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Featured Term (selected at random):TREE OF LIFE A tree that stood next to the Tree of Knowledge in the middle of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). It conferred on anyone eating its fruit the gift of immortality (Genesis 3:22). See Also: TREE OF KNOWLEDGE All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission

The second miracle has been approved, and Blessed John Paul II is now one step closer to canonization. In the Catholic Church, “canonization” is the process of formally declaring a person of heroic virtue to be a saint. Catholics believe that saints are already in heaven; and canonized saints can be venerated (regarded with reverential respect), and their lives held up to Christians here on earth as examples to be imitated. Two documented miracles are required before a formal declaration of sainthood can be made. On Tuesday, June 18 in Vatican City, the board of theologians of the Congregation for...

WASHINGTON – Since Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion 40 years ago, anti-abortion activists have successfully passed legislation regulating and restricting the right to an abortion, and they have been successful at moving public opinion in their direction. On the marriage issue, though, public opinion has moved in recent years toward allowing the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples, and 12 states and the District of Columbia have redefined marriage. Given that the pro-life and pro-marriage causes are two of the core issues of social conservatives, or the Christian Right social movement, why is...

Ellery Schempp, at 16 years of age in 1956, stayed in his seat while the rest of his high school class stood to recite the Lord’s prayer; he flipped through the Koran while his homeroom teacher recited ten verses from the Bible. What began as a quite protest in his Philadelphia high school became Supreme Court case Abington v. Schempp, which declared Bible readings and prayer in public schools unconstitutional. “A sense of fairness motivated the teen. He knew his Jewish friends were uncomfortable and believed the same must be true for other religious minorities and non-believers,” and his parents...

Fortnight for Freedom 2013 is around the corner!The Fortnight, which begins June 21 and ends July 4 is a call for both prayer and activity on behalf of our first American Freedom — Freedom of Religion.From the USCCB website: The Fortnight for Freedom, which we celebrated for the first time last year, takes place from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day. Last year, we saw a great diversity of events promoting religious freedom across the country. In 2013, we face many challenges to religious liberty, including the August...

The Edict of Milan Constantine Augustus and Licinius Augustus When I, Constantine Augustus, as well as I Licinius Augustus fortunately met near Mediolanum (Milan), and were considering everything that pertained to the public welfare and security, we thought -, among other things which we saw would be for the good of many, those regulations pertaining to the reverence of the Divinity ought certainly to be made first, so that we might grant to the Christians and others full authority to observe that religion which each preferred; whence any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens may be propitious and...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Psalm 24 A Psalm of David. 1. The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of...

Christianity is not simply the study of laws or commands: this is an impediment to understanding and living the truth that God is joy and generosity. This was the message of Pope Francis at Mass celebrated this morning in Casa Santa Marta. The hypocrites who “lead the people of God down a dead-end street” Pope Francis said, are the subject of today’s Gospel. The Pope reflected on the famous passage of Matthew’s Gospel that contrasts the behaviour of the scribes and Pharisees – who make a show of praying, fasting, and almsgiving – with the path indicated by Jesus, Who...

In the first decree of a liturgical nature of this pontificate, Pope Francis has decided that name of St. Joseph should be added to the Eucharistic Prayers II, II and IV, as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Below please find the text of the decree issued Wednesday by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments: DECREE Exercising his paternal care over Jesus, Saint Joseph of Nazareth, set over the Lord’s family, marvelously fulfilled the office he received by grace. Adhering firmly to the...

The Minister's fainting fits Charles Haddon Spurgeon As it is recorded that David, in the heat of battle, waxed faint, so may it be written of all the servants of the Lord. Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There maybe here and there men of iron, to whom wear and tear work no perceptible detriment, but surely the rust frets even these;...

“The Church is not an charitable, cultural or political association, but a living Body, that walks and acts in history. And this Body has a head, Jesus, who guides, nourishes and supports it”, said Pope Francis Wednesday as he continued his series of lessons on the Creed during his General Audience. A boiling summer sun brought temperatures to a high of 29°s, but despite this St Peter’s square was packed by tens of thousands of pilgrims. In his catechesis he told them we must remain united to the Church lamenting the divisions among Christians which he says ‘wounds this Body’....

June 19, 2013   Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Cor 9:6-11 Brothers and sisters, consider this:whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,for God loves a cheerful giver.Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,so that in all things, always having all you need,you may have an abundance for every good work.As it is written: He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;his righteousness endures forever. The one who supplies seed to the sower and...

5. Dictatorship of Relativism In his futuristic novel Brave New World, the British author Aldous Huxley had predicted in 1932 that falsification would be the decisive element of modernity. In a false reality with its false truth – or the absence of truth altogether – nothing, in the final analysis, is important any more.There is no truth, there is no standpoint. Today, in fact, truth is regarded as far too subjective a concept for us to find therein a universally valid standard. The distinction between genuine and fake seems to have been abolished. Everything is to some extent negotiable. Is...

The mainstream American right has remained almost entirely silent about the recent suicide of the French historian, Dominique Venner. The reasons for this, I do not know—perhaps it is a squeamishness about the symbolism of his final act, or a lack of understanding of it. Perhaps it is a refusal to see what the people of France already see, and are rising up against.Venner shot himself on the altar of the Cathedral of Notre Dame on May 21st, 2013. The image of this act ought to make us pause in awe. The American left immediately dismissed him as a...

The European Commission has ordered the National Bank of Slovakia not to mint new euros that would feature images of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the New York Times reports. Each member-state within the European Union has the authority to mint its own versions of the euro, incorporating its own national designs. But the European Commission ruled that the Slovakian design, hailing the 1,150th anniversary of Christianity in Slovakia, violated the principle of religious neutrality.

Featured Term (selected at random):RESURRECTION OF CHRIST The rising from the dead of Christ on the third day after his death and burial. Christ's Resurrection is a basice truth of Christianity, which is expressed in all the Creeds and in all rules of faith of the ancient Church. He rose through his own power. The source of his Resurrection was the hypostatic union. The principal cause was the Word of God, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit; the intrumental cause was the parts of Christ's humanity, soul, and body, which were hypostatically united with the God-head. Whe Scripute...

In an interview with EWTN's "The World Over's" Raymond Arroyo, The Exorcist author and 1950 graduate, William Blatty spoke about the reasons for the canon law petition on Georgetown University that has been submitted to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.'s Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The petition compiled by Blatty and The Cardinal Newman Society addresses numerous scandals at the University and whether it can continue to describe itself as Catholic. -

Last week, in Nice, France, I was privileged to participate along with 30 scholars, mostly scientists and mathematicians, in a conference on the question of whether the universe was designed, or at least fine-tuned, to make life, especially intelligent life. Participants — from Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Berkeley, and Columbia, among other American and European universities — included believers in God, agonistics, and atheists. It was clear that the scientific consensus was that, at the very least, the universe is exquisitely fine-tuned to allow for the possibility of life. It appears that we live in a “Goldilocks universe,” in which both...

In 1957 comedian Red Skelton was on top of the world. His weekly comedy show on CBS was doing well. He had curtailed the drinking which had almost derailed his career. Not too shabby for a man who had started out as a circus and rodeo clown and who was now often called the clown prince of American comedy. He and his wife Georgia had two beautiful kids: Richard and Valentina Maria. Then the worst thing in the world for any parent entered into the lives of Red and Georgia Skelton: Richard was diagnosed with leukemia. Unlike today, a diagnosis...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Psalm 96 A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment 1. Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 3. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. 4. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens....

It is hard to love our enemies, but that is exactly what God is asking us to do, said Pope Francis at Mass Tuesday morning. He said we must pray for those who hate us and have done us wrong, ‘that their heart of stone turned to flesh, that they may feel relief and love’. God lets sun shine and rain fall on the good and the bad, on the just and the unjust and, the Pope added, we must do the same or else we are not being Christian. Emer McCarthy reports: Pope Francis began his homily, with a...

The International Criminal Court has declined a request from victims of clergy sexual abuse to investigate Vatican officials and their responsibility for the abuse of children by Catholic priests around the world. In a two-page letter dated May 31, the court told the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents the victims, that the offences alleged in the survivor’s petition “do not appear to fall within the jurisdiction of the court.” The request from victims of clergy of sexual abuse was filed in September 2011 and targeted Pope Benedict XVI and other top Vatican officials, saying that they “tolerate...

The Perseverance of the Saints A sermon (No. 872) Delivered on Sunday Morning, MAY 23, 1869, by C.H.SPURGEON, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."- Philippians 1:6. THE dangers which attend the spiritual life are of the most appalling character. The life of a Christian is a series of miracles. See a spark living in mid ocean, see a stone hanging in the air, see health blooming in a leper colony, and the snow-white swan among rivers...

The news spread round the world like wildfire. And so did the picture of Pope Francis standing next to two of the beautiful Harley Davidson bikes given to him as a gift before the huge meeting of Harley Davidson fans who gathered in Rome to celebrate the motorcycle manufacturer’s 110th anniversary celebration. The Pope was presented with four Harley Davidsons and many wondered what Francis would do with them. It’s hard to imagine them being ridden across the Vatican gardens at sunset for example. Indeed, two of the bikes are going to be sold at auction and the proceeds given...

Isaiah 33:5 The LORD is exalted, for He dwelleth on high . . . 6 And the stability of thy times shall be the riches of salvation--wisdom and knowledge, and the fear of the LORD which is His treasure. . . Psalm 18:1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.

Which occurred first (in chronology)........and the reason you believe that? [Acts 10:14-28] ....or......[Galatians 2:12]?

June 18, 2013   Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 2 Cor 8:1-9 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, of the grace of Godthat has been given to the churches of Macedonia,for in a severe test of affliction,the abundance of their joy and their profound povertyoverflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.For according to their means, I can testify,and beyond their means, spontaneously,they begged us insistently for the favor of taking partin the service to the holy ones,and this, not as we expected,but they gave themselves first to the Lordand...

(Reuters) - Senior Roman Catholic and Lutheran officials announced on Monday they would mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 as a shared event rather than highlight the clash that split Western Christianity. The Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) presented a report in Geneva admitting both were guilty of harming Christian unity in the past and describing a growing consensus between the two churches in recent decades. The 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Theses, the doctrinal challenge that launched the Protestant Reformation, will be the first centenary celebration in the age of ecumenism, globalization and...

There is much debate and much concern today about redefining marriage. Where it hasn’t happened already, it seems very nearly inevitable that the definition will soon be expanded to include homosexual unions. And once marriage has been redefined away from the union of one man to one woman, it seems almost impossible not to see it also expand to include polygamous relationships. Already books and media and reality television are attempting to convince us of the goodness, normalcy and health of polygamy; this is just the advance guard the portends a coming all-out attack. Of course this is not the...

Mid East Prophecy Update - June 16th, 2013 Pastor JD talks about the prophecy concerning Israel and how it's yet another reason that Christ's return for His church is sooner than we may think.

The 2012 Israeli film “Fill the Void,� now being released in the U.S., is almost unique in being about haredi Jews and directed by a member of that sector. Haredi Jews are that sector of orthodox Jews who isolate themselves as much as possible from gentile, and indeed from all non-haredi society. The English term that is used is ultra orthodox but this, I think, is misleading. What distinguishes them from non-haredi orthodox Jews (known as modern orthodox) is not greater religious observance but the aforementioned isolationism. Put it this way, a modern orthodox Jew is more likely than a...

Patrick from the Corsica, France chapter of Harley-Davidson poses in front of St. Peter's Basilica on June 16, 2013. Lauren Cater/CNA. Vatican City, Jun 16, 2013 / 09:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Harley-Davidson owners flocked to St. Peter’s Square today for a chance to greet Pope Francis, and they came away struck by his friendliness and closeness to the people. “To be here and see the Pope is absolutely amazing. He’s so friendly, he’s just so friendly,� said Bob from the Lakeside, England chapter as he spoke to CNA June 16. His fellow Lakeside member Harry agreed. “He’s so friendly,...

June 17, 2017 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Hundreds of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square and down the main Roman street that leads to the Vatican Sunday to join Pope Francis in celebrating a Mass commemorating Pope John Paul II’s 1995 famous encyclical, the ‘Gospel of Life.’ Known by it’s Latin name ‘Evangelium Vitae’, the encyclical clearly enunciated the evil of abortion, with Pope John Paul II solemnly declaring: “Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, … I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave...

Deadly wildfires continue to ravage Colorado Springs and have thus far destroyed 473 homes making this wild fire the most destructive fire in Colorado's history. The images of these wild fires are apocalyptic and grips the imagination. It is in such times like these... while these images are fresh in the minds of Americans that we want to EXPONENTIALLY magnify this event and focus our attention to the very soon coming Day of the Lord (Rev. 6-19)! The first of the seven Trumpet judgments (which follow the Seal Judgments - Rev. 6) in the Day of the Lord is described...

For a Christian, Jesus is “all”, and this is the source of his or her benevolence. This was the focus of Pope Francis’s message during Mass on Monday morning at the Domus Sanctae Marthae. The Pope also affirmed that the righteousness of Jesus exceeds the righteousness of the scribes, that it is superior to the “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” kind of justice. Amongst those present at the Mass, which was concelebrated by Cardinal Attilio Nicora, was a group of collaborators of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority and a group of Vatican Museums collaborators accompanied by the Museum administrative...

How many times, in movies about intrigue, have you seen a scene in which a spy is given a secret, written in code, and which, the agent having deciphered it eats it? Well, maybe the answer is: not very many times in the Digital Age. But, trust me, it was common motif in its day.Now that sort of fact snack wasn’t particularly nutritious. But there is in Judeo-Christian literature stories – two in the Bible and others from tradition – of prophets and holy men being given words to eat by angels (or Our Lady), scrolls the consumption and...

Like flaming demons, Wallachians rushed out of the night and into the Turkish camp, striking terror in an army of terrorists. Leading the charge was a gore-spattered chieftain—hewing and hacking a path to the central tents where the Sultan huddled in fear. On he came, Vlad Dracul, raining down slaughter and raging for Mehmed’s blood.On June 17, 1462, outside Targoviste, Romania, the world was given a rare instance of how the good can be accomplished though the grotesque—for God can deploy His enemies as allies. Vlad Dracul III, Prince of Wallachia, can hardly be considered a warrior of faith; but...

My sons. Last week, I became a father for the second time. My wife presented me with another son. I imagine that the birth of a second child proves over time to be a unique experience. There may be no other moment in life which so profoundly demonstrates loveÂ’s abundance. When you have your first child, it feels like a pinnacle. How could you possibly love more than that? The prospect of a second child seems to the uninitiated to portend a division of that love between two objects, like the division of an estate between inheritors.I did not...

Featured Term (selected at random):DIVINE FRIENDSHIP The state of grace by which a person is loved by God, becomes an heir of heaven, and on reaching the age of discretion loves God by sincerely doing the divine will. The basis of divine friendship is a sharing in the divine nature bestowed by God. There is friendship because God's love of man is reciprocated by man's love of God. The theological virtue of charity, which is inseparably connected with the state of grace, enables the justified person to love God in return for the benevolent love of God. All items in...

Can’t we all just get along? That was the question that Southern Baptists, torn between Calvinists and non-Calvinists, seemed to be asking as they opened their two-day annual meeting in Houston. Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, created a 19-member advisory committee that produced a report in time for the meeting called “Truth, Trust and Testimony.”Southern Baptists have been divided over Calvinism since their denomination began in 1845, but Page said Monday (June 10) that disagreements had reached a tipping point. “The truth is, I see an anti-Calvinism now that frightens me; it’s a vitriol that...

The US President has made an alarming call for an end to Catholic education inNorthern Ireland in spite of the fact that Archbishop Gerhard Müller told Scots that Catholic education was 'a critical component of the Church.’ President Barack Obama(above), repeated the oft disproved claim that Catholic education increases division in front of an audience of 2000 young people, including many Catholics, at Belfast’s Waterfront hall when he arrived in the country this morning. “If towns remain divided—if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can’t see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Psalm 71 God the Rock of Salvation 1. In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. 2. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. 3. Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress. 4. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5....

Getting Quiet Today's Scripture “Be still, and know that I am God...” (Psalm 46:10, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria So many people today find themselves caught up in the day-to-day busyness of life, driven to do more in less time. It seems people constantly strive to find ways to cram more into their already overcrowded schedules. But at the same time, God is constantly inviting us to step away from the hectic pace of life and come to Him to find rest for our souls. He invites us to be still before Him, to get quiet so...

Beware of Criticizing Others "Judge not, that you be not judged" —Matthew 7:1 Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.� The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding....

Ralph Reed’s now annual Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington last week drew a surprisingly small audience of mostly Protestant evangelical political activists — but still attracted a bevy of Republican political stars. The audience of fewer than 400 was a fraction of the thousands who once thronged Pat Robertson’s annual Christian Coalition “Road to the White House” when it reigned as the premier event for rallying religious conservatives in the late 1980s and 1990s. Mr. Reed is a political consultant, one-time candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia and born-again Christian. Mr. Robertson, who was honored at an FFC...

June 17, 2013 Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 2 Cor 6:1-10 Brothers and sisters:As your fellow workers, we appeal to younot to receive the grace of God in vain.For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you,and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time;behold, now is the day of salvation.We cause no one to stumble in anything,in order that no fault may be found with our ministry;on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselvesas ministers of God, through much endurance,in afflictions, hardships, constraints,beatings, imprisonments,...

I am currently reading The Day Satan Called by Bill Scott.... somewhat interesting, but at this point (about a quarter into it) not very well-written or even believable. I'm interested in your opinions or suggestions for non-fictional accounts of demonic possession, Satanism, and the like -- I'm considering Malachi Martin's Hostages of the Devil. I'd also be interested in your thoughts on these topics as they relate to ouija boards, Enneagram charts, or even yoga, as well as any personal experiences you may have with said topics. I'm especially concerned with a Roman Catholic or Orthodox point of view but...

The Turks are marching, yelling, protesting, throwing bombs, burning cars, and destroying businesses as officials try to restore order. Istanbul’s center is burning. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reported that 89 police vehicles, 42 private cars, four buses and 94 businesses had been destroyed by the “vandalism” in two days. Protestors charge that the prime minister is moving the nation toward extreme Islam and many of the people don’t want to go there. The same is happening in America but no one is protesting! Do we want to go there? Erdogan is identified as a Muslim “moderate”; however, his own...

(Vatican Radio) Money, politics and economics must serve, not rule. They must serve people and promote an ethics of truth. This was the thread running through Pope Francis Letter to the British Prime Minister on the eve of the G8 Summit.The Holy Father's Letter was in response to one sent by David Cameron ahead of the Northern Ireland summit which gathers togther the leaders of the 8 most powerful nations in the world to the banks of Lough Erne. Listen: In his letter, Pope Francis praises the priorities on the agenda of the British G8 Presidency: the free international...