sit on Moses’ seat” (Matt 23:2)?
5) Some Protestants claim that St. Paul condemned all oral tradition (Col 2:8). If so, why does he tell the Thessalonians to “stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thes 2:15) and praises the Corinthians because they “hold firmly to the traditions” (1 Cor 11:2)?
(And why does the Protestant NIV change the word “tradition” to “teaching”?)
6) If the authors of the New Testament believed in sola Scriptura, why did they sometimes draw on oral Tradition as authoritative and as God’s Word (Matt 2:23; 23:2; 1 Cor 10:4; 1 Pet 3:19; Jude 9, 14 15)?
7) Where in the Bible is God’s Word restricted only to what is written down?
8) How do we know who wrote the books that we call Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Hebrews, and 1, 2, and 3 John?
9) On what authority, or on what principle, would we accept as Scripture books that we know were not written by one of the twelve apostles?
10) Where in the Bible do we find an inspired and infallible list of books that should belong in the Bible? (e.g., Is the Bible’s Table of Contents inspired?)
11) How do we know, from the Bible alone, that the individual books of the New Testament are inspired, even when they make no claim to be inspired?
12) How do we know, from the Bible alone, that the letters of St. Paul, who wrote to first-century congregations and individuals, are meant to be read by us as Scripture 2000 years later?
13) Where does the Bible claim to be the sole authority for Christians in matters of faith and morals?
14) Most of the books of the New Testament were written to address very specific problems in the early Church, and none of them are a systematic presentation of Christian faith and theology. On what biblical basis do Protestants think that everything that the apostles taught is captured in the New Testament writings?
15) If the books of the New Testament are “self-authenticating” through the ministry of the Holy Spirit to each individual, then why was there confusion in the early Church over which books were inspired, with some books being rejected by the majority?
16) If the meaning of the Bible is so clear—so easily interpreted—and if the Holy Spirit leads every Christian to interpret it for themselves, then why are there over 33,000 Protestant denominations, and millions of individual Protestants, all interpreting the Bible differently?
17) Who may authoritatively arbitrate between Christians who claim to be led by the Holy Spirit into mutually contradictory interpretations of the Bible?
18) Since each Protestant must admit that his or her interpretation is fallible, how can any Protestant in good conscience call anything heresy or bind another Christian to a particular belief?
19) Protestants usually claim that they all agree “on the important things.” Who is able to decide authoritatively what is important in the Christian faith and what is not?
20) How did the early Church evangelize and overthrow the Roman Empire, survive and prosper almost 350 years, without knowing for sure which books belong in the canon of Scripture?
21) Who in the Church had the authority to determine which books belonged in the New Testament canon and to make this decision binding on all Christians? If nobody has this authority, then can I remove or add books to the canon on my own authority?
22) Why do Protestant scholars recognize the early Church councils at Hippo and Carthage as the first instances in which the New Testament canon was officially ratified, but ignore the fact that those same councils ratified the Old Testament canon used by the Catholic Church today but abandoned by Protestants at the Reformation?
23) Why do Protestants follow post-apostolic Jewish decisions on the boundaries of the Old Testament canon, rather than the decision of the Church founded by Jesus Christ?
24) How were the bishops at Hippo and Carthage able to determine the correct canon of Scripture, in spite of the fact that they believed all the distinctively Catholic doctrines such as the apostolic succession of bishops, the sacrifice of the Mass, Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist, baptismal regeneration, etc?
25) If Christianity is a “book religion,” how did it flourish during the first 1500 years of Church history when the vast majority of people were illiterate?
26) How could the Apostle Thomas establish the church in India that survives to this day (and is now in communion with the Catholic Church) without leaving them with one word of New Testament Scripture?
27) If sola Scriptura is so solid and biblically based, why has there never been a full treatise written in its defense since the phrase was coined in the Reformation?
28) If Jesus intended for Christianity to be exclusively a “religion of the book,” why did He wait 1400 years before showing somebody how to build a printing press?
29) If the early Church believed in sola Scriptura, why do the creeds of the early Church always say “we believe in the Holy Catholic Church,” and not “we believe in Holy Scripture”?
30) If the Bible is as clear as Martin Luther claimed, why was he the first one to interpret it the way he did and why was he frustrated at the end of his life that “there are now as many doctrines as there are heads”?
31) The time interval between the Resurrection and the establishment of the New Testament canon in ad 382 is roughly the same as the interval between the arrival of the Mayflower in America and the present day. Therefore, since the early Christians had no defined New Testament for almost four hundred years, how did they practice sola Scriptura?
32) If the Bible is the only foundation and basis of Christian truth, why does the Bible itself say that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim. 3:15)?
33) Jesus said that the unity of Christians would be objective evidence to the world that He had been sent by God (John 17:20-23). How can the world see an invisible “unity” that exists only in the hearts of believers?
34) If the unity of Christians was meant to convince the world that Jesus was sent by God, what does the ever-increasing fragmentation of Protestantism say to the world?
35) Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” What is the expiration date of this verse? When did it become okay not only to disobey the Church’s leaders, but to rebel against them and set up rival churches?
36) The Koran explicitly claims divine inspiration, but the New Testament books do not. How do you know that the New Testament books are nevertheless inspired, but the Koran is not?
37) How does a Protestant know for sure what God thinks about moral issues such as abortion, masturbation, contraceptives, eugenics, euthanasia, etc.?
38) What is one to believe when one Protestant says infants should be baptized (e.g., Luther and Calvin) and another says it is wrong and unbiblical (e.g., Baptists and Evangelicals)?
A Few Bonus Questions
Where does the Bible . . .
. . . say God created the world/universe out of nothing?
. . . say salvation is attainable through faith alone?
. . . tell us how we know that the revelation of Jesus Christ ended with the death of the last Apostle?
. . . provide a list of the canonical books of the Old Testament?
. . . provide a list of the canonical books of the New Testament?
. . . explain the doctrine of the Trinity, or even use the word “Trinity”?
. . . tell us the name of the “beloved disciple”?
. . . inform us of the names of the authors of the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John?
. . . who wrote the Book of Acts?
. . . tell us the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Trinity?
. . . tell us to pray to the Holy Spirit?
. . . .tell us Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully man from the moment of conception (e.g. how do we know His Divinity wasn’t infused later in His life?) and/or tells us Jesus Christ is One Person with two complete natures, human and Divine and not some other combination of the two natures (i.e., one or both being less than complete)?
. . . that the church should, or someday would be divided into competing and disagreeing denominations?
. . . that Protestants can have an invisible unity when Jesus expected a visible unity to be seen by the world (see John 17)?
. . . tell us Jesus Christ is of the same substance of Divinity as God the Father?
. . . which books belong in the Bible?
For more info, visit our website at
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November 16, 2022
Catholic Doctrines in Scripture by Topic. Save or print 87- page Resource
Catholic Doctrines in Scripture, Compiled by Greg Oatis Click here for document
Introduction 3
Preface 4
Church Authority and Papal Infallibility 5
Peter as First Pope 8
Apostolic Succession 11
Ordination and Priesthood 12
Salvation Not By Faith Alone/Not Assured 14
Doctrines 21
Free Will 21
Abortion 23
Contraception 24
Homosexuality 25
Divorce 25
Life after Death 26
The Communion of Saints 28
Intercessory Prayer 29
Indulgences 32
Purgatory 33
The Sacrament of Reconciliation 34
Mortal/Venial Sin 36
Infant Baptism 36
The Saving Nature of Baptism 38
The Mass 40
Holy Eucharist 41
Jesus’ ‘Once-For-All’ Sacrifice 44
Sunday Worship 45
Schism/Apostasy 48
The ‘Great Apostasy’ 49
Call No Man ‘Father’ 50
Unity 51
The Rosary/Vain Repetitions 51
Graven Images 51
Venerating Relics 52
Crucifixes 53
Persecution 54
Guardian Angels 54
Excommunication 55
Dietary Laws & Alcohol as Sin 55
Celibacy 55
Ash Wednesday/Lenten Devotions 56
The Divinity of Jesus 57
The Holy Trinity 59
Jesus Not an Angel 60
Mary, The Mother of God 61
Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant 61
Mary as the New Eve 63
Devotion to Mary 63
Mary’s Immaculate Conception 66
Mary’s Virginity 67
The ‘Brothers’ of Jesus 68
Mary’s ‘Until’ 70
Mary’s Assumption 70
New Covenant Fulfills Old 71
Interpreting Scriptures 72
Our Ultimate Authority Not ‘Scripture Alone’ 74
The ‘Rapture’ 80
Bibliography 81
Click here for the full document.
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