A martyr elected and a king excommunicated

A martyr elected and a king excommunicatedSEWELL: On this day in the year 257 AD, Pope St. Sixtus II was elected to lead the still-illegal Christian Church, but his timing was anything but impeccable. While the Church had indeed grown in its two centuries of existence, it was still time and again the target of persecution by Roman emperors for a wide variety of reasons, and our dear pontiff’s elevation to the Bishopric of Rome coincided with one of the most notorious ones. Valerian had been the emperor in Rome already for four years, but despite never setting foot again in the Eternal City, he sent a letter to the Senate that year instructing Christian clergy to sacrifice to Roman gods, and the following year ordered their execution.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope St. John Paul had great appreciation for each other

Gorbachev, St. John Paul had great appreciation for each other | Crux: Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who died Aug. 30 in Moscow after a long illness, met several times with St. John Paul II, and the two often exchanged words of appreciation for each other. The two leaders met in 1989 and again in 1990, when Gorbachev was still president of the Soviet Union and was introducing political and economic reforms in his country, as well as on other occasions. Both men were key in the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Gorbachev won the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

USDA Exempts Religious Schools From LGBT Rule Change Threatening Free Lunch Funds

USDA exempts religious schools from LGBT rule change threatening free lunch funds | Catholic News AgencyHEIPEL: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reversed a policy that would have required Catholic schools that participate in a federal free lunch program to comply with the Biden administration’s LGBTQ mandates. Nevertheless, some Catholic schools, such as those of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, are choosing to drop out of the program. Earlier this year the Biden administration re-interpreted Title IX's federal ban on sex discrimination to include

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman talks faith, fatherhood and football

Coach Marcus Freeman Talks Faith, Fatherhood and Notre Dame Football| National Catholic RegisterLIEDL: Marcus Freeman has yet to start his first season as head coach of the University of Notre Dame’s football team — that’ll come on Sept. 3, when he leads the No. 5-ranked Fighting Irish against the team he played for during his own collegiate career, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. But even though the season has yet to kick off, the first-year head coach is already racking up the wins. For one, Coach Freeman has helped the Irish secure the No. 3 recruiting class heading into 2023, according to Rivals.com. It’s an astounding accomplishment, considering Notre Dame’s reputation as a difficult program to recruit elite talent to, given the high academic and personal-conduct standards required of student-athletes at the nation’s premier Catholic university. In fact, Freeman’s predecessor, Brian Kelly, has cited Notre Dame’s recruiting restrictions as part of the reason he abruptly left for LSU.

To receive reproof or rebuke is never easy — but it can help make you a saint

To Receive Reproof - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: One reason to read great works is the opportunity to identify in the lives portrayed characteristics we want to have, as well as those we should avoid. Our reading can prompt self-examination, bringing to our attention what otherwise we would not see. Plato’s dialogues are masterpieces in this vein. With my students I just re-read the dialogue Euthyphro, named from its main character, a man with a reputation for being wise and good. The reader soon discovers that while Euthyphro is serious about doing what is right, he has a notable flaw. This flaw perhaps most comes to the fore in the words quoted above—words that really jumped off the page for me this time.

I think the upcoming change to the words of absolution will be good for both confessors and penitents alike. Here’s why...

New translation of absolution prayer - Arlington Catholic HeraldMANGAN: Penance is generally the only sacrament in which a priest often doesn’t use the Ritual (the book with the various formulae and prayers for each sacrament) because he has memorized the formula of absolution and many of the other prayers used in this sacrament — and he uses them repeatedly. Over the years as a penitent, I have listened to various renditions of the Prayer of Absolution, including the essential words mentioned above. I have heard: “I absolve you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”; “I absolve you from your sins Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”; “I absolve you from your sin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”; “God absolves you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”; “God bless you.” In each case, the correct form of the essential words was not used.

Why does Our Lord say “Do not be called teachers?” A word to teachers for the new school year...

Why%20Does%20Christ%20Say%20%u201CDo%20Not%20be%20Called%20Teacher%u201D%3F%20A%20Word%20to%20Teachers%20for%20the%20New%20School%20Year.%20%7C%20Classical%20Catholic%20EducationLANGLEY: Now it is not only clear from this text (Matthew 23:8), but I have had it on authority from multiple sources that the word ‘Rabbi’ means ‘teacher.’ Hence the King James version of this same passage reads, And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. Now, what exactly is Our Lord saying here? Is this a case of Our Lord using hyperbole as he was sometimes known to do (e.g. “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee”). So under this interpretation, he might be saying, Don’t get puffed up and arrogant because of your various titles, especially those that indicate that you might have some kind of wisdom! Or perhaps, along the same lines, our Lord is simply exhorting us to humility? As if he is saying,

The Pillar has gathered all the known diocesan synod reports in the U.S. — so what do the reports say?

What do U.S. diocesan synod reports say?LAROSA: The diocesan phase of the Synod on Synodality is concluding. Episcopal conferences around the world were expected to file by Aug. 15 summaries of their findings in the diocesan phase of the Church’s two-year synodal process. In the United States, the U.S. bishops conference was granted an extension on that deadline, giving it until the end of August to send its report to the Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, the office coordinating the synod process.

Vatican announces details for the beatification of Pope John Paul I this Sunday...

Pope John Paul I beatification set for 4 September - Vatican News: The Holy See Press Office announced plans on Monday for the beatification of Pope John Paul I, who was born as Albino Luciani in the northern Italian town of Forno di Canale (now Canale d’Agordo) on 17 October 1912. Pope Francis will preside over the beatification Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, 4 September 2022. Bishop Renato Marangoni will read the Rite of Beatification at the Mass, together with the Cardinal Beniamino Stella, postulator for the Cause of Canonization, and Dr. Stefania Falasca, the Deputy Postulator.

Do the math: Was Archbishop Rembert Weakland a flawed hero or an erudite heretic?

Do%20the%20math%3A%20Was%20Archbishop%20Rembert%20Weakland%20a%20flawed%20hero%20or%20an%20erudite%20heretic%3F%20%u2014%20GetReligionMATTINGLY: Writing obituaries about controversial — but to many people beloved — public figures is a difficult task that involves some complicated mathematics. The death of former Catholic Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee is a classic example and, here is the crucial point in this post, this was not a simple matter of “left” vs. “right.” That said, there is no question that for decades — during the papacies of St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI — Weakland was a liberal Catholic superstar, with the word “liberal” in this case defined in political, cultural and doctrinal terms. But then there were revelations about his ethics and private life.

The Hubris of a Tax-Code System of Morality

The Hubris of a Tax-Code System of Morality | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: Humility is a commonly misunderstood virtue. Humility does not deny legitimate talents and attributes; it is the honest assessment of our relationship with God and others. A humble person recognizes the sovereignty of God. We are His creatures and servants. Adam and Eve violated His Kingship, persuaded they would “be as gods” (Gen. 3:5), and, in their arrogance, committed Original Sin. The ancient temptation reappears throughout history and takes many forms. Communism, National Socialism, and modern secularism are variants of post-Enlightenment atheism. Increasingly, the clergy—and even the highest ranking clergy—also undermine the sovereignty of God and their proper relationship with the Church. They treat the Catholic faith as an elaborate tax code.

This super-simple hack could help you fall asleep faster...

This Super Simple Hack Could Help You Fall Asleep Faster: Me, I don’t have a problem falling asleep. Maybe it’s because I’m exhausted from chasing two young kids all day, or for the knowledge that the little one is probably going to wake me up in a couple of hours for whatever reason he deems more important than my sleep. Whatever the reason, I’m out like a light when my head hits the pillow.

9 Lessons From the Conversion of Shia LaBeouf

9 Lessons From the Conversion of Shia LaBeouf| National Catholic RegisterLANDRY: On Aug. 25, Bishop Robert Barron released a video interview with actor Shia LaBeouf, in which LaBeouf not only announced his conversion to the Catholic faith but rivetingly described the steps of what he calls his “salvific journey.” LaBeouf has appeared in 40 movies, four television films, 77 episodes for various shows and three video games. Winner of multiple acting awards, the 36-year-old is most famous for his leading role as Sam Witwicky in the Transformers series.

The New York Times Magazine profiles Catholic podcasting star Father Mike Schmitz [NYTimes paywall]

A Catholic Podcasting Star Says Theocracy Is Not the Way - The New York Times: There are things that, at first blush, might appear marginal but are in truth major. Since it was introduced by the Catholic priest Mike Schmitz, who goes by Father Mike, in January 2021, the little-heralded “The Bible in a Year (With Fr. Mike Schmitz)” has been the most popular Apple religion podcast for a majority of 2021 and 2022 and has even, on two occasions, reached the No. 1 spot among all podcasts on Apple’s platform. The show has been downloaded 350 million times and an average of 750,000 times a day. Its popularity is easy to understand — the show goes down smoothly. Each 20-to-25-minute installment, designed according to a study plan developed by the Catholic biblical scholar Jeff Cavins, features two or three short scriptural readings and a pithy reflection by Father Mike, an affable 47-year-old Midwesterner whose upbeat and self-deprecating manner — not to mention regular-guy good looks — exude strong Ted Lasso vibes. The staggering success of the podcast has helped turn its host, whose day job is as a chaplain at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the director of the youth ministry for the Duluth diocese, into a kind of celebrity. He travels the country giving speeches, and some of his YouTube videos have racked up millions of views. This all comes at a moment, of course, when the church, like so many of our institutions, finds itself firmly at the heart of roiling social tensions — a fact of which Father Mike is keenly conscious. “I know a lot of my own brokenness and faults,” he says about the challenge of becoming a public figure. “I hate the idea of misrepresenting God or the church because of them.”

Vatican Says Pope Condemns War ‘Initiated by Russia’

Vatican%20says%20Pope%20condemns%20war%20%u2018initiated%20by%20Russia%u2019%20%7C%20CruxSANMARTIN: After a diplomatic rift caused by one of Pope Francis’s off-the-cuff remarks about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Vatican on Tuesday released a statement saying that he unambiguously condemns the “large-scale war in Ukraine initiated by the Russian Federation.” According to the Vatican’s press office, the many remarks by Francis and his collaborators on the war “are mostly aimed at inviting pastors and the faithful to prayer,” and calling for “solidarity and efforts to rebuild peace.”

Vatican tries to mend Ukraine ties after Kyiv protests comments made by Pope Francis

Vatican tries to mend Ukraine ties after Kyiv protests pope comments | Reuters: The Vatican acted to mend strained relations with Ukraine on Tuesday after Pope Francis upset Kyiv by referring to Russian ultra-nationalist Darya Dugina, who was killed by a car bomb near Moscow, as an innocent victim of war. Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba summoned the Vatican's ambassador in Kyiv to protest, saying the pope's words were...

Francis throws a gauntlet, and ‘maybe someday’

Francis throws a gauntlet, and 'maybe someday'JDFLYNN: Today is the feast of St. Jeanne Jugan, the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious community of women founded and dedicated to care for the elderly poor. Jeanne was born in France in 1792, amid the turmoil of the French Revolution. She was the sixth of eight children. When Jeanne was four, her father, a fisherman, was lost at sea. Her mother was left to raise the children on her own – and to secretly catechize them at home, with anti-Catholic persecutions on the rise in France.

Forget the Twitter mobs and sniffy neighbors — for many Americans, cancel culture is self-inflicted

For Many Americans, Cancel Culture is Self-Inflicted: Free societies emphasize the ability to voice opinions and debate with those who disagree without fear of penalty. Political systems that punish people for espousing "wrong" ideas are unfree no matter how they try to justify the constraints they impose on speech. But what happens when a society retains the forms of freedom, but its culture becomes intolerant of dissent and imposes unofficial penalties on those who stray in their public statements? Americans are finding out what it means to live that way with the resurgence of an old flaw called out early in this country's history.

Heartbeat pregnancy-help organization gives moms a chance

Heartbeat Pregnancy-Help Organization Gives Moms a Chance | National ReviewLOPEZ: “I’m not having this child.” Kayla was a single mom already. Her relationship with the father of her first child had disintegrated. She had just moved to California and was working as a cosmetologist while she pursued her acting dreams. It was the Covid shutdown and she was with her family in Tampa, where she grew up. She planned to stay for two weeks, but it became two months. She was in a developing relationship, and on Memorial Day morning she discovered herself pregnant. “My heart just fell to my stomach,” she recalls in video testimony. She feared losing everything she had started to build. “I had never thought of or considered abortion. . . . It was too frightening for me.” But she simply felt like she “had no other choice. This was just going to be the best outcome, the best answer, that’s it. . . . I figured the chemical abortion would be the best option, less invasive.”

What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem — and what do either have to do with Silicon Valley?

The Three-City Problem of Modern Life | WIREDBURGIS: NASA can land a probe on Saturn's largest moon, 764 million miles from Earth—yet no one has been able to mathematically demonstrate the exact positions of the Earth, sun, and our own moon at a given point in the future. Scientists can make estimates, but these all rely on simplifications. Two-body problems, like mapping the movement of one planet around one star, are solvable. These binary orbits are easy to predict. But a serious complication arises if a third body is introduced. Our moon, which has the gravitational forces of both the sun and the Earth acting upon it simultaneously, is part of an infamous three-body problem.

Archbishop Paglia’s Calls Pro-Abortion Law ‘Pillar of Society;’ Pontifical Academy for Life Says Remarks ‘Taken Out of Context’

%u2018Taken%20Out%20of%20Context%u2019%3A%20Pontifical%20Academy%20for%20Life%20Defends%20Archbishop%20Paglia%u2019s%20Remarks%20on%20Abortion%20Law%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterWIMMER: The Pontifical Academy for Life on Monday clarified remarks of the academy’s president on Italian television that the law legalizing abortion in Italy was a “pillar of society.” Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia had been taken out of context, a spokesperson said in a statement sent to CNA on request. “The intention of this statement was not to make a value judgment about the law, but to state that it is practically impossible to abolish Law 194, since it is now a structural part of the relevant legislation,” Fabrizio Mastrofini explained.

Jesus Takes the Lowest Place at Our Table: The Food

This Sunday, Jesus Takes the Lowest Place at Our Table: The Food | Ex Corde at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: Jesus gives a lesson in humility that he fulfills in the most amazing way possible on the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. What he does is so amazing, in fact, that many Christians in America simply don’t believe he actually did it. Jesus enters the home of a leading Pharisee and is watched very carefully by his guests. The Gospel passage in Mass from Luke starts on the first verse of Chapter 14, and then immediately leaps to Verse 7. The first verse reminds us that Jesus is dining among enemies who are always looking for evidence to prove that he’s not as special as he claims. This, of course, is exactly what Christians face in an increasingly secular culture. People watch us, eager to say

Journalists should ask if faith-based schools clearly state their doctrines on sexuality

Podcast%3A%20Journalists%20should%20ask%20if%20faith-based%20schools%20clearly%20state%20their%20doctrines%20on%20sexuality%20%u2014%20GetReligionMATTINGLY: I forget who originally came up with the term “Romeaphobia.” This can be defined as the hatred or fear of all things that can be viewed as links to Roman Catholicism or the early church in general. Obviously, this affects issues linked to worship and church governance. However, in my experience (I grew up in Texas), many evangelicals (especially Baptists) have a fear of clear, authoritative doctrinal statements that, you know, might be interpreted as “Roman” creeds. All together now: We are “Bible Christians” and that’s that.

We all know about Luther. But did you know that there were Protestants who came before the Protestants?

The Protestants Who Came Before the Protestants | Catholic AnswersWEIDENKOPF: The proto-Protestants were heretics in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries whose teachings and actions laid the groundwork for Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other sixteenth-century Reformers. They advocated the later bedrock Protestant principle of sola scriptura, or the belief that the only authoritative source of God’s divine revelation is Sacred Scripture. These proto-Protestants also called for the reform of Church abuses and advanced various heretical opinions in an effort to undermine the Church. The two main proto-Protestants were John Wycliffe (1324-1384) and Jan Hus (1369-1415).

What true development in moral theology looks like

What true development in moral theology looks likeSTAUDT: Faith does not depend upon our own reasonings and feelings. It responds to the revelation of God, which exceeds all of our own capacities. On our own, we could not know God and could have no certainty of supernatural realities. This includes our happiness, which is not found in the realization of any earthly good; it is found in God himself, transcending every finite thing, including our own selves. Faith draws us to salvation by opening our minds and our whole being to God and his will for us, enabling us to partake even of the divine nature.

Video: Spectacular shots from a drone camera flying over Mount Everest

Flying A Drone Over Mt. Everest (WATCH): DJI is one of the most well-known drone manufacturers in the world, and while they probably don’t necessarily need any promotional work to spread their brand amongst drone enthusiasts, the video below is certainly going to help them to move some product. DJI sent one of their Mavic 3 drones with an expedition crew on Mt. Everest to prove that the device can withstand even the harshest conditions, and they managed to capture some absolutely spectacular shots while they were at it.

Was King Arthur a real person? Is there any truth behind the legends?

Was King Arthur a Real Person? | History | Smithsonian Magazine: A cold, wind-driven rain soaks through my parka as I walk across a narrow foot-bridge that links the Cornwall mainland in southwest England to a rocky promontory overlooking the Bristol Channel. Far below this cantilevered span, waves crash against the cliffs and swirl inside a grotto known as Merlin’s Cave. Win Scutt, a burly, amiable archaeologist from nearby Plymouth, opens a gate and leads me down a path to the ruins of a medieval castle. Its fragmentary walls mark the lair where Richard, the 13th-century Earl of Cornwall and the brother of King Henry III, is said to have gathered with his followers to feast on mutton and ale and pay homage to a monarch who may never have existed: King Arthur.

In the wake of the consistory, we need to debunk three persistent myths about cardinals

In%20consistory%u2019s%20wake%2C%20debunking%20three%20persistent%20myths%20about%20cardinals%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Pope Francis yesterday created 20 new cardinals, including 16 under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote for the next pope. It was Francis’s eighth consistory, and whenever we get a new crop of Princes of the Church, several chronic misconceptions tend to head once more unto the breach. Herewith, three conceptual mistakes to avoid in thinking about the men who wear the red.

Poor Clare nuns reveal the hidden Truth about the 1947 Roswell ‘UFO crash’

Nuns%20Reveal%20Hidden%20Truth%20About%20Roswell%20%u2018UFO%20Crash%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterTURLEY: It was 75 years ago, in July 1947, when press reports surfaced that a crashed “flying saucer” had been recovered near Roswell, New Mexico. Days later, an official denial came from the same source that had initially confirmed the capture, namely, the U.S. military. In those few days the template was set for the modern unidentified flying object (UFO) phenomenon — reports followed by counter-reports, sightings by official explanations, cries of disinformation, talk of alleged cover-ups accompanied by the insistence on various “proofs” that “we are not alone.”

You have to serve before you sit...

You%20Have%20to%20Serve%20Before%20You%20Sit%20%u2013%20A%20Homily%20for%20the%2022nd%20Sunday%20of%20the%20Year%20-%20Community%20in%20MissionPOPE: In the Gospel for Sunday’s Mass, the Lord Jesus summons us to a deeper appreciation for what brings true honor, for what makes a person truly great. As you may imagine, what the world considers great and honorable is rather different from what God thinks and sees. Let’s look at this Gospel in three parts and discover its paradoxical vision. The Lord is at a banquet and notices people vying for seats of honor. In response, He gives the following teaching...

Pope Francis Becomes First Pope in More Than 700 Years to Open the Holy Door in L’Aquila

Pope%20Francis%20becomes%20first%20pope%20in%20more%20than%20700%20years%20to%20open%20the%20Holy%20Door%20in%20L%u2019Aquila%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyMARES: Pope Francis became the first pope in 728 years to open the Holy Door of a 13th-century basilica in L’Aquila, Italy on Sunday. During a visit to the Italian city located about 70 miles northeast of Rome on Aug. 28, the pope participated in a centuries-old tradition, the Celestinian Forgiveness, known in Italian as the Perdonanza Celestiniana. The opening of the Holy Door marked a key moment in the annual celebration established by Pope Celestine V in 1294.

Forget the Vatican … Italy may be the real political headache for the Pope

Forget%20the%20Vatican%20%u2026%20Italy%20may%20be%20the%20real%20political%20headache%20for%20the%20Pope%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Vatican politics take center stage this weekend in Rome, as Pope Francis presides today over a consistory to create new cardinals and then will lead two days of discussions with all the cardinals of the world on Vatican reform on Monday and Tuesday. In effect, this makes the next 96 hours the equivalent of the Iowa Caucuses on the Vatican beat, with basically all the plausible contenders to be the next pope on display.

Shia LaBeouf embraces the Catholic faith: Here’s what we know

Shia LaBeouf embraces the Catholic faith: Here's what we know | Catholic News AgencyBUKURAS: Shia LaBeouf, an actor known for his roles in such movies as “Transformers” and “Fury,” made headlines this week for the personal details he shared about how his on-screen portrayal of Padre Pio led him to a newfound love of the Catholic faith. In an 80-minute-long interview with Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and Word on Fire ministries, LaBeouf spoke at length about his appreciation of the works of St. Augustine and Thomas Merton, his devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass, the peace he feels when he prays the rosary, and his experience receiving the Holy Eucharist for the very first time.

You have a lookalike and probably share DNA with them, new study suggests

You have a doppelganger and probably share DNA with them, new study suggests - CNN: Sometimes when Charlie Chasen or Michael Malone would be out and about on their own in Atlanta, people would mistake one for the other. The long-time friends who live in Atlanta are not related. Their ancestors don't even come from the same part of the world. Malone's family came from the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. Chasen's family came from Scotland and Lithuania. They aren't the result of some deep dark family secret, either. Yet they look strikingly similar. It's not just their brown hair, beards and glasses. It's also the structure of their nose, their cheekbones, and the shape of their lips.

Pope Francis Creates 20 New Cardinals at Consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica

Pope Francis Creates 20 Cardinals for the Catholic Church| National Catholic RegisterBROCKHAUS: Pope Francis created 20 new cardinals for the Catholic Church during a liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica Saturday. “Jesus calls us by name; he looks us in the eye and he asks: Can I count on you?” Pope Francis said in a homily addressed to the College of Cardinals and its new members on Aug. 27. “The Lord,” he said, “wants to bestow on us his own apostolic courage, his zeal for the salvation of every human being, without exception. He wants to share with us his magnanimity, his boundless and unconditional love, for his heart is afire with the mercy of the Father.”

Consistory mathletics, the Vatican’s bank, and ‘He’s just not that into you’

Consistory%20mathletics%2C%20the%20Vatican%u2019s%20bank%2C%20and%20%u2018He%u2019s%20just%20not%20that%20into%20you%u2019CONDON: All the cardinals of the world (at least those able to travel) are descending on the Vatican ahead of tomorrow’s opening session, when the pontiff will create 20 new members of the college, the majority of them young enough to expect to vote in the next conclave, whenever that may be. And boy have we got some consistory coverage to get you in the mood. Brendan Hodge has been running the numbers and turning the College of Cardinals inside out to answer every possible question you could have on who’s in, who appointed them, where they come from, what they eat for breakfast — the works.

Watch how insects become airborne, slowed down to a speed the human eye can appreciate

How insects become airborne, slowed down to a speed the human eye can appreciate | Aeon Videos: Whether you have an abiding interest in insect biology, or simply enjoy watching events that happen very, very quickly played back very, very slowly (and who doesn’t?), this short video from the Evolutionary Biology and Behavior Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University is a dazzlingly wild ride. Guided by the biologist Adrian Smith, who heads the lab, the film captures a series of 11 different winged insects – including a praying mantis, beetles and weevils – as they propel into flight at a riveting 3,200 frames per second, and are slowed down roughly 200 times for your viewing pleasure. For more of Smith’s nifty camerawork, watch Moths in Slow Motion.

Cardinal Hollerich: ‘I Have No Personal Agenda’ for the Synod on Synodality

Cardinal%20Hollerich%3A%20%u2018I%20have%20no%20personal%20agenda%u2019%20for%20the%20synod%20on%20synodalityCOPPEN: A cardinal with a central role at next year’s gathering of the world’s bishops on synodality insisted on Friday that he had “no personal agenda” for the synodal process. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich was speaking at a Vatican press conference on Aug. 26 in response to a question about comments he made in February concerning Church teaching on homosexuality.

Report: Patriarch Kirill Will Not Meet Pope Francis in Kazakhstan

Report: Patriarch Kirill will not meet Pope Francis in Kazakhstan | Catholic News Agency: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow will not attend an interreligious summit in Kazakhstan in September, where it was hoped he would meet with Pope Francis to discuss a peaceful resolution to the six-month-long war in Ukraine. The pope will travel to the Central Asian nation for the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in the city of Nur-Sultan on Sept. 13-15.

Visit Europe’s few remaining remote, lost-in-time villages, where life has barely changed in centuries

Europe's remote, lost-in-time villages - BBC Travel: I heard them before I saw them, the soft jangle of metal bells carrying on the warm evening air. Weary hooves scuffed up clouds of dust as the herd trudged up Viscri's dirt-road high street, stopping to gulp water from a trough beneath a gnarled walnut tree. Routine kicked in, and they peeled away through arched gateways and into their own cobbled courtyards, where they'd be milked and fed for the night.

The double death of Anne Heche

The Double Death of Anne Heche | Catholic AnswersTRASANCOS: Media outlets were unsure how to report the date of actress Anne Heche’s death after her recent automobile fatality. The Los Angeles Times reported that Heche suffered significant burns and head injuries in a car crash on August 5 that left her in a coma. On Friday, August 11, the Times communicated that “Anne Heche is ‘brain dead’ but remains on life support for organ donation.” Heche was declared brain-dead the night of August 10, her heart still beating via machines while, as per her wishes, medical staff determined the viability of her organs for donation.

If you think you know which planet is closest to Earth, think again...

If You Think You Know Which Planet Is Closest To Earth, Think Again: If you’re a person of a certain age, you’ve probably realized by now that there are more than a few “facts” we learned in school that are now outdated. The order of the planets hasn’t changed (I’m pretty sure), though, so how could we be wrong in guessing that Venus is Earth’s closest neighbor?

Wednesday is the Feast of St. Nathanael Bartholomew, whom Our Lord called ‘a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile’

Feast%20of%20St.%20Nathanael%20Bartholomew%20%u2014%20%u2018Come%20and%20See%u2019%20the%20Lord%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGRONDELSKI: St. Bartholomew is one of the 12 Apostles, but one about whom relatively less is known. Certain Apostles immediately stand out: Peter, James the Greater and John come to mind. Certain Apostles are known only by name — think Simon or Jude Thaddeus (loss of whose memory is further compounded, as the St. Jude Novena Prayer used to put it, by “the name of the traitor [who] has caused you to be forgotten by many.”

Ortega’s intense persecution of the Church calls into question the Vatican’s ‘Gallagher Protocol’

Ortega%u2019s%20Intense%20Persecution%20of%20the%20Church%20Calls%20Into%20Question%20the%20Vatican%u2019s%20%u2018Gallagher%20Protocol%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: In response to the persecution of the Church in Nicaragua, the Holy See is strictly observing the Gallagher Protocol. But the Gallagher Protocol is not being observed elsewhere, not even in Italy. As cardinals from around the world head to Rome this week, will Archbishop Gallagher himself be able to persuade them to stifle their protests over a brother bishop taken away by Daniel Ortega’s regime? In June 2021, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States — often called the Vatican’s “foreign minister” — explained why the Holy See was silent on the fierce persecution of the Church in Hong Kong.

This week’s papal speculation risks fiddling while everyplace but Rome burns

This%20week%u2019s%20papal%20speculation%20risks%20fiddling%20while%20everyplace%20but%20Rome%20burns%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Right now we’re in the middle of what I’ve taken to calling “World Series Week” on the Vatican beat. We tend to reserve the “Super Bowl” metaphor for transition events, i.e., the death or resignation of a pope, but this is basically the next step down in terms of significance and media interest. Think about what’s coming over the next few days. We’ve got a consistory to create new cardinals, by a pope whose increasing physical limits can’t help but invite questions about what might come next, coupled with two days of meetings with all the cardinals of the world – i.e., all the plausible candidates to take over. In between, a pope who’s dropped hints about resigning someday will be visiting the tomb of the last pontiff to step down voluntarily before Benedict XVI.

Here’s a list of foods that are safe to eat well past their ‘expiration dates’

These Foods Are Safe to Eat Well Past Their 'Expiration Dates': Expiration dates are meaningless, but there is still a feeling of unease that can come with munching down on a snack whose packaging claims it expired weeks or months ago. That’s why it’s helpful to know which foods are especially fine to consume post-expiration date—and which ones you actually should not.

What are muscle knots? An exercise physiologist explains what those tight little lumps are and how to get rid of them

What are muscle knots? An exercise physiologist explains what those tight little lumps are and how to get rid of them: Imagine you’ve just completed a tough upper-body workout. Your muscles feel a bit tired, but all in all you’re able to go about the rest of your day just fine. The next morning, you wake up and realize the back of your shoulder blade feels stiff. When you rub your shoulder muscles, it feels like you’re prodding a little gumball under your skin. Every time you try to move it around, the area feels tight, with slight pangs of pain.

‘Battle for the American Mind’ is a clumsy book, but it tells a story Americans need to hear

Battle for the American Mind - by Paul Weinhold: Battle for the American Mind is, as the title suggests, a polemic. It is not a scholarly work, and it is not the work of academics. As a sort of academic myself, I know that academics often get the details right through painstaking efforts of erudition, but fail to tell a true or honest story about the whole. Modern academic disciplines make little effort and see no need to cultivate the ordinary and human love of the good or the beautiful, let alone to justify their work for prudent laymen, or to submit to the deliberations and judgment of decent and reasonable citizens. This book is in every way the opposite. It is clumsily executed, wildly inaccurate in many details, and lacking a consistent or coherent argument. Yet the story it tells is true and needful, and it is submitted humbly for the benefit of the American people. And it is a story the American people need to hear.

I went to Rome and opened the Sistine Chapel. You can too...

I Went to Rome and Opened the Sistine Chapel. You Can Too. - InsideHook: It’s a little after 7 a.m. on Tuesday in Rome, but I’ve already put in close to two solid hours at the Vatican already. For the uninitiated, the Vatican opens to the public at 9 a.m. during the week, but on this particular morning I’ve been given a peculiar task — I’m to open the Sistine Chapel.

Why Pope Francis’ Vatican bank order is such a big deal...

Why%20Pope%20Francis%u2019%20Vatican%20bank%20order%20is%20a%20big%20dealCONDON: Pope Francis issued a rescript Tuesday emphasizing that all Vatican departments and institutions are required to move their investments and cash to the Institute for Works of Religion, commonly called the Vatican Bank, within the next few weeks. At first glance, the document appeared to be little more than a “hurry up” legal memo to curial departments, giving them until the end of September to finish bringing their cash and investments back into the Vatican’s own institutions from outside banks and and accounts.

Father James Martin apologizes for ‘not being clearer’ after downplaying Archbishop Rembert Weakland’s ‘sins and crimes’

Father%20Martin%20apologizes%20for%20%u2018not%20being%20clearer%u2019%20about%20Archbishop%20Weakland%u2019s%20%u2018sins%20and%20crimes%u2019%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20Agency: Jesuit Father James Martin said he was sorry Tuesday for not having been clearer about the “sins and crimes” of Archbishop Rembert Weakland, in an earlier tweet noting the death of the Benedictine and retired prelate. “Last night many people were angered by two tweets about Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who committed many sins and crimes, and who died at 95. Obviously I condemn his covering up of sex abuse and his paying out hush money,” Martin, an editor at large for America magazine, wrote on Twitter Aug. 23.

German ‘Synodal Way’ to Press on With Vote to Create Powerful Permanent ‘Synodal Council’

German%20%u2018synodal%20way%u2019%20to%20press%20on%20with%20permanent%20%u2018synodal%20council%u2019%20voteCOPPEN: Organizers have confirmed that participants in Germany’s “synodal way” will vote next month on a controversial proposal that would create a powerful permanent “synodal council” to oversee the local Church. The organizers announced on Aug. 22 that a total of 14 papers will be put to a vote at the initiative’s fourth plenary assembly in Frankfurt on Sept. 8-10. They include a text entitled “Sustainable strengthening of Synodality: A Synodal Council for the Catholic Church in Germany,” which will have its second reading on Sept. 9.

Growing your own food is an education for life

Growing Food as Education for Life - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: One of the most remarkable aspects of human life is how what is truly good ends up being good in more ways than we realized. There are many things in which as we go through life we discover a generous plan written-in to reality. The most obvious examples are in the moral realm, as for instance how hard-won qualities such as honesty or fidelity bear many fruits we could not have foreseen. We might think of the little boy whose habitual truth-telling ends up winning for him positions of responsibility and honor.

What to expect at the three consistories in Rome this weekend

August%20Anticipation%3A%20What%20to%20Expect%20at%20the%20Cardinals%u2019%20Consistory%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: In late August the College of Cardinals will have three “consistories” (plenary meetings): the first one an “ordinary consistory,” where Pope Francis will add 20 members to their number; the second, a pro forma and brief ceremony to approve the canonization of new saints; and the third, a two-day “extraordinary” consistory to discuss the recently promulgated constitution governing the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium.

Pope Francis instructs Vatican entities to move all funds to Vatican bank by Sept. 30

Pope Francis instructs Vatican entities to move all funds to Vatican bank by Sept. 30 | Catholic News AgencyBROCKHAUS: Pope Francis has ordered that the Holy See and connected entities move all financial assets to the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican bank. The pope’s rescript, issued Aug. 23, clarifies the interpretation of a paragraph in the new constitution of the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, promulgated in March. According to Francis’ rescript, financial and liquid assets held in banks other than the IOR must be moved to the Vatican bank within 30 days of Sept. 1, 2022.

Visa CEO Alfred Kelly remains on Catholic boards amid child porn dispute

Visa CEO remains on Catholic boards amid child porn dispute: As advocates point to evidence that Visa knowingly does business with child pornography distributors, Visa CEO Alfred Kelly continues to hold high-level leadership positions at several large Catholic institutions. Kelly disputes the allegation, claiming that his company’s apparent entanglement with child porn distributors is a misunderstanding. And Visa suspended its relationship with some pornography websites this month, amid litigation for its role in child porn distribution.

Archbishop Weakland, Becciu is still on trial, and Visa’s scandal

Archbishop Weakland, Becciu is still on trial, and Visa's scandalJDFLYNN: I tried to be responsible. I had big plans to get ahead of the game. I drafted out large sections of The Tuesday Pillar Post on Friday afternoon, four whole days ago, so that I’d have time to edit, polish, and hone that prose to perfection, just for love of you, dear readers. But then late Monday evening - after a Scout meeting, some Nerf gun time, and dinner - I decided that too much news has happened since Friday; I needed to scrap those pre-written sections and start from scratch.

Archbishop Rembert Weakland, Disgraced Former Archbishop of Milwaukee, Dead at 95

Former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland dead at 95: Rembert Weakland, who served as the ninth Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 until his retirement in 2002, died at Clement Manor in Greenfield, where he lived, after a long illness. He was 95.

Have archaeologists discovered Bethsaida, the hometown of Sts. Peter, Andrew and Philip?

Did Archaeologists Find Saint Peter's Birthplace? | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine: Archaeologists and religious scholars have long searched for the birthplace of Saint Peter, one of Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles and the first pope. Now, archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered a new artifact that proves the location of the ancient village of Bethsaida, where the important religious leader was born, along with his brother, Saint Andrew, and another apostle, Saint Philip.

Contraception is a sin. The Church has always taught this, and the Church will always teach this...

Contraception%20and%20Infallibility%20%u2014%20Part%201%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: An Aug. 8 tweet from the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) claimed that Humanae Vitae (HV) did not teach a truth guaranteed by the Church’s infallibility. While we were writing this commentary on it, the tweeted statement (full text here) was deleted without explanation. But the confusion at the heart of the tweet is widespread and will not go away with the tweet. It is this. Although Paul VI chose not to include in HV any formal, ex cathedra and manifestly infallible definition, the perennial teaching against contraception he reaffirmed in the encyclical had long been proclaimed infallibly, by the concurrence of popes, bishops and their priests throughout the world in presenting it, for decades and centuries, as a settled and unchangeable teaching of divine law.

Exiled Nicaraguan bishop challenges Pope’s suggestion to counter Ortega regime with ‘open and sincere dialogue’

Exiled%20Nicaraguan%20prelate%20challenges%20Pope%20Francis%20on%20bishop%u2019s%20arrest%20%7C%20CruxSANMARTIN: An exiled Nicaraguan bishop appeared to challenge Pope Francis Sunday, after the pontiff appealed for an “open and sincere dialogue” with the government of President Daniel Ortega about the recent imprisonment of another Catholic prelate. “It is necessary to ask for freedom. We must not negotiate with the person [Ortega]. We must ask for freedom, because they are innocent,” said Bishop Silivio Báez in a Mass celebrated in Miami and broadcast through his social networks.

Angelo Becciu: ‘The Pope Told Me I Will Be Reinstated’ as Cardinal

Becciu: 'The pope told me I will be reinstated' as cardinal: Cardinal Angelo Becciu said Sunday that he has been invited to attend an upcoming consistory for the College of Cardinals, claiming that Pope Francis told him his rights and privileges as a cardinal will be reinstated. Becciu was sacked from his curial positions in September 2020, and forced to resign his rights as a cardinal, after Vatican prosecutors met with Francis and laid out possible evidence of criminal financial activity by the former papal chief of staff.

Hell’s road is easy, but hope makes the hard way sweeter

This%20Sunday%2C%20Hell%u2019s%20Road%20Is%20Easy%2C%20But%20Hope%20Makes%20the%20Hard%20Way%20Sweeter%20%7C%20Ex%20Corde%20at%20Benedictine%20CollegeHOOPES: At just the right moment, on the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C, Jesus reminds us that hell is real and “many” are on the road to destruction while many who expect to enter heaven “will not be strong enough.” It’s just the right moment because there have been several attempts to do away with hell recently. Rumors persist that Pope Francis has rejected the idea of hell, though the opposite is true. Meanwhile, traditionalist Catholic Facebook friends of mine — one a prominent Catholic writer — have suddenly turned against the idea of an eternal hell, and are trying to lead as many as they can into their own unbelief.

Next Sunday, remember that popes can admire resignation without dropping hints

Next Sunday, remember that popes can admire resignation without dropping hints | CruxALLEN: This coming Saturday, Pope Francis will hold a consistory to create new cardinals, followed by two days of meetings with all cardinals to discuss his reform of the Roman Curia. In between he’ll visit the central Italian city of L’Aquila, and although papal outings inside Italy generally are low-key affairs, this one is destined to draw saturation coverage. The reason is because L’Aquila is home to the tomb of Celestine V, the last pope to voluntarily resign the papacy before Benedict XVI. When Benedict visited Celestine’s resting place in 2009, he left behind the pallium, or stole, which he’d received at his election – and, with the benefit of hindsight, that gesture was seen as foreshadowing Benedict’s own resignation in 2013.

Self-proclaimed ‘Matthew 25 Catholics’ need to start taking Matthew 25 more seriously...

%u201CMatthew%2025%20Catholics%u201D%3FWEIGEL: Barring a startling lurch to starboard in the Empire State, Kathy Hochul, who as lieutenant governor succeeded the unlamented Andrew Cuomo on his political demise, will be chosen governor of New York in November — the first woman elected to the office once held by such worthies as John Jay, William H. Seward, Samuel J. Tilden, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Al Smith, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Students used to know that three of these men were subsequently elected president of the United States. Real students of history know that Tilden almost certainly was, too, but lost the White House in a deal to end Reconstruction after a closely contested election. An honorable man who didn’t want to enflame a country recovering from a bloody civil war, Tilden accepted his fate rather than carrying on like a five-year old deprived of his creamsicle.

If a relationship of devoted love with the one true God can be called ‘extreme,’ then yes, the Rosary is extremely extreme...

What's So Extreme About the Rosary | Catholic AnswersSRI: We have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. By reciting the Hail Mary throughout the Rosary, we participate over and over again in the wonder-filled response of Gabriel and Elizabeth to the mystery of Christ. Bead after bead, we ask Mary to pray for us that we may be drawn closer to her Son. And most of all, prayer after prayer, we affectionately speak the name of our Beloved at the center of each Hail Mary...

The James Webb Space Telescope and other images of God’s love

The%20Webb%20telescope%20and%20other%20images%20of%20God%u2019s%20loveCLARK: Courtesy of the hard work of scientists, along with some amazing technology, the Webb telescope has captured images that give us insights into the very origin of human life itself. I recently saw another image that urged me to look back, not to a point in time billions of years ago—that would be spectacular enough. Rather, it caused me to catch of glimpse of something much more impressive: eternity.

How saints are made: Father Capodanno, sanctity, and ducks

How saints are made: Father Capodanno, sanctity, and ducksTIMCLARK: This week, it was reported that the cause for sainthood for Father Vincent Capodanno was recommended for suspension. Among the concerns raised by the Vatican consultants was the following: “Concern: The Positio focuses mainly on the last year of Father Vincent’s life. There is little record of the growth of his spirituality.” Naturally, when I read this concern, I thought to myself: ducks. Yes dear reader, if we desire sanctity, sometimes, we have to remember ducks.

How Mr. Universe returned to the Holy Eucharist

Returning Home to the Eucharist - Mick Souza - The Coming Home Network: Mick Souza won Mr. Universe in 1992, but even though he was at the top of his success, the money, sex and adrenaline he was chasing weren’t enough to fulfill him. Knowing he needed to come back to Christ, Mick returned to the place where he remembered feeling closest to Him as a kid; to Mass, and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Be sober and serious about your salvation

Sober%20and%20Serious%20about%20Salvation%u2014Homily%20Notes%20for%20the%2021st%20Sunday%20of%20the%20Year%20-%20Community%20in%20MissionPOPE: In the readings this Sunday, the Lord describes a danger: our tendency to make light of judgment and not be sober that one day we must account for our actions. In the first reading (from Isaiah), the Lord sets forth His desire to save us, but we must understand that our will, our assent, is essential to our salvation. In the second reading (from the Letter to the Hebrews), God sets forth a plan whereby, having accepting Jesus, we can make a daily walk with Him in a kind of delivering discipline. Let’s take a detailed look at the readings, hear their urgent warnings, and soberly lay hold of the solutions offered.

Monks in medieval Cambridge, England, were ‘riddled with worms’, study finds

Medieval%20monks%20were%20%u2018riddled%20with%20worms%u2019%2C%20study%20finds%20%7C%20University%20of%20Cambridge: Research examining traces of parasites in the remains of medieval Cambridge residents suggests that local friars were almost twice as likely as ordinary working townspeople to have intestinal worms – despite monasteries of the period having far more sanitary facilities. A new analysis of remains from medieval Cambridge shows that local Augustinian friars were almost twice as likely as the city’s general population to be infected by intestinal parasites.

At Sunday Angelus, Pope Calls for ‘Open and Sincere Dialogue’ Over Crackdown in Nicaragua

Pope%20Francis%20calls%20for%20%u2018peaceful%20coexistence%u2019%20and%20dialogue%20in%20Nicaragua%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyBROCKHAUS: Pope Francis called for “peaceful coexistence” between people and institutions in Nicaragua Sunday, at the end of his weekly Angelus message. “I am closely following, with worry and sorrow, the situation created in Nicaragua, and which involves people and institutions,” the pope said Aug. 21.

Cardinal Visits Bishop Taken Away by the Nicaraguan Dictatorship: ‘His Spirit Is Strong’

Cardinal visits bishop abducted by the Nicaraguan dictatorship: His spirit is strong � | Catholic News Agency: The archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, met with the bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Alvarez, hours after the bishop had been abducted by the Daniel Ortega dictatorship during the early hours of August 19.

What was that crazy Rosary attack article in The Atlantic really all about? Here’s what...

pMATTINGLY: No doubt about it. The early favorite for the wild headline of 2022 has to be “How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol” atop that viral feature from The Atlantic. And that now-deleted graphic with the rosary made of bullet holes? That will show up in media-bias features for years (maybe decades) to come. Yes, I know that the editors tried to tone that down with a replacement headline — but it’s the original screamer that perfectly captured the article’s thesis. Oh, and the editors updated a mistake in the second line of the original headline with that new sub-headline: “Why are sacramental beads suddenly showing up next to AR-15s online?” Concerning the right-wing Rosary attack – was that Atlantic feature really ‘news?’

The embattled Church in Nicaragua needs more — more help from the Vatican, and more support from Catholics worldwide...

Nicaragua Needs More| National Catholic Register: When should a global religious authority make its voice heard to defend the least among us? And when is silence, grounded in prayer, the more prudent course? The Vatican has struggled with such questions throughout its diplomatic history. During the past century, critics challenged Pope Pius XII’s nuanced response to Adolf Hitler’s aim of exterminating European Jewry. More recently, Pope Francis has been accused of ignoring the Chinese government’s attacks on religious and political freedoms, as the Vatican pursues a policy designed to unify the country’s divided Catholic community.

Bishop arrested, L’Affaire Ouellet, and ‘better than I found it’

Bishop%20arrested%2C%20L%u2019Affaire%20Ouellet%2C%20and%20%u2018better%20than%20I%20found%20it%u2019CONDON: Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, was named in a class-action lawsuit filed in his former Archdiocese of Quebec this week. A woman has accused the cardinal of several instances of inappropriate and unwanted touching while she was a young intern in the archdiocesan chancery. In an interview with Radio-Canada, the woman described the alleged incidents as “quite intrusive for, let’s say, for someone who is my superior, who is the archbishop of Quebec.”

St. John Eudes, pray for us!

St. John Eudes, Pray For Us!| National Catholic RegisterGRONDELSKI: This French priest was born in 1601 and died in 1680. So why do we remember him today? The most obvious reason is: he is a saint (canonized in 1925). Is that special? Well, yes. It is, after all, the reason we are alive. It is the sign of a life that was a success – because if you are not a saint, i.e., not in heaven, your life was a failure. Of course, that could be said of every saint. So what’s so special about St. John Eudes, especially for somebody living almost 350 years after him? Let me suggest three things...

Nicaraguan Police Storm Matagalpa Chancery, Arrest Bishop Rolando Álvarez, as Ortega Regime’s Crackdown on Church Intensifies

Nicaraguan Bishop Alvarez of Matagalpa arrested: The Diocese of Matagalpa announced early Friday morning that the National Police of Nicaragua had raided the diocesan chancery, taking Bishop Rolando Álvarez and his companions into custody. According to witnesses, police and paramilitary officers entered the Matagalpa chancery building at around 3:00 am, taking the bishop and others in the house to an undisclosed location, in a caravan of eight police vehicles.

Looking for something to watch on your next family movie night? The classic Western ‘Shane’ (1953) is the perfect choice...

The%20New%20Old%20Movie%20Review%3A%20%u2018Shane%u2019%20%281953%29%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCLARK: Hollywood is not lacking movies about courage; it is, however, desperately lacking films about fortitude. The wise man knows the difference: while courage may or may not involve love, St. Augustine clarifies that fortitude is “love bearing all things readily for the sake of the object beloved.” Augustine’s teacher, St. Ambrose, provides us with an even clearer picture

Airlines are bumping passengers at a record pace. Here’s what to do if it happens to you...

How to Get Fairly Compensated for Your Oversold Flight | Conde Nast Traveler: It’s a situation that’s becoming increasingly common: You’re waiting for your flight to start boarding, when the gate agent announces the plane is overbooked and some passengers will need to be bumped to a later flight. How does this happen, and what can travelers do about it? Planes only make money when they are flying full of paying passengers, so airlines sell a small percentage of seats more than the aircraft allows, assuming that people will not show up because they missed their connecting flight, got stuck in traffic, or simply changed their plans.

Is St. Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy for everyone? Yes — for without a friend like Aquinas, even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious

Is%20Thomas%20Aquinas%u2019%20Philosophy%20for%20Everyone%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDEMARCO: The philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas is highly systematic, profound, mystical and elaborate, and was recorded in the 13th century. In a word, it is “formidable.” And yet, Aquinas is the master par excellence of common sense. His philosophy has a remarkable affinity with the human mind and the organs of sensation. His philosophy is to the human mind what Bach’s music is to the ear or what the sculptures of Michelangelo are to the eye. He is the Angelic Doctor, but he is down-to-earth. Is St. Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy for everyone? Yes — for without a friend like Aquinas, even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious

Learn to recognize the 5 stages of persecution (and it looks like we’re headed for stage 5)

Stages of Persecution - Community in MissionPOPE: With the recent article in The Atlantic linking the Rosary to extremist gun culture we see a gross misunderstanding in the nature of spiritual warfare and its true target, Satan. The rosary is a weapon, but a spiritual one. While it is possible that the author simply misunderstands our allegorical references to warfare, I rather doubt he is that dumb. Rather, I suspect that this is an attempt to stereotype, and vilify Catholics, especially traditional ones. These are tactics used to lay a groundwork for the marginalization and persecution of the faithful and the criminalization of their views.

Priest Urges: ‘Eucharistic Revival Depends on Learning From Disastrous Mistakes We Made During COVID-19’

Eucharistic Revival Depends on Learning From Mistakes We Made During COVID-19| National Catholic RegisterLANDRY: On Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control loosened most of its COVID-19 guidelines, and many other national, state and local governments, institutions and industries have recently done the same. It’s an important marker that collectively almost everyone wants to move on from the pandemic. While there are still variants and people whose conditions make them vulnerable, while some continue to suffer with long COVID cases, while we continue to mourn those who have died because of it, we give thanks to God that, for the most part, the pandemic and the revolution it caused to daily life are over.

Synodality: A Church ‘too harsh and out of step?’

Synodality%3A%20A%20Church%20%u201CToo%20harsh%20and%20out%20of%20step%u201D%3F%20%7C%20Catholic%20CultureMIRUS: Northjersey.com’s report on the results of synodal discussions in New Jersey reveals the fault lines among those who self-identify as Catholics and have been willing to take part in the synodal process. The headline is revealing: ‘Too harsh’ and ‘out of step’: Survey finds NJ Catholics want a more inclusive church’. The story is somewhat more complex than that, but the emphasis in the discussions and in the headline are predictable.

Admit it: the Rosary IS a threat

Admit it: the Rosary IS a threat | Catholic CultureLAWLER: Thus spoke Hillaire Belloc, answering an anti-Catholic heckler, while campaigning for a seat in Parliament in 1906. After the publication of a rabble-rousing article in The Atlantic entitled “How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol,” some timid Catholics may be inclined to hide away their Rosary beads (assuming they can find them), to avoid being associated with extremism. Others are ready to scold The Atlantic for publishing such a bare-faced attack on Catholic devotion, and to assure the world that the Rosary is harmless. Both those approaches are wrong.

Don’t be a ‘Low-Bar Thomist’ — there’s nothing Christ-like or courageous about winning the praise of the world this way

Rejecting%20the%20%u201Clow-bar%20Thomism%u201D%20of%20revisionist%20moral%20theologians%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportCHAPP: We cannot make Christ credible again and we cannot break the chains of the hegemony of the “immanent frame” that enslaves us if we turn every hard choice we face—choices demanded by the Gospel—into a “gray area” of “complex circumstances” crying out for a lowered bar of expectation. It is easy to be “inclusive” when you do not think anything at all is ever “exclusive.”

New cardinal says he is worried about ‘survival of Christianity’ in Nigeria

New%20cardinal%20says%20he%20is%20worried%20about%20%u2018survival%20of%20Christianity%u2019%20in%20Nigeria%20%7C%20CruxSANMARTIN: A week before Cardinal-designate Peter Obere Okpaleke found out that Pope Francis would be making him a cardinal, a news alert claiming he had died circulated on Facebook. Thus, it wasn’t hard for him to presume that the pontiff’s decision was, like his alleged death, fake news. When the diocesan chancellor called him with the news, “like St. Thomas in the Gospel, I felt that it was too good to be true and demanded for the source of the information,” Okpaleke told Crux this week.

Why politics may not be the magic bullet in terms of refilling the pews

Why politics may not be the magic bullet in terms of refilling the pews | CruxALLEN: Germany’s bishops now have delivered to Rome the long-awaited results of their “synodal path,” a controversial national consultation of the country’s Catholics, and anyone with a passing familiarity with German Catholicism over recent decades won’t find many surprises. In broad strokes, Germany’s Catholics seem to want more empowerment of laity, especially women, including a say in the selection of pastors and bishops as well as a preaching role for lay people. They also favor greater tolerance for disagreement with official church teaching on hot-button issues such as contraception, gay marriage, celibacy and women’s ordination.

Bianca Jagger says Nicaraguan regime has ‘declared war’ on Catholic Church

Bianca%20Jagger%20says%20Nicaraguan%20regime%20has%20%u2018declared%20war%u2019%20on%20Catholic%20Church%20%7C%20CruxSANMARTIN: During the past four years, security forces in Nicaragua have arrested scores of political, business, and media figures opposed to long-time president Daniel Ortega. In recent months, the crack-down finally caught up with the only remaining opposition: the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec Accused of Sexual Assault

Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet accused of sexual assault | CityNews Toronto: Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet is being accused of sexual assault in a class-action lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. In court documents introduced today in Superior Court, an unnamed woman accuses the prominent cleric of kissing her at a cocktail reception in 2008 and sliding his hand down her back and touching her buttocks.

There’s a risk in accepting Jesus Christ in your life. Are you willing to take it?

There is a risk in accepting Jesus Christ in your life, are you willing to take it? | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: Entering a Catholic Church for the very first time, Michael did not know what to expect. There was a visible fear across his face because he had been searching for direction and meaning in his life having dabbled in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Atheism, and ultimately a non-denominational community of believers. He was hoping to find acceptance and refuge from a world he had come to realize did not offer the answers of hope and love he was searching for.

Lauretta Brown: Catholics who proclaim their faith — then work against it

Lauretta%20Brown%3A%20Catholics%20who%20proclaim%20their%20faith%20%u2013%20then%20work%20against%20it: "In some ways it's sad to see people identifying as Catholics but then pushing these issues — not just as things they think are good — but they talk about the language of rights: a right to contraception, a right to same-sex marriage,” said Lauretta Brown, Washington-based staff writer for the National Catholic Register. “In the years that I've covered politics, though, unfortunately I've gotten quite used to seeing this: people being Catholic, talking about their faith, but turning around and disregarding some central Church teachings.”

Elvis Presley checked out of Heartbreak Hotel 45 years ago today

Checking Out of Heartbreak Hotel| National Catholic RegisterTURLEY: It has been 45 years since Elvis Presley checked out of Heartbreak Hotel. On Aug. 16, 1977, as night fell on Memphis, Tennessee, Presley was found dead. He was just 42 years old. As the news of the death spread around the world, the overriding emotion beyond shock at so untimely a passing was one of sadness. For all Presley’s success and acclaim, there was something about him that remained unfulfilled, incomplete. For a man who had been held up to the world as an incarnation of the American dream, his end — he was found sprawled unconscious on a bathroom floor — seemed to belie this.

The synodal 1%, the real St. Roch, and the ‘militant’ Rosary

The%20synodal%201%25%2C%20the%20real%20St.%20Roch%2C%20and%20the%20%u2018militant%u2019%20rosaryJDFLYNN: Today is the feast of St. Roch, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post. The fourteenth century St. Roch, by most popular biographies, was born marked with a red cross on his chest — taken as a sign of the Lord’s love in his life even from infancy. Again, from the hagiographies, Roch was a deeply pious child, given to regular fasting and long periods of prayer. He was also the son of the noble governor of Montpelier, France - in fact, Roch himself inherited that title when was 20 years old. But rather than take up his noble office, Roch handed it over to his uncle, gave away his stuff, and decided to go on a begging pilgrimage to Rome, by foot.

In Synod Report, Swiss Bishops Accuse Church of ‘Denying Equality to Women’ and Excluding ‘People with LGBTQ Identity’

Swiss bishops' Synod report: Catholic Church denies equality to women and excludes LGBT people | Catholic News AgencyWIMMER: On Monday, the Swiss Bishops' Conference published a document for the upcoming Synod on Synodality in Rome reporting the Catholic Church was seen as suffering from clericalism —as well as "denying equality to women" and excluding "people with LGBTQ identity." "Several official church positions on the role of women in church and society, on sexuality and lifestyles are perceived as pejorative and exclusionary," the Swiss report said according to CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner.

Project Poltergeist: When unexplained events terrify a young boy in 1960s New Jersey, the first purported haunting in a public housing project begins...

Project Poltergeist by Saleah Blancaflor: On the evening of his thirteenth birthday, Ernie Rivers, shy and serious, was playing in his bedroom in an apartment in the Felix Fuld housing development in Newark, New Jersey. Loneliness had become routine for Ernie, even on his birthday. His no-nonsense grandmother, Mabelle Clark, took care of housework in her bedroom. As she did, a glass jar on top of a dresser on the opposite end of the room crashed to the floor. Mabelle was shaken for a moment — the jar seemed to have moved by itself — then brushed it off. Ernie heard the noise from his room, but didn’t think much about it.

Somebody needs to tell The Atlantic that firebombings are bad, and Rosaries are good

The Atlantic: Rosaries Are Worse Than Firebombings | National Review: It would be hard to find evidence more damning of the worldview of the editors of the Atlantic than the decision to run these two articles two days apart: Kaitlyn Tiffany on “The Right’s New Bogeyman: A mysterious pro-abortion-rights group is claiming credit for acts of vandalism around the country, and right-wing activists and politicians are eating it up” and Daniel Panneton on “How Extremist Gun Culture Co-Opted the Rosary: The AR-15 is a sacred object among Christian nationalists. Now ‘radical-traditional’ Catholics are bringing a sacrament of their own to the movement.” Read in combination, they perfectly encapsulate an asymmetrical threat assessment, in which “our” people are never really bad, but “their” people are to be viewed with constant suspicion. In this view, even actual terrorism by people on the cultural left is dangerous only because it helps conservatives politically, while even the slightest hint of association with the smallest number of extremist weirdos is enough to justify denouncing a core Catholic devotional prayer.

The Atlantic’s hysterical piece demonizing the Rosary is a harbinger of persecution

Libs Tremble Before The Rosary - The American ConservativeDREHER: In both Orthodoxy and Catholicism, today -- August 15 -- is the feast of the transition of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, into eternal life. Catholics call it the Assumption, because they believe she was "assumed" (taken up) into heaven at the end of her earthly days without tasting death; Orthodox call it the Dormition (falling asleep), because we Orthodox believe that she died, like every other human being. (A brief discussion explaining the theological distinctions between the Assumption and the Dormition can be found here; it has to do with the different ways the Christian East and the Christian West think of original sin). Both traditions share the belief that God took up to heaven the body of Mary, which is why there is no tomb for her anywhere in the world.

When Our Lord says ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ here’s an example of what He means...

Paradoxical%20Promises%20that%20Sustain%20Hope%20%u2013%20The%20Five%20BeastsTURNER: By referring to the “poor in spirit”, Jesus does not just limit this promise to the impoverished but extends it to all of his followers enduring distress and who acknowledge their dependence on God. One example of this particular beatitude occurred in my former days as a student in an evangelical seminary, which required 40 hours of internship. At a church in Minneapolis led by popular evangelical author John Piper, I was asked to make weekly visits to two young men whose parents had requested spiritual counseling: one of them was slightly mentally disabled, and the other had severe cerebral palsy; both experiencing depression.

We have many friends in Heaven

Our Many Friends in Heaven | Parishable ItemsFELTES: We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. The New Testament Letter to the Hebrews celebrates the faith and actions of Old Testament heroes: beginning with Abel, Enoch, and Noah; Abraham and Sarah; Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; Moses and Rahab; Israel’s judges Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah; David, Samuel, and all the prophets. These witnesses surrounding us who can help us follow Jesus are not far away. As The Letter to the Hebrews tells us later in the same chapter...

What is St. Michael’s Lent? The powerful little-known tradition we need for our times

What is St. Michael's Lent? The Powerful Little-Known Tradition We Need for Our TimesBURKEPILE: Have you ever heard of St. Michael’s Lent? St. Michael’s Lent dates back to the 13th century when St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14). Much like a ‘mini-Lent,’ the devotion lasts 40 days (excluding Sundays). This period of prayer, fasting, and penance begins on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug. 15) and ends on the feast of St. Michael (Sept. 29.)

The Assumption is a ‘little Easter’ because Jesus’ Resurrection was the start of a process enfolding the whole of humanity

Jesus%u2019%20Resurrection%2C%20Mary%u2019s%20Assumption%20and%20Our%20Glorious%20Resurrection%20on%20the%20Last%20Day%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGRONDELSKI: The Solemnity of the Assumption reveals a mystery grossly underappreciated by many contemporary Catholics. Dropped in the middle of the summer, a holy day of obligation plopped in the middle of the last gasps of summer vacation, the feast might be regarded by some more as a bothersome intrusion than cause for celebration. In that line of thinking, Catholics in the United States in 2022, at least get a get-out-of-the-obligation-free card, courtesy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “most holy days on Saturdays or Mondays don’t count” rule.

Traditional stained-glass windows are making a comeback in churches around the country

Windows Into the Heavenly Realm: The New Renaissance of Stained Glass| National Catholic RegisterPRONECHEN: The traditional style is hallmarked by realism. Recently, for St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax, Virginia, Beyer made all-new Gothic Revival windows, highlighted by seven windows behind the altar depicting the Seven Sorrows of our Blessed Mother. Beyer described the windows as colorful and reflective of the Munich style. Among aisle windows, he has designed and is fabricating a depiction of Our Lady of Knock that will include 608 pieces of blown colored glass from France and Germany, as in Chartres style.

Solemnity of the Assumption: ‘Mary Shows Us That Heaven Is Within Reach, if We Too Do Not Give in to Sin’

Pope on Assumption: Mary takes us by the hand, inviting us to rejoice - Vatican News: During Angelus address on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Francis reminds faithful that the Blessed Mother takes each of us by the hand, and invites us to rejoice as we follow her trusting, faithful and 'radical' example.

The Lord God of Armies (Dominus Deus Sabaoth) is engaged in battle all around us. Choose your side!

The Battle is Engaged...Choose Sides! A Homily for the 20th Sunday of the Year - Community in MissionPOPE: The readings today speak of a great cosmic battle that is taking place all around us. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks vividly of it, and of his own mission to engage our ancient foe and to gather God’s elect back from the enslaving clutches of Satan, who was a murder and a liar from the beginning (cf John 8:44). And so, as Jesus approaches Jerusalem for the final time, He describes the battle that is about to unfold. It is a battle he wins at the Cross and Resurrection, but it is a battle whose parameters extend across time to our own era.

On the ever-accelerating passage of time

On the ever-accelerating passage of timeWEIGEL: In one of his Blackford Oakes novels, William F. Buckley, Jr. had a character crack a Wagnerian joke along these lines: What is Siegfried? Siegfried is the opera that begins at 7 p.m. and when you wake up three hours later, you’re shocked to find out that it’s only 7:30. That was certainly my experience when, in solidarity with my late father-in-law, a wonderful man and devout Wagner fan, I attended the third installment of Wagner’s Ring Cycle while living in Seattle — in those days, one of the few places in the world besides Bayreuth, Germany, that regularly produced the Ring. Sitting there while the caterwauling droned on for what seemed a virtual eternity, I was reminded of high school classes that never seemed to end, the minute-hand on the classroom clock moving at the pace of a Brontosaurus slogging through dense Jurassic goo.

A guide to navigating ‘election season’ in the Catholic Church

A%20guide%20to%20navigating%20%u2018election%20season%u2019%20in%20the%20Catholic%20Church%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: By now, Pope Francis has denied that he’s on the brink of resigning so often that it’s virtually become part of his verbal “Greatest Hits” collection, akin to his rhetoric on the evils of clericalism or the dignity of migrants. Although he’s 85 and suffering from acute pain in the right knee related to osteoarthritis, Francis just wrapped up a grueling week-long trip to Canada, and he’s preparing for a consistory to create new cardinals later this month, followed by two days of intense meetings with all the cardinals of the world.

The tip-off from a Nazi that saved my Jewish grandparents

The tip-off from a Nazi that saved my grandparents - BBC News: When Alexander Bodin Saphir's Jewish grandfather was measuring a high-ranking Nazi for a suit in Copenhagen 75 years ago he got an important tip-off - the Jews were about to be rounded up and deported. It has often been described as a "miracle" that most of Denmark's Jews escaped the Holocaust. Now it seems that the country's Nazi rulers deliberately sabotaged their own operation.

41 Dead, 14 Injured After Fire Rips Through Packed Coptic Church in Cairo During Sunday Liturgy

Officials: Fire at Coptic church in Cairo kills 41, hurts 14 | AP News: A fire ripped through a packed church during morning services in Egypt’s capital on Sunday, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring 14. The church quickly filled with thick black smoke, and witnesses said several trapped congregants jumped from upper floors to escape. “Suffocation, suffocation, all of them dead,” said a distraught witness, who only gave a partial name, Abu Bishoy. The cause of the blaze in the Abu Sefein church in the working-class neighborhood of Imbaba was not immediately known. An initial investigation pointed to an electrical short-circuit, according to a police statement.

Clear answers on a sensitive topic

Masturbation and the Meaning of Sex | Catholic Answers: When I wrote an entire chapter on masturbation in my first book, Raising Chaste Catholic Men, it was a bit surreal. As I mentioned at the start of that chapter, I had never in my life envisioned that I would be writing extensively on such a subject, and I’m guessing that most folks—at least my Catholic friends and relatives—would not generally choose to read about it!

Did Jesus explicitly claim to be God? Yes, He did...

The Trilemma Of C.S. Lewis, Part Two: Did Jesus Claim To Be God?CLARK: In the previous piece in this series, we referenced C. S. Lewis’s Trilemma, essentially the argument that: in claiming He was God, Jesus was either a liar, insane, or God. We discussed that Lewis’ position here is inescapably logical, but that two prior points needed to be made before we addressed this trilemma. The first point that needed to be addressed is whether Jesus lived, which was the topic of the previous installment. The next point that needs to be addressed is whether Jesus claimed to be God in the first place. That is the focus of this article.

Christ demands that, when we are given a choice between pleasing Him and pleasing our family, we choose Him

This Sunday: Yes, Family Life Is Tough. Jesus Wants You to Stay and Fight | Ex Corde at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: We have all seen family division over Christ. Family members have rejected us over the right to life, forcing us to decide what is more important: preserving comfortable relations with them or defending the lives of innocents. Family members have despised us because the faith disagrees with their choices, demanding we choose their opinion over Jesus Christ’s.

In America’s heartland, Catholics quietly are going about the work of rebuilding the Church

Rebuilding in the HeartlandSTAUDT: It’s amazing what happens in what many people call “flyover” country, where many Catholics quietly are going about the work of rebuilding in the nation’s heartland. On a recent road trip through Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, my family explored a corridor running through the center of the country, home to many vibrant communities that can serve as models in our efforts to live the faith and share its beauty.

Syro-Malabar Archbishop: Nuncio Said Resign in 24 Hours or Be Fired

Syro-Malabar archbishop: Nuncio said resign in 24 hours or be removed: The Indian archbishop forced to resign in the midst of a liturgical crisis in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church confirmed Thursday that he was told by the Vatican to leave office or face being removed. In an open letter, released to local media August 4, Archbishop Antony Kariyil said that the Apostolic Nuncio to India told him Pope Francis insisted on his resignation, but he was given no reason for the demand. The archbishop said he had been ordered to leave the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly and take up residence in a house of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate.

It doesn’t matter what I think

It doesn't matter what I think - by Ed. Condon - The PillarCONDON: It’s August. Large sections of Washington are flooded, the mosquitos are especially malarial, and I have fled to higher ground for the week. When it comes to the Church, it is tempting to think that there isn’t much going on in the dog days of summer. But between papal trips and a consistory in Rome at the end of the month, the traditional summer recess is disappearing fast. There’s certainly been news this week, and we’ve been keeping an eye on it for you. So let’s get to it, and then you can get back to what’s left of your vacation.

What‘s up with this Gray Lady ‘mind meld’ with readers worried about Biden‘s faith?

Podcast%3A%20What%27s%20up%20with%20this%20Gray%20Lady%20%27mind%20meld%27%20with%20readers%20worried%20about%20Biden%27s%20faith%3F%20%u2014%20GetReligionMATTINGLY: Popes rarely, in my experience, produce the kinds of five-star news soundbites that go viral. However, Pope Francis has used striking language when addressing one of the hot-button issues of this or any other age — abortion. That was one of several topics woven into this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, which focused on another elite-media political feature about President Joe Biden’s “devout” approach to practicing the Catholic faith.

This new book about Pius XII and the Holocaust is full of glaring problems...

Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust: Reality or Revisionism? | America Magazine: In 2004, Marc Saperstein, a professor of Jewish Studies at George Washington University, offered a thoughtful review of The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism, written by David Kertzer, a professor at Brown University. Saperstein praised Kertzer’s recounting of oppression endured by Jews in papal territories during the first two-thirds of the 19th century, but went on to powerfully challenge Kertzer’s claims about the Vatican’s role in constructing the “Antechamber to the Holocaust.”

Father Vincent Capodanno Canonization Cause Suffers Setback as Vatican Panel Votes for Suspension of Process

In Rome, a setback for Father Vincent Capodanno sainthood cause | Catholic News AgencyJONES: There is a new obstacle for the sainthood cause of Father Vincent Capodanno, the “grunt padre” who died on a Vietnam battlefield as a military chaplain to U.S. Marines. Consultants to the Vatican body tasked with judging possible saints have recommended the suspension of Capodanno’s cause, though his backers are appealing the decision they say is only preliminary.

On Synods Then and Now

On Synods Then and Now | Francis X. Maier | First ThingsMAIER: Hagiographers of the current pontificate may find my comments here unfair, or worse. If so, their flackery does the Holy Father no service. The virtues of mutual fidelity and mutual obedience in a marriage—qualities I’m quite familiar with after 52 years with a wedding ring—never exclude candor, and when necessary, some very sobering criticism. Exactly the same applies in ecclesial life. Along with the Holy Father’s wise suggestion that we read the Acts of the Apostles

When is the pope infallible?

When Is the Pope Infallible? | Catholic AnswersAKIN: Many people have a difficult time discerning when the Magisterium has engaged its infallibility and when it hasn’t. I once came across an instance where a Jehovah’s Witness was trying to make hay with the papal bull Exsurge Domine, and I thought the case might be instructive for seeing the delicacy with which such matters have to be treated. Exsurge Domine (which takes its name from the first two Latin words of the document’s opening sentence: “Arise, Lord, and judge your own cause”) is the 1520 papal bull rejecting forty-one propositions from Martin Luther’s writings. It threatened Luther—who was still a Catholic at the time—with excommunication if he did not repent.

Our Lord treasures your faithfulness and is eager to reward it. Think of it this way...

In%20the%20Boss%u2019s%20Shoes%20%7C%20Parishable%20ItemsFELTES: Once upon a time, you had an idea, an idea to bless the entire world by starting a new business from scratch. You fully invested yourself into the project – your time and talent and treasure – to make this enterprise successful, and it was very successful. After leading your business for many years without a single vacation, you announced you would be taking some time away. You reassured your employees the company would continue and that you would be back, perhaps in a few weeks or maybe several months.

When God became man, he became a man who had friends he liked. Not just loved, but liked...

Jesus%20would%20have%20hung%20out%20in%20a%20dive%20bar%u2014and%20not%20just%20to%20convert%20its%20patrons%20%7C%20America%20MagazineMILLS: The meme popped up on my Facebook feed, shared by a friend and liked by a lot of people. It said, “Jesus didn’t dine with tax collectors and sinners because he wanted to appear inclusive, tolerant, and accepting. He ate with them to call them to a changed and fruitful life, to die to self and live for him. His call is transformation of life not affirmation of identity.” It would take some time to explain how bad this meme is, starting with its answering a claim no one ever makes. Does anyone think that Jesus did what he did because he “wanted to appear inclusive,” or to impress others? Of course not. But those sharing this quote are not really talking about Jesus. They are accusing people today of pretense and virtue-signaling, and of abusing Jesus’ example as a way to excuse sinners and their sins.

Czerny as the new Lustiger, the ‘Jewish cardinal’ and papal contender

Czerny%20as%20the%20new%20Lustiger%2C%20the%20%u2018Jewish%20cardinal%u2019%20and%20papal%20contender%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Earlier this week, Canadian Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human development, was in Auschwitz to mark the 80th anniversary of the death of St. Edith Stein, the celebrated German Jewish philosopher who became a Carmelite nun and who perished in the infamous Nazi death camp in 1942. On the occasion, Czerny did something he rarely does in public – he talked about himself.

Mark your calendar — Artemis I, the first launch of NASA’s most powerful rocket ever, is scheduled for August 29 at 8:33am ET

Gigantic%20Crowds%20Expected%20for%20Inaugural%20Launch%20of%20NASA%u2019s%20Mega%20Rocket: NASA’s SLS rocket is slated to launch for the first time in just three weeks, rumbling off the launch pad with 8.8 million pounds of thrust. There to see it take flight will be thousands upon thousands of spectators, as the Artemis era officially gets underway.

Has Francis’ ally Cardinal Parolin dashed his chances of becoming pope?

Cardinal%20Parolin%3A%20has%20Francis%u2019s%20ally%20dashed%20his%20chances%20of%20becoming%20Pope%3F%20-%20Catholic%20Herald: The battle for the next Pope may be shaping up to be a contest between a Filipino and a Hungarian, but Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, is said to be a big favourite of Pope Francis when it comes to succession. Yet is the Italian Cardinal undermining his chances of succeeding the Pope? Cardinal Parolin is seen as aligned with the Pope, although he has expressed more conservative opinions upon occasion. In 2015, he called the referendum endorsing same-sex marriage in Ireland a “defeat for humanity”.

How far away is that building? That tree? That charging grizzly? How to estimate distance using just your thumb....

How to Estimate Distance Using Just Your Thumb: One of the most frustrating hobbies I ever took up was archery, but not because it’s hard to hit a target on the wall (it is, but I got pretty good at that). My problem was that one of the popular ways to go out and have fun with archery was to do “3D shoots,” where you would have to shoot at a series of statues of animals, each positioned at an unknown distance.

Young, in love — and at risk of mortal sin

Young%2C%20in%20Love%20%u2014%20and%20at%20Risk%20of%20Mortal%20Sin%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterSCHIFFER: On June 15, the Vatican released a 97-page document, “Catechumenal Itineraries for Married Life.” The document, which was published by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, is a pastoral tool intended to help dioceses and pastoral staff develop effective marriage preparation programs that will lead couples to deeper love and a greater appreciation for God’s role in their family life. This is good! The Church should be an influence in all areas of our lives — in education, at the job, in family life and in marriage. Married couples, Pope Francis said in the document, make up the majority of the Catholic faithful and are pillars in parish life. It’s only reasonable for the Church to strive to strengthen marriages and, ultimately, to strengthen families.

Childlike people go to Heaven and childish people go to Hell

Childlike People Go to Heaven and Childish People Go to Hell| National Catholic RegisterPEARCE: “Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” So says Christ in St. Matthew’s Gospel. Yet St. Paul, seeming to contradict Christ, tells us that when he was a child, he behaved like a child, but now that he is old, he has “put away childish things.” Is this not an example of the Gospel “truth” contradicting itself? If we listen to Christ, must we assume that St. Paul is in error? Indeed, if we listen to St. Paul do we assume that he is not fit for the kingdom of heaven? Has he disqualified himself, damning himself with his own words? Surely not; but, if not, how can these apparent contradictions be reconciled?

St. Clare of Assisi, Pray For Us!

St. Clare, Pray For Us!| National Catholic RegisterGRONDELSKI: Chiara Offreduccio (1194-1253) came into the world in a wealthy family in Assisi but, like her spiritual mentor St. Francis of Assisi, renounced the world to follow Christ in a life of strict poverty. She founded and wrote the rule for Order of Poor Ladies which, after her death, would be known as the Order of Poor Clares, the second branch of the Franciscan Order (the male branch, which existed prior to it, being the first).

Nicaraguan Catholics Hold Day of Prayer for Bishop Rolando Alvarez, Held Under House Arrest by Leftist Ortega Regime

Nicaraguan%20Bishop%u2019s%20future%20remains%20uncertain%20as%20Church%20holds%20day%20of%20prayer%20-%20Vatican%20News: The Church in Nicaragua is marking 11 August this year with a day of prayer and Eucharistic Adoration in parishes across the Latin American nation. It comes as part of the National Marian Congress taking place on 7-15 August, as the local Church faces ongoing difficulties with the closure of 6 Catholic radio stations and government pressure on the Bishop of Matagalpa.

Cardinal Zen and 5 Others to Stand Trial in September Over Trumped-up Charges in Hong Kong

zen: The West Kowloon Court has set the trial date for Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and five well-known members of the pro-democracy movement, who are accused of failing to properly register a humanitarian fund of which they were trustees. The decision came yesterday at a preliminary hearing chaired by Judge Ada Yim, as reported by the Hong Kong Free Press. The police had arrested the city’s bishop emeritus and the other defendants on the much more serious charge of "collusion" with foreign forces, in violation of the draconian national security law imposed by mainland China in the summer of 2020.

What would YOU say to the Synod of Bishops? This survey is problematic, but it takes 5 minutes and they’ll see it at the Vatican. Be frank, be charitable, and make your voice heard...

x: The multiple-choice questions are deficient, but there are also open-ended questions that will allow you to give short written responses. This is the same survey discussed by Jimmy Akin on his website, and written about in an Aug. 9 story by Zelda Caldwell at the Catholic News Agency. The deadline for responses is Aug. 15. Your responses will be submitted anonymously and in accordance with data protection laws. The results will be sent to the Synod of Bishops, which will meet in Rome in October 2023.

What would YOU say to the Synod of Bishops? This survey form is problematic, but it takes 5 minutes and they’ll see it at the Vatican. Be frank, be charitable, and make your voice heard...

TCNY: The multiple-choice questions are deficient, but there are also open-ended questions that will allow you to give short written responses. This is the same survey discussed by Jimmy Akin on his website, and written about in an Aug. 9 story by Zelda Caldwell at the Catholic News Agency. The deadline for responses is Aug. 15. Your responses will be submitted anonymously and in accordance with data protection laws. The results will be sent to the Synod of Bishops, which will meet in Rome in October 2023.

Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications goes online with survey for Synod on Synodality

Vatican enlists influencers to get young, disenchanted Catholics to answer Synod survey | Catholic News AgencyCALDWELL: Jimmy Akin’s radio audience includes many non-Catholics, agnostics and atheists who try to trip him up with challenges to the faith. He answers respectfully, using logical arguments to defend the teachings of the Church, reminding his listeners that as a convert, he too faced similar obstacles before deciding to become a Catholic. On Twitter Monday, Akin invited his 21,800-plus followers to participate in the Synod by filling out a survey...

Here is the real reason young people are leaving the Faith

New Advent: Here is the real reason young people are leaving the Faith: Marriage rates are plummeting. Faith in Jesus Christ has taken a nosedive. Are these related? What can we do to fix it? J.P. DeGance explains...

Cardinal Zen and 5 Others to Stand Trial in September Over Trumped-up Charges in Hong Kong

Cardinal Zen and 5 others to stand trial in Sept. over alleged failure to register protester relief fund as society - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Cardinal Joseph Zen, barrister Margaret Ng, singer-activist Denise Ho and three others will stand trial next month after denying charges over an alleged failure to register a defunct protester relief fund as a society. The trial is set to involve legal debates on the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, a local court has heard.

Manners make life truly human by (among other things) cultivating reverence for our elders...

Manners: One Major Reason Why - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: At the center of our current moral, social, and cultural malaise is a rejection of what has been handed down to us, and a kind of idolatry of new and purportedly better and enlightened ways of living. This rejecting of tradition goes hand in hand with prioritizing one’s own feelings and desires. And it is literally embodied in our failure to honor age, to reverence our elders. We have forgotten what any healthy society knows: truly human life demands real docility to those who have gone before us, both living and deceased.