Free Republic

What Is the Deepest Root of Sin? It’s Not in Your Wallet and It’s Much Closer Than You Might Think By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn polling friends as to what they think is the deepest root of all sin, I got three main answers. One was a shrug indicating no answer at all (i.e., “I dunno”). Another was to refer to Scripture: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils (1 Tim 6:10). I’ll discuss below why this is an inadequate answer. The third main response was that original sin (and the concupiscence that followed) is the source of all of our other...

Watch: Michelle’s Race-Baiting Shredded By Black Guy Who Gives Her A Must-See History Lesson VIDEO B. Christopher Agee May 18, 2015 at 2:32pm In a recent installment of Zonation, host Alfonzo Rachel reacted to Michelle Obama’s recent commencement address at Tuskegee University. As Western Journalism reported, the first lady used the forum to spread a message of victimhood among black graduates. “I’m disappointed that the students at Tuskegee University didn’t get up and walk out on Michelle Obama’s speech,” Rachel said. “It’s like the graduates spent all that time at the college and didn’t learn anything worth a hard donut.”

What Is Serenity and How Can We Grow in It? By: Msgr. Charles PopeDuring Lent, a gift to seek is greater serenity. The word comes from the Latin serenus, meaning clear or unclouded (skies). By extension it thus means calm, without storm.Serenity has become more used in modern times with the advent of many 12-Step programs, which use the Serenity Prayer as an important help to their work.Perhaps the closest Greek word to serenity is ãáëÞíç (galene=calm) and it is used most specifically to describe the incident when Jesus stood in the boat and rebuked the storm, bringing about a great calm,...

What Is Temptation, Why Does God Permit It, and What Are Its Sources? By: Msgr. Charles PopeI will be on the Catholic Answers radio show today (Monday, March 23) at 6:00 PM Eastern Time. The topic will be temptation: what it is and how to avoid and overcome it.  I’ve assembled some notes in preparation and I’ll present them (in two parts) in the blog. Today’s post focuses on what temptation is, why God allows it, and what its sources are. Tomorrow I’ll present the second half of the notes, which center on how to avoid and overcome temptation.What is Temptation? A seminary teacher of mine once defined...

On April 6, 1941, Bishop Fulton John Sheen gave a sermon on his radio show "The Catholic Hour" in which he reminded listeners that, "The basic spirit of the modern world for the last century has been a determination to escape the Cross." He told his audience as well that, "There is no such thing as living without a cross. We are free only to choose between crosses." And then he asked them: "Will it be the Cross of Christ which redeems us from our sins, or will it be the double cross, the swastika, the hammer and sickle, the...

In a past post, I noted how it is possible to "be angry and sin not" (Ephesians 4: 26), something which Father Brian O'Toole, "pastor" of the failing Sacred Heart Parish in Gardner, apparently does not understand. And he is not alone. Writing for Touchstone Magazine, Dr. Leon J. Podles explains that, "..many Christians have a false understanding of the nature and role of anger. It is seen as something negative, something that a Christian should not feel. In the sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church, those who dealt with the bishops have consistently remarked that the bishops never...

A meeting of House Democrats flared up on Tuesday over the increasingly thorny issue of whether a pregnant member should be allowed to vote from afar in the party's leadership elections this week. Democratic leaders, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), have denied a request from Rep. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), who lost both of her legs in the Iraq War, to waive the Democratic rule barring proxy votes. Duckworth, 46, is in the last stages of a pregnancy and her doctor won't allow her to travel back to Washington to vote in person. The denial has angered a number of Democrats,...

It may be hard for Jon Stewart fans to imagine, but the beloved Daily Show host is "anything but warm and fuzzy," according to staffers quoted in Lisa Rogak’s new biography of the comedian, Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart. One tells the story of a time Stewart screamed in a producer's face and threw a newspaper at her, only to later apologize and explain, "Sorry, that's bad Jon. ... I try not to let him out." There are more such tales of Stewart's angry side in the book, Forbes reports, and Rogak notes, "I'm surprised that...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Don’t hold back when praying to God — tell him exactly what’s wrong and insist on holding him to his promises, Pope Francis said. Prayer should be like speaking face-to-face with a friend: “without fear, freely and also with insistence,” the pope said in his homily April 3 during an early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Pope Francis’ homily focused on the day’s reading from the Book of Exodus (32:7-14), in which Moses begs God to spare his people, even though they have created a golden calf to worship as their...

Sudden bursts of anger may trigger heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular events within two hours of a flare-up, a team of U.S. researchers suggest. In a new study published in The European Heart Journal, researchers examined studies that spanned amore-than-18-year period from experts in the medical field. The Harvard School of Public Health team found that cardiovascular events can be triggered by psychological stress, such as an angry outburst, which has “shown to increase heart rate and blood pressure, and vascular resistance.” And people who are obese, smokers, or have a history of heart disease are more susceptible to...

In the Gospel for this Weekend’s Mass we are well into the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and today we cover a good deal of Chapter 5. In a way the Lord is drawing a picture for us of the transformed human person. He is presenting a kind of slide show of what sanctity really is. In understanding this rather lengthy text we do well to reflect on it in three parts.I. The Power of New Life in Christ – We have discussed before that an important principle of the Christian moral vision is to understand that it is...

Immigration reform advocates are done playing nice with House Republicans. After holding their fire for years at the urging of the Obama administration, several immigration reform groups now plan to unleash their anger at the right. A new, more aggressive campaign kicks off Tuesday, when these groups say they will begin confronting Republican lawmakers at public appearances, congressional hearings and events back in home districts. The goal: Shame Republicans in swing districts into taking up the issue — or make them pay at the ballot box in November.

<p>The feisty blond, who has a history of booze and pill addiction, has been holed up in Caron Renaissance Ocean Drive in Delray Beach where the temperature hovers above 70 degrees on a typical day.</p> <p>“Caron Renaissance Ocean Drive is an innovative addiction treatment program for individuals of influence and affluence located on the southeast coast of Florida,” touts the website of the facility which costs a whopping $35,000 the first month and about $18,000 for each additional month.</p>

Republicans need to recognize an important fact: Liberalism is not driven by any real political philosophy but by resentment, bitterness, and anger toward mainstream society. Conservatives keep trying to patiently and politely point out where Democrat candidates are factually and logically wrong. That cannot work because liberalism is not about facts or logic. You can’t explain the Democrat Party (which liberals took over starting in 1968). What is happening to our country is not about issues. (But, a clarification: I am focusing here on liberal activists and leaders. Many ordinary individuals are just caught up in their rhetoric.) The Left...

Lansing woman shot at in road-rage incident on I-80/94 11 hours ago • Times Staff GARY | A Lansing woman was shot at in a road-rage incident Sunday on I-80/94, with one bullet hitting the back of her car, Indiana State Police said in a news release. The 33-year-old woman told police she was on 25th Avenue in Gary driving her Chrysler 300 slowly because of potholes. She said a car behind her was following too closely, so she braked to get the car to back off. The braking apparently angered the other driver. The woman said the driver got...

Researchers find men use anger as manipulation tool with other men 1 hour ago by Bob Yirka report anger (Phys.org) —Researchers Uri Gneezy, with the University of California and Alex Imasc with the University of Amsterdam have together found that men understand the impact anger has on decision making and use that knowledge to help them manipulate other men when engaging in contests of both skill and strength. They have had their paper describing a study they conducted on the subject printed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ....

What is it that really holds us in bondage? What is it that is truly the source of our problem, our sins, our selfishness, our anger, our lust and pride? Original Sin? Yes but where does the wound of sin really set up shop in us and stay open for business? What does it tap into for its strength? Scripture has an interesting answer to this question: Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free...

Frustrated Florida flier Shelby Henderson Griffiths, 22, allegedly asked a ticket agent for help Tuesday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport — only to throw Teresa Rodriguez to the floor and start kicking her. A frustrated Florida flier violently smacked down a United Airlines ticket agent who tried to help her, authorities said. Shelby Henderson Griffiths, 22, allegedly punched Teresa Rodriguez in the face, grabbed her hair and threw her to the floor at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Tuesday.

Here is the latest from Fox News on Aaron Alexis, the Washington Navy Yard shooter. He’s been arrested a couple of times for shooting at construction equipment tires and shooting through his roof at his upstairs neighbor because she was too loud. And according to his former roommate, he’s a Buddhist. Watch:

It ain't much but it's a way to visually express our disgust with the ongoing criminal enterprise masquerading as a government. Mine's going right smack in the middle of the front yard. A sign saying something like “GONE GOLFING!” might be a nice touch. PLEASE SHARE WIDELY! Let's DO IT THIS YEAR!