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He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. (Psalm 104:5-9)

The CEO of Hobby Lobby has penned a tragic letter about the loss of religious freedom and liberty in America. The Christian crafts company has been forced by the Obama administration to pay for drugs for its employees in their health care plan that may cause abortions. Doing so violates the religious freedom of the founders and owners of Hobby Lobby, but the firm has, so far, been unsuccessful in getting courts to give it an exemption while its lawsuit against the HHS mandate continues. Tens of thousands of Americans have committed to support the Christian crafts store Hobby Lobby...

Damascus, Syria, Jan 4, 2013 / 02:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Fighting in Syria continues to put pressure on the minority Christian population, leading to fears that more Syrians will join the many Christians who have already left the Middle East. Journalist Nasir Habish told Vatican Radio that Syria’s Christians are among those most affected by the conflict between rebel and government forces. “The Syrian situation, right now, is very difficult, and I think in the future will be more difficult,” Habish said. “And I think the war will continue.” He said Christians are “running away from Syria right now,” with...

Coptic Christians will celebrate Christmas on Monday, and many will do so outside their native Egypt. Since the revolution there, their future in the country has looked uncertain, and many are resettling in the United States. Their population in the U.S. may have grown by nearly 30 percent, according to rough estimates. One church that has felt its membership swell with new arrivals from Egypt is in the Queens borough of New York. St. Mary and St. Antonios Coptic Orthodox Church boasts more than 1,000 members, according to Father Michael Sorial. Egyptian Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas Nativity Liturgy, the start...

The very first newspaper op-ed article I ever published, way back in 1984, was about All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, which has long had a reputation as a leading “progressive” parish. I wrote about attending a meeting where a group of parishioners were reporting back on a recent visit to the newest workers’ paradise, Nic . . .—now just wait for it!!—yes, indeed, it was Nicaragua (or “KNEE-car-AHHH-gua,” if you’re really au courant). Since this article was published in the pre-Internet age, I can’t link to it, so here’s the lede from my hard-copy archive:

Featured Term (selected at random):INTER OECUMENICI Instruction of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on the proper application of the Second Vatican Council's constitution on the liturgy. Ninety-nine areas of liturgical life and practice are given directives and specific norms (September 26, 1964). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Test #1 of Series: 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Test #1 - Do you enjoy Fellowship with God and Christ? Is It Real? 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation by John MacArthur - 11 Questions to help one see if they are Biblically Saved. Helps to Examine Their Faith with God's Word (2 Cor 13:5) to see if one is Biblically Saved. How Can I Know I Am Saved 2 Cor 13:5 (NASB) "TEST YOURSELVES to see if you are IN the FAITH; EXAMINE YOURSELVES! Or do you NOT recognize this about yourselves, that JESUS CHRIST is in you—unless...

The Life of Power to Follow "Jesus answered him, ’Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward’" —John 13:36 “And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me’ ” (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem A New Journey…The Names of God in The Scriptures Holy One Of IsraelIsaiah 49: Thus says the LORD, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the LORD who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You."

The 77-year-old Muslim cleric as an evil man who spewed hateful words about his adopted country and funneled at least $50,000 to support the Pakistani Taliban terrorist organization...His goal, to help arm the Taliban militants ...

January 5, 2013 Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop   Reading 1 1 Jn 3:11-21 Beloved:This is the message you have heard from the beginning:we should love one another,unlike Cain who belonged to the Evil Oneand slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil,and those of his brother righteous. Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to lifebecause we love our brothers.Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,and you know that no murderer...

Every once in a while, someone of note questions or denies the classic Christian belief of a literal hell with eternal, conscious suffering. Then a debate rages and becomes personal between representatives of various perspectives on the issue... Hell is real and terrible. It is eternal. There is no possibility of amnesty or reprieve. Daniel says that some of the dead will be resurrected “to shame and everlasting contempt.” Jesus says, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment.” Paul tells...

A court in Antwerp, Belgium has ordered a Jewish Orthodox school for girls to admit the sons of an Orthodox Jewish man who is radically anti-Zionist. The Belgian judge gave the “Bnos Yerushalayim” school five days to admit Moshe Aryeh Friedman’s two sons, 11-year-old Yaakov and seven-year-old Yosef, reports Ynet, a popular Israeli news website. The school, which is expected to appeal the ruling, had argued that Orthodox Judaism requires boys and girls to be educated separately. It also noted that the building has no restrooms for males. The judge discounted these objections. If the school doesn’t comply, it will...

Lawrence O'Donnell ROME, January 3, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Readers may be surprised to hear that Jesus Christ was the first socialist; every word of every article in the Vatican newspaper is “virtually dictated” personally by Pope Benedict; every country in Europe – indeed in the whole world – is socialist; the Catholic Church “thrives” under socialist regimes; and Fidel Castro’s mass murdering regime is on a moral par with the Catholic Church because they both allegedly want to “eradicate” homosexuals. All of these assertions have come from the mouth of MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who recorded a strange and confused 3.5...

When I was a young man, a teenager really, I did the usual crazy stuff of the early, 70s, long hair, bell bottoms, wide ties, crazy plaids, shirt open at least least three buttons, and of course, rock-n-roll.But, through it all I had this love for older things. I think it had something to do with my Grandmother, Nana, whom I loved with great affection. Often she lamented the loss of the old things and old ways. She missed the Latin Mass, she missed when manners were better, when people remembered how to dress well, when things were more certain,...

Gay clergy in civil partnerships will be allowed to become bishops if they are sexually abstinent, according to new policyThe Church of England has agreed that gay clergy in civil partnerships can become bishops so long as they remain sexually abstinent, a decision that looks set to reopen one of the church's most bitter internal debates. The decision was taken in mid-December by the House of Bishops, the section of the General Synod which is responsible for church teaching. A summary of the meeting was placed on the church's website on 20 December but the change to policy was buried...

This address was delivered by the late Dr. Schaeffer in 1982 at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is based on one of his books, which bears the same title. [Part 1 of 14] Christians, in the last 80 years or so, have only been seeing things as bits and pieces which have gradually begun to trouble them and others, instead of understanding that they are the natural outcome of a change from a Christian World View to a Humanistic one; things such as overpermissiveness, pornography, the problem of the public schools, the breakdown of the family,...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Psalm 127:1 (KJV) ----

Featured Term (selected at random):PREFACE The act of thanksgiving, which begins the Eucharistic liturgy. By it the priest, in the name of all the people of God, offers praise and gratitude to God the Father for the whole work of redemption or for some special benefits commemorated in the liturgy. (Etym. Latin praefatio, preface, prologue; literally, a saying beforehand.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission

Wise Men Continually Seek Him Today's Scripture “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria After Jesus was born, the Bible tells us that Wise Men came from the East to bow before Him and worship Him. They went to great lengths just to get a glimpse of the child and traveled a long distance for many months, following the star. When they saw Him, they were so overwhelmed. The scripture says they fell on their faces to honor and...