Right Now with Ralph Martin

Cardinal Pell, a very well known solidly orthodox bishop, wrote a remarkable article in the journal First Things, in the December 2020 issue entitled Last Things. In it he details his remarkable "conversion” from the belief that hardly anyone would be lost – a version of the pragmatic universalism so common in the Church today – to a return to the more biblical worldview as taught by Jesus and the Apostles and carried forward in the Tradition of the Church and taught in Vatican Council II. From such a well known Church leader this is a remarkably honest and humbling confession and something about which we all need to examine ourselves. If he had absorbed the unspoken, prevailing worldview from the deficient culture of the world and the Church, have we? Do we need to make a similar change?

Ralph comments on the amazingly tender words of holy Mary as she appeared to St. Juan Diego at Guadalupe in Mexico almost 500 years ago. He believes that she intends them to be personalized and received as a word from her to each one of us. Some of what she says seems like it could be described as a “hug from Mary,” our heavenly mother.

The charismatic gifts - emphasized in many of the documents of Vatican II - are a great blessing, but we can easily forget their ultimate purpose or be tempted to prize the gifts over the giver. As the Church continues to be awakened to the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, we must never forget that they exist to lead us to conversion, repentance, faith, and salvation.

Author and speaker, Immaculée Ilibagiza returns to continue her story of how God worked powerfully in her life. As a survivor of the Rwandan genocide she has an incredible testimony of faith, hope, and forgiveness.Did you miss Part One? Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/right-now-with-ralph-martin/id1536626967?i=1000738547197.

This week, Ralph speaks about how disappointed Jesus' was that only one of nine lepers returned to thank him and recognize in him the power of God. Let’s be like that one leper and never forget to thank God for his blessings even in the midst of the sufferings of this life!

This week, Ralph notes that the concepts of heaven and hell – or even God and the devil – can seem a bit abstract. Ralph takes another look at these realities based on an exploration of the company we will keep. Life with the beautiful angels will be beautiful; life with demons will be like a perpetual horror movie. But ultimately, hell is FAR from just a movie; it is everlasting, actual horror!