Free Republic

As superb look at suffering by Dr. Peter Kreeft, courtesy of Prager University. I agree with his division of suffering into what Man causes through our actions, wars are a classic example, and suffering caused by nature, the type of suffering caused by the seizure that took the life of my son Larry on May 19, 2013. He is also correct that when we complain about such suffering afflicted by nature we are appealing to a standard that presupposes a God, since nature cares not a whit about human suffering or the lack whereof. It is only by belief in...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible John 16 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time...

Job | The Great Unknown

Most of us who are Catholics eventually get asked, “Why do you Catholics worship Mary?� More often than not the question is not a real question it is a rhetorical question. For a few of you who might not know what is meant by the expression “rhetorical question,� it refers to a “question� whose purpose is not to seek an answer, but, rather, to make a (usually hostile) point. For example the expression “Who do you think you are!?� is in the form of a question but it does not seek an answer. Instead it is meant as a rebuke....

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible John 8 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do...

“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel” . . . For the battle is the LORD's 1 Samuel 17:45 / 47

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Luke 15 The Parable of the Lost Son 11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began...

Thank You Heavenly Mother.

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Luke 10 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation Stand Firm Joshua 24:15 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Luke 2 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. The Boy Jesus at the Temple 41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After...

My friend's mother is 73 and she is having dizzyness and high BP. She was admitted to the hospital. My friend is living in a southern state and she is in a northern state.

I, perhaps like you, have to see folks I love and care about through some difficult periods in their life. One neighbor and parishioner just lost her eight year old daughter to cancer. A number of parishioners are seeking work and praying daily for it, but no work offers seem forth-coming. Still others cry out for the alleviation of any number of different crosses. I too have lots of things for which I pray, and sometimes I get discouraged or even angry when God seems to say, “no� or, “wait.� One thing I have surely learned about true prayer, and...

Vatican City, Oct 11, 2013 / 07:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Anticipating Pope Francis' entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Oct. 13, a specialist in Marian apparitions reflected on how the Blessed Mother serves to bring people to Jesus. “It is necessary to have recourse to the Virgin because she can only bring you to God. That's her whole mission. She has nothing of self in it at all. She lives only for God and to bring you to God,” said Marian expert Tim Tindal-Robertson during an Oct. 10 interview with CNA. Tindal-Robertson is currently the...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Luke 2 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

October 11, 2013 Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2 Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!wail, O ministers of the altar!Come, spend the night in sackcloth,O ministers of my God!The house of your God is deprivedof offering and libation.Proclaim a fast,call an assembly;Gather the elders,all who dwell in the land,Into the house of the LORD, your God,and cry to the LORD! Alas, the day!for near is the day of the LORD,and it comes as ruin from the Almighty. Blow the trumpet in Zion,sound the alarm on my holy mountain!Let all who dwell in...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV) ----

October 4, 2013 Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi    Reading 1 Bar 1:15-22 During the Babylonian captivity, the exiles prayed:“Justice is with the Lord, our God;and we today are flushed with shame,we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem,that we, with our kings and rulersand priests and prophets, and with our ancestors,have sinned in the Lord’s sight and disobeyed him.We have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God,nor followed the precepts which the Lord set before us.From the time the Lord led our ancestors out of the land of Egyptuntil the present day,we have been disobedient to...

Global Rosary at the National Shrine The Basilica of the National Shrine will join Marian Shrines from around the world in praying the Rosary live via satellite on Saturday, October 12, 2013, at 1:00pm. Come pray the Rosary and take part in this live worldwide broadcast event. The afternoon will begin with a welcome message from Pope Francis and will include the arrival of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima to the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love in Rome. Other participating Shrines include Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland, Our...

The longer I write the more I realize how much writing is like prayer. Writing is something that connects me with God and allows me to hear His voice. Like prayer, writing is a habit that has to be developed over time and like prayer sometimes it doesn’t come easily. Both actions are disciplines of the spirit and both can help us to grow in holiness. Being holy means being the person God intends you to be. Writing helps me to use a gift He gave me and to use it to glorify Him. Like prayer, writing requires preparation and...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Luke 1 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44...

October 10, 2013 Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Mal 3:13-20b You have defied me in word, says the LORD,yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?�You have said, “It is vain to serve God,and what do we profit by keeping his command,And going about in penitential dressin awe of the LORD of hosts?Rather must we call the proud blessed;for indeed evildoers prosper,and even tempt God with impunity.�Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,and the LORD listened attentively;And a record book was written before himof those who fear the LORD and...

October 9, 2013Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Jon 4:1-11 Jonah was greatly displeasedand became angry that God did not carry out the evilhe threatened against Nineveh.He prayed, “I beseech you, LORD,is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.And now, LORD, please take my life from me;for it is better for me to die than to live.�But the LORD asked, “Have you reason...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Luke 1 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,...

The year is 1147. Knights and soldiers from around Europe are gathered at the gates of the great city of Lisbon on the eve of a monumental battle with the Muslim occupants. They have erected a giant moveable engine to scale the gates (like the kind in Lord of the Rings). Their enemy is merciless, and they know full well they face the high likelihood of death. Their thoughts turn toward eternity and the judgment seat of Christ. A humble priest stands before these battle hardened men and delivers a sermon to give them courage and inspire them to repentance...

My 3 year old grandson has a heart problem which I described two weeks ago when I asked for your prayers for him and his parents. Yesterday Jamesie had a second doctor examine him. The news was not good in that he agreed with the first doctor. But he doesn't have to go back for another 6 months -which was probably the best we could hope for. This second doctor is also talking about a pacemaker. Please give my grandson even a small part of your prayers and as a Freep family we can pray him to health. Thank you...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Matthew 22 23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh....

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper . . . Hebrews 13:6

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Children and Families In The Bible Matthew 21 The Parable of the Two Sons 28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they...

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.

Father Kevin L. Kayda It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Reverend Kevin Lee Kayda. He died unexpectedly at the home of his parents in Carlisle on Thursday, October 3, 2013. Fr. Robert M. Gillelan, Jr., Diocesan Administrator said, “The loss of any life is a tragedy, but the death of a beloved young priest is an especially difficult loss to bear. St. John of the Cross helps us to navigate this difficult passage when he says, ‘And I saw a river over which every soul must pass to reach the kingdom of heaven and the...

Theology in colors: Icon of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross In the Middle Ages there was no audio and video recordings, photographs, Internet. Historians worked on the basis of tradition and written documents, the lives of the saints were written according to the "literary decorum." Visual imprinting of historical events occurred sometimes many years later, and sometimes centuries, and was conducted in accordance with the canon. Studying the works of art, you can learn a lot about the events themselves, and on the attitudes of people in different eras. Illuminated gospel [Urbin. gr. 2] page 21. AD 1122. Apostolic...

October 5, 2013 Reading 1 Bar 4:5-12, 27-29 Fear not, my people!Remember, Israel,You were sold to the nationsnot for your destruction;It was because you angered Godthat you were handed over to your foes.For you provoked your Makerwith sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.She indeed saw coming upon youthe anger of God; and she said: “Hear, you neighbors of Zion!God has brought great mourning upon me,For I have seen the captivitythat the Eternal God has broughtupon my sons and daughters.With joy I fostered them;but with mourning and lament I...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right. Psalm 106:3 (NIV) ----

Psalm 104:1 My Soul, Praise thou the Lord; O Lord my God, thou art Exceedingly Great; Thou art Clothed with Glory and Honor.

The most enduring image I have from the now famous papal interview is not something the pope said but something the pope has – a sleeping St. Joseph. I’ve never seen such a statute, but it makes much sense and gives me further insight into the spirituality of this dear man we call Papa.The fact that the pope has that statue among his few possessions leads me to believe that he has devoted some thought to the mystery of St. Joseph’s sleep. Something about that pose has struck him and now serves as a daily reminder to him. I’ve not...

Terry Barber, 56, grew up in the Los Angeles area, and enjoyed a successful career in real estate.  In fact, by age 25, he’d acquired enough property to comfortably retire.  So, he decided he’d focus on a new career: working with other Catholic apologists to win souls for Christ. He founded a variety of Catholic evangelization apostolates, including St. Joseph Communications and the Catholic Resource Center, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Lighthouse Media.  He is also the co-host of The Jesse & Terry Show, a Catholic apologetics radio program he does with Jesse Romero and which...

Charlie Ess GUEST COLUMN By CHARLIE ESSCatholicAnchor.orgWith pain comes perfection, Christ taught. Thanks to the gift of the Catholic Church we are able to reach this perfection through a glorious journey. But for too many years this was not the way for me.My parents planted the hope of salvation and the reality of heaven within me during the impressionable years of adolescence. Practice in faith and good works as a cradle Catholic included a few years as an altar boy and a strong sense of compassion as I worked my way through the lower grades in a Catholic school.Five decades...

Thoughts while praying the rosary's 3rd decade this morning. "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" When Jesus was teaching, He knew, but the Jewish people didn't, that their world was shortly to change, with the fall and sack of Jerusalem. God was warning about His timetable: that is, He knew what was going to happen, and the consequences of death while unrepentant. He was trying to warn: and yet it seemed to many (with Jesus then, even as it was with Paul later -- recall Jesus saying "if they reject my words, they will reject yours too,...

October 3, 2013 Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12 The whole people gathered as one in the open space before the Water Gate,and they called upon Ezra the scribeto bring forth the book of the law of Moseswhich the LORD prescribed for Israel.On the first day of the seventh month, therefore,Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,which consisted of men, women,and those children old enough to understand.Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,he read out of the book from daybreak until midday,in...

October 2, 2013 Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels    Reading 1 Neh 2:1-8 In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,when the wine was in my charge,I took some and offered it to the king.As I had never before been sad in his presence,the king asked me, “Why do you look sad?If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart.�Though I was seized with great fear, I answered the king:“May the king live forever!How could I not look sadwhen the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins,and its gates have been eaten...

The 3:30 Beads In the middle of May, 2010, a FReeper by the name of Irisshlass commented to me:Maybe we Catholics here can form a prayer group and at a certain hour of the day or night, we all say our rosaries in our home. Even though we are not together we are in heart ...I took her suggestion to heart, and we started up a thread for same, and some people joined up to pray. At the time Irisshlass (a.k.a. Maureen, "little Mary") had no idea five short months later (Oct. 3), she would be in eternity with her...

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

October 1, 2013 Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church    Reading 1 Zec 8:20-23 Thus says the LORD of hosts:There shall yet come peoples,the inhabitants of many cities;and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another,and say, “Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD�;and, “I too will go to seek the LORD.�Many peoples and strong nations shall cometo seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalemand to implore the favor of the LORD.Thus says the LORD of hosts:In those days ten men of every nationality, speaking different...

A lot of times when God tells us to do something we tend to look at our own ability. Like Gideon when God called him and said, "You shall save Isreal from the hands of the Midianites", the first thing he did was look at his own ability or limitations. He said, "O my Lord how can I save Isreal? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And Moses when God said, He was going to send him to bring the children of Isreal out of Egypt, the first thing...

How do you read the Bible? Today is the feast day of Saint Jerome, who once quipped, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.�“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.� – Saint Jerome It’s a running joke that if you want to find a Bible verse, you ought to ask a Protestant and not a Catholic. Protestants read the Bible. Catholics not so much.This raises the question:Why Don’t More Catholics Read the Bible? I think the answer lies in the fact that we Catholics go to Mass. The Holy Mass has at least two Bible readings every time. If...