Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 9

The Teeth and Bones of St. Ambrose

I wish I had written the article that I’m going to share with you below. But alas, it was written by Bishop Barron when he was here in Milan, Italy, like we are now.

Yesterday, Janet and and I and our good friend Fr. James Conlon went to visit the Duomo Cathedral in the heart of Milan. It is in the very heart of the city and this magnificent edifice took 600 years to build.

Underneath is the baptismal font, the ancient remains of the baptismal where Saint Ambrose baptized Saint Augustine in 397. More on that in the next few days.

Then we walked 22 minutes to the Basilica of Saint Ambrose. It is here where his bones are venerated—his skeleton dressed in his clerical garb and his bishops miter. But what is stunning is his skull and his teeth in clear view under the altar.

I remember when we first saw this, my wife Janet exclaimed, “The Catholic Church is so cool. We remember our Saints. The Catholic Church does such cool things. I love being Catholic“. 

Here is the article by Bishop Barron about the teeth of Saint Ambrose. I hope you enjoy his article as much as I did.

“Musing on the Teeth of St. Ambrose”

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Spring has sprung and our favorite birds are returning!

Eastern Bluebird

Tiny Brown Creeper (5″ long)

Northern Oriole

Pileated Woodpecker (19″ long)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

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New Footprints of God movie coming – Video No. 10

Stay tuned! Available soon on DVD and streaming.

 

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What is Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism? A Proper Veiw for Catholics

Thanks to my friend Ándre Villeneuve for this well-researched and presented argument against antisemitism and anti-zionism.

He exposes the bigotry of LifeSite News in their reporting on issues related to Israel and the Jews. Well worth the watch.

And here’s the full article with lots of links as supporting evidence:https://www.catholicsforisrael.com/articles/israel-and-the-church/279-catholic-antisemitism-the-case-of-lifesitenews

Visit his website HERE.

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Proud of our gratuate grandson Joshua Ray!

Very proud of our grandson Joshua Ray, who graduated from Ave Maria University in Florida (a great school).

Josh graduated with a Politics Major/Theology Minor, Summa Cum Laude & received the politics department award for being their top student!

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EWTN’s “Catholics Come Home” with Tom Peterson – great time recording and upcoming TV show

When Tom Peterson started his ministry, “Catholics Come Home,” it resonated with many folks. He invited fallen away Catholics to return home and encouraged faithful Catholics to stay on the ship and invite others to join them.

Tom and I’ve been friends for over a decade, and it was a pleasure to be invited to his lovely home and studio in Georgia to video record an upcoming show on “Catholics Come Home.” As you see in the pictures, his home was turned into a full-fledged EWTN studio for a week, with technicians rushing around, cords and wires being plugged in, and lights and cameras everywhere.

We hope you enjoy the show coming up soon. I will update you on the schedule. God bless Tom and his important ministry!

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An Excellent Initial Analysis of the new Pope

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Steve Discusses Mary with Marcus Grodi – an oldie but a goodie

In this interview with Marcus Grodi of the Journey Home on EWTN, we analyse the doctrines of Mary — what I believed as a Baptist and how I came to understand the fullness of the truth about Mary. It was a long journey, but I love to share the excitement of the discovery.

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Steve Shares the Biblical Basis for the Papacy: “Peter: the Rock, the Keys & the Chair”

This was recorded with the Coming Home Network.

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Holy Father – is he Holy?

A young man stood up at my conference in the Philippines a while ago and parroted (yelled out) the Fundamentalist mantra: “The Pope is a sinner like everyone else; why do you call him ‘HOLY Father’?”

I leaned into the microphone and said to the young man in front of 2,000 people, “You should really read your Bible more carefully and do your homework before you stand up and embarrass yourself in front of 2,000 people.” I then explained why we call the Pope our Holy Father.

There are several meanings for the word “holy” and that is what the young man did not understand. If holy simply means without sin, it is hard to see why “things” are called holy. For example, the HOLY OF HOLIES is a place. Is it called holy because it has not sinned?

And what about HOLY GROUND? God told Moses to remove his sandals — he was standing on HOLY GROUND. I guess that means that this dirt had not sinned but the dirt in the next gully had sinnned. HUH?

The word HOLY in Hebrew is kodesh and means apartness, holiness, sacredness, consecration, separateness. Holiness can mean without sin. It can also means dedicated or set apart for God.

So, is the Pope holy in the sense of being completely sinless? Of course not. But the Pope is set apart for God in a special way as the HOLY Father, the Vicar of Christ, the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter.

Bottom line, he is the HOLY FATHER and this fits perfectly with the Bible.

So much for a dumb challenge at a conference.

PS Remember that even WE are called holy. Paul considered all of us saints (literally “holy ones” with a small “s”). He writes,

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints (literally: “holy ones”) who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:1-2).

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