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Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” John 14:1In John’s Gospel, Chapters 14–17 present us with what is referred to as Jesus’ “Last Supper Discourses,” or His “Final Discourses.” These are a series of sermons given by our Lord to the disciples the night He was arrested. These discourses are deep and filled with symbolic imagery. He speaks of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the vine and the branches, the world’s hatred, and these discourses conclude with Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer....

26 April 2024 Friday of the 4th week of Eastertide The tomb of Rafael Arnáiz Barón in Venta de Baños, Spain Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 13:26-33 ©God has fulfilled his promise by raising Jesus from the deadPaul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, held up a hand for silence and began to speak: ‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15–16Saint Mark, whom we honor today, certainly fulfilled this mission that was given to the Apostles. Though Mark was not one of the Twelve and might not have even known Jesus while He walked the earth, he certainly fulfilled the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world by writing his Gospel account. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest...

Thursday 25 April 2024 Saint Mark, Evangelist Feast St. Mark the Evangelist, Summerfield, FLReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II).First reading1 Peter 5:5-14 ©My son, Mark, sends you greetingsAll wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking...

The following letter by Bill Donohue is in response to the Inspector General’s report on the FBI probe of Catholics: April 24, 2024 Hon. Jim Jordan Chairman House Committee on the Judiciary 2056 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-3504 Dear Chairman Jordan: After issuing a news release on April 19, the day after news stories broke on the FBI’s internal probe of Analysts involved in the investigation of Catholics, I had a chance to read Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report on this issue. While he satisfied some of our concerns, serious issues remain. Horowitz begins by noting that the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.” John 12:44–45Note that Jesus’ words in the above quoted passage start by stating that “Jesus cried out…” This intentional addition by the Gospel writer adds emphasis to this statement. Jesus didn’t just “say” these words, He “cried out.” For that reason, we should be extra attentive to these words and allow them to speak to us all the more. This Gospel passage takes place...

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Muskogee's catholic community is in shock after its only church in the city was left picking up the pieces of a cherished relic all but destroyed by vandals. Leaders of St. Joseph Catholic Church said a five-foot-tall plaster statue of the Virgin Mary and one of the Holy Family were adored by generations of members. "The one of Holy Mother, the one that was pretty well pulverized in the parking lot, that has a history that dates all the way back to 1893," church manager Lucille Ferguson told 2 News. Father Robert Matthew Dye said he knows...

The writings Sulayman al-Ghazzi (or Solomon of Gaza) are one of the great hidden gems of Arab Orthodoxy, though not a word of them is yet available in a western language. I'm doing a little work on them for a different venue, but would like share something about him on this blog. I'll do another post soon about his life in more detail, but he was an Orthodox bishop in Palestine in the 11th century, during the persecution of Christians under the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amrillah. He is the first Arabic-language poet whose poetry was entirely dedicated to Christian religious...

24 April 2024Wednesday of the 4th week of Eastertide St. Fidelis Church, College Point, New York Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 12:24-13:5 ©'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart'The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers. Barnabas and Saul completed their task and came back from Jerusalem, bringing John Mark with them. In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and...

University says it does not cover abortion even though plan says so Xavier University’s health insurance plan not only appears to cover abortion – it looks like the school specifically added it into the coverage. But the Catholic Cincinatti university denies its student health insurance plan covers abortion. A “policy endorsement” on the plan appeared to delete an “exclusion” of abortion. The plan lists abortion as a “Non-EHB [Essential Health Benefit] benefits added to plan via additional endorsement.” It includes, like other covered benefits, the amount the plan pays for in-network and out-of-network providers. The following page shows the “policy...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.” John 10:24–25Why is it that these people did not know that Jesus was the Christ? They wanted Jesus to speak “plainly” to them, but Jesus surprises them by saying that He already answered their question but they “do not believe.” This Gospel passage continues the...

23 April 2024 Tuesday of the 4th week of Eastertide Basilica of Saint Adalbert, Grand Rapids, MichiganReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 11:19-26 ©They started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord JesusThose who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped...

CV NEWS FEED // Boston-based Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF) held a fundraising gala last week which featured an appearance from Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. Healey is not only a staunch supporter of abortion and the LGBTQ movement, she also currently cohabits with a woman. Healey’s female “partner” is a mother of two and was still married to her childrens’ father when her relationship with the governor began. The Pilot reported that the CSF’s 34th annual Building Minds Scholarship Fund Gala was held in Boston on April 11. The gala raised over $5.6 million to support Catholic school scholarships in...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.” John 10:2–4Do you recognize the voice of the Shepherd? Does He lead you each and every day, guiding you into His holy will? How attentive are you to what He speaks each day? These are some...

22 April 2024 Monday of the 4th week of Eastertide Painting of the church of San Caio in Rome by Achille Pinelli in the early 1800sNow demolishedReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 11:1-18 ©God can grant even the pagans the repentance that leads to lifeThe apostles and the brothers in Judaea heard that the pagans too had accepted the word of God, and when Peter came up to Jerusalem the Jews criticised him and said, ‘So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them, have you?’ Peter in reply gave them the details point by...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.” John 10:11–13Today, on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. It is a day when we reflect upon the tender image of Jesus as the Shepherd of us all....

21 April 2024 4th Sunday of EasterSt Anselm's Catholic Church, part of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in Pembury, Kent, UKReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 4:8-12 ©The name of Jesus Christ is the only name in which we can be savedFilled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said: ‘Rulers of the people, and elders! If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of...

The readings for this Sunday’s Masses are truly “scandalous” in more ways than one. Our English word “scandal” comes ultimately from the Greek skandalon, “a stumbling block.” A “scandal” is something that causes people to “stumble,” i.e. that offends or injures them in some way. As we will see, the exclusive claims made for and by Jesus in the readings for this Sunday are scandalous to the “inclusive” and “diverse” culture we live in today, which does not recognize the possibility of a religious truth binding on all humanity. 1. The first reading is Acts 4:8-12: Peter, filled with the...

20 April 2024 Saturday of the 3rd week of Eastertide Shrine of Saint Agnese - Montepulciano Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 9:31-42 ©The churches grew and were filled with the consolation of the Holy SpiritThe churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit. Peter visited one place after another and eventually came to the saints living down in Lydda. There he found a man called Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight...

Daily Readings from the USCCBAs a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” John 6:66–67Today’s Gospel concludes the beautiful and profound sermon on the Bread of Life (see John 6:22–71). When you read this sermon from beginning to end, it is noticeable that Jesus moves from more general statements about the Bread of Life that are easier to accept to more specific statements that are challenging. He concludes His teaching just prior to today’s Gospel...