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"Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. And Abel . . . brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard" (Gen. 4:3-5). True discipleship is characterized by obedience to God’s Word. In John 8:31 Jesus issued an important statement to a group of people who were showing an interest in Him: "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine." Sadly, they rejected His...

Sober but Serene Themes of Judgment in the Spirituals Msgr. Charles Pope • November 7, 2018 • Julia Eckel, Smithsonian American Art MuseumI’ve often been impressed by the ability of old African-American spirituals to treat serious subjects in a clear, memorable, and almost joyful way. This is true even of weighty matters like sin and judgment. During early November we are focused on the four last things (death, judgment, Heaven, and hell) and November is also Black Catholic History Month. So, this seems like a good time to look at some of the creative lines from different spirituals that...

Franciscan Media Image: San Diego (Didacus) de Alcalá | Francisco de Zurbarán Saint Didacus Saint of the Day for November 7 (c. 1400 – November 12, 1463)  Saint Didacus’ Story Didacus is living proof that God “chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He...

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 7, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Vatican consultant and homosexual activist priest Fr. James Martin stated at a recent conference that Pope Francis has gone out of his way to appoint “gay-friendly” bishops and cardinals in the Catholic Church. Speaking at the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice 2018 in Washington D.C. on Saturday evening, the Jesuit priest and America magazine editor-at-large told students that “things are changing” in the Church regarding homosexuality under Francis’ watch. “...Just look at what has happened in the last five years--since Pope Francis has been elected,” he said. “First of all, Pope Francis’s comments...

A Valuable New Book Sets Forth the Gift of the Priestly Blessing Msgr. Charles Pope • November 6, 2018 • Fr. Robert Kilner gives first blessings (J. Lippelmann 2017)For priests, there is probably no request more common than this one: “Father, will you bless this?” Dozens of times per week we’re requested to bless a new rosary, statue or other religious article, or even a new car or home. We also get more personal requests: “Father, may I have your blessing?” Even in these secular times many of the unchurched and lukewarm still instinctively seek our blessings and prayers...

Enough with all the globe-trotting… Francis cracks down on “Bp.” Athanasius Schneider, orders him to reduce his traveling abroad We all know that “Pope” Francis is a big friend of migration, but even he has his limits when it comes to tolerating persistent moving about. The expert Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti reports on his blog today that “Bishop” Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary of the diocese of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan, has “received a verbal [i.e. oral] injunction from the Vatican asking him to reduce the frequency of his trips abroad” (“Il Papa Impone ‘i Domiciliari’ al Vescovo Athanasius Schneider”, Stilum...

"By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain" (Heb 11:4). True worship requires coming to God on His terms. At the heart of every false religion is the notion that man can come to God by any means he chooses—by meditating, doing good deeds, and so on. But Scripture says, "There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, and we come to Him by confessing and repenting of our sin, trusting in His atoning death on the cross, and...

“‘“The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom”’” (Job 28:28). Being wise begins with knowing God. The fear of the Lord is the most basic idea related to wisdom and is the key to understanding it. The Book of Proverbs especially teaches us that the fear of the Lord is inextricably linked to wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). Knowledge, wisdom, instruction, and understanding are often used as synonyms in Proverbs. The link between fear of the Lord and wisdom is also evident in Proverbs 9:10: “The fear...

"By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks" (Heb 11:4). The character of your life will determine the legacy you leave to others. Bible scholar James Moffatt wrote, "Death is never the last word in the life of a . . . man. When a man leaves this world, be he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer...

“‘Where can wisdom be found?’” (Job 28:12). Wisdom is found in a Person, not a place. In ancient days men would drill a shaft deep into a mountain or the ground, suspend themselves with a rope, and hang in the shaft while they tried to find some metal or precious stone to mine. In the Old Testament Job described the process this way: “He [man] sinks a shaft far from habitation, forgotten by the foot; they hang and swing to and fro far from men” (Job 28:4). The miner searched far below the earth’s surface for “anything precious” (v. 10)....

The Road to Hell Is Paved with Indifference Msgr. Charles Pope • November 5, 2018 • The Gospel for Tuesday of the 31st Week features the Lucan version of the parable about a man who gave a banquet. (In the Matthew version, Jesus refers to him as a king and I will refer to him that way in this post.) When all was ready, the servants were sent out to fetch the invited guests, many of whom made excuses:The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me...

Franciscan Media Image: Altar of Saint Nikola Tavelić in church of St. Francis of Assisi, Šibenik, Croatia | photo by ignot Saint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions Saint of the Day for November 6 (1340 – November 14, 1391) https://wp.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODNov06.mp3 Saint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions’ Story Nicholas and his three companions are among the 158 Franciscans who have been martyred in the Holy Land since the friars became custodians of the shrines in 1335.Nicholas was born in 1340 to a wealthy and noble family in Croatia. He joined the Franciscans, and was sent with Deodat of Rodez to preach in Bosnia....

Franciscan Media Image: Saint Peter Chrysologus | it.wikipedia.org Saint Peter Chrysologus Saint of the Day for November 5 (c. 406 – c. 450)  Saint Peter Chrysologus’ Story A man who vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter ” of the Golden Words,” as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the empire in the West.At the time there were abuses and vestiges of paganism evident in his diocese, and these Peter was determined to battle and overcome. His principal...

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." God’s greatest truths are discovered by simple faith. As a man or woman of faith, you have insights into life that unbelievers can't know. You know how the physical universe began, where it is heading, and how it will end. You know Who governs the universe and how you fit into the total scheme of things. You know why you exist and how to invest your life in matters of eternal consequence....

“Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Living life apart from God is futile. The Book of Ecclesiastes is greatly misunderstood. It is a difficult book to read simply because it is hard to understand. Everything in it appears wrong and as if it doesn’t fit with the rest of Scripture. But it is part of the Old Testament wisdom literature because it is a statement of human wisdom. Ecclesiastes tells us how man perceives his world, God, and the realities of life. Most scholars believe Ecclesiastes was penned by Solomon. They debate whether he wrote it before he...

St Charles Borromeo – A Model for Clergy in Troubled Times Msgr. Charles Pope • November 4, 2018 • St. Charles Borromeo, by Orazio BorgianniSunday was the feast day of my patron saint, Charles Borromeo. The times in which he lived were not so different from the current ones, and leadership like his is sorely needed today. Although I am not a bishop as he was, I am a pastor. I pray that in some small way I may be like him.St. Charles Borromeo was born in 1538, a time when the Church was in the midst of perhaps...

Franciscan Media Image: San Carlo Borromeo, cardinal of Milan | Wellcome Images Saint Charles Borromeo Saint of the Day for November 4 (October 2, 1538 – November 3, 1584)  Saint Charles Borromeo’s Story The name of Charles Borromeo is associated with reform. He lived during the time of the Protestant Reformation, and had a hand in the reform of the whole Church during the final years of the Council of Trent.Although he belonged to the Milanese nobility and was related to the powerful Medici family, Charles desired to devote himself to the Church. In 1559, when his uncle, Cardinal...

"By [faith] the men of old gained approval" (Heb. 11:2). God makes His approval known to those who trust in Him. The book Catch-22 tells of a squadron of World War II fliers stationed on the fictitious island of Pianos in the Mediterranean. Before a flier could transfer off the island, he had to complete 25 extremely dangerous missions over southern Europe. One flier, Yosarian, was especially anxious to leave. After completing his twenty-fifth mission, his commanding officer began raising the number of qualifying missions. Insanity became the only justification for a transfer. But the commander decided that whomever feigned...

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” (James 3:13). Wisdom teaches us how to handle adversity. In his wonderful commentary on the book of James, Robert Johnstone wrote the following about meekness: That “the meek” should “inherit the earth”—that they bear wrongs, and exemplify the love which “seeketh not her own”—to a world that believes in high-handedness and self-assertion, and pushing the weakest to the wall, a statement like this of the Lord from Heaven cannot but appear an utter paradox. The man of the world...

The Whole Law, Standing on One Foot – A Homily for the 31st Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • November 3, 2018 • Pharisees Question Jesus, by J. Tissot (1886-94)Hillel the Elder, sometimes referred to as Rabbi Hillel, was a Jewish religious leader who lived shortly before Jesus’ time. There is a famous story told of him in which he was challenged by a potential convert to teach him the entire Torah while “standing on one foot.” In other words, can you distill the essence and present it succinctly?That same theme may be behind the question that...