Council of Catholic Men

In this episode, we continue our Bible study through 1 John 4, focusing on how to test the spirits, remain faithful to the true confession of Jesus Christ, and live the commandment of charity. We reflect on St. John’s teaching that God is love, that perfect charity casts out fear, and that love of God must be proven by love of neighbor. We also walk through the footnotes and cross-references tied to the chapter, including passages from the Gospel of John, Philippians, and 1 Timothy, to show how the Church understands discernment, truth, and the life of grace.We then move into a catechetical reflection on the resurrection of the flesh and the final judgment, drawing from the creed and scriptural references in 2 Corinthians, Romans, John, Matthew, and Ephesians. To close, we read from St. Alphonsus Liguori’s account of St. Gallicanus and the martyrs John and Paul, highlighting their courage, conversion, and witness under persecution. The episode ends by looking ahead to 1 John 5 next week and by encouraging us to remain steadfast in love, faith, and hope as we work out our salvation before God.

In today’s Council of Catholic Men Catechism and Bible Study, we continued through Scripture with a reading of 1 John chapter 2, reflecting on Christ as our advocate, the call to keep His commandments, and the primacy of fraternal charity. We explored the warnings against loving the world and being misled by new teachers, the meaning of having unction of the Holy Spirit’s anointing, and the assurance of eternal life promised to those who follow the commandments of the Son and the Father. From the Douay-Rheims Bible english translation footnotes, we unpacked key verses on walking in the light, the identity of Antichrist as being a denier of Christ, and the Church’s guardianship of truth. We then connected these themes to the Gospel of John (13 and 15), highlighting the new commandment of love, the reality of persecution for the sake of the name of Jesus, and the promised testimony of the Paraclete. We transitioned to the Catechism by St. Peter Canisius, reflecting on the tenth article of the Apostles’ Creed—“the forgiveness of sins”—which means the necessity of Baptism, sorrow for sin, repentance, and ongoing penance. Scripture references from Acts, Mark 16, John 3, Matthew 28, John 20, and Revelation 2 grounded the discussion in the Church’s sacramental life, apostolic authority, and the call to conversion. We concluded with the inspiring martyrdom of St. Julitta and her three year old son St. Quiricus (June 16), their steadfast confession of Christ amid persecution, and the enduring veneration of their relics—encouraging us to persevere in love, fidelity to the Church, and confidence in Christ’s mercy. Next week, we’ll continue with 1 John chapter 3 and the final parts of the tenth article on the remission of sins.

In today’s Council of Catholic Men Bible Study and Catechism, James chapter 4 in the Douay-Rheims, reflecting on the dangers of friendship with the world, the call to humility, and the command to resist the devil. We connected James’s charge—“God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble”—to Proverbs 3:34 and 1 Peter 5:5, drawing out the practical call to submit to God, purify our hearts, refrain from detraction, and entrust our plans to the Lord’s will. We emphasized that James consistently links authentic faith to works, urging a life of humility, patience, and sober judgment before God.We then turned to the catechism with St. Peter Canisius on the holy sign of the Cross—its meaning, its ancient practice, and its power as testimony, patience, and spiritual armor—grounded in Scripture (Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23; 1 Peter 2–3) and illuminated by the Fathers (Athanasius, Ambrose, Augustine, Basil, Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, and more). In honor of March 25, we read St. Alphonsus on St. Irenaeus of Sirmium’s steadfast martyrdom and celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation through selections from the Golden Legend, contemplating Gabriel’s greeting, Mary’s prudent faith, and her fiat. We closed in prayer, looking ahead to James chapter 5 next week and then the First Epistle of Peter.

In this week’s Council of Catholic Men study, we continue our journey through Scripture with James chapter 2, reflecting on the call to reject partiality, uphold the “royal law” of loving our neighbor, and live the truth that faith without works is dead. We walk through the Douay-Rheims text and its footnotes, connect James’s teaching to Old and New Testament cross-references—from Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Sirach, and Genesis to the Gospels, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and 1 John—and consider Abraham and Rahab as living witnesses to the cooperation of faith and works. We then open St. Peter Canisius’s Large Catechism on the third article of the Creed—“conceived by the Holy Spirit”—to contemplate the Incarnation as the origin of our salvation and the form of our regeneration, drawing on passages from Matthew, Luke, John, Romans, Galatians, Titus, 1 Peter, and more. I close with a reading from St. Alphonsus de Liguori’s Victories of the Martyrs on Saints Peter, Dorotheus, and Gorgonius, whose steadfast witness challenges us to fidelity.

Council of Catholic Men Catechism and Bible Study 2026 February 25In this episode of the Council of Catholic Men catechism and Bible study, we conclude our reading of Hebrews with Chapter 13 and reflect on Saint Paul’s closing admonitions: fraternal charity, hospitality (even to “entertaining angels” unawares), fidelity in marriage, freedom from covetousness, obedience to spiritual leaders, and the call to offer God a continual “sacrifice of praise.” We trace the Old Testament roots of these themes—hospitality in Abraham and Lot, confidence in the Lord from the Psalms, Day of Atonement sacrifices in Leviticus, and the pilgrim hope of a “city to come”—and consider how Christ’s suffering “outside the gate” shapes our willingness to bear reproach and do good both inside and outside the church. We then begin the catechism with St. Peter Canisius on the first article of the Creed: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” Drawing from Wisdom, 1 Samuel, Psalms, Romans, Hebrews, Colossians, and the Gospels, we contemplate God’s sovereign power over life and death, our adoption as His children through Christ, and His providential care over all creation—visible and invisible. We close with a reading from St. Alphonsus Liguori on the martyrs Lucius, Montanus, Flavian, and companions, whose steadfast witness in Africa under Valerian exemplifies charity, courage, and perseverance unto death, and we end in prayer.