Free Republic

Leftist activist and filmmaker Michael Moore said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that we were “all blessed to have Joe Biden in the White House” because of how he handled the withdrawal from 20 years of war in Afghanistan. On his long-time anti-war stance, Moore said, “No points for being right, really. Because if anything, I feel like, what could I have done better 20 years ago or 18 years ago when we invaded Iraq to communicate to the public that we were making a horrific mistake that would cost us thousands of Americans’ lives and hundreds of thousands of...

NEWARK, N.J. — On Oct. 4, at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, N.J., the first beatification ever held in the United States will take place, as Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, a young Sister of Charity who died in the Garden State in 1927, will be formally raised to the altars. In the history of the Church, 18 other men and women with U.S. ties have been beatified, with 12 of them proceeding on to canonization. But with the exception of St. Damien de Veuster, who was beatified in Brussels in 1995, all of their beatification and canonization...

Monday, June 1, 2020 MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH JOHN 19:25-34 Friends, today we celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. We recall that, from the cross, Jesus pronounced this word to St. John: "Behold, your mother." In saying this, he was giving Mary not only to John, but through John to the whole Church. Mary would be the mother of all the beloved disciples of Jesus up and down the centuries. Then we recall that, at the Annunciation, the angel declared to the maiden of Nazareth: "The holy Spirit...

Abby and Brittany Hensel, 29, are one of only 12 sets of conjoined twins in the world and are fused together at the torso, with each controlling one side of their body. Each twin controls one arm and one leg. As infants, learning to crawl, walk, and clap required cooperation. They can eat and write separately and simultaneously. Activities such as running, swimming, hair brushing and driving a car require coordinated action

NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Beginning November 12)(i. 300 Days each day. ii. Plenary on the Feast or during the Octave. I, II, IV.) (See Instructions, p. 1., 1910 Raccolta.) 1st, 4th, and 7th Days—November 12, 15, and 18 Mary, Mother of GOD, tradition tells us that when you were three years of age, your parents, Joachim and Anne, took you to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill their vow. The holy couple offered you to GOD by the ministry of the priest in charge, who invoked the blessing of GOD upon you...

White Double of the Second Class IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY, even amidst their many divergences, the so-called Reformers agreed in utterly rejecting all the honors paid by the Catholic Church to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the grounds that such veneration of the Mother detracted from the supreme worship due to her Divine Son. Four centuries have more than sufficed to show the result of so doing: the Son has followed the Mother! The descendants of those who refused to Mary the title and rights of Theotokos,—Mother of God—refuse to Jesus the title of Son of God in the...

“Praise and glory be to thee, O holy Trinity, who hast brought us all to this day’s solemnity. Praise be to thee also, O holy Mother of God, scepter of the orthodox faith: through thee the Cross triumphs, and man is called back to heaven; through thee the idols are overthrown, and the nations are brought to repentance.” Such words as these, which the Church borrows from her doctors to close the bright Octave, were doubtless sung in prophecy by the angels around the new-born babe Mary. And such, in the light of the ages since elapsed, must needs...

White Double of the Second Class O ALL YE THAT PASS by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow! Is this, then, the first cry of that sweet babe whose coming brought such pure joy to our earth? Is the standard of suffering to be so soon unfurled over the cradle of such lovely innocence? Yet the heart of mother Church has not deceived her; this feast, coming at such a time, is ever the answer to that question of the expectant human race: What shall this child be? The Savior to...

HOW BEAUTIFUL are thy first steps, O prince’s daughter! Our eyes are never weary of contemplating in thee the marvel of harmonious sweetness united to the strength of an army. Blessed child, continue to grow in grace; may thy course be prosperous; may thy royalty be strengthened and established. But the Church will not wait till thou be grown up, to sing to thee her beautiful antiphon: Rejoice O Virgin Mary; thou alone hast destroyed all heresies throughout the world. Heresy, Satan’s denial of what God affirms by his Christ, this is the great struggle, or rather the only...

“WHO IS SHE that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?” Such is thy growth, O Mary! Not the holiest life, were it even of patriarchal duration, will ever attain the degree of progress made under the influence of divine power by the soul of the most pure Virgin, in these few days elapsed since her coming on earth. First, there is the progress of her intellect: not subject to the obscurity which envelopes the minds of all men at their entrance into the world,...

Red Simple “DIMITTE ME, jam enim ascendit aurora; let me go for it is break of day;” such were the words which put an end to the struggle between the Angel and the Patriarch on the banks of the torrent. Blessed dawn, which triumphed over God himself! How long had been that night, during which the human race had been struggling by its supplications and tears! Ever since the fall, the Angel of justice had been guarding the entrance to the true land of promise; at every turn he was to be found, resisting in his inexorable vengeance poor,...

White Double of the Second Class (with a Simple Octave) LET US CELEBRATE THE NATIVITY of the Virgin Mary; let us adore her Son, Christ our Lord. Such is the invitation addressed to us today by the Church. Let us hearken to her call; let us enter into her overflowing joy. The Bridegroom is at hand, for his throne is now set up on earth; yet a little while, and he will appear in the diadem of our human nature, wherewith his Mother is to crown him on the day of the joy of his heart, and of ours....

White Double of the Second Class FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL the Greeks have celebrated the feast of St. Joachim on the day following our Lady’s birthday. The Maronites kept it on the day after the Presentation in November, and the Armenians on the Tuesday after the Octave of the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Latins at first did not keep his feast. Later on it was admitted and celebrated sometimes on the day after the Octave of the Nativity, September 16th, sometimes on the day following the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, December 9th. Thus both East and...

White Double of the First Class (with a common Octave) “TODAY THE VIRGIN MARY ASCENDED to heaven; rejoice, for she reigns with Christ forever.” The Church will close her chants on this glorious day with this sweet antiphon which resumes the object of the feast and the spirit in which it should be celebrated. No other solemnity breathes, like this one, at once triumph and peace; none better answers to the enthusiasm of the many and the serenity of souls consummated in love. Assuredly that was as great a triumph when our Lord, rising by his own power from...

Violet   WHAT IS THIS AURORA before which the brightest constellations pale? Laurence, who has been shining in the August heavens as an incomparable star, is well nigh eclipsed, and becomes but the humble satellite of the Queen of Saints, whose triumph is preparing beyond the clouds. Mary stayed on earth after her Son’s Ascension, in order to give birth to his Church; but she could not remain forever in exile. Yet she was not to take her flight to heaven until this new fruit of her maternity had acquired the growth and strength which it belongs to a...

White Double of the Second Class UNITING THE BLOOD OF KINGS with that of pontiffs, the glory of Anne’s illustrious origin is far surpassed by that of her offspring, without compare among the daughters of Eve. The noblest of all, who have ever conceived by virtue of the command to “increase and multiply,” beholds the law of human generation pause before her as having arrived at its summit, at the threshold of God; for from her fruit God himself is come forth, the fatherless Son of the Blessed Virgin, and the grandson of Anne and Joachim. Before being favored...

Donald Trump goes to Europe, scandalizes the Euroweenies, libs, and cruise-shilling grifters of Never Trump, and comes back victorious. He’s about to get his second SCOTUS justice confirmed – all they have on Brett Kavanaugh is that he likes beer and is named “Brett.” In Congress, the Democrats decided to go all in on abolishing ICE because Americans love open borders and welcome MS-13 or something. In the Mueller farce, the Dems decided that the smart play was to publicly run interference for creepy weirdo Peter Strzok when he went on national TV doing his impression of Lotion Boy from...

White Double of the Second Class OUR LADY’S VISIT to her cousin Elizabeth already engaged our attention while we were preparing for the Christmas festival. But it is only fitting to return again to an event so important in our Lady’s life; the mere commemoration of this mystery made on Ember Friday in Advent would be insufficient to bring forward all it contains of deep teaching and holy joy. Since in the course of centuries, the holy Liturgy has been gaining more and more completeness, it is but natural that this precious mine should come to be further opened...

Psalm 33:12 teaches, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” Our Creator has certainly blessed America in tremendous ways: Abundant natural beauty can be found all across our land, including tropical beaches, green valleys, rich farmlands, towering mountains, and the Great Plains. We have a godly heritage. Fifty-two of the original 55 founding fathers who wrote our Constitution were Christians, and they established our country on Judeo-Christian values. Our land is blessed with plentiful natural resources, including water, oil, ore, and fertile farm land. America’s free enterprise system...

White Double of the First Class [Transferred from 25th March, to allow for the Solemnities of Easter.] THIS IS A GREAT DAY, not only to man, but even to God himself; for it is the anniversary of the most solemn event that time has ever witnessed. On this day, the Divine Word, by which the Father created the world, was made flesh in the womb of a Virgin, and dwelt among us. We must spend it in joy. While we adore the Son of God who humbled himself by thus becoming Man, let us give thanks to the Father,...