Free Republic

November 13, 2018 Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin Reading 1 Ti 2:1-8, 11-14 Beloved:You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine,namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified,self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance.Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior,not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train younger womento love their husbands and children,to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers,under the control of their husbands,so that the word of God may not be discredited. Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves,showing yourself as a model of good...

"He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). All who come to God in faith will receive the reward of eternal life. We've seen that without faith it's impossible to please God. And the first step in faith is believing that God exists. In addition, we must also believe that He answers our prayers—more specifically, that He redeems those who come to Him in faith. Scripture repeatedly tells us that God not only can be found, but also desires to be found. David said to...

“This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic” (James 3:15). True wisdom is from God; false wisdom is from the Devil. Wisdom that is bitterly jealous and self-centered is not “from above.” Such traits constitute a wisdom that doesn’t come from God, the source of true wisdom (cf. 1:5, 17). Human wisdom, rather than being from above, is “earthly” (3:15). It is limited to the sphere of time and space and marked by the curse of man’s own fallenness, which is characterized by pride and self-centeredness. Everything the world initiates in the way...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for our President and Vice President and for AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

November 12, 2018 Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr Reading 1 Ti 1:1-9 Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christfor the sake of the faith of God's chosen onesand the recognition of religious truth,in the hope of eternal life that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,who indeed at the proper time revealed his wordin the proclamation with which I was entrustedby the command of God our savior,to Titus, my true child in our common faith:grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior. For this reason I left you...

“If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth” (James 3:14). Humility is the hallmark of a wise person. James says that if a person has a self-centered motive for life, he should stop arrogantly boasting. He should stop claiming to possess true wisdom. Why? Because he is lying “against the truth.” In verse 13 James indicates that if a person claims to have God’s wisdom, he must show it. If I see you are motivated by self-centeredness and pride, you ought to stop your arrogant boasting about...

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is" (Hebrews 11:6). Nothing you do can please God apart from faith. Throughout history, people have tried everything imaginable to gain favor with God. Most turn to religion, but religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. Many trust in their own good works, not realizing that even their best efforts are offensive to God (Isa. 64:6; Phil. 3:8). And the more we try to justify ourselves, the more we offend God, because "by the works of the...

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). If all you do is listen to the main media stations, you are probably getting—probably—nothing. You need to get some alternate news. If you have a Google, just search a bunch of things because there is a bunch of stuff going on in the world today—and...

November 11, 2018 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Kgs 17:10-16 In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.As he arrived at the entrance of the city,a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink." She left to get it, and he called out after her,"Please bring along a bit of bread." She answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives,I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jarand a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a...

"Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24). Walking with God includes reconciliation, obedience from the heart, and ongoing faith. When Scripture speaks of walking with God, it's referring to one's manner of life. For example, Paul prayed that the Colossian believers (and us) would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so they could walk (live) in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:9-10). To the Ephesians he said, "Walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind . . . [but] be imitators of God, as...

“If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth” (James 3:14). A wise person lives for God and others, not for self. Having characterized spiritual wisdom in the preceding verse, James begins to analyze worldly wisdom in verse 14. Worldly wisdom is not of God. It has no relationship to Him, is not obedient to Him, and has no knowledge of His truth. What is the motive of someone who lives according to worldly wisdom? “Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.” The Greek word translated “bitter” also means “harsh”...

November 10, 2018 Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Phil 4:10-19 Brothers and sisters:I rejoice greatly in the Lordthat now at last you revived your concern for me.You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.Not that I say this because of need,for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself,to be self-sufficient.I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances;I know also how to live with abundance.In every circumstance and in all thingsI have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,of living in...

"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God" (Heb 11:5). When you walk by faith, you enjoy intimacy with God. Our second hero of faith is Enoch. Genesis 5:21-24 records that "Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch...

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). Knowing Christ makes the believer wiser than the world. Lawrence Toombs, in his 1955 article “O.T. Theology and the Wisdom Literature,” said, “Wisdom is to be found with God and nowhere else. And unless the quest for wisdom brings a man to his knees in awe and reverence, knowing his own helplessness to make himself wise, wisdom remains for him a closed book” (The Journal of Bible and Religion, 23:3 [July 1955], 195). It’s wonderful to have the book of God’s wisdom opened to us as believers....

The Little Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer ask to be relieved of their wishes ... On September 17, 2018, the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Religious, Bishop Braz de Aviz , wrote us an ultimatum: either we accept the Commissioner "without reserve", or we do not accept it, in which case the The law provides that we may be dismissed from the Institute: - After having acquired the moral certainty throughout this year that the reception of the apostolic commissioner within our Institute, would cause serious and certain harm, in the more or less long term, both...

November 9, 2018 Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome Reading 1 Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 The angel brought meback to the entrance of the temple,and I saw water flowing outfrom beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,for the façade of the temple was toward the east;the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple,south of the altar.He led me outside by the north gate,and around to the outer gate facing the east,where I saw water trickling from the southern side.He said to me,"This water flows into the eastern district down upon...

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Psalm 111:10). Saving faith is obedient faith. The wisdom of God resulting from the fear of the Lord leads to obedience. When we fear the Lord, we submit to His wisdom and commit ourselves to keeping His commandments. In the New Testament Jesus said the same thing: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). We aren’t always as obedient as we ought to be, but the pattern of our lives turns from disobedience to a submissive...

"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...

Jesuits Against Focolarini. The Beatification of Chiara Lubich in Doubt Ever since the head of the Vatican congregation for the causes of saints has been Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, a focolarino from way back,  the opinion has been growing that the beatification of Chiara Lubich, who was the founder of the Focolare movement and its head until her death in 2008, will soon become a reality.Or maybe not. Because the opponents of her beatification are not to be underestimated. And they have in the Society of Jesus, the same one to which Pope Francis belongs, their leading personalities, among them...

November 8, 2018 Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Phil 3:3-8a Brothers and sisters:We are the circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God,who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh,although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I. Circumcised on the eighth day,of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage,in observance of the law a Pharisee,in zeal I persecuted the Church,in righteousness based on the...