Free Republic

June 11, 2018 Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle Reading 1 Acts 11:21b-26; 12:1-3 In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.When he arrived and saw the grace of God,he rejoiced and encouraged them allto remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.And a large number of people was added to the Lord.Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,and when he had found...

June 6, 2018 Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of Godfor the promise of life in Christ Jesus,to Timothy, my dear child:grace, mercy, and peace from God the Fatherand Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God,whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. For this reason, I remind you to stir into flamethe gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God...

June 5, 2018 Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr Reading 1 2 Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18 Beloved:Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God,because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flamesand the elements melted by fire.But according to his promisewe await new heavens and a new earthin which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation. Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned,be on your guard not to be led into the error of...

June 2, 2018 Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Jude 17, 20b-25 Beloved, remember the words spoken beforehandby the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.Keep yourselves in the love of Godand wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christthat leads to eternal life.On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire;on others have mercy with fear,abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh. To the one who is able to keep you from stumblingand to...

June 1, 2018 Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr Reading 1 1 Pt 4:7-13 Beloved:The end of all things is at hand.Therefore be serious and sober-mindedso that you will be able to pray.Above all, let your love for one another be intense,because love covers a multitude of sins.Be hospitable to one another without complaining.As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one anotheras good stewards of God's varied grace.Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,so that in all things God may be glorified through...

May 26, 2018 Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest Reading 1 Jas 5:13-20 Beloved:Is anyone among you suffering?He should pray.Is anyone in good spirits?He should sing a song of praise. Is anyone among you sick?He should summon the presbyters of the Church,and they should pray over himand anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.The prayer of faith will save the sick person,and the Lord will raise him up.If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one anotherand pray for one another, that you may be healed.The fervent prayer of...

May 25, 2018 Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Jas 5:9-12 Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,that you may not be judged.Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered.You have heard of the perseverance of Job,and you have seen the purpose of the Lord,because the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear,either by heaven or by earth or...

May 22, 2018 Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Jas 4:1-10 Beloved:Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?You covet but do not possess.You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;you fight and wage war.You do not possess because you do not ask.You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,to spend it on your passions.Adulterers!Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of...

May 21, 2018 Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20 After Adam had eaten of the tree,the LORD God called to him and asked him, "Where are you?"He answered, "I heard you in the garden;but I was afraid, because I was naked,so I hid myself."Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?You have eaten, then,from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."The LORD God then...

May 18, 2018 Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 25:13b-21 King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesareaon a visit to Festus.Since they spent several days there,Festus referred Paul's case to the king, saying,"There is a man here left in custody by Felix.When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jewsbrought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.I answered them that it was not Roman practiceto hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusersand had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.So when they came together here,...

May 15, 2018 Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 20:17-27 From Miletus Paul had the presbytersof the Church at Ephesus summoned. When they came to him, he addressed them,"You know how I lived among youthe whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.I served the Lord with all humilityand with the tears and trials that came to mebecause of the plots of the Jews,and I did not at all shrink from telling youwhat was for your benefit,or from teaching you in public or in your homes.I earnestly bore witness for...

May 14, 2018 Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Reading 1 Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty personsin the one place).He said, “My brothers and sisters,the Scripture had to be fulfilledwhich the Holy Spirit spoke beforehandthrough the mouth of David, concerning Judas,who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.Judas was numbered among usand was allotted a share in this ministry.For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his encampment become desolate,and may no one dwell in it.and:May another take his...

May 12, 2018 Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 18:23-28 After staying in Antioch some time,Paul left and traveled in orderly sequencethrough the Galatian country and Phrygia,bringing strength to all the disciples. A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus.He was an authority on the Scriptures.He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and,with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,although he knew only the baptism of John.He began to speak boldly in the synagogue;but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,they took him asideand explained to him...

May 3, 2018 Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles Reading 1 1 Cor 15:1-8 I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,of the Gospel I preached to you,which you indeed received and in which you also stand.Through it you are also being saved,if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,unless you believed in vain.For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:that Christ died for our sinsin accordance with the Scriptures;that he was buried;that he was raised on the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures;that he appeared to Cephas, then to...

A Most Vivid Description of St. Athanasius Msgr. Charles Pope • May 1, 2018 • A couple of brief thoughts about St. Athanasius whose feast we celebrate today.I have served in African-American parishes for most of my priesthood and have often wondered why there don’t seem to be any black parishes named for this North-African saint. There are many named for Augustine and Cyprian, both of whom were likely of Berber stock despite hailing from northern Africa. Athanasius, on the other hand, while certainly not a sub-Saharan African, is described as having dark — even blackish — skin. Yet...

May 2, 2018 Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,"Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,you cannot be saved."Because there arose no little dissension and debateby Paul and Barnabas with them,it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the othersshould go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbytersabout this question. They were sent on their journey by the Church,and passed through Phoenicia and Samariatelling of the conversion of the Gentiles,and brought great joy to all the brethren.When...

Never Forget the Suffering it Took To Bring the Faith and the Gospel! Msgr. Charles Pope • April 30, 2018 • Beheading of Saint Paul, Lorenzo Monaco (1398-1400)Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells of the stoning of St. Paul. We do well to ponder the kinds of sufferings the Apostles endured to announce the Gospel and win souls for Christ. In the “softer” Church of the declining West, it is hard for us even to imagine such suffering. How many Catholics today can even bear to rouse themselves to get to an hour-long Mass on Sunday?...

May 1, 2018 Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 14:19-28 In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconiumarrived and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,supposing that he was dead.But when the disciples gathered around him,he got up and entered the city. On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that cityand made a considerable number of disciples,they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.They strengthened the spirits of the disciplesand exhorted them to persevere in...

April 30, 2018 Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 14:5-18 There was an attempt in Iconiumby both the Gentiles and the Jews,together with their leaders,to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.They realized it,and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbeand to the surrounding countryside,where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,saw that he had the faith to be healed,and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your...

April 28, 2018 Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 13:44-52 On the following sabbathalmost the whole citygathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousyand with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,but since you reject itand condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us,I have made you a light to the Gentiles,that you...