Here lies the man who has everything . . . but Christ

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On yesterday's EWTN "Open Line" radio show, I received two interesting calls on the same subject: the recent plague of priest scandals. The first caller, a layman named Grant, asked why Catholic priests don't preach more on this subject from the pulpit and how parents can explain this subject to their children. As you'll hear, we soon moved off that issue and in the direction of what appear to me to be some of the root causes of the scandals. A bit later in the same show, a former Catholic priest named Dwayne called in to express his thoughts on this subject. I found his comments to be quite interesting, and I'm very interested in knowing what you think of this discussion. [I host "Open Line" every Thursday from 3-5 pm ET). Click the image above to listen, or click here.

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Hey parents, here's reason # 999,999 not to let your children watch MTV

It's teaching them atheism (among other things) with blasphemous songs like this one. Don't underestimate the potential for your children to become corrupted and their faith in God wrested away from them by the popularization of atheism through things as simple as songs and videos. If you have MTV and its affiliated stations coming into your home, cut it off now. Don't wait. Don't dither. Don't accommodate this malignant evil even for another second. And let's also all take a moment to pray for the deluded atheists who produced this song and all those whom it is affecting.

Is Yoga incompatible with Catholicism?

The venerable Catholic priest of blessed memory, Fr. John Hardon, S.J., says it is, and he explains why:

Yoga is incompatible with Catholicism because the best known practice of Hindu spirituality is Yoga. “Inner” Hinduism professes pantheism, which denies that there is only one infinite Being who created the world out of nothing. This pantheistic Hinduism says to the multitude of uncultured believers who follow the ways of the gods that they will receive the reward of the gods. They will have brief tastes of heaven between successive rebirths on earth. But they will never be delivered from the “wheel of existence” with its illusory lives and deaths until they realize that only “God” exists and all else is illusion (Maya). To achieve this liberation the principal way is by means of concentration and self control (yoga).

Indian spirituality is perhaps best known by the practice of yoga, derived from the root yuj to unite or yoke, which in context means union with the Absolute. Numerous stages are distinguished in the upward progress toward the supreme end of identification: by means of knowledge with the deity; the practice of moral virtues and observance of ethical rules; bodily postures; control of internal and external senses; concentration of memory and meditation–finally terminating in total absorption (samadhi), “when the seer stands in his own nature" . . . (continue reading)