Pentecost Sunday: “Let us look at the Church with the eyes of the Spirit and not as the world does”

Pope Francis Asks Catholics to See Church with ‘Eyes of the Spirit’: Pope Francis urged Catholics to view the Church “with the eyes of the Spirit” as he celebrated Pentecost Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In his homily May 31, he cautioned against seeing the Church in worldly terms.

He said: “The Spirit comes to us, in our differences and difficulties, to tell us that we have one Lord -- Jesus -- and one Father, and that for this reason we are brothers and sisters.”

Chief Justice John Roberts sides with Democrat-appointed justices as Supreme Court backs California coronavirus limits on churches

Ahead of Pentecost, Supreme Court Backs California COVID Limits on Churches: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of California’s limits on the number of people who may attend a church service, in a decision that saw justices debating whether religious services were being treated more strictly than similar gatherings under restrictions aimed to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Chief Justice John Roberts, a President George W. Bush appointee, joined four Democrat-appointed justices in the 5-4 majority Friday...

I have come to cast a fire on the earth — A homily for Pentecost Sunday

I Have Come to Cast A Fire on the Earth - A Homily for Pentecost Sunday - Community in MissionPOPE: What a wondrous and challenging feast we celebrate at Pentecost! A feast like this challenges us because it puts to the lie a lazy, sleepy, hidden, and tepid Christian life. The Lord Jesus said to the apostles, I have come to cast a fire on the earth. This is a feast about fire, a transformative, refining, purifying fire that the Lord wants to kindle in us. It is a necessary fire, for as the Lord first judged the world by fire...

Explaining the Vatican’s lingering ambivalence on “zero tolerance” for sex abuse

Explaining the Vatican's lingering ambivalence on "zero tolerance"ALLEN: “Zero tolerance” for sexual abuse has become one of those notoriously elastic phrases, such as “change,” “hope” and “progress,” which everyone claims to be for but no one seems to define in exactly the same way. In American Catholic parlance, however, the term “zero tolerance” does have a fairly precise meaning, derived from the US bishops’ 2002 Dallas charter and norms...

Pope Francis asks Mary to intercede for end to pandemic during Rosary with world’s shrines

Pope Francis asks Mary to intercede for end to pandemic during rosary with world’s shrines: Pope Francis asked the Virgin Mary to intercede for an end to “this terrible pandemic” as he recited the rosary with Marian shrines worldwide via videolink May 30. The pope was joined Saturday by 50 shrines in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa as he implored God’s help amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 365,000 lives so far.

The inevitable long, hot summer: Sooner or later, masks will have to come off...

The inevitable long, hot summerMATTHEWWALTHER: Another indelible image. Or rather a series of them: night fires, masked faces running in and out of burned storefronts, a wheelchair overturned; the burned uniforms, the white teenagers in parodies of revolutionary attire photographing themselves, the journalists arrested; and, simultaneously at the edge and the center of memory, a vivid nightmare: the snuff film of a man held down by the most grimly appropriate choice of appendage until he could breathe only with difficulty and then not at all...

No Mass and Communion? Let faith trump feelings...

No Mass and Communion? Let faith trump feelings. | Catholic CultureMIRUS: During this period of not being able to attend Mass—a period which is now ending ever so slowly in most of the United States—I’ve reflected frequently on this question: What discernible impact is the absence of public Masses having on me? I presume each moderately serious Catholic has reflected on the same personal question. Here are ten possible answers...

Why this Pentecost calls for a different kind of reopening

Why this Pentecost calls for a different kind of reopening | Angelus NewsLOPEZ: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.” It’s a line we proclaim during the Nicene Creed, a prayer that is still very much a part of Mass whether online or with social distancing measures, in 2020. Don’t we need life, and don’t we need the presence of its Giver more than ever right now? So many of us have experienced an abrupt change in our lives...

The oldest church in America took its time getting to Marquette University

Oldest church in America took its time getting to Marquette UniversityWHITE: 100 years ago this month Joan of Arc was declared a saint by Pope Benedict XV, and although she may be remembered as patron of France, part of her elaborate legacy has found a home on the campus of an American Catholic university. In the central mall of Marquette University sits the Saint Joan of Arc Chapel, which the Jesuit institution likes to boast is the “oldest structure in the western hemisphere still being used for its original purpose,” effectively making it the oldest chapel in the United States.

This is a news story: Shuttered churches fuel death of Catholic newspapers during pandemic

This is a news story: Shuttered churches fuel death of Catholic newspapers during pandemic — GetReligionLISI: When it comes to religious media, there is nothing like the Catholic press. Spanning the doctrinal spectrum, there are 600 Catholic-based news websites and newspapers in the United States and Canada alone. In the past few years, the diversity of the Catholic press has provided a wealth of information and insights to readers and to mainstream journalists. Like secular news outlets, Catholic media also face financial hardships created by the pandemic.

Kendra Clark, a Catholic convert from Mormonism, describes her journey

Respect Life Radio Podcast - Kendra Clark: A Catholic convert from Mormonism describes her journey | Free Listening on Podbean App: "I did know that if I continued to just look at the cross and pray to Jesus and kind of fundamentally get my feet back on the ground — and using the Holy Bible, and the Bible only for my references and my truth — that I would be led to where I was supposed to be," said Kendra Clark. She is interviewed by Deacon Geoff Bennett, the host of Respect Life Radio, who introduces her as "a wife, a mother of four and convert to the Catholic faith after spending 40 years in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..."

Unraveling the complicated life of Norma McCorvey

Unraveling the Complicated Life of Norma McCorveyGREYDANUS: “Her whole life was an attempt to tell her real story. That never really happened. I hope it can posthumously.” So laments Protestant minister Rob Schenck, a onetime pro-life leader with Operation Rescue and one of three pastors who co-officiated the 2017 funeral of Norma McCorvey, along with his former colleague Flip Benham, who baptized McCorvey in a swimming pool in 1995, and Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, who received her into the Catholic Church in 1998.

‘Racism is not a thing of the past’ – US bishops respond to George Floyd killing

‘Racism is not a thing of the past’ – US bishops respond to George Floyd killing: Leaders of the U.S. bishops’ conference responded to the killing of an African American man in Minneapolis this week by stressing that the fight to eradicate racism is a pro-life issue.

After death of George Floyd, Minnesota Catholics pray for justice

After death of George Floyd, Minnesota Catholics pray for justiceJDFLYNN: While rioters and looters took to the streets and parts of Minneapolis burned, some Minnesota Catholics called for justice and unity after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a police officer on Monday. “I am saddened. I am sickened. I am angered. And I am tired. I am tired of such things happening again and again...

Hong Kong Catholics are right to fear Beijing’s henchmen

Hong Kong Catholics are right to fear Beijing's henchmen - UCA News: It’s a strange quirk of history that the Diocese of Hong Kong is part of the Archdiocese of Guangzhou. That technically gives the archbishop of a diocese in the People’s Republic of China control over the diocese of the special administrative region where different legal rules apply.

Why the height of Mount Everest may change soon

Why the Height of Mount Everest May Change Soon | Outside Online: A group of eight researchers from China finally summited Mount Everest on Wednesday, May 27. One of only two climbing teams on the mountain this year, they were there for a very specific purpose—to take the most accurate measurement to date of the world’s tallest point.

A guide to celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation outside the Easter Vigil

A Guide to Celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation Outside the Easter Vigil - Adoremus BulletinPRIEST: “Look, here is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” So said the Ethiopian Eunuch traveling with Philip (Acts 8:36). In these times of the coronavirus (COVID-19), most dioceses in the United States did not celebrate the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. Some dioceses are celebrating them at the Extended Form of the Vigil of Pentecost. For others, however, the sacraments of initiation...

Head back to Mass prepared to unmask your heart and sanitize your soul

Head Back to Mass Prepared to Unmask Your Heart and Sanitize Your Soul - Adoremus BulletinCARSTENS: As states loosen restrictions on public gatherings and dioceses do the same for public Masses, Catholics will be returning to Sunday Mass, most of them after weeks of finding alternative ways to live the Lord’s Day. Their return should, by all accounts, be a cause of great joy: the liturgy, the source and summit of the faith, will once again stand at the center of their lives. On the other hand, Catholics will encounter enough safety restrictions that their liturgical encounter with Christ may not be as satisfying as it could be...

Coronavirus on the edge of a grimpen, where there is no secure foothold

On Covid and the Grimpen - Crisis MagazineLONGENECKER: The pandemic has suddenly thrown our affluent and seemingly secure and safe lives into a tailspin. In fact, the security and certainty was always an illusion, and in East Coker T.S. Eliot ponders life’s shifting uncertainty. The line that always catches my imagination is, “On the edge of a grimpen, where there is no secure foothold.” Eliot liked word games, and the very strangeness of the word “grimpen” served his purpose. The word is not in the dictionary. We may not know what a grimpen is, but we suspect it is the endless bog, the slough of despond, the windswept moor with hidden pits of tar, or the jungle swamp ambushed with quicksand.

“Unorthodox” and the modern myth of origins

“Unorthodox” and the Modern Myth of Origins - Word on FireBARRON: Unorthodox, a mini-series that debuted on Netflix a few weeks ago, is the story of a young woman who escapes from her oppressive Hasidic community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and finds freedom with a group of welcoming friends in Berlin. I offer this description with tongue pretty firmly in cheek, because, though it represents a fairly accurate summary of the narrative, it also hints at the oversimplification that makes this admittedly compelling and well-acted drama more than a little problematic.

Vatican orders founder Enzo Bianchi to leave ecumenical Bose community

Vatican orders founder Enzo Bianchi to leave ecumenical Bose community: The Vatican has ordered the prominent Italian Catholic layman Enzo Bianchi to leave the monastery he founded in 1965. The Holy See made the ruling in a decree dated May 13, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and approved by Pope Francis, following an apostolic visitation.

What role has prayer played in driving down COVID-19 deaths?

What Role Has Prayer Played in Driving Down COVID-19 Deaths? - Community in MissionPOPE: What do you think? The graph shows a steady drop the day following Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi Eucharistic Blessing. Is it a coincidence? Is it the result of prayer? Surely the drop was also fostered by human activities such as staying at home, the shuttering of many businesses, and the cessation of certain activities. However, these mitigations were going on before the Pope’s blessing as well.

“The smallest Catholic church in 49 States” is in West Virginia

“The smallest Catholic church in 49 States” is in West Virginia: West Virginia is known by many for its stunning scenery immortalized in John Denver’s song “Country Roads.” But perhaps not many Catholics know that the southern state is home to what is considered “the smallest Catholic church of the 49 states.” Measuring 12 24 feet, the Lady of The Pines Catholic Church is found in Silver Lake, an unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia...

The incredible story of the U.S. Army’s earth-shaking, off-road land trains

The Incredible Story of the US Army's Earth-Shaking, Off-Road Land Trains - The Drive: You need to get 500 tons of supplies from Fairbanks, Alaska to the Arctic Ocean—a journey of about 400 miles through pure wilderness. There are no roads, very few airstrips, and endless ice. You're going to have to withstand minus 68 degree temperatures. Also, nuclear armageddon is on the menu if you're not quick about it.

Galileo, the Catholic Church, and the impact on science

Galileo, the Catholic Church, and the Impact on Science - Magis CenterCLARK: Four hundred years after the trial, the mere mention of the name “Galileo” is often considered a powerful one-word refutation against the Catholic Church. Why? Because, according to the popular telling of the “Galileo Affair,” it was Galileo who: 1) proved heliocentrism, despite a Church that officially declared heliocentrism to be a heresy; 2) was tortured and martyred by the Church, and; 3) discovered that Scripture—and by extension, the Catholic Church—was a fraud.

The pastoral costs of the lockdown will, I fear, be enormous. But our Lord can bring good out of any evil...

After the lockdown, a great Catholic revival? | Catholic CultureLAWLER: This morning, in an effort to shift my thoughts away from the epidemic and the lockdown, I thought I’d look back a few months, to remember what I was writing before this unhappy subject began to dominate our consciousness. I came across a column I’d written in February, “Want a Liturgical Renewal? Start with Repentance.” Immediately my mind flashed back to an excellent column that I had read just a few minutes earlier...

Pope Gregory the Great in the time of plague

Pope Gregory the Great in the Time of Plague - The Coming Home NetworkSTEENSON: Gregory the Great was indisputably amongst the greatest popes to lead the Church, and he did so as his world was crumbling around him. The Roman Empire in the West had fallen, the infrastructure of Rome lay in ruins, the Tiber was constantly flooding, and famine and the bubonic plague were decimating a population already in steep decline. And the plague had just taken the life of Pope Pelagius II in February of 590.

Till we have faces

Till We Have Faces | Classical Catholic EducationLANGLEY: I miss the human face, don’t you? Isn’t it interesting how that is? Did you think you would ever miss the human face? Who would ever have guessed it? What is about the face that is so important? I suppose it’s the mouth and the cheeks and the chin. It really is difficult to communicate with other people who do not have a mouth or cheeks or a chin. What is it exactly? Obviously, it is difficult to communicate with someone who has no mouth or an obstructed mouth.

Bishop Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, submits resignation after his leukemia returns

After leukemia returns, Bishop Murry of Youngstown resigns: Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio has submitted his resignation to Pope Francis, due to a recurrence of leukemia, the diocese has announced. The bishop is 71 years old, four years younger than standard retirement age for bishops.

Working by hand helps us reconnect with our humanity

Working by Hand: Reconnecting with Our Humanity | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: We have lost something today, but we can get it back. Our very humanity calls for living and working in our bodies, with natural things, regularly. This means all of us. We have been separated from our own humanity, from our proper homeland, and we are suffering, even if we have never known anything else.

I say we can ‘get it back’—not because we ourselves have necessarily had it before, but because it is our birthright. Our own ancestors had it; we need it; and we can still do it, even if differently, and by fits and starts.

Holy water and Super Soakers don’t mix, priests say

Holy water and Super Soakers don't mix, priests say: After photos appearing to depict blessings or baptisms by water gun went viral online, several priests cautioned that Catholics should take care to treat sacred objects and rites with a proper sense of reverence. “Putting holy water into a squirt gun and treating it as if it were a comedy sketch on SNL is treating both the sacrament and the blessed water unworthily,” said Fr. Pius Pietrzyk, assistant professor of canon law at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California.

Extraordinary evangelization in extraordinary times

Extraordinary evangelization in extraordinary times - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: I’d heard about Father Alexander Sherbrooke long before we met in June 2011; Father Sherbrooke had been a mentor for young friends of mine who had worked at St. Patrick’s Church in London as pastoral assistants and catechists. When we finally got to know each other in person, I had that wonderful experience of knowing, almost instantly, that here was someone on whose friendship I could rely as spiritual ballast.

The need for God’s fire and water in our lives

The Need for God’s Fire and Water in Our Lives - Community in MissionPOPE: A few weeks ago we considered the words of Gaudentius of Brescia, who pondered the image of bread as a symbol for the Church. Like individual grains of wheat, we are brought together by water (baptism), but flour and water are not truly bread until they are baked in fire (the Holy Spirit). Last week in the Breviary, another Church Father, Didymus of Alexandria, combined the images of fire and water, comparing the Church to a vessel of clay...

Father McGivney died amid a 19th-century pandemic that may have been caused by a coronavirus

American priest heading for beatification died amid a global pandemic: Fr. Michael McGivney, an American priest soon to be beatified, died amid a 19th-century pandemic which may have been caused by a coronavirus. Fr. McGivney founded the largest world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization, the Knights of Columbus, in 1882. Today the order formed in his parish basement in New Haven, Connecticut, has grown to more than two million members donating millions to charity each year.

Knights of Columbus founder Father Michael McGivney to be beatified

Knights of Columbus Founder Fr. Michael McGivney to be Beatified: Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Fr. Michael J. McGivney Wednesday, paving the way for the beatification of the founder of the Knights of Columbus.

During a May 26 meeting with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope authorized the congregation to issue a decree recognizing the miracle.

Fr. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. Today it is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization, with nearly two million members in more than a dozen countries.

Pope Francis held aloft the Blessed Sacrament at his extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing on March 27 — and Italy’s COVID-19 death rate has been dropping ever since

Did Pope Francis' Prayers Stop the Worst of COVID19 In Italy? |: Recent data for COVID19 in Italy shows a drop in new daily cases and deaths after Pope Francis prayed for the world during his Urbi et Orbi Eucharistic blessing on March 27.

Italy took extreme measures throughout the past couple of months to prevent the spread of COVID19. The country enforced a two-month lockdown, which suspended public Masses, closed schools, restaurants, shops, etc. The government recently eased the restrictions on May 18.

Is Allah a different God than the biblical God?

Is Allah a Different God Than the Biblical God? | Church Life Journal | University of Notre DameREYNOLDS: Islam is on the rise in the United States. According to a 2017 Pew Study, the Muslim American population is “growing rapidly” through a combination of immigration, conversion, and a high fertility rate. The growth of Islam in America means that Christians are interacting with Muslims more than ever before. How are Christians responding? The media often suggests that American Christians, especially Evangelicals, have turned Islamophobic, but...

COVID-19 has made it clearer than ever: Bishops, priests and deacons need better homily and social media training

Wanted: Better Homily and Communications Training for PriestsGRONDELSKI: The episcopal shutdown of public celebration of the Mass in the United States has put focus on what might be called “palliative pastoral care” to address the faithful’s inaccessibility to the source and summit of the Christian life. One of the ways in which that care has been offered is through online Mass, whether live-streamed or recorded. Many bishops have recommended that Catholics avail themselves of those online opportunities...

How St. Philip Neri discerned God’s will — no scrupulous anxiety, no paralysis

Discerning God’s Will: Homily for St. Philip NeriGREYDANUS: In these days between the two great solemnities of the Ascension and Pentecost, the Church holds its breath in anticipation—an anticipation greater than any except Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil. What we look forward to is the great gift of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the Church as we know it. The sacraments, the priesthood, the apostolic succession of bishops, the papacy, the magisterial teaching authority, the preservation of sacred tradition — all this depends on the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Meet the contemplative Carmelite nuns known in London as ‘the heavy artillery’

Meet the Contemplatives Known as ‘the Heavy Artillery’TURLEY: There is a community of enclosed Carmelite nuns who are gaining a reputation in London.

The community, the Carmelite Sisters in Tangiers, lives in Morocco, however, many miles from the British capital. So how have these contemplatives attracted a devoted and grateful group of supporters and friends in London, centered mainly in the capital’s business district known simply as: “The City”?

In recent years, bankers, stockbrokers and City lawyers have started talking of these Carmelite nuns as “the heavy artillery.”

Record numbers leave Church in Munich archdiocese

Record numbers leave Church in Munich archdiocese: A record number of people left the Church in the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising last year, a local statistical office said Tuesday.

The Munich statistical office told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, May 26 that 10,744 Catholics formally withdrew from the Church in 2019. It noted that this was a fifth higher than in 2018, when 8,995 people left. Statisticians said this was the first time that annual departures had surpassed the 10,000 mark since records began. Previously, the highest figure was 9,010, set in 1992.

How St. Philip Neri defeated the devil’s attacks

How St. Philip Neri defeated the devil’s attacksKOSLOSKI: St. Philip Neri was a holy priest during the 16th century who was widely known for his sanctity. After his death, the effectiveness of his ministry even gained him the title of “Second Apostle of Rome,” showing how much he positively influenced the city. However, his activity did not go unnoticed by his fiercest enemy, the devil. Satan tried with all his might to tempt or scare St. Philip away from his apostolic activities.

5 images of the Holy Spirit from Scripture

Five Images of the Holy Spirit from Scripture - Community in MissionPOPE: Since Pentecost is approaching, in today’s post we will consider some of the biblical images for the Holy Spirit, and in so doing, strive to learn more about what God the Holy Spirit does for us. These descriptions do not reduce the Holy Spirit to simply fire, water, or tongues. Rather, the Holy Spirit is described as being like these things but at the same time greater than they are.

Monaco Grand Prix: How did the famous corners get their names?

New Advent: Monaco Grand Prix: How did the famous corners get their names?: The Monaco Grand Prix was canceled for today, but here are the (often Catholic) stories behind its famous corners...

“Lord, teach us to pray” — Reflections on Fulton Sheen

"Lord, Teach Us to Pray": Reflections on Fulton Sheen ~ The Imaginative ConservativeJOHNMARKMIRAVALLE: When I was a child, my mother would regularly put my brothers and me to sleep by playing Fulton Sheen talks on tape and (later) on CD. I remember marveling first at the man’s voice, its weathered timbre and solemn cadence and massive fluctuations in volume. What held my attention next were the stories: stories of souls saved and souls lost and souls still hanging in the balance, with an occasional humorous story thrown in for comic relief. But what finally made Fulton Sheen my lifetime mentor were his ideas—his beautiful, crystalline, elemental articulations of Catholic doctrine and Catholic morality.

Discerning a vocation: What not to do...

Discerning a Vocation: What Not to Do – The FA Blog: In my sixteen years as a priest, I’ve been vocation director, seminary rector, and spiritual director to a convent. More importantly, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot, and like many God-related things, a lot of the knowledge we have about vocations is about what’s not true. How exactly someone goes about “discerning a vocation” is a hard thing to answer, but I can definitely tell you what not to do...

When demons flee dying people: The hidden saving power of the Divine Mercy chaplet

When Demons Flee Dying Souls: The Hidden Saving Power of the Divine Mercy Chaplet |: One of the most powerful prayers on the face of the Earth is the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This applies especially for the dying. Our Lord once told St. Faustina these words: My daughter, encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the Chaplet…Write that when they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying...

What makes the ‘Star Wars’ theme so epic? A technical breakdown...

What Makes the 'Star Wars' Theme So Epic? A Technical Breakdown | Billboard: Ever since Star Wars: A New Hope scrolled onto screens in 1977, the series' epic main title has been playing on repeat in the brains of nerds around the globe. Seriously, it's impossible to think about Star Wars without the theme music bursting into your head, and a sense of victory-against-the-odds swelling through your chest.

How George Washington led the Continental Army, and the new nation, through two epidemics

Looking for Pandemic Leadership? George Washington Is the Best Example: The coronavirus needs no introduction. For months, the disease has stalked the globe, slaying tens of thousands, infecting millions, and erasing trillions in lost economic activity. Artists’ renderings of the critter as a blue sphere sprouting red frilly excrescences have hung on our small screens like so many imaginings of the Death Star—infection as celebrity. Beside it, nearly all the familiar mug shots, from Kanye and Kim to Harry and Meghan, have faded into irrelevance.

The 7 best portable grills you can buy

7 Best Portable Grills (2020): Charcoal, Propane, Electric, Infrared | WIRED: True grilling enthusiasts are outdoors checking the temp on their smokers even when the wind chill is in the single digits. For most of us though, the grilling season starts on Memorial Day. Luckily for you, grill testing goes all winter long. I've smoked ribs in the snow, even when it was so cold I could barely feel my fingers, all to learn which grills are worthy of your money and time. Also, I learned you should wait for the summer to start grilling.

Out of this world we’re in

Out of This World We’re In - The Catholic ThingPAULSCALIA: If we forgot, the pandemic has made it painfully clear that we’re not of this world. Both the illness and its economic and political wreckage have revealed the fragility of this world’s powers. Those false gods have failed us spectacularly. Indeed, at times, they have exacerbated the problem. In a sense, it’s not their fault. We never should have expected what they cannot deliver.

Love Lifted Me: A homily for the Ascension of the Lord

Love Lifted Me: A Homily for the Ascension of the Lord - Community in MissionPOPE: In more dioceses than not, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated this Sunday. The liturgist in me regrets the move from Thursday, but here we are any way. Let’s ascend with the Lord, three days late! This marvelous feast is not merely about something that took place two thousand years ago, for though Christ our head has ascended, we the members of His body are ascending with Him...

Pope Francis entrusts China to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Pope Francis entrusts China to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Pope Francis Sunday entrusted China to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and asked people to pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the most populated country in the world.

“Dear Catholic brothers and sisters in China, I wish to assure you that the universal Church, of which you are an integral part, shares your hopes and supports you in trials,” Pope Francis said May 24 after the Regina Caeli prayer.

After Minnesota bishops’ planned defiance of Mass restrictions, governor eases rules

After Minnesota Bishops Plan to Defy Mass Restrictions, Governor Eases Rules: The governor of Minnesota has issued an order allowing for the resumption of limited public worship gatherings, days after the bishops of the state said they would allow public Masses to resume in defiance of previous guidelines.

The bishops maintained that the original guidelines were unfairly restrictive toward religious services, as businesses and other entities in the state are slowly being allowed to reopen with new safety protocols in place to help guard against the novel coronavirus.

The icy Antarctic village where you must have your appendix removed before moving in

The Icy Village Where You Must Remove Your Appendix: There’s a settlement in Antarctica with a school, a post office and a huddle of homes. It’s like other sub-zero villages, except for one thing: families must have surgery to move in.

The strange account of the day “angels” saved British troops during World War I

The strange account of the day “angels” saved British troops during WWIBURGER: Nations and their armies have often gone to war believing “God is on our side.” In a little-known incident at the outset of World War I, that sentiment seemed to have been visibly affirmed for a number of British soldiers. In early August 1914, soon after tensions on multiple fronts and levels erupted into war, Great Britain dispatched the British Expeditionary Force

The world needs COVID-19 vaccines. It may also be overestimating their power...

The world may be overestimating the power of Covid-19 vaccines: With a little luck and a lot of science, the world might in the not-too-distant future get vaccines against Covid-19. But those vaccines won’t necessarily prevent all or even most infections.

In the public imagination, vaccines are often seen effectively as cure-alls, like inoculations against measles.

The Lord of the Flies and the Lord of All

The Lord of the Flies and the Lord of AllSTAGNARO: Rutger Bregman’s excellent article The Real Lord of the Flies: What Happened When Six Boys Were Shipwrecked for 15 Months was published in London’s The Guardian a few days ago. The article explored the real-life case of a group of schoolboys who were marooned on a deserted island in 1965. Fortunately, life doesn’t always imitate art as the real case of the marooned boys turns out well and not all like British author William Golding’s magnificent 1954 bestseller, The Lord of the Flies.

3 profound things Jesus revealed to Julian of Norwich about a hazelnut

What Jesus Revealed to Julian of Norwich About a HazelnutREGISMARTIN: Imagine you’re having an encounter with someone really quite special. Not an avatar, for heaven sake, whose existence is entirely unreal even as you create one after another amid the sad solipsisms of cyberspace. But an actual human being, a someone with whom real presence is possible. A person, in fact, so captivating and close that nothing can get in the way to block the perfect unity of the experience. “I to my beloved, my beloved unto me.” It doesn’t get much better than that. An ideal intimacy, in short, for which nothing in this world can match the joy and the harmony it brings. And not because the two of you are identifiably the same. But because neither of you is expected to replicate the other, thus reducing real unity to a state of dull uniform sameness. In other words, it’s not about self-love, which is unfulfilling, but love of the other as other.

This Sunday, the Great Commission and the pandemic

This Sunday, the Great Commission and the Pandemic | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: As the world starts to return — ever so slowly, step by step — toward normalcy, Catholics have an enormous opportunity to help people cope with the new world we live in. This Sunday’s Gospel — whether it’s the Seventh Sunday of Easter for you (in the ecclesial provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, or Omaha) or Ascension Sunday (everywhere else) — gives great direction about what comes next.

Opening salvos in Pope Francis’ financial ‘Reform 2.0’

Opening salvos in Pope Francis's financial 'Reform 2.0'ALLEN: Facing both a looming economic crisis and reminders that the anti-financial scandal measures adopted to date haven’t been fully effective, Pope Francis and his Vatican team this week have moved to try to defuse the bomb before it goes off, closing several Swiss holding companies responsible for portions of its assets and reallocating internal control over financial data collection.

In this crisis, pastors have seemed more worried about the political ramifications of their actions than the pastoral fallout

Rendering to Caesar in an epidemic: the limits of authority | Catholic CultureLAWLER: My friend and colleague Jeff Mirus cautions us that we should not rush into judgment of our Church leaders; we should not leap to a premature conclusion that they are bowing to civil authorities by restricting pastoral ministry during the current epidemic. He is right, of course, and I recognize in myself a strong tendency toward rash judgment: a tendency that I need to control.

Bishops should stop trying to be “players” in the larger socio-political order, and start putting God’s house in order

Bishops and the secular order: Seek first the kingdom of God | Catholic CultureMIRUS: Phil Lawler made several excellent points in Rendering to Caesar in an epidemic: the limits of authority. We agree that it is not quite fair to make adverse judgments against the bishops simply for complying with civil restrictions designed to control the pandemic. But as Phil pointed out, there is certainly good reason to be concerned about the general deference of our bishops to the dominant culture, as frequently represented by civil authority.

President Trump: Churches are “essential places that provide essential services” and should reopen “right now”

President Trump: Churches Should Reopen ‘Right Now’: President Donald Trump on Friday called on state governors to reopen churches “right now.” At a Friday press briefing, President Trump said that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would “at my direction” be issuing new guidance for churches to reopen. He said he was identifying houses of worship as “essential places that provide essential services,” noting that state governors had classified such establishments...

Protecting Grandma after the pandemic: The secret war on the elderly

Protecting Grandma After the Pandemic: The Secret War on the ElderlyBECKER: Back in March — remember March? It was like 100 years ago; a thousand years ago — yes, back in March, I reposted an opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal called, “Is the Coronavirus as Deadly as They say?” It was by a couple of Stanford medical researchers, Eran Bendavid and Jay Bhattacharya, who were pushing back against the COVID-19 panic. I’m an RN, and I suspected early on that this new, highly contagious disease would be deadly...

With church reopening plan, Minnesota bishops model solidarity and subsidiarity

With Church Reopening Plan, Minnesota Bishops Model Solidarity and SubsidiarityDESOUZA: As bishops decide about reopening churches and the public celebration of the liturgy, the case of Minnesota shows two key principles of Catholic social teaching in action, solidarity and subsidiarity. Minnesota’s Catholic bishops have decided to permit the reopening on May 26 of those churches that are capable of doing so. The churches that will reopen for Mass must operate at one-third capacity and have various sanitation protocols in place...

After the death of its Grand Master, tensions resurface in the Order of Malta

After the Death of Its Grand Master, Tensions Resurface in the Order of MaltaPENTIN: The death last month of the Order of Malta’s grand master, Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, has sparked internal discussion over who could succeed him, while at the same time reigniting intrigues and painful tensions between those pushing to modernize the order and others who believe in its traditional character. Dalla Torre, a kindly and highly cultured librarian who did much for the poor and came from a noble family in Treviso...

Gino Bartali: Champion cyclist, devout Catholic and secret World War II hero

Gino Bartali: Champion Cyclist, Devout Catholic and Secret War HeroTURLEY: May is — was — traditionally the start of pro cycling’s Grand Tours. Not so this year. Everything cycling, like so much else sporting, is canceled or postponed. At this time, however, on the anniversary of his death, 20 years ago this month, one man comes to mind — a devout Catholic, a champion cyclist and an unexpected war hero: Gino Bartali.

23 dangerous things you should let your kids do

23 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do | The Art of Manliness: Even though the modern world isn’t any more dangerous than it was thirty or forty years ago, it feels like a more perilous place. Or, more accurately, we inhabit the world today in a way that’s much more risk averse; for a variety of very interesting and nuanced reasons, our tolerance for risk, especially concerning our children’s safety, has steadily declined...

The love and praise of the Church in Easter during pandemic

Beginning to Pray: The Love and Praise of the Church in Easter During PandemicLILLES: Easter is the season of true love - a love that conquers death. It is a season of unvanquished hope and those who know this hope do not live by fear and can never be shamed into silence. This season of praise for eternal love rings throughout the world the wonders that God has done for us - for no other reason than He does love us. In response to this love, through the centuries, Christians have always boldly proclaimed this mystery...

Mystery is attractive, and curiosity can lead people to Christ

On the Role of Curiosity in Evangelization (Part Two) - Community in MissionPOPE: In a world where so many lead disordered lives (sexually, emotionally, and intellectually); where envy, jealousy, greed, power, and position consume so many; a person that is not disordered and beset with the deep drives of sin and negativity is a mystery. People who get married and stay married and who actually seem to love their spouse and children are increasingly mysterious to others...

Dioceses seek to balance health and reverence in plans to resume public Mass

Dioceses Seek to Balance Health and Reverence in Plans to Resume Public MassOBRIEN: Signs abound that both civil authorities and the faithful are preparing to come out of hiding from the threat posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Together, the Centers for Disease Control and the White House are encouraging states to consider allowing businesses, places of worship and other public venues to open in those regions showing a downward trend in new reported cases of infection. Following the federal government’s lead, many states have already begun planning for multiphase relaxation of restrictions.

Who knew? Who cares? Well, there is no such thing as the “Catholic Church of Illinois”...

Who knew? Who cares? Well, there is no such thing as the 'Catholic Church of Illinois' — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Week after week, I get emails from ticked-off readers who have seen run-of-the-mill mistakes in stories about religion. A few times a year I write posts about these cries for help.

The typical writer tries to imagine, to cite one example, a newspaper publishing a story containing a reference to the St. Louis Cardinals playing in the American League, as opposed to being one of the most famous franchises in the National League...

New institute to ponder John Paul II’s heavy lifting on Church and culture

New institute to ponder John Paul II's heavy lifting on Church and cultureALLEN: St. John Paul II did plenty of heavy lifting during his long papacy, from staring down the Soviet empire to battling what he saw as a metastasizing “culture of death” in the West. Perhaps it’s only fitting, then, that the leader of a new institute devoted to the Polish pope and his approach to culture invokes a weightlifting analogy to express its mission.

Getting angry makes us happy. God says no...

Getting Angry Makes Us Happy. God Says No | The StreamMILLS: One of God’s harder rules is that He doesn’t want us getting angry as much as we’d like to. Getting angry makes us happy. We wouldn’t get angry so often if it didn’t. Especially when we can get righteously angry and direct our wrath against the enemy. That’s really fun.

And God says no. The Psalmist tells us to refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Paul tells the Colossian and the Ephesian Christians to put away all anger and wrath. James tells us that man’s anger does not produce the righteousness of God. Jesus explains that those who live by the sword — and angry words are swords we all carry — will die by the sword. He warns us that everyone who is angry with his brother is in danger of judgment. The wise men of Christian history since then kept repeating the warning.

Listen to these atheists when they warn: Without Christianity, we are heading into a thick and impenetrable darkness...

Atheists in Praise of Christianity? | The StreamVONMAREN: Historian Tom Holland is known primarily as a storyteller of the ancient world. Thus, his newest book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, came as something of a surprise for several reasons. First, Tom Holland is not a Christian. Second, Holland’s book is one of the most ambitious historical defenses of Christianity in a very long time.

Mount Everest is visible from Kathmandu, Nepal, for the first time in living memory

Mount Everest is Visible From Kathmandu, Nepal for First Time in Living Memory - SnowBrains: Last week Mount Everest was visible from Kathmandu for the first time in living memory. The picture above, taken from Chobar by Abhushan Gautam, of the world’s highest peak over 120-miles away, would not have been possible two months ago, reports the Nepal Times.

On the role of curiosity in evangelization

On the Role of Curiosity in Evangelization - Community in MissionPOPE: In yesterday’s post we discussed how the word curiosity can have a good and a bad meaning. In that post we focused on sinful curiosity after distinguishing from good and helpful forms of it. In today’s post we look at a more positive and intriguing understanding of curiosity and apply it to evangelization. In the world of evangelization, the concept of curiosity is almost never discussed.

Is it “Holy, holy, holy (pause) Lord God of Hosts” or “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord (pause) God of Hosts”?

Holy, Holy, Holy: How to Pray the Sanctus – Building Catholic CultureSTAUDT: The Sanctus, the prayer that begins the Eucharistic prayer or anaphora, echoes the angelic hymn: “Holy, holy, holy!” It is one of the oldest Eucharistic prayers, with parts of it reaching back to the 1st century Didache: “Hosanna to the God (Son) of David! If any one is holy, let him come; if any one is not so, let him repent. Maran atha. Amen.” It is used universally across the most ancient rites of the Church.

Minnesota bishops will reopen public Masses, defy state order

Minnesota bishops will reopen public Masses, defy state order: The bishops of Minnesota have permitted parishes to resume public Masses, and to defy a statewide order prohibiting religious gatherings exceeding 10 people. “An order that sweeps so broadly that it prohibits, for example, a gathering of 11 people in a Cathedral with a seating capacity of several thousand defies reason,” the bishops of Minnesota’s six dioceses said in a May 20 statement.

Never neglect the First Precept of the Church. Be grateful for it. It tethers you to God and keeps you on the right path through life...

The Work of God — FAITH & CULTUREBLUM: In recent weeks, we have heard many cries of anguish at the deprivation of the sacraments, most especially the reception of Holy Communion. And rightly so. But the topic of the duty of the laity to worship God has mostly been conspicuous by its absence. It seems fair to say that much of what has been heard during the quarantine has focused upon the spiritual growth of Catholics during a time of trial. Of those statements and discourses, many have been edifying, but some have bordered on the therapeutic.

Why celebrate the Mass with empty pews?

Why Celebrate the Mass With Empty Pews? - Adoremus BulletinMCNAMARA: It can seem odd that the current pandemic has led to Masses celebrated by solitary priests in empty churches and bishops celebrating the Easter Vigil without the new fire, procession with paschal candle, or baptism of adults. The sanctification of people, of course, is one of the primary aims of the sacred liturgy, so it may seem pointless at first blush to confect the Eucharist in an empty church...

Games intellectuals play

Games intellectuals play - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: Shortly after President John F. Kennedy’s cabinet met for the first time, Vice President Lyndon Johnson waxed enthusiastic about the best and the brightest to his mentor, Speaker Sam Rayburn. They were all so brilliant, LBJ raved, especially “the fellow from Ford with the Stacomb on his hair.” Mr. Sam paused, perhaps taking a contemplative sip of bourbon-and-branch, and then replied, Well, Lyndon, you may be right and they may be every bit as intelligent as you say...

Pope Francis moves financial records office under Secretariat for Economy

Pope Francis moves financial records office under Secretariat for Economy: Pope Francis Wednesday moved the office of the Vatican’s financial records database under the management of the Secretariat for the Economy -- reversing a decision he made in 2016.

According to a rescript May 20, starting June 1 the Data Processing Center (CED) will no longer be run by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) -- the Vatican’s sovereign asset management body -- as was first defined in the apostolic constitution Pastor bonus in 1988.

Cancel the rest of the school year!

Cancel the Rest of the School Year! ~ The Imaginative ConservativeASCIK: A frequently worried-about consequence of the coronavirus pandemic has been the supposed harm to the education of elementary and secondary school students. Heroic efforts have been made to hold classes on-line. Some public-school systems have considered or are considering “making up” for the loss of the last two months of the school year by convening summer school.

How to tell when God’s saying Yes, and when He’s saying No

Finding God’s Yes - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: There is a somewhat obscure Bible passage that has been bothering me lately. Whenever that happens, I try to go back to it again and again, until I can discern what God wants to say to me through it. After talking to my spiritual director and praying about it more, I have some glimpses into what God is saying. Here is the passage, with what has been bothering me highlighted...

Sinful curiosity is the root of many sins

Sinful Curiosity is the Root of Many Sins - Community in MissionPOPE: Curiosity is one of those qualities of the human person that are double-edged swords. It can cut a path to glory or it can be like a dagger of sin that cuts deep into the soul. As to its glory, it is one of the chief ingredients in the capacity of the human person to, as Scripture says, “subdue the earth,” to gain mastery over the many aspects of creation of which God made us stewards. So much of our ingenuity and innovation is rooted in our wonder and awe of God’s creation and in those two little questions, “How?” and “Why?”

The dangers of proliferating Communion services

The dangers of proliferating Communion services | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: The cancellation of the public celebration of the Mass in dioceses across the US and the world—beginning in Rome—has established dangerous precedents. In addition to the breathtaking surrender to secular authorities with no public pushback on the part of Catholic bishops, chanceries have introduced the innovation of abbreviated Communion services...

Living underground before the Romans? 2,000-year-old rooms found near the Western Wall | The Times of Israel

Living underground before the Romans? 2,000-year-old rooms found by Western Wall | The Times of Israel: A singular two-millennia-old subterranean system of three rooms has been uncovered near the Western Wall. The three-room complex — painstakingly chiseled by hand out of bedrock prior to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 — is the first evidence of everyday life gone underground in the ancient city.

Sights and sounds of the ‘new normal’ as Italy and the Vatican go back to Mass

Sights and sounds of ‘new normal’ as Italy and the Vatican go back to MassALLEN: Yesterday, my wife and I did something we, along with most people in Rome, haven’t been able to do since March 8: We went to Mass. We also went out to lunch for the first time in two months and ten days, enjoying a gorgeous Roman spring day and a fine meal, but that’s a story for another time. Herewith, a few sights and sounds from the “new normal” on the first day the Church both in Italy and the Vatican began to exit the coronavirus catacombs...

May you live in interesting times

May You Live In Interesting Times - Crisis MagazineFITZPATRICK: There is an old Chinese curse that goes, “May you live in interesting times.” Well, we are cursed indeed. Though many have suffered grievously from this virus, you, graduating seniors, whether from high school or college, make up your own category of sufferers. Who could have imagined it would end this way? Some of you are perhaps nineteen years old, the age St. Joan of Arc was when she “graduated” from prison in the month of May. After fighting hard for the glory of God and country, she probably didn’t expect her adventure to end the way it did either—as the victim of a world gone mad. “Interesting” is probably not the word that comes to mind.

In rare move, Pope Francis merges Alaskan dioceses to create Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau

Pope Francis merges Alaskan dioceses to create Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau: Pope Francis merged two dioceses in Alaska Tuesday, creating the new Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau which will cover a territory larger than Montana. The pope appointed Bishop Andrew E. Bellisario as the metropolitan archbishop of the newly formed archdiocese in southern Alaska.

“I know who you are!” Why demons are so terrified of Christ

‘I Know Who You Are’ — Why Demons are So Terrified of ChristCUSH: Driving out demons is an action that the Lord performs in all of the Gospels. However, in a few accounts of this action, which is one of the key ways that the Lord Jesus uses to demonstrate the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God, we learn of an interesting detail: the demons know who he is. They, like Peter in his confession in Matthew 16, indicate clearly the identity of the Lord...

Rhode Island priest recognized as one Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America”

Rhode Island Priest Recognized as One of ‘Worst Cooks in America’GREELEY: Fans of the Food Network cooking competition shows will likely remember the name and even the face of Father Adam Young, pastor of St. Paul Church in Cranston, Rhode Island. What makes that particular competition, judged by chefs Bobby Flay and Anna Burrell, so memorable is its title, “Worst Cooks in America.”

How Father Young ended up on the show is something of a parish tale. “It is a not a secret among family and friends,” he said, “that I cannot cook.

On the 100th birthday of St. John Paul II

On the 100th Birthday of St. John Paul IIGRONDELSKI: Monday, May 18, marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karol Józef Wojtyła, a boy who would grow up to become Pope John Paul II 58 years later. There will undoubtedly be numerous articles about the significance of his life; permit me to share these thoughts about his and mine. I was a college sophomore getting ready for a test in American History at St. Mary’s College in Orchard Lake, Michigan, when one of our faculty members ran through the room shouting “they elected a Polish Pope!”

Can we refer to Pope St. John Paul II ‘the Great’?

Can We Refer to Pope St. John Paul II ‘the Great’?DESOUZA: “St. John Paul the Great.”

The case is now sufficiently made — by Pope Francis and by his predecessor — that those who wish can use that title with confidence. Over time, it will likely be adopted in the Church’s official documents.

In his letter to the Polish bishops for the centennial of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI makes the case for “the Great” as a recognition of the late Holy Father’s impact on history.

Two things every 2020 graduate needs to hear

New Advent: Two things every 2020 graduate needs to hear: Pat Lencioni offers this simple and practical message for college graduates...

Former Swiss Guard: St. John Paul II offered witness of ‘hope and self-giving’

Former Swiss Guard: St. John Paul II Offered Witness of ‘Hope and Self-Giving’ROXANNEKING: May 18 marks the 100th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s birth. For the occasion, former Swiss Guard Mario Enzler finally put down in book form what he has spent years sharing at retreats and conferences: the life-changing lessons he learned from 1989 to 1993 when he served the much-beloved Servant of the Servants of God.

Coronavirus isn’t going away soon. Go to Confession, remain in the state of grace, learn from the saints, live your life and always be prepared to die...

Corona Stories: Making Peace With the Possibility of Dying | Hour of Our Death: I sincerely hope people start making peace with the fact that we cannot control the outcome of this pandemic. No SARS vaccines have been viable in the last seventeen years. One may be found for this one, but there’s a good chance it won’t. That means herd immunity is our best shot, which means we have to start making peace now with the effects of the disease.

“Live in such a way that when you die, you don’t die” — 10 things saints have told us about death

Corona Stories: Ten Short Saints' Sayings on Facing Death | Hour of Our Death: With the corona virus, everyone who expected many more years of life must face the possibility that they don’t have all the time they expected. We could enjoy perfect health today, fall sick tomorrow, and die in a week or two. Man always faces death, but few of us live our lives as if we do. The saints did. They tended to be very insistent on the fact of inevitable death and our need to live as if we should meet God at any moment.

Church roof blows away in Africa but Catholics still sing and celebrate Mass

Roof Blows Off Church in Africa & Catholics Still Joyfully Sing & Celebrate Mass (Video Inside): Even without a roof, these Catholics still worship.

Fr. Edmond Nyoka of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe in Africa posted a video of Catholics preparing for Mass without a roof on the Church. He said the church is in Malawi, Africa.

The Atlantic probes QAnon sect and finds another evangelical-ish conspiracy

The Atlantic probes QAnon sect and finds (#shocking) another evangelical-ish conspiracy — GetReligionMATTINGLY: There are times, when reading the sprawling “Shadowland” package at The Atlantic, when one is tempted to think that the goal was to weave a massive liberal conspiracy theory about the role that conservative conspiracy theories play in Donald Trump’s America. At the center of this drama — of course — is evangelical Christianity. After all, evangelical Christians are to blame for Trump’s victory, even if they didn’t swing all those crucial states in the Catholic-labor Rust Belt.

Restoring the domestic church during the COVID pandemic

Restoring the Domestic Church During the COVID Pandemic: “Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo salus mundi pependit.” The priest on the TV chanted those salvific words three times as he and the rest of the Canons processed down the empty nave of St. John Cantius Church in the heart of Chicago, IL. The Church, usually standing room only at previous Good Friday services, stood silent and empty as the ancient chant echoed within the interior. And yet, the priest continued his sacred duties in order to lead his flock, via live-stream, through the Paschal Mysteries.

Rethinking women’s reproductive health

Rethinking Women’s Reproductive Health | Church Life Journal | University of Notre DameFAVALE: What is needed is a critique to challenge the standard paradigm of “women’s reproductive health.” But a critique must come from somewhere, some stable ground that provides a basis for evaluation, which in this case is a Catholic vision of reality. Working from a Catholic framework, my main contention is this: What is often presented as women’s “reproductive health” actually pathologizes natural biological realities that are unique to women, namely: fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth.

6 things you didn’t know about Pope St. John Paul II

John Paul II Centennial: 6 things you didn't know about the Polish-born popeLISI: Monday marks the centennial birth of Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II in 1978 and was canonized a saint following his death in 2005.

Saint John Paul II, who was born on May 18, 1920, was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I died after just 33 days at the helm of the Roman Catholic Church.

Gollum is the mirror of man

Gollum – the Mirror of Man – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: The first half of my new book Immortal Combat-Confronting the Heart of Darkness explores what we mean by “the Sin of the World.” It’s not merely the naughty things you’ve done. It’s a deeper fault... kind of like the San Andreas fault compared to a crack in your sidewalk. Like the San Andreas the crack in humanity it goes way down deep. Furthermore, it’s hidden, unpredictable and deadly.

In the book I explain how Gollum is twisted by the Sin of the World and how the first person who believes the twisted lie is Gollum himself.

A Protestant appreciation of Pope John Paul II

A Protestant Appreciation of Pope John Paul II | Bruce Riley Ashford | First Things: During the Christmas season of 1999, while living in Russia, I read George Weigel’s extraordinary biography of John Paul II, Witness to Hope. It was not the first time I had reflected upon John Paul II, but it was the first time I understood the magnitude of his life. Over the course of many winter nights and many mugs of Russian tea...

The Vatican’s financial condition gives new urgency to an old question: What is the mission of the Church?

MondayVatican – Vatican Pope Francis, what is the mission of the Church? | MondayVaticanGAGLIARDUCCI: The issue of the state of Vatican finances returned to the limelight during these months of the pandemic. With the Vatican Museums closed, and donations down, how can the Holy See pay salaries, keep up services and avoid bankruptcy?
On May 3rd, the heads of Vatican dicasteries discussed the issues and looked at three possible economic outlooks. However, Fr. Juan Antonio Guerrero, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, projected a cautious optimism in an interview granted to Vatican News. It is particularly significant that the Vatican “minister of finance” described the Vatican balance sheet as “a balance sheet of mission.”

Lessons from the shutdown

Lessons from the Shutdown - Community in MissionPOPE: The first reading from Sunday’s Mass (6thSunday of Easter) has a certain application for the Church today in this time of plague. Even though some dioceses are resuming public Masses on a limited basis, there are some practices adopted during the shutdown that we should maintain. First, let us consider the lesson from Acts 8, which says, And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem...

Happy Birthday, Pope John Paul II

Happy Birthday Pope John Paul II - Sacred Space AstronomyCONSOLMAGNO: The papacy of Saint John Paul II came at a watershed moment in the history of the Vatican Observatory. A new observatory director, Fr. George Coyne SJ, had just been named by his immediate predecessor, John Paul I; but Father Coyne only began his duties under Pope John Paul II. Fr. Coyne and the new Pope soon forged a wonderful working relationship. The Pope encouraged Fr. Coyne’s efforts to bring into the Observatory a new group of young Jesuit astronomers from around the world...

On 100th birthday of John Paul II, Pope Francis adds St. Faustina feast day to Roman Calendar

Pope Francis Adds St. Faustina Kowalska’s Feast Day to Roman Calendar: Pope Francis has decreed that St. Faustina Kowalska’s feast day be added to the Roman Calendar as an optional memorial to be celebrated by all on October 5.

The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship issued the decree May 18, the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, who canonized St. Faustina on April 13, 2000, making her the first saint of the new millennium.

The decree said that Pope Francis had taken the step in response to petitions from pastors, religious men and women and associations of the faithful, and “having considered the influence exercised by the spirituality of St. Faustina in different parts of the world.”

Roses and Rosaries for Our Lady: EWTN viewers fill chapel with shower of flowers

Roses and Rosaries for Our Lady: EWTN Viewers Fill Chapel With Shower of FlowersARMSTRONG: It all began on Mother’s Day, May 10, during Mass at the chapel, located in Irondale, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. “At the end of my homily, I encouraged people to pray the Rosary and, as a sign of that commitment, to send a rose,” Father Joseph said. Even though it was Sunday, that very afternoon, viewers from around the country and even from other countries, began calling area florists and ordering anywhere from three to several dozen flowers...

St. John Paul II: A holy life in four acts

St. John Paul II: A Holy Life in 4 ActsDESOUZA: When Karol Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920, the 1,000-year-old Polish nation had not even celebrated the second birthday of a new Polish state.

He would grow up to live the most distinctive 20th-century life. To all the solemn commemorative dates in Polish history, he added another: June 2, 1979, the date of his triumphant return to Warsaw for his first Polish pilgrimage. That date marked the beginning of the end of the “short” 20th century.

Don’t let coronavirus form your impression of homeschooling

Don’t Let Coronavirus Form Your Impression of HomeschoolingCLARK: “We’re all homeschoolers now.” That’s a recurring meme that’s been making its way around the internet for the past few months. As schools have closed in response to Covid-19, parents across the country—many of whom would have never considered homeschooling otherwise — have begun teaching their children at home. During this time, I’ve seen lots of posts congratulating homeschooling parents...

3 lessons on love to prepare us for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

Living the Lessons of Love - A Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter - Community in MissionPOPE: During high school, I dated a girl who liked square dancing. At first I thought it was hokey, but since she liked it, I started to like it. Over time, I even came to enjoy it a great deal. Love expanded my horizons. I have lived, served, and loved in the Black community for most of my priesthood. In those years, I have come to love and respect gospel music and the spirituals. I have also come to respect and learn from the Black experience of spirituality...

New edition of Jesuit journal proves Vatican’s ‘all in’ on Chinese courtship

New edition of Jesuit journal proves Vatican's 'all in' on Chinese courtshipALLEN: China, in a sense, has become the third rail of geopolitics, in the sense that anything it touches automatically becomes controversial, from cell phones (“are they spying?”) to the coronavirus (“are they lying?”). Thus it should be no surprise that even a seemingly innocent gesture such as the Jesuit-edited journal Civiltà Cattolica, which enjoys a semi-official Vatican status, launching a new edition in Chinese last month has been swept up into broader tensions about China, including its human rights record and its role in the world...

What is missing from “home-churching”

What Is Missing From "Home-Churching" ~ The Imaginative ConservativeBURR: It has been six long weeks since my family and I have been able to worship on Sunday morning with our church family. In our state, gatherings of more than 10 to 15 people have been banned and stay-at-home orders have been in place for several weeks. As such, every Lord’s Day morning, we have dutifully printed off the worship bulletin from the church website, set up our computer in our library, and sat around my children’s school table to stream the service.

What are we to do right now? Here’s just one modest thought: Give more...

#GiveMore – Kevin LowryLOWRY: On a lazy Sunday morning, I sometimes turn my attention from the shrillness of the news to matters of less urgency yet greater importance. This morning I was captivated, and inspired, by a terrific article on St. John Paul II in Our Sunday Visitor’s newsweekly. From there, I casually flipped the page and began skimming an article by Michael Heinlein on the consecration of the U.S. to Our Lady...

Poll: Two-thirds of U.S. believers see coronavirus as message from God to change our lives

Poll: US believers see message of change from God in virus: The coronavirus has prompted almost two-thirds of American believers of all faiths to feel that God is telling humanity to change how it lives, a new poll finds.

While the virus rattles the globe, causing economic hardship for millions and killing more than 80,000 Americans, the findings of the poll by the University of Chicago Divinity School and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicate that people may also be searching for deeper meaning in the devastating outbreak.

Polish bishops launch #ThankYouJohnPaul2 campaign for JPII’s centenary

Polish bishops launch #ThankYouJohnPaul2 campaign for pope’s centenary: The Polish bishops’ conference is encouraging the faithful to participate in a social media campaign to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II on Monday.

St. Simon Stock and the Brown Scapular, explained by a Discalced Carmelite priest

St. Simon Stock and the Brown Scapular – Discalced Carmelite Friars: Today is the feast of St. Simon Stock, who received the Brown Scapular from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 1251. Fr. Michael-Joseph of Saint Thérèse shares the history, spirituality, and the practice of being enrolled in the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

‘Discovering what’s essential’ — Strengthening marriages during lockdown

'Discovering what's essential': Strengthening marriages during lockdownHADRO: Many Catholic parishes have closed during the pandemic, but one marriage renewal ministry is seeking to reopen the doors of the “domestic church,” the family, during lockdown. “The doors of so many parishes are closed, or have been closed, and the doors to so many domestic churches have opened up again,” said Mary Rose Verret, co-founder of “Witness to Love” marriage prep ministry and the “Be Light” marriage renewal date night series.

Canons Regular of St. John Cantius offer online training in Extraordinary Form of the Mass

Online Resource for Extraordinary Form of the Mass Revamped: The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius have revamped and reorganized their internationally renowned website about the Extraordinary Form, SanctaMissa.org. This website first launched in 2007 has been viewed by millions around the globe. The site offers a wide range of information, including video tutorials, lists of important documents, FAQs, and Gregorian Chant resources, all of which can help anyone from the celebrant to the laity in learning more about the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

When people suffer disease or disaster, and do not change

When people suffer disease or disaster, and do not change | Catholic CultureMIRUS: Over the past several years, I’ve known of perhaps a dozen people among acquaintances and extended family who have suffered difficult and at times mysterious illnesses—illnesses of a kind which, if they had befallen me, would have prompted me to double-check everything in my life to make sure I was really on the right track toward eternity. You would think there would be nothing quite so “bracing” as the possibility of death ahead of our own imagined schedules.

Vatican finances: the fox in the henhouse

Vatican finances: the fox in the henhouse | Catholic CultureLAWLER: So now the question is whether the Vatican will default on its financial obligations. When asked that question, the Vatican’s top financial officer replied, “No, I don’t think so.” That answer in itself does not inspire great confidence. But the more significant point is that the question of default has been raised—even by the Vatican’s own news service.

There’s a lot of scolding and posturing going on these days. But skepticism is fine. Really.

Skepticism is…fine. Really. | Charlotte was BothWELBORN: To gripe about the inefficiencies, dishonesty, graft and corruption of government in the past, to note mistaken, misleading, outright deceptive and self-aggrandizing postures from science, tech and other entities, especially in crisis, in the past, to be explore serious issues of economic inequality and exploitation and the balance between economic and human cost of our actions in the past, but then to treat similar concerns about the present as simply beyond the pale, makes no sense.

Pope John Paul II’s Soviet spy [WSJ paywall]

Pope John Paul II’s Soviet Spy - WSJWEIGEL: Students of the Cold War’s dark arts know that Communist intelligence services deeply penetrated the Vatican in the 1970s. Yet few know that Pope John Paul II, whose centenary will be marked on May 18, had his own secret agent in the Soviet Union during the 1980s. That relationship led to a remarkable personal encounter that helps explain what made the pope the man he was.

Don Bosco and Mary Help Of Christians

Don Bosco And Mary Help Of Christians The Wanderer NewspaperFOLEY: The Feast of Mary Help of Christians falls on May 24, and although devotion to the Blessed Virgin under the title of “Help of Christians” or Auxilium Christianorum goes back to at least the 1600s, this particular feast was not officially established until the early nineteenth century. This title is also found in the Litany of Loreto, where it is probably a variation on an older invocation calling on our Lady as Advocata Christianorum or “Advocate of Christians.”

The infinite abyss in your heart can only be filled by God...

This Sunday, Fill the ‘God-Shaped Hole’ In Your Life | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: It’s a phenomenon that has been noticed from Augustine to Paschal to contemporary Christian writers: We each have a “God-shaped hole” inside us, an infinite abyss that we try to fill with everything but God. This Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter Year A, Jesus gives us his recipe for fulfilling that aching need inside us — and doing more than just fill it. When Jesus left them, the Apostles felt his absence acutely...

“Is Jesus’ body in space?” And other Ascension questions you didn’t know you had...

'Is Jesus’ body in space?' And other Ascension questions you didn’t know you hadFARROW: When Jesus rose from the dead three days after the crucifixion, he appeared for 40 days thereafter to his apostles and many of his other followers in his physical, glorified body. And that glorified body, while it was still recognizable as the man of Jesus, could do some pretty amazing stuff - like walking through walls and suddenly appearing or disappearing.

What the Saturn V, Space Shuttle and other rockets would look like if they were transparent

New Advent: What the Saturn V, Space Shuttle and other rockets would look like if they were transparent: From left to right: Saturn V, Space Shuttle, Falcon Heavy and the Space Launch System (SLS).

Benedict XVI releases letter to mark St. John Paul II’s upcoming 100th birthday

Full Text: Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter Marking St. John Paul II’s Birth Centenary: Here is the full text of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI’s letter marking the centenary of the birth of St. John Paul II. The English translation of this letter, dated May 4, was released May 15 by the Polish bishops' conference.

“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and us” — A teaching on the Catholicity of the early Church

It Is The Decision of the Holy Spirit and Us - A Teaching on the Catholicity of the Early Church - Community in MissionPOPE: The first readings at daily Mass this week recount the Council of Jerusalem, which scholars generally date to around A.D. 50. It was a pivotal moment in the history of the Church, because it would set forth an identity for Her that was independent of the culture of Judaism per se and would open wide the door of inculturation to the Gentiles. This surely had a significant effect on evangelization in the early Church.

Catholic ecclesiology is evident in this first council in that we have a very Catholic model of how a matter of significant pastoral practice and doctrine is properly dealt with. What we see here is the same model that the Catholic Church has continued to use right up to the present day. In this and all subsequent ecumenical councils, there is a gathering of the bishops, presided over by the Pope, that considers and may even debate a matter. In the event that consensus cannot be reached, the Pope resolves the debate. Once a decision is reached, it is considered binding and a letter is issued to the whole Church.

Online memorial garden launches to help moms honor miscarried and stillborn children

Online memorial garden launches to help moms honor miscarried and stillborn children | News | LifeSiteMERKOWSKY: A flower garden has been launched online that dedicates a “memorial flower” to miscarried or stillborn babies, allowing mothers and fathers to have a lasting, public remembrance of their beloved lost ones. A Mom's Peace, launched in Nokesville, Virginia, is a ministry devoted to comforting and supporting parents, especially mothers, who have lost their children in the womb.

Dr. Ray Guarendi on what it takes to be married and raise “upright kids”

Dr. Ray Guarendi: On what it takes to be married and raise “upright kids”BENNETT: As a parent, “you do need to be fearless, you cannot parent in anxiety," said Guarendi. "You can't do it. You won't be able to make the decisions you need to make because you'll be attacked, assaulted, critiqued as a Neanderthal throwback, out of touch, your kids are going to get resentful, they're going to rebel, they're going to hate you, etc."

“They were sent to the Muslim kingdom of Granada to evangelize ... and were predictably killed”

Clinging to Onions: Bl. John of Cetina & Bl. Peter de DuenasBECKER: As you’d expect, there’s more to this story. Born in 1340, John had a privileged childhood, but he gravitated to obscurity and penitence. In time he made his way to the Franciscans of Aragon, where he made his profession and was ordained. Although a popular preacher, John longed for solitude, and he retired to a cave in Valencia to take up an eremitical life.

A lesson from history: Pope Clement and the plague

A lesson from history: Pope Clement and the plagueBURGER: In this time of pandemic, some people have looked to earlier public health crises for lessons that might be learned. The 14th century offers a few, including the example of one of the popes who lived outside of Rome.
Pope Clement VI was born Pierre Roger in 1291 in Corrèze, France. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, he entered the Benedictine monastery of La Chaise-Dieu...

John Paul II reveals the quickest way to become a saint in everyday life

John Paul II reveals quickest way to become a saint in everyday lifeKOSLOSKI: Outside of martyrdom, the process of becoming a “saint” seems daunting to many of us. This is not referring to the official canonization process, but the everyday struggle for holiness that we all experience. As the Church related in Lumen Gentium, “everyone is called to holiness.”
Sometimes we may even claim that we could never become a saint, and that only priests or religious can become holy.

‘It Exploded!’ — EWTN chapel receives thousands of roses after priests request Mary Garden

"It Exploded!": EWTN Chapel Receives Thousands of Roses After Priests Request Mary Garden: Fr. Joseph Mary and Fr. John Paul Mary of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word recently requested roses for their Marian garden at EWTN.

During Mass on May 10 and 11, both priests mentioned starting a Mary garden, which is a devotional space with flowers honoring Our Lady. Each rose symbolizes a rosary prayed.

To their surprise, viewers from all over the world called local florists in the Birmingham, Ala. area. The EWTN chapel received non-stop deliveries all day beginning May 11. The deliveries have not stopped since.

Does catechesis have a place in evangelization?

Does Catechesis have a place in Evangelization? | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: How does one ransom one’s soul? It’s an important question anyone involved in the ministries of evangelization and catechesis should discern. The premise of the question professes and identifies an intimate union between both the engagement of the soul-evangelization and the nurturing of the soul-catechesis. A good example of this relationship is found in the adapted cinema version of the great literary work from Victor Hugo entitled Les Miserables...

Head of Vatican finances: No default but ‘difficult years’ are ahead

Head of Vatican Finances: No Default but ‘Difficult Years’ Ahead: The Vatican is not at risk of default but has “difficult years ahead” and could lose nearly a half of its annual revenue due to the coronavirus, the head of Vatican finances has said. In a May 13 Vatican News interview with Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of the Dicastery for Communications, Jesuit Father Antonio Guerrero Alves...

Analysis: Could curial politics stop a Vatican finance trial?

Analysis: Could curial politics stop a Vatican finance trial?CONDON: As details continue to emerge about a raft of financial scandals at the Vatican Secretariat of State, some observers have been left wondering at the apparent lack of urgency or interest in the Holy See’s response. While vague updates have been issued about ongoing investigations, mounting political and diplomatic pressure behind the scenes could be slowing moves to bring charges against suspended staff members...

Fatima, Pope St. John Paul II and God’s providence

Fatima, Pope St. John Paul II and God’s ProvidenceDESOUZA: Every shrine — from the first ones set up by patriarch Abraham on his journeys to the Marian sanctuaries today — is linked to history. What happened here, to make this a holy place? How did God act that makes this place one of privileged encounter with the workings of Providence?

No shrine, save for those in the Holy Land, is more linked with the churnings of history than that of Our Lady of Fatima. The “short 20th century” is usually dated from the October Revolution of 1917, which brought the Bolsheviks to power in Moscow. It concluded with the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day 1991. One might then see in the 1917 apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, a preparation for the bloodiest of centuries. And the link between Fatima and Pope St. John Paul II is historical, too, for no figure in history was more consequential to the peaceful end of the totalitarian century than the Polish pope.

Viganò just exposed the private data of 30,000 people who signed his petition. If you’re among them, change passwords and take appropriate security measures...

Mistake: Vigano Appeal Publishes Private Emails – gloria.tv: Viganò’s May 7 Appeal published on VeritasLIberabitVos.info a file containing all data of the about 30,000 signees, including email addresses and private comments. The mistake was found by the anti-Catholic Katholisch.de (May 12) which belongs to the German Bishops.

Down the barrel of a $158 million gun, Vatican reform is coming … but what kind?

Down the barrel of $158 million gun, Vatican reform is coming … but what kind?ALLEN: According to an internal Vatican analysis recently presented to Pope Francis for a meeting with his department heads, declines in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic will cause the Vatican’s annual deficit to balloon somewhere between 30 and 175 percent, depending on which of three scenarios, ranging from best to worst case, is realized. Under the worst-case scenario, which assumes shortfalls between 50 and 80 percent...

Here’s what it takes to order KFC in Gaza

People in Gaza are ordering KFC on Instagram — but it takes at least 24 hours - Rest of World: Mohammed Baraka was sitting at home one night in Gaza City after a long day at work, and he wanted fried chicken. The 32-year-old pulled out his phone and placed an order for a chicken sandwich and rice from KFC — on Instagram.

SPACEX made a fun International Space Station docking simulator. Go here to test your skills...

SPACEX - ISS Docking Simulator: This simulator will familiarize you with the controls of actual interface used by NASA astronauts...

Is it sinful for Catholic parishes to accept donations from a Masonic lodge?

Is It Sinful to Accept Donations from a Masonic Lodge?BRUGGER: Can a local parish solicit or accept stipends for Masses from a Masonic lodge? The short answer is sometimes. Permit me to explain. Since the early 18th century, the Catholic Church has consistently prohibited Catholics from membership in the Masons. This was because Freemasonry used symbols and held rituals that the Church judged to be at odds with Catholic faith and practice.

The visions at Fatima and the Russian Revolution

The Visions at Fatima and the Russian RevolutionCRAUGHWELL: “Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.” Of all the messages Our Lady gave to the three child-visionaries of Fatima — Lucia dos Santos, 10 years old, and her cousins, 9-year-old Francisco and 7-year-old Jacinta Marto...

9 things to know and share about Our Lady of Fatima

9 Things to Know and Share About FatimaAKIN: A young shepherd girl, Lucia dos Santos, said that she experienced supernatural visitations as early as 1915, two years before the famous appearances of the Virgin Mary.

In 1917, she and two of her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, were working as shepherds tending their families’ flocks. On May 13, 1917, the three children saw an apparition of Our Lady. She told them, among other things, that she would return once a month for six months.

At Our Lady’s third appearance, on July 13, Lucia was shown the secret of Fatima. She reportedly turned pale and cried out with fear, calling Our Lady by name. There was a thunderclap, and the vision ended.

Eternal salvation, not material security, is the essential work of the Church

Eternal Salvation is the Essential Work of the ChurchHAHN: I’m grateful I’m not a bishop. On their shoulders, they carry the weight of thousands of souls, and, at times, that responsibility must feel crushing.

These are such times.

Over the past two months, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, our bishops have been forced to make decisions that affect the physical, as well as the spiritual lives of Catholics. Those decisions — to close churches and limit or cease the celebration of most sacraments — are decisions no bishop wants to make. They aren’t decisions I’d want to make. And I can only imagine how difficult this has been for them.

As communities open up again, an immunologist explains what’s safer than people think, and what you should avoid...

The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them: It seems many people are breathing some relief, and I’m not sure why. An epidemic curve has a relatively predictable upslope and once the peak is reached, the back slope can also be predicted. We have robust data from the outbreaks in China and Italy, that shows the backside of the mortality curve declines slowly, with deaths persisting for months. Assuming we have just crested in deaths at 70k, it is possible that we lose another 70,000 people over the next 6 weeks as we come off that peak. That's what's going to happen with a lockdown.

2 ways to make a paper airplane that will go really far

New Advent: 2 ways to make a paper airplane that will go really far: From paper airplane expert Mahir Cave...

Cherish your spouse in your children

Cherishing Your Spouse in Your Children | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: This stunningly powerful goodbye between spouses says so much.

A son, it says, was ‘given’ to a couple by the love they bore one another. Love between spouses is already itself a gift. That we have one another and love another is an amazing gift that we each receive and give. And then, sometimes hard upon the heels of this love, sometimes not, can come this further gift–a person. Imagine: a person as a gift from our love! Again, a gift we receive, and also give.

It’s not a sin to laugh, knowing that the coronavirus will not laugh last

Laughing at the Microbe - Crisis MagazineFITZPATRICK: COVID-19 will most likely prove one of those demarcating events in history that will be prefixed with “pre” and “post.” Until then, these are without doubt days of blind trust. No one is quite sure what is going on, but doubt is not a popular public disposition. With sorrow for those who have suffered due to the virus, is it too early to chuckle at pandemic absurdities?

On John Paul II’s centenary

On John Paul II’s centenary - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: As the world and the Church mark the centenary of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II on May 18, a kaleidoscope of memories will shape my prayer and reflection that day. John Paul II at his dinner table, insatiably curious and full of humor; John Paul II groaning in prayer before the altar in the chapel of the papal apartment; John Paul II laughing at me from the Popemobile as I trudged along a dusty road outside Camagüey, Cuba...

In New York, the virus has receded, but its wreckage remains...

Coronavirus Diary: New York, May 12 | R. R. Reno | First ThingsRENO: We live in a technocratic social order. Its “sole aim” is not to control people. That’s a mistaken view. But it is a regime in which material goods are supreme. The present public health challenges reinforce this technocratic social order, and for the expert class it makes complete sense to impose draconian measures of restriction and control in order to protect a material good such as physical health...

How do we “remain” with the Lord? The Bible distinguishes 4 ways...

Remaining In the Lord - Community in MissionPOPE: In today’s short Gospel, the word “remain” occurs six times. Do you get the point? Remain! The Greek word μείνατε is the plural imperative of the verb meno, meaning to abide. To abide means to remain habitually or to stay somewhere. It speaks of stability and persistence. I prefer “abide” as a translation because it suggests staying put. One can “remain” in a place for an hour and then leave, but abiding has a more ongoing sense...

What’s love go to do with it? Anderson Cooper and surrogacy for the rich and famous...

What’s Love Got to Do With It — Surrogacy for the Rich and FamousMORSE: Let's tally up the scorecard. Cooper paid to have “his baby” grown in the body of a stranger. Despite the co-parenting announcement, for all intents and purposes, Wyatt will grow up in a single-parent family. In fact, he will grow up in a pre-divorced family. The one and only genetic parent in Wyatt’s life, his father, is too busy to take time out of his hectic schedule to be with him as a newborn. And in all likelihood, there will never be a person the child can call a mother in his life.

Augustine Institute publishes major new Catholic Bible

Augustine Institute Publishes Major New Catholic BiblePJSMITH: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Jesus Christ,” St. Jerome famously stated, and if the COVID-19 lockdowns have given Catholics anything, it is an opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ personally in the Bible before reuniting with him again in the Holy Eucharist.

The Augustine Institute is now bringing English-speaking Catholics in North America a major new revision of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible called the English Standard Version - Catholic Edition that began as a joint-venture between Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and Crossway, an evangelical Protestant publishing house. The Vatican has also approved India’s new ESV-CE lectionary, raising the possibility that it may spread worldwide.

Pope’s Wednesday Audience: “God is a faithful ally. If men stop loving, He continues to love, even if love leads Him to Calvary...”

Pope Francis: Christians can pray to the Father without fear: Jesus has transformed the human experience of prayer, Pope Francis said at the general audience Wednesday.

Speaking via livestream due to the coronavirus crisis, the pope said May 13 that thanks to Jesus, Christians can approach God without fear, addressing him as “Father.”

“Christianity has banished from the bond with God any ‘feudal’ relationship. In the heritage of our faith there are no expressions such as subjection, slavery or vassalage; rather words such as covenant, friendship, promise, communion, closeness,” he said.

Wednesday is the 39th anniversary of John Paul II’s assassination attempt

Morning Star: O Mary, Thank You for Preserving Your Son!: Our Lady of Fatima, Wednesday, May 13, 2020MANGAN: Gratitude overflows when considering that horrendous event because God, as always, triumphed over sin. A beautiful reflection on the happenings of that day was penned some years ago by then-Archbishop Stanisław Dziwisz...

NHL All-Star MVP John Scott joins the Catholic roster

NHL All-Star MVP Joins Catholic RosterBEATTIE: Of all the great players who competed in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, John Scott was named the most valuable. This would have been quite an honor for any player, but especially for one who was not even supposed to be there.

The Edmonton, Alberta-born defenseman/winger was the subject of a campaign to get someone on the all-star roster who would not normally be there. League administrators did not like the idea and attempted to prevent Scott from participating. However, the desire of fans — and Scott’s own solid play — won out.

Quick Hits: More Vatican financial woes; and when will churches reopen?

Quick Hits: More Vatican financial woes; and when will churches reopen | Catholic CultureLAWLER: Imagine that you make regular annual donations to a large non-profit institution: a university, let’s say. The university has a large endowment, managed by professionals who are authorized to invest the funds. But you learn that another office at the university, with access to large sums, has been quietly managing its own portfolio, without official authorization. Do you begin to feel uneasy?

Reverence for the body (with notes on cremation)

Reverence for the body (with notes on cremation) | Catholic CultureMIRUS: I have been asked several times in recent years to clarify the Church’s position on cremation, so that Catholics can make informed decisions about whether to choose cremation or traditional burial when they bear responsibility for the decision. In one sense, this question is a good starting point for a discussion of Scott Hahn’s latest book, Hope to Die...

Examining the role of Catholic bishops in the 2020 U.S. presidential race

Examining the role of Catholic bishops in the 2020 U.S. presidential raceLISI: You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. No good deed goes unpunished. These are three clichés that we can all relate to. Life is made up of a series of decisions. As Americans prepare to decide who will be their next president this November, the Catholic hierarchy finds itself in a no-win situation.