‘The Truest Ghost Story Ever Told’ — The Eerie ‘Wizard Clip’ Incident of West Virginia

%u201CThe%20Truest%20Ghost%20Story%20Ever%20Told%u201DCUFF: Nestled in West Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, the town of Middleway boasts a ghost story that rivals the most famous haunted tales. What makes this haunting stand out is that it is a Catholic story—a tale of sacraments denied, vengeful spirits, a saintly Catholic priest, and the power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And the story of the “Wizard Clip” is not just a legend, for the evidence supporting its veracity led Cardinal Gibbons’ own private secretary, then the editor of the Catholic Review, to proclaim it the “truest ghost story ever told.” Our story begins in 1794, when a stranger knocked on the farmhouse door of Mr. Adam Livingston, a Lutheran farmer, and asked for shelter. Late that night, the man took ill and begged for a priest. Livingston, deeply prejudiced against “papists,” declined the request, and the man died without the Last Rites and was buried in unconsecrated ground.

This lesser-known story about Our Lord from the Gospels is very charming, and very cool

Of a Lesser-Known Gospel Story that is Pretty "Cool" - Community in MissionPOPE: Recently I was talking to a group of young adult Catholics and mentioned a gospel passage that they said they had never heard. It is the Gospel of the Temple Tax and how Jesus told Peter to go catch a fish and, in its mouth will be a coin that will pay the Temple Tax for Jesus and Peter. In a certain sense it is one of the more charming gospel passages and kind of “cool.” It shows Jesus’ sovereignty over creation and the rather interesting twist of finding money in the mouth of a certain fish from a large large of likely millions of fish. In the Holy Land today, when you have a meal near the Sea of Galilee, many of the restaurants serve “Peter’s Fish” that is served with a coin in its mouth.

Dozens of Catholic Villagers Reportedly Killed in Central Nigeria Raid

Dozens of Catholic Villagers Reportedly Killed in Central Nigeria Raid| National Catholic Register: Details are still emerging after a violent raid by Fulani herdsmen Oct. 19 in Benue State, Central Nigeria, reportedly left dozens of Catholic villagers killed. Police and clergy agree that the raid was in reprisal for the killing of four Fulani herdsmen earlier in the week in a clash between herdsmen and farmers defending their crops. Accounts differ as to the exact number killed in the Oct. 19 raid. A county chairman, Kartyo Tyoumbur, told CNA that at least 71 residents of Gbjeji — virtually all of whom were worshippers at a parish branch of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church — were killed in the attack. He said at least 35 bodies were found after the raid and 36 more bodies were recovered later in adjoining fields. The dead included women and children, along with two policemen, he said.

The Pillar’s Starting Seven for October 31

Starting Seven: October 31, 2022COPPEN: Pope Francis has reportedly given a cardinal’s ring to Bishop Luc van Looy, despite the Belgian bishop declining the red hat due to his record on handling abuse cases. Nicaragua’s embattled Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes will reportedly have two papal audiences during his current trip to Rome. Asian Church leaders have issued a “message of joy, hope, and solidarity” at the end of the 18-day general conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. Cardinal Mario Grech has told African university students that the Church is “condemned to bleed to death” if it neglects young people.

This amazing video, showing an out-of-control car jumping harmlessly over a priest’s car, was filmed on the feast of the Guardian Angels

Angels watching over Fr. John | St Anthony Shrine: I believe in science and the laws of physics. My first assignment after ordination was to our Franciscan high school in Cincinnati. I taught various science classes including physics. As a Christian I also believe in the providence of God, miracles, and Guardian Angels. I had an experience on Sunday, October 2, the feast of the Guardian Angels, that has made me reflect often on God’s providence, miracles, Guardian Angels, and the laws of physics.

California Catholic church vandalized — baptismal font damaged, obscenities carved onto altar, Hosts desecrated

Colusa church vandalized, Catholic community possibly targeted with hate crime - CBS Sacramento: A Catholic church was vandalized this week in Colusa County. Police are calling the act a hate crime. The tight-knit Catholic community in Colusa says seeing their place of worship completely desecrated has left them shaken up after 67-year-old James Stoltenberg allegedly vandalized the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Stoltenberg is suspected to have broken into the church on Oct. 25 and caused $10,000 worth of damage. He was arrested two days later as church security video captured the incident.

Taylor Hackel, a John Paul II Institute student who went missing on Wednesday, has been found safe in Eastern Europe...

Wausau Newman Catholic graduate who went missing in Washington, D.C., has been found, family says: A 24-year-old Wausau Newman Catholic High School graduate who had been missing since Monday from near a Washington, D.C., university, has reportedly been found safe. Hackel's father, Paul, told the Daily Herald on Saturday morning that Taylor Hackel has been found in the country of Georgia in Eastern Europe. He said he has been in contact with her. Hackel, who graduated from Newman in 2016, was reported missing to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday. She was last seen near St. John Paul II Institute, where she attends graduate school.

Sunday Angelus: Pope Prays for Hundreds Killed in Islamic Car Bombings in Somalia, Halloween Stampede in South Korea

Pope Francis prays for victims of deadly Islamic terrorist attack in Somalia | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis prayed on Sunday that God may “convert the hearts of the violent” after an al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist attack in Somalia. “As we celebrate Christ's victory over evil and death, we pray for the victims of the terrorist attack in Mogadishu that killed more than 100 people, including many children. May God convert the hearts of the violent,” Pope Francis said on Oct. 30.

Zacchaeus and the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time — ‘Today I Must Stay at Your House’

31st%20Sunday%20and%20Zacchaeus%20%u2014%20%u2018Today%20I%20Must%20Stay%20at%20Your%20House%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGRONDELSKI: Last week, Jesus taught us the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. As a result of how they prayed, the latter left the Temple justified, the former not. In last week’s essay, I suggested that while the publican’s prayer for mercy opened the way for a change of his life, we don’t know what happened. From the facial expression of the man on Fabritius’ painting, which we studied, it looked as if he was a man peacefully reflecting on what needed to change in his life. I even asked whether the justified tax-collector might be St. Matthew or Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus had three strengths that helped him to find and follow Jesus

Three Strengths of Saint Zacchaeus | Parishable ItemsFELTES: The Jews in Jericho looked down on Zacchaeus (and not just because he was short). He was a tax collector regarded as a sinner. When Zacchaeus chose his occupation he knew his neighbors would despise him. Even if he had never extorted or cheated anybody, he still would be resented for serving the unpopular political powers ruling over Israel. It’s easy to imagine him being insulted and shunned by the Jews in his territory. He needed a thick skin to do his job, caring little about what others thought of him. He was not only a tax collector but a chief tax collector, and this made him a very wealthy man. Yet his riches did not fulfill him. He was searching for something more than money and this led him to Jesus.

Taylor Hackel, a John Paul II Institute student who went missing on Wednesday, has been found safe in Eastern Europe

x: A Wausau woman going to school in the nation’s capital has been reported missing, and police are investigating. Taylor Hackel, a Newman Catholic Schools graduate, was last seen on Monday in Washington D.C. She was reported missing Wednesday by the DC Metro Police.

In historic shift, Catholics now outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland

In Historic Shift, Catholics Now Outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland| National Catholic Register: Northern Ireland’s predominantly Protestant identity has been its foundational premise ever since its creation a century ago — until now. “We are a Protestant parliament and a Protestant State,” the first prime minister of Northern Ireland, Sir James Craig, confidently asserted before the legislature of the nascent state in 1921. His successor, Basil Brooke, went further and admonished a group of Protestant farmers: “Many in this audience employ Catholics, but I have not one about my place. ... If we in Ulster allow Roman Catholics to work on our farms, we are traitors to Ulster,” he said.

For better sleep, borrow the bedtime routine of a toddler. Here are 3 easy steps to help you get some much-needed rest...

How to sleep better, in 3 easy steps | Popular Science: Before you turn to books, blogs, sleep-coaches, apps, or one of many products in search of a more satisfying slumber, you might want to consult a toddler. Luckily, there are millions of these tiny advisors waddling around, ready to serve as top-notch sleep role models.

Archbishop Paglia’s transformation of the PAL is not an extension of its mission. It’s a hostile takeover...

A hostile takeover of the Pontifical Academy for Life | Catholic CultureLAWLER: Last week in this space, I expressed my dismay at the news that Pope Francis had appointed a pro-abortion scholar to the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAL)— and Archbishop Vincenzio Paglia, the president of the PAL, had compounded the problem by adopting the rhetoric of the abortion lobby and insisting that his new colleague was not “pro-abortion” but merely “pro-choice.” Then we learned that another newly appointed member of the PAL had indulged in pro-abortion sloganeering, saying that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, “undermines basic requirements of tolerance toward the pluralism of moral perspectives within society.” So there were two avowed proponents of legal abortion among the 14 new members of the PAL. But there was more bad news to come.

The Catholic Church is the most inclusive body in the world, but even she can’t include people who exclude themselves...

Inclusive Church, uncertain trumpet | Catholic CultureMIRUS: Our Catholic World News report tells the story: New Synod document calls for a more inclusive Church. The problem, of course, is that the Catholic Church is already as inclusive as any organization for “believers” can actually be. A century ago, Anglicans who observed the incredible diversity of ethnicities and social backgrounds in the Catholic Church used to joke that she is the rather distressing Church of “here comes everybody.” Catholicism is already inclusive of all kinds of people—men, women, and children, no matter what their ethnicity, nationality, state in life, and position in society, no matter what their (moral) profession or job, and no matter what they have believed or done in the past.

Without Christ, man would have no right to ridicule the devil. Without Easter, man would have nothing to celebrate on Halloween...

What Do You Tell Your Kids About Halloween?FITZPATRICK: There is a house down the street from us that becomes an object of annual interest to my children as the days grow short and the nights cold. When we go for evening walks, they pause before it with wide eyes. Skeletons carrying coffins march across the lawn. A spectral bride’s veil stirs in the breeze. Grinning zombies lurk in the bushes, prisoners gnash their teeth in crow cages, and monstrous spiders crawl up the porch rails. Tombstones, jack-o-lanterns, and skulls complete the macabre yet playful neighborhood spectacle that my kids behold in wonder every October.

Archbishop Gomez Condemns Violence, Prays for Paul Pelosi After Hammer Attack

Archbishop Gomez condemns violence, prays for Paul Pelosi after attack | Catholic News Agency: The president of the United States bishops’ conference said he is praying for Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after he was attacked in his home in San Francisco on Friday morning. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles said Oct. 28 that he is offering prayers “for the full recovery of Paul Pelosi and comfort for his family.” Pelosi, 82, was attacked with a hammer by a male assailant early on Friday morning, according to CNN. The assailant was reportedly looking for the speaker of the House, and also tried to tie Pelosi up.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna celebrates Traditional Solemn Vespers in Rome’s Pantheon

Cardinal%20Zuppi%20Celebrates%20Traditional%20Solemn%20Vespers%20in%20Rome%u2019s%20Pantheon%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPENTIN: Despite Vatican restrictions on the ancient liturgy, the head of Italy’s bishops’ conference, known for social activism and his closeness to Italian leftist politics, presided at traditional solemn Vespers in the Pantheon in Rome this evening. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, a Rome native with close connections to the Sant’Egidio lay community but who is also friendly to adherents of the ancient liturgy, led the liturgical celebration and gave a short homily.

Canada Census Shows 2 Million Fewer Catholics, As Disaffiliation Grows

Canada census shows 2 million fewer Catholics as disaffiliation grows | Catholic News Agency: The Catholic population in Canada has declined by almost 2 million people in the last 10 years, the Canadian census has found in a report that indicates the religiously unaffiliated now outnumber Catholics. The latest census figures, compiled in 2021, show the Catholic Canadian population has declined to 10.9 million. Catholics now make up about 29.9% of the country’s people. According to the 2011 census, the Catholic population that year was 12.8 million.

Take it from an agnostic who’s now a Catholic priest: Don’t let your pride keep you from Confession

I Was Agnostic, Now I'm a Catholic Priest - Don't Let Pride Keep You From ConfessionPECKMAN: Nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus enable, look over, ignore, or otherwise gloss over someone’s sins. Jesus never simply patted anyone on the head and sent them on their merry way, telling them to not worry about being sorry for their sins. In other words, the Jesus many have concocted and cobbled together as an oversized stuffed animal sitting there and smiling an empty smile, comforting them without judging, is not the Jesus of the Gospel. Nor is He the ‘sinners in the hands of an angry God’ who is just waiting for you to sin so He can laugh as you drop into hell.

Why are so many Pontifical Academy for Life members at odds with Church teaching on life and sexuality?

Why Are So Many New Pontifical Academy for Life Members at Odds With Church Teaching on Life and Sexuality?| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: So far it has emerged that two academics recently appointed full members of the Pontifical Academy for Life have expressed their public support for legalized abortion, another has advocated universal abortion access and use of artificial contraception among the poor, and a fourth new member, a Jesuit moral theology professor, has made it clear he supports artificial contraception in some cases. Pope Francis also appointed to the academy’s governing council a French theologian and head of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, who has appeared to similarly promote contraception and approved of liturgical blessings for same-sex couples under certain conditions.

Pope Francis warns seminarians about internet porn, saying ‘the devil enters from there’

Pope%20Francis%20warns%20seminarians%20that%20the%20vice%20of%20pornography%20%u2018weakens%20the%20soul%u2019%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyMARES: Pope Francis warned seminarians this week about how the vice of digital pornography “weakens the priestly heart.” In a meeting with hundreds of seminarians studying in Rome, the pope underlined that it is important for seminarians and priests to be very careful about the “temptation of digital pornography” because “it weakens the soul.” “Dear brothers, be careful of this. The pure heart, the heart that receives Jesus every day, cannot receive this pornographic information,” Pope Francis said on Oct. 24 in Paul VI Hall.

Diocese of Meath Opens Cause for Canonization of Father Willie Doyle, Irish Military Chaplain Killed in World War I

Father Willie Doyle: A New Saint for Ireland?| National Catholic RegisterTURLEY: Ireland may have a new saint soon. The cause of Father Willie Doyle, Jesuit priest and heroic military war chaplain, has just been opened. This is the first step in a canonization process. Now, there will be a diocesan investigation into the life and virtues of the now-“Servant of God.” If the process is approved by the diocesan tribunals, it will proceed to the Roman phase, where a panel of expert theologians will examine Father Doyle’s life and virtues. If he is found to have lived a life of heroic virtue, then the Irish Jesuit will be granted the title “Venerable.” Thereafter, the way is cleared for possible beatification and canonization, once the Vatican approves the necessary number of miracles gained through the intercession of Father Doyle.

Jumping spiders may have a cognitive ability previously found only in vertebrates...

Jumping Spiders May Have a Cognitive Ability Previously Only Found in Vertebrates : ScienceAlert: Teeny tiny jumping spiders, with their wondrous eyes, seem to be able to do something we'd only ever seen before in vertebrates: distinguishing between animate and inanimate objects. In a 2021 test, wild jumping spiders (Menemerus semilimbatus) behaved differently when presented with simulated objects of both kinds, in ways that indicated an ability to discern between them. The research didn't just suggest that this ability can be found more widely in the animal kingdom than we knew; it demonstrates that the team's experimental setup could be used to test other invertebrates in the same way.

The ’National Survey’ makes clear that the relationship between priests and bishops needs repair

Repairing the Relationship Between Priests and Bishops| National Catholic RegisterLANDRY: On Oct. 19, the results of the “National Survey of Catholic Priests” were released by The Catholic Project and the Department of Sociology at The Catholic University of America and revealed the enormous toll the Church’s response to the sexual-abuse crisis has been having on American clergy. The “National Survey,” the largest study of Catholic priests in America in more than 50 years, is an ambitious attempt to assess the state of the priesthood in the United States as the Church marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

Does getting married mean giving up your dreams?

Does Getting Married Mean Giving Up Dreams? - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Over the years, I, and many others I know, both before and after getting married, have grappled with the issue of giving up dreams. It is difficult and nuanced. And it is especially important for how we think about, and live, marriage. My basic conviction is this: the now common assumption that we can have it all, or do it all, can undermine our marriage, as well as our deepest dreams. We become convinced we should pursue every dream, and we miss a great truth. The willingness to purify and sometimes give up our ‘dreams’ can actually lead to a deeper fulfillment. And no where can this become more clear than in marriage.

God, I thank thee that I am not like devout Catholics

God, I thank thee that I am not like devout Catholics | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: The famous Gospel passage has many applications: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’” The Pharisees took sinful pride in abiding by visible religious observances disconnected from virtue, and/or ruined their goodness by taking pride in it. All of us can become Pharisees, especially when we claim “devout Catholic” status, and comply with the external practices of the faith, but pay no attention to authentic Christian virtue. Here are some carefully assembled facts.

The case for excommunication today

The case for excommunication today | Catholic CultureMIRUS: The reluctance of bishops in the twenty-first century to excommunicate is understandable even if it may not ultimately be healthy. Our culture is extremely uncomfortable with the concept of authority. This is actually a serious problem in egalitarian societies, which have generally lost the understanding of authority as something conferred by God. It is a paradox of modern bureaucratic states, for example, that we follow more directives, rules and procedures than ever before based on our conception of “The State”, but we have lost all sense of authority as residing in particular persons.

Poland says Immanuel Kant book given to Pope by French President Macron wasn’t World War II plunder

Poland Says Book Given to Pope by Macron Wasn't WWII Plunder: Poland’s culture minister on Wednesday rejected speculation that a rare book given to Pope Francis earlier this week by French President Emmanuel Macron might have been looted from Poland during World War II. The minister, Piotr Glinski, said the book “is not a Polish war loss,” and that “contrary to the claims of some media ... this work was not stolen from Poland.”

Taylor Swift’s new song moves mothers to mourn their miscarried babies...

Taylor Swift's New Song Moves Mothers to Mourn Their Miscarried BabiesBURKEPILE: Many women on social media suspect one new Taylor Swift song could be about miscarrying a child. The song entitled, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” moved countless women to share stories about pregnancy loss on social media. Swift’s lyrics discuss an undefined loss that makes her “sick with sadness.” She says goodbye to an individual she never met, but was “more than just a short time” and “should’ve been you.” October is also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

The Vatican extended Xi’s pontificate because it doesn’t understand the nature of the Chinese regime [WSJ paywall]

The%20Vatican%20Extends%20Xi%u2019s%20Pontificate%20-%20WSJMAIER: The Vatican announced on Saturday a two-year extension to its provisional agreement with Beijing governing Catholic affairs in China. On the same day, Hu Jintao, China’s former Communist Party general secretary (2002-12) and president (2003-13) and Xi Jinping’s immediate predecessor, was forcibly removed from the party’s National Congress. That body’s convention, which occurs every five years, marks a signature event in the nation’s political life. This year, it anointed Mr. Xi to an unprecedented third five-year term. Whether Mr. Hu’s very public exit was owing to age-related health issues or a brute display of Mr. Xi’s new power is unclear. But there’s a lesson in it for Rome either way.

Servant of God Columba O’Neill: The Holy Cobbler of Notre Dame

Servant%20of%20God%20Columba%20O%u2019Neill%3A%20The%20Holy%20Cobbler%20of%20Notre%20Dame%20%7C%20Church%20Life%20Journal%20%7C%20University%20of%20Notre%20Dame: Notre Dame’s first three open causes for canonization were a trio of headline-making priests (two of whom were eventually made bishops). But perhaps the most impressive Notre Dame man being considered for Sainthood was not a priest, an alumnus of the University, or even a high school graduate. Mercifully, holiness is not contingent on worldly credentials, and Servant of God Columba O’Neill (1848–1923) reached his heights while mending shoes and handing out Sacred Heart badges to generations of Notre Dame students. Born to Irish parents in a Pennsylvania coal mining town, John O’Neill (his name before entering religion) had two club feet and no real access to medical care. Nobody expected him to be able to walk, but John and his four older siblings were coal miner’s kids and they knew how to work—and work and work. His older siblings worked with him until John was finally able to walk in a slow, shuffling gait that earned him plenty of mockery from other children but which eventually took him across the country and most of the way back again.

Cardinal Hollerich of Luxembourg: Church Blessings for Same-Sex Unions Not a Settled Matter

Cardinal Hollerich: Church blessings for same-sex unions not a settled matter | Catholic News Agency: In an interview with Vatican media, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., said he believes Church blessings for same-sex unions, which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ruled against, is not a settled matter. The cardinal’s answer came in response to an interview question about the decision last month by Belgium’s Catholic bishops to support the possibility of blessings for unions of same-sex couples — in defiance of the Vatican.

When you forget the loved one who died

When you forget the loved one who died - Our Sunday VisitorMILLS: He’d lost his father, and he did not want to stop grieving. My friend feared that soon he wouldn’t feel so heartbroken, because that would mean “I was forgetting him.” Many who lose someone they love feel this way. I did, especially when my dad died. You feel he can’t be dead if you can still feel him as if he were with you. He’s just in the next room or on a trip. “Not here” doesn’t feel like “dead.” But the memories that make you feel as if he were with you fade very fast. I felt horrible when one day I suddenly realized I hadn’t thought of my dad in days. Sick to my stomach horrible. Outside prayers, 18 years later, I can go a long time without thinking of him.

Wise as serpents, innocent as doves — How to save the lives of unborn babies in a post-Roe world

Wise%20as%20Serpents%2C%20Innocent%20as%20Doves%20%u2014%20Defending%20the%20Unborn%20in%20a%20Post-Roe%20World%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterNASH: Must Catholic politicians — or Catholic voters, for that matter — support only legislation that completely jibes with Church teaching? For example, can they justify voting for a law that permits exceptions in the cases of rape and incest? Well, if the alternative is either maintaining — or risking––an abortion-on-demand legal climate, then supporting an imperfect law — or politician, for that matter — is the most prudent moral option available. As St. Thomas Aquinas conveyed in his Summa Theologiæ, we cannot live in the idealistic abstract, divorced from reality, lest we make pointless pontifications, or, far worse, effectively concede a defeat with great moral fallout.

Father John-Nhan Tran, Priest Who Escaped Vietnam in 1975, Named Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta

Priest who escaped Vietnam in 1975 named auxiliary bishop of Atlanta | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis has named Vietnam-born priest John-Nhan Tran an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Bishop-elect Tran, 56, was 9 years old when he and his family left South Vietnam on a barge at the port of Ben Bach Dang in Saigon in April 1975, according to a 2015 interview on Nola.com. After escaping Vietnam, Tran grew up in Louisiana, where he and his family were accepted as refugees. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1992.

The House Lejeune Built, and from Rome to China

The House Lejeune Built, and from Rome to ChinaJDFLYNN: Twenty-one years ago today, on October 25, 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, and with it the last iconic Windows wallpaper, which has since become - probably - the most viewed photograph in all of history. If you’re curious, the hill is in Sonoma, California, and is today covered in the grape-growing rows of a vineyard. A photographer named Charles O’Rear used to drive past the hill every week, when he made the trek to visit his girlfriend in Marin County each Friday. O’Rear snapped the photo some Friday in January 1996, and uploaded it to a stock photo agency’s website.

Is the Vatican’s China ‘progress’ going backwards?

Is%20the%20Vatican%u2019s%20China%20%u2018progress%u2019%20going%20backwards%3FCONDON: The Holy See announced on Saturday a two-year renewal of its “provisional” agreement with the government of China, which was first signed in 2018, and renewed again two years ago. The agreement aims to normalize the appointment of bishops in China, and ensure unity of the Catholic Church - with some six to 12 million members - in the country. For his part, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, argued Saturday that the deal is “essential to the daily life of the Church” in China — repeating a frequent theme in his defense of the bilateral agreement.

The shepherds saw something in Bethlehem that night, and they passed on what they saw through oral tradition...

The Secret of the Bethlehem Shepherds ~ The Imaginative ConservativeLONGENECKER: Earlier this year, I had the privilege of spending a two month sabbatical in Jerusalem. The object of my study was to understand more about the shepherds of Bethlehem who play such an important part in St Luke’s infancy narrative. Why were they important to the gospel author? Some scholars opined that Luke was simply adding some local color—some quaint rustics—rather like Shakespeare’s “mechanicals” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Others suggested that shepherds had a traditional place in Greek and Roman literature as simple sages—embodying a sort of peasant wisdom. Others observed that shepherds in first-century Middle Eastern culture had a reputation for being thieves and scoundrels and that the Jews considered shepherds to be ceremonially unclean. Thus. St. Luke was emphasizing the point that the Christ came to the lowly, the poor, and those suspected by respectable society.

Will you present your wounds to our Divine Physician?

Our Divine Physician | Parishable ItemsFELTES: Jesus tells us a story of two men who go up to the temple to pray. One is a Pharisee, a group with a reputation for holiness. The other is a tax collector, a profession associated with injustice. The Pharisee, entering the temple courtyard, walks to a more prominent place and speaks this prayer to himself: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” Jesus presents this Pharisee as an example of someone convinced of his own righteousness and despising of everyone else.

Steubenville professor Charles Nemeth on how to find happiness in a complex world

Charles Nemeth: Understanding the rules of true happiness: For Aristotle and Aquinas, happiness is "a state of contentment, an ability not to get into the highs or the lows but to be right in the mean of the highs and the lows — which means that you're balanced about these things, so your balance of your own intellect and your own will and you're capable of not getting distressed or too depressed or too happy about any particular thing," said Charles P. Nemeth, Ph.D., author of "Finding Happiness in a Complex World: Rules from Aristotle and Aquinas" (Sophia Institute Press). Nemeth is a professor and program director of criminal justice at Franciscan University and the director of its Center for Criminal Justice, Law and Ethics.

The Pillar’s Starting Seven for October 24, 2022

Starting Seven: October 24, 2022COPPEN: Australian Archbishop Julian Porteous has said that a dispute over a Scripture reading on marriage at a girls’ school graduation Mass suggests society is becoming “increasingly hostile to Christian beliefs.” Bishop Dominique Blanchet has asked Catholics in his Diocese of Créteil to forgive his “errors of judgment” concerning his predecessor Bishop Michel Santier. Questions have been raised about the abortion stances of two more members of the Pontifical Academy for Life: Roberto Dell’Oro and Sheila Tlou. Italian bishops’ conference president Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has promised “constructive dialogue” in a congratulatory message to new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

French President Emmanuel Macron Meets Pope, Discusses Ukraine with Vatican Officials

Macron meets pope, discusses Ukraine with Vatican officials | Reuters: French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis held talks on Monday, with the crisis in Ukraine and prospects for peace there expected to have been their main topic of discussion. The Vatican said their private talks lasted 55 minutes but, as is customary, did not specify what they discussed. Prior to Macron's visit, victims of sexual abuse said the Catholic church was reacting too slowly to a report revealing assaults by French clergy on more than 200,000 children, and urged him to raise the issue directly with the pope.

Archbishop Chaput: ‘President Biden Is Not in Communion With the Catholic Faith’

Archbishop Chaput: 'Biden is not in communion with the Catholic faith' | Catholic News Agency: Archbishop Charles Chaput said on Saturday that Joe Biden “is not in communion with the Catholic faith” and that “any priest who now provides Communion to the president participates in his hypocrisy.” Speaking at a Eucharistic Symposium at the Diocese of Arlington on Oct. 22, the 78-year-old prelate also accused the second Catholic president in the history of the United States of “apostasy on the abortion issue.” In his address, titled “Do this in Remembrance of Me: Memory, Culture, Sacrament,” the archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia spoke about “American Catholics and our 200-year struggle to fit into mainstream American culture.”

In the light of Sunday’s Gospel, deep humility, coupled with lively hope, is the only answer...

Standing%20in%20Need%20of%20Prayer%20%u2013%20A%20Homily%20for%20the%2030th%20Sunday%20of%20the%20Year%20-%20Community%20in%20MissionPOPE: There’s an old saying that goes, “Faults in others I can see, but praise the Lord, there’s none in me.” One is snared in sin by the very act of claiming to have no sin! In fact, it’s the biggest sin of all: pride. In the Sunday Gospel, the Lord illustrates this through the parable about two men who go to the temple to pray. One man commits the sin of pride and leaves unjustified. The other, though a great sinner, receives the gift of justification through his humility. Let’s look at what the Lord teaches us.

You’re probably praying like a Pharisee without even realizing it. Here’s what you need to do to fix that...

tHOOPES: Jesus is God, and he has been listening to us pray all our lives. And after all he has heard, he wants to tell us how it sounds from his perspective on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. He asks us a question he already knows the answer to: Are our prayers — yours and mine — more like the proud petitioner who thinks he is doing pretty great in his spiritual life, or are they more like the sad sinner who knows he isn’t doing very well at all?

Blessed Karl of Austria continues to inspire young Catholics

Blessed Karl of Austria Continues to Inspire Young Catholics| National Catholic RegisterKLESKO: Blessed Karl of Austria died in 1922. He was the last Emperor of Austria and the last Apostolic King of Hungary. One would not think that this man would have much in common with young Catholics in the U.S. However, since his beatification in 2004, it has precisely been young U.S. Catholics who have fueled his cause for canonization. The various feast day Masses and symposia that occur around the U.S. (and the world) are packed with young people. Not only are devotees young, but they are dedicated to traditional Catholicism and pious practice. The Traditional Latin Mass, the Byzantine Divine Liturgy and various devotions are celebrated in conjunction with this deceased Austrian Emperor.

At Jesuit University, Member of Pontifical Academy for Life Defends ‘Legal Abortion Prior to Pain’ Threshold

At Jesuit University, Member of Pontifical Academy for Life Defends Legal Abortion Prior to Pain Threshold| National Catholic RegisterDESMOND: Roberto Dell’Oro, a member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, publicly urged support for legal abortion prior to the possibility of fetal pain during a recent panel discussion sponsored this month by Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. During an Oct.12 panel discussion, entitled “Confronting the Dobbs Decision: A Conversation About the Legality of Abortion,” Dell’Oro, a bioethicist and theologian at the university, and two other LMU panelists criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Organization, the 2022 landmark decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

For Second Time, Vatican Renews Agreement With China on Appointment of Bishops; Terms of Deal Remain Secret

Vatican Renews China Deal for Second Time| National Catholic RegisterBROCKHAUS: The Vatican announced Saturday it has renewed its 2018 deal with China on the appointment of Catholic bishops for an additional two years. “After appropriate consultation and assessment, the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China have agreed to extend for another two years the Provisional Agreement regarding the appointment of Bishops,” the Vatican said in an Oct. 22 press release. “The Vatican Party,” it continued, “is committed to continuing a respectful and constructive dialogue with the Chinese Party for a productive implementation of the Accord and further development of bilateral relations, with a view to fostering the mission of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people.”

Cuban Dictatorship Fines EWTN Correspondent and Threatens Him During Interrogation

Cuban Dictatorship Fines EWTN Correspondent and Threatens Him During Interrogation| National Catholic Register: On Friday, the police of the dictatorship in Cuba interrogated Adrián Martínez Cádiz, EWTN correspondent in Havana, and later fined him 3,000 Cuban pesos (about $125) for having criticized the regime on social media. The Territorial Control Office of the Cuban Ministry of Communications issued an official document in which it determined that the journalist violated Decree Law 370 by “disseminating, through public data transmission networks, information contrary to the interests of society, morals, good customs, and people’s safety.” Therefore, continues the Oct. 21 document, “the competent authority proceeded to impose a fine for a value of 3,000” pesos.

How the Holy Eucharist put an end to my childhood anxiety about ‘the Rapture’

How%20the%20Eucharist%20Put%20an%20End%20to%20My%20%u2018Rapture%20Anxiety%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCARLOLSON: The house was empty. “Where is everyone?” I thought. I was 9 years old, and had just returned home from school. We lived in a quiet town, and my parents were rarely away. “Mom?” I called out. Nothing. I began to feel anxious. It occurred to me that my parents may have been “raptured,” taken up suddenly into the heavens by Jesus. Was I “left behind?” But I knew that my urgent prayer to Jesus at the age of 5 had saved me once and for all. If my parents were raptured, the Tribulation was now beginning, and seven years of horrific trials would follow, and I was all alone and — “Carl? Is that you?”

‘I couldn’t believe how easy it was’ — This mom imposed a ‘screen detox’ and it changed her family’s life for the better...

Mom Imposes a "Screen Detox" and it Changed Her Family's Life for the Better: If your kids are constantly on their devices, squinting at tiny screens and ignoring everyone around them, you might have a problem brewing. Too much screen time for children can contribute to behavioral problems and loss of social skills, among other risks.

We should apologize to the North American martyrs

We should apologize to the North American martyrs | Catholic CultureLAWLER: Every year on this date—the feast of the North American martyrs—I find myself asking the same sort of questions. Were those Jesuit missionaries of the 17th century guilty of proselytism? Did they respect the indigenous cultures? Would St. Jean de Brebeuf have asked for a blessing from an Iroquois shaman? How would St. Isaac Jogues have responded to the veneration of the Pachamama? We revere the missionary martyrs, who willingly gave their lives in an effort to bring souls to Christ. But today we shy away from the work they set out to do. Were they wrong, or are we?

A crisis of confidence, very bad ideas, and paying for Peanuts

A crisis of confidence, very bad ideas, and paying for PeanutsCONDON: I don’t know how your week has been, but in my house, our daughter has become so fixated with a picture book called “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” that I have begun reciting a nonsense litany of animals under my breath like some kind of monastic prayer. I don’t really understand children’s mental development, but it is beyond me how teaching her about brown bears and yellow ducks

Spanish Bishop Makes New Statement on Alleged Apparitions at Garabandal

Spanish Bishop Makes Statement on Alleged Apparitions at Garabandal| National Catholic Register: The bishop of Santander, Manuel Sánchez Monge, has stated regarding the extraordinary events of Garabandal that “my position, like that of my predecessors, is that Rome’s assessment remains valid: ‘There are no signs of supernaturality.’” In addition, he acknowledged that he contacted the San Pablo Center of University Studies (CEU) to express his displeasure because they had not consulted him before hosting an event of devotees of the alleged apparitions.

Fr. José Luis Soria, who was St. Josemaría Escrivá’s medical doctor for 22 years, just died in Vancouver. Those who knew him regarded him as a canonizable saint...

Father%20Jos%E9%20Luis%20Soria%2C%20RIP%3A%20St.%20Josemar%EDa%20Escriv%E1%u2019s%20Saintly%20Doctor%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: “A canonizable saint.” That was a widely shared judgment upon the death of Father José Luis Soria, an Opus Dei priest who died in Vancouver on Oct. 3. “Canonizable” is the key. Opus Dei’s raison d’être is that ordinary people can become holy — saints in heaven — in the most mundane circumstances, attracting no particular attention from the world. Being a saint is rather the default position from their members. A “canonizable” saint is something different, one who attracts widespread attention for his holiness.

Get a glimpse inside the hidden monastic life of France’s jelly-making Benedictine monks at Tournay Abbey

Inside the Hidden Monastic Life of France's Jelly-Making Benedictine Monks -: Welcome to the abbey Notre-Dame de Tournay in the Hautes-Pyrénées, in France! Rebuilt in 1951, its history began recently, but its roots are much older. Eighteen Benedictine monks live there today. They follow the rule of Saint Benedict: “Pray and work.” Below, we will take you on a little tour of the place!

My journey from Wicca to the Catholic Church

Peace Be With My Soul, Too - The Coming Home Network: I grew up in the beautiful mountains of Colorado with loving parents. We were not religious at all; in fact, our family had an anti-Christian attitude. I believed in an impersonal God and had a deep devotion to angels, though I am not sure where those beliefs originated. My parents worked hard to provide for my brother and me, and they instilled in us a strong sense of right and wrong. We were a tight-knit family.

Groundbreaking survey finds U.S. priests are ‘flourishing’ — but they don’t trust their bishops

US priests are 'flourishing' - but they don't trust their bishops: Priests and bishops in the United States report overwhelmingly that they are “flourishing” in ministry, despite pressures caused by two decades of clerical abuse scandals and Church responses. But while U.S. priests report high levels of personal well-being, they also have a widespread lack of confidence and trust in their bishops, according to a study released Wednesday by The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

After Losing His Sister Oct. 19 to Suicide, Phoenix Bishop John Dolan Renews ‘Urgent Plea’ to Launch Mental Health Ministry

After%20Losing%20Sister%20to%20Suicide%2C%20Phoenix%20Bishop%20Renews%20%u2018Urgent%20Plea%u2019%20to%20Launch%20Mental%20Health%20Ministry%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: After announcing Bishop John P. Dolan lost his sister to death by suicide, the Diocese of Phoenix on Wednesday renewed his “urgent plea to get mental health ministry underway.” “Our hearts are breaking as we make known the loss of Mary Elizabeth Dolan, youngest sister of Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix,” the diocese shared on its social media pages Oct. 19. “Mary, who from her days in college suffered from mental depressive disorder, was found on Oct. 16th to have died by suicide,” the statement said.

Major Survey of Catholic Priests Finds Trust Issues, Burnout, Fear of False Allegations

Major Survey of Catholic Priests Finds Trust Issues, Burnout, Fear of False Allegations| National Catholic RegisterMCKEOWN: A study that claims to be the largest national survey of Catholic priests conducted in more than 50 years has found that despite relatively high levels of personal well-being and fulfillment among priests as a whole, a significant percentage of priests have issues with burnout, distrust in their bishop, and fears of being falsely accused of misconduct. Conducted by The Catholic Project, a research group at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the study released at an Oct. 19 press conference used survey responses from 3,516 priests across 191 dioceses and eparchies in the United States.

Fr. John Horgan, well-known Vancouver pastor, expert on saints, moral theologian, dies at 63

Fr. John Horgan, pastor, expert on saints, moral theologian, dies at 63 - BC Catholic - Multimedia Catholic News: Father John Horgan, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Vancouver and a widely known face and voice of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, died Wednesday at the age of 63. Father Horgan had been battling stomach cancer and was recently admitted to palliative care. A native of Cambridge, Mass., he attended Harvard University, majoring in religious studies and graduating magna cum laude in 1980 when he began his studies for the priesthood in Rome. He received his bachelor of philosophy, bachelor of sacred theology, and master’s in moral theology at the Angelicum in Rome in 1985. At the urging of students he volunteer to serve in Vancouver and worked with the Office of Religious Education and was assigned to Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Why Vatican II was necessary

Why Vatican II Was NecessaryWEIGEL: Writing my new book, To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II (Basic Books), afforded me the welcome opportunity to dig into the Council’s 16 texts and the many fine commentaries on them. It also made me ponder why the Council was necessary. That question is often raised today by young Catholics who, unsettled by the excessive ecclesiastical air turbulence over the past decade and generally ill-informed about the pre-conciliar Church, imagine that everything in Catholicism was copacetic until John XXIII made the fatal mistake of summoning an ecumenical council. That, however, was not the view of some quite orthodox Catholic leaders in the decade before Vatican II.

Investigation: Georgetown University School of Medicine, Catholic medical school, pushes hormone therapy for minors

Investigation: Catholic medical school pushes hormone therapy for minors - The Spectator World: Georgetown University’s School of Medicine is teaching its students to administer puberty blockers and hormone therapy to minors, an investigation by The Spectator reveals. Medical students were told in a 2021 pre-clinical course that the “only way to help” many transgender people is to “‘fix’ their bodies” through medical intervention. The course also falsely claimed that puberty blockers are “fully reversible.” Georgetown University did not return a request for comment.

Fr. Peter Gumpel, well-known for his work defending Pope Pius XII, revealed this fascinating final secret only to his closest friends...

The%20final%20secret%20of%20the%20Vatican%u2019s%20Jesuit%20saint%20maker%20%7C%20America%20Magazine: Last week, just shy of his 99th birthday, Kurt Peter Gumpel, S.J., died at the residence for retired priests behind the Jesuit Curia at 5 Borgo Santo Spirito in Rome. Peter, as everyone called him, had lived in Rome nearly all his life. It would be no surprise if most readers have never heard of him, as he was a scholar who did not seek the limelight. Father Gumpel’s entire career was devoted to the work of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, where his mastery of the history, development and procedures of canonization was acknowledged as unmatched. Together with his longtime friend and colleague, Paul Molinari, S.J., the Jesuits’ postulator general, Father Gumpel shepherded more than 150 candidates through the sometimes byzantine process by which the Roman Catholic Church investigates, studies and judges those found worthy (or unworthy) of veneration as saints.

Citing ‘Freedom of Expression,’ European Court Rules in Favor of Feminist Who Disrupted Church in Paris with Sacrilegious Acts

European%20Court%20Rules%20in%20Favor%20of%20Feminist%20Claiming%20to%20%u2018Abort%20Jesus%u2019%20in%20a%20Church%20in%20Paris%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The judges of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have ruled unanimously that a feminist who simulated aborting Jesus on the altar of the Parisian church of La Madeleine, bare-breasted, was exercising her “freedom of expression”. In an Oct. 11 decision, the ECHR condemned France for having pronounced a suspended prison sentence against Eloïse Bouton, a former member of the group Femen, for acts of sexual exhibition.

What I saw at the Loretto staircase in Santa Fe

What I Saw at the Loretto Staircase| National Catholic RegisterCLARK: It is believed that there exists a staircase in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that St. Joseph built. Since I read about it as a young child, I have always wanted to see the famous staircase, and I was finally blessed with my chance on a recent road trip. My father was a gifted carpenter, and I was fascinated by his projects growing up. If my dad needed something — a storage compartment for his boat, a home sauna or a ramp for his wheelchair — he didn’t buy it. He built it. Growing up, I used to love going to the lumber yard with my dad to pick out wood, stain and nails for his projects. I was mesmerized watching Dad turn raw materials into beautiful, finished products. Perhaps that is what initially spurred my interest in the staircase. And though I thought about my Dad as I admired the stairs, I knew that he never built anything like this.

Have you lost the joy of orthodoxy? You have to find it again. There’s no Beatitude that says, ‘Blessed are those who Tweet in anger’

Remembering the Joy of Orthodoxy - by Tim ClarkTIMCLARK: I've had a couple different friends ask me, with some dismay, what I think about the recent synods, and how they seem to be getting hijacked by those with heterodox views. "The Church has to change with the times!" they tell us. They seem to forget the words of St. Paul, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching." We see, for example, documents from various "working groups" that tell us the Catechism must be changed. "That is how we will reach people in this day and age," we are told. Their recommendations generally seem to ignore the fact that we have some pretty good recommendations already: the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

Christians have seen Universalism as a heresy for centuries — for good reason

The Incoherencies of Hard Universalism | Church Life Journal | University of Notre DameROONEY: Some theologians and historians dispute today whether the belief that everyone will be saved (“universalism”) was condemned by the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. Nevertheless, the fact that universalism might not have been condemned by that council constitutes nothing more than an interesting historical tidbit for orthodox Christians. Even if some great saints or a significant minority in certain ages of the Church held universalist beliefs, historical orthodox Christianity definitively came to reject universalism. But, given the interest in universalism today, it is helpful to say a few words on that point.

St. Luke the ox, and governing power

St. Luke the ox, and governing powerJDFLYNN: St. Luke, author of an eponymous gospel and the Acts of Apostles, is the writer of a greater portion of the New Testament than anyone. Sorry, St. Paul — two long books outpaced a bunch of short ones. Maybe there’s a lesson in that, I don’t know. At any rate, St. Luke has been represented in Christian art since time immemorial as an ox — because oxen were symbolic of Israel’s Temple sacrifices. St. Luke’s Gospel begins and ends in the Temple — and emphasizes a link between the Temple sacrifices and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary.

How the threat of damnation protects the doctrine of natural law

How the Threat of Damnation Protects the Doctrine of Natural Law | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: God created us in His image and likeness, and after the Fall, the Cross, and the Resurrection, we overcome evil with God’s grace by following the precepts of the law written on our hearts. Scholars and theologians reasonably consider our natural inclinations and codify them into a natural-law system. But natural law collapses without the light of God’s Revelation. God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites through Moses, and those Commandments are compatible with our natural inclinations.

Learn to pay attention to attention in ‘The World Beyond Your Head’

The World Beyond Your Head - ClassicalEd Review: Hardly a day passes without hearing the lament from cultural curators about our diminishing abilities of attention. We are bombarded with more information about our lack of attention than ever before, including studies measuring how many seconds of attention span we have lost since the turn of the twenty-first century (down from twelve seconds to eight) to articles claiming that Covid-19 causes mental exhaustion which reduces our ability to concentrate. As classical educators, we are reminded daily of our ongoing battle for attention as we wade through Boethius and Shakespeare while our students daydream of YouTube and TikTok. We know our work involves a transfer of knowledge and inculcation of character, but inspiring and motivating our students’ effort in their own human formation is another work entirely.

Pontifical Academy for Life Appoints Pro-Abortion Atheist Mariana Mazzucato as New Member

Pontifical Academy for Life Appoints Pro-Abortion Atheist Member| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: The Pontifical Academy for Life has appointed to its list of full members a highly influential atheist economist who supports legalized abortion and whose views on the economy have in part been praised by Pope Francis. Mariana Mazzucato, who teaches the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London and is a member of the World Economic Forum, was appointed on Saturday by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the academy, and Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro, its chancellor.

Voyage Comics and the Augustine Institute just unveiled the first comic book on the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis

First comic book on Blessed Carlo Acutis' life unveiled on feast dayHATTRUP: Voyage Comics has announced a new Blessed Carlo Acutis comic book, produced with the collaboration of the Augustine Institute. The comic book is available for pre-order, shipping in November. Through this book, you will meet Carlo, an Italian 15-year-old computer geek who loved superheroes and video games, but most of all, the Holy Eucharist. The comic book comes action packed, and highlights the final years of Blessed Carlo Acutis’ life and how he became a digital disciple, creating a dynamic website and stunning display that taught others about the many remarkable Eucharistic miracles around the world.

Our weakness makes humanity most susceptible to divinity, because divinity has made itself susceptible to human weakness...

Humanity made susceptible to divinity Neal Obstat Theological OpiningNEAL: I was recently reading a meditation by 14th century German Dominican friar, Henry Suso. In his imaginative dialogue with Christ, Suso, after asking Jesus to share in his cross, receives a reply that gave me days worth of reflection. I include an excerpt of what I read at the end of this post. The depth of intimacy each of us is invited to have with Christ, precisely in our hardships, has always been a source of great amazement for me. In fact, the more I spend time with the Catholic spiritual Tradition the more I see there is no close second rival to hard labor, hardship and suffering in granting us proximate access to the “deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). In particular, weakness and fragility make humanity most susceptible to divinity, because divinity has made itself susceptible to human weakness and fragility...

Photo essay: Walk in the footsteps of Apostles and Church Fathers in Turkey, the ‘second Holy Land’

In%20Turkey%3A%20following%20the%20footsteps%20of%20APOSTLES%2C%20CHURCH%20FATHERS%2C%20%26%20ACHILLES%20%u2013%20%u0396%u03AE%u03C3%u03C4%u03B5%20%u03B6%u03B5%u03C3%u03C4%u03CC: I had the opportunity to travel with a friend of mine to the incredible country of Turkey recently. My wife, my oldest son, and I lived in Turkey for 2 years and it had been over 10 years since I had set foot in my home away from home in the Middle East. My wife very generously watched our four kiddos to allow me to go on my pilgrimage...

What the Holy Spirit tells us about the sins of priests, as described in the Book of the Prophet Malachi

Sins of Priests as Described in the Book of the Prophet Malachi - Community in MissionPOPE: Sinful, misleading, and even heretical clergy are nothing new, yet this remains a profound sadness. It is a rare week when someone does not contact me from somewhere in the country to say that his or her parish priest is preaching or teaching something that is a half-truth, erroneous, heretical, and/or scandalous. Add to this the silence of many other priests and bishops and we have a flock that is often disheartened and confused. Woe to clergy who mislead, pervert the truth, or spread error and confusion.

‘The Exorcism Files’ author Adam Blai: Avoid the demonic by ‘confession and the Mass’ and honoring God

Adam Blai: Avoiding the demonic by honoring God: "Most of these extraordinary cases come from violating the First Commandment and that means turning to a spirit other than God for comfort, information or power. So, if you're not playing around with other spirits than God, you're not usually going to end up in trouble. Now, if you start getting close to being in trouble, confession and the Mass — for the Catholic who has access to those sacraments — is going to resolve more than 90 percent of the situations," said Adam Blai, author of "The Exorcism Files: True Stories of Demonic Possession" (Sophia Institute Press). Blai works in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and is an expert on "religious demonology and exorcism." Learn more at his website, "Religious Demonology."

Princeton Professor Robert George: 7 Ways Fathers Can Raise Good Children by Holy Example

Princeton Prof. Robert George: 7 Ways Fathers Can Raise Good Children by Holy ExampleROBERTGEORGE: Young men who are or will soon be fathers: The thing to remember is that your children, especially your sons, will care deeply about how you regard them and will be watching everything you do. First, love your wives, serve them with strength and humility, and be attentive, affectionate, and faithful to them. Your kids will notice if you do…or don’t. Second, in every dimension of your lives, model the attitudes and behaviors–the virtues–you want to see in your children. Teaching by precept is important; teaching by example is even more important.

A ‘hostile takeover’ of Catholicism?

A%20%u2018hostile%20takeover%u2019%20of%20Catholicism%3F%20%7C%20Catholic%20CultureLAWLER: Did you participate in the diocesan discussions leading up to next year’s Synod of Bishops? Neither did I. Were you invited to discussion groups and listening sessions? Neither was I. Oh, there were official announcements, no doubt, in diocesan newspapers and even parish bulletins. But like the vast majority of American Catholics, I paid them no notice. No one sought me out personally, to invite my participation. Which is fine with me, because—as I have explained more than once in the past—I have profound misgivings about this synod and the awkward, time-consuming, self-referential process it has begotten.

Catholic Exclusion: Drive out the wicked from among you...

Catholic Exclusion: Drive out the wicked from among you. | Catholic CultureMIRUS: One of the ideological emphases of our contemporary religious and moral culture is “inclusion”. I say “ideological” because the imperative to be “inclusive” has become yet another “ism”—though we usually call it “inclusivity” rather than “inclusivism”. Now “isms” are always viewpoints that override everything else and cause us to interpret all things from the perspective of the “ism” in question. I often remark that the only legitimate “ism” is Catholicism, precisely because it means universal, and so excludes nothing that is real.

Father Michael Pfleger of Chicago Removed From Ministry Over New Sexual Abuse Allegations

Father Michael Pfleger of Chicago Removed From Ministry Over New Sexual Abuse Allegations| National Catholic Register: A well-known Chicago priest has been asked to step aside from ministry during an investigation into an allegation of sexual abuse against a minor. Father Michael Pfleger, senior pastor at St. Sabina parish and a well-known social activist, will live away from his parish while the allegation — which he denies — is investigated. The alleged abuse occurred more than 30 years ago, the archdiocese says.

Word on Fire to combat ‘hidden genocide’ of Down Syndrome, people with disabilities

Word%20on%20Fire%20to%20combat%20%u2018hidden%20genocide%u2019%20of%20Down%20Syndrome%2C%20people%20with%20disabilities%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Henri Nouwen, the famed Dutch priest and spiritual writer, who spent the last 10 years of his life in a L’Arche community paired with a member with profound developmental disabilities named Adam, once said real compassion is hardly a sentimental walk in the park. “Compassion is hard, because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken,” he said. “But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it, or finding a quick cure for it.”

Remember when there were real prizes in boxes of cereal? Before that, soap and oatmeal boxes even came with cups and dishes inside...

Kitschy Collectibles and Historical Advertising Premiums - The official blog of Newspapers.com: Remember digging through that cereal box to find the prize at the bottom? Manufacturers and retailers learned long ago that offering free items (called advertising premiums) attracted customers and created brand loyalty. Advertising premiums date back to the late 1700s but became much more popular in the 1900s. Did your grandmother collect an entire set of dishes just by purchasing boxes of oatmeal or soap? We’ve scoured our archives to find fun examples of advertising premiums over the decades. Kellogg’s was the first cereal to offer an advertising premium when they introduced the Funny Jungleland Moving Picture Book in 1910. Customers could mail in two packages of Corn Flakes and get the book for free.

Is ‘ad orientem’ posture (facing liturgical east) going to become more common at Mass? Yes, there are reasons to think so, over the next 10 to 20 years...

%u2018Ad%20Orientem%u2019%3A%20Back%20to%20the%20Liturgical%20Future%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: Is widespread ad orientem — toward the [liturgical] east — celebration of the Holy Mass the future? Not immediately so, but there are reasons to think that it may indeed become so over the next 10 to 20 years. The alternatives to ad orientem celebration — where the priest and people together face the same direction toward the altar — have been tried and found wanting. Ad orientem celebration does not necessarily mean the “traditional Latin Mass,” “Tridentine Mass” or “Extraordinary Form.” While that form of Mass — as had been the constant practice from antiquity until the 1960s — was always celebrated ad orientem, the current Missal of Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II can be celebrated ad orientem and in any language. Indeed, the rubrics of the current Missal presume Mass ad orientem rather than Mass versus populum, facing the people. What is presumed may become more widely practiced. There are reasons to think so.

Moses lifted his hands to win a battle — Christ lifted his hands on the Cross to win your soul

Hands Lifted up to Heaven | Parishable ItemsFELTES: After God’s people, the descendants of Israel, crossed the Red Sea in the Exodus, an army of Amalekites came to battle them in the Sinai desert. So Moses instructed his servant Joshua: “Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” The next day, while Joshua led Israel’s soldiers in fighting the foe on the battlefield, Moses stood upon an adjacent hill along with Aaron and Hur. “As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight.” Moses wielding this staff at God’s command triggered the plagues in Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and now brought Israel’s victory on the battlefield. But this raises a reasonable question: why would God condition his people’s success in combat upon an old man holding a piece of wood above his head? Moses lifting up this staff of God was a sign for God’s people which preserved them from a spiritual disaster.

Why are chicken eggs different colors?

Why are eggs different colors? - AgriLife Today: Have you ever been curious about why chicken eggs can be different colors? While most eggs are white or brown, they also come in colors like cream, pink, blue and green. In addition — and this is no “yolk” — some are even speckled. Nature has provided chickens with diverse color patterns for their feathers, skin patches and eggshells for various purposes, including camouflage, protection from predators and to signal individual identity.

‘It Is Necessary Not to Be in a Rush’ — Pope Francis Announces Decision to Extend Synod on Synodality to 2024

Pope Francis announces decision to extend Synod on Synodality to 2024 | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis announced on Sunday that the Synod on Synodality will be extended to 2024. Speaking in his Angelus address on Oct. 16, the pope shared his decision to divide the Synod of Bishops into two sessions that will meet in Rome in October 2023 and October 2024. Pope Francis explained that he made the decision "in order to have a more relaxed period of discernment."

Are big banks chasing away religious organizations?

Are big banks chasing away religious organizations?BROWNBACK: Testifying before the Senate last month, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon spoke eloquently of what a wonderful country we live in and about the freedoms we enjoy. “We live in the greatest country in the world predicated on foundational beliefs in freedom of speech, freedom of religion , freedom of enterprise, the sanctity of the individual, and the promise of equality and opportunity for all,” the CEO told the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. He even went so far as to say, “These core values are the fabric that bind us as Americans, where the best of what we are shines through, especially in times of adversity.”

Department of Injustice: How the Biden administration weaponized the DOJ in support of its pro-abortion agenda

The Department of Injustice| National Catholic RegisterWARSAW: For nearly two years, the Biden administration has put on full display its lamentable disregard for the sanctity of human life, human sexuality and religious freedom. One of the most disturbing examples has been the apparent recent weaponization of the Department of Justice in support of the administration’s pro-abortion agenda. This misdirection of justice began to take shape soon after President Joe Biden took office, when the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Texas to stop that state’s law regulating abortions after an unborn child’s heartbeat is detected.

Germany’s Gerhard Cardinal Müller visits home of Mark Houck, target of recent FBI raid

German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller visits home of Mark Houck, target of FBI raid | Catholic News AgencyBUKURAS: German Cardinal Gerhard Müller visited the home and family of Mark Houck, a pro-life father of seven who was arrested on Sept. 23 by several FBI agents in the early hours of the morning. In a video posted on YouTube Oct. 12, the cardinal is seen on the front porch of the Houck family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where the 48-year-old had been taken into custody at gunpoint in front of his terrified wife and children. Müller then made a statement condemning the arrest of Houck, whom he called “a peaceful father defending his son, defending the right of life of the babies.”

Innovative steps to reclaim a human way of life for the next generation

Innovative Steps to Reclaim a Human Way of Life for the Next Generation | OpinionMERING: A small coffee shop filled with young adults in rural Wyoming felt palpably different for reasons Justin Schneir, a father and entrepreneur, could not immediately identify. He whispered to his wife that somehow it reminded him of a coffee shop in the 1990s. "You know why, don't you?" she replied. "No one is using a cell phone!" Far less than the décor or design, the difference was that the patrons were absorbed with one another rather than siloed in their devices. Wyoming Catholic, the local liberal arts college that established a phone-free culture, is part of a growing movement to reject smart phones and their attending addictions in favor of a more human way of life—even if it feels as wildly old fashioned as the set of Friends.

This Sunday, we are surrounded by unjust judges — but God isn’t one of them

This%20Sunday%2C%20We%20Are%20Surrounded%20By%20Unjust%20Judges%2C%20But%20God%20Isn%u2019t%20One%20Of%20Them%20%7C%20Ex%20Corde%20at%20Benedictine%20CollegeHOOPES: Jesus tells the odd Parable of the Unjust Judge on the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. It’s unsettling and confusing. He seems to compare God to a self-serving uncaring bureaucrat, and says we should pray to him like a powerless victim begging a powerful bad man for what is due us, even though he doesn’t care. How is this a positive thing? Luke knows the parable is going to be a tough one to understand, so he tells us the meaning of it right away.

A gap in New Zealand, reality in Jerusalem, and legal weed everywhere

A gap in New Zealand, reality in Jerusalem, and legal weed everywhereCONDON: New Zealand appears to have slipped the Vatican’s mind. Admittedly, it isn’t the biggest country in the world, and it is a long way from Rome. But fully one third of its dioceses don’t have a bishop right now, and there is little sign that there is any hurry to fill the vacancies. This morning, Luke Coppen asks why? Talking to local clergy and poking around the appointment process in Rome, there are a couple of possible explanations, but no obvious answers. Read the whole analysis here.

Has the Vatican forgotten to replace New Zealand’s bishops?

Has%20the%20Vatican%20forgotten%20to%20replace%20New%20Zealand%u2019s%20bishops%3FCOPPEN: Has the Vatican forgotten to replace New Zealand’s bishops? You can see why it might have slipped Vatican officials’ minds. New Zealand is not exactly in the Holy See’s neighborhood, after all: it takes a full day to fly from Rome to Wellington, the capital of the island country that lies in the Pacific Ocean. Also, there are barely half a million Catholics in New Zealand out of a total population of five million. The country ranks in 96th place in the list of nations with the greatest number of Catholics, behind Japan and Russia.

Virginia Democrat to Introduce Bill to Prosecute Parents Who Refuse to Treat Child as Opposite Sex

Elizabeth Guzman Bill: Virginia Democrat to Introduce Bill to Prosecute Parents Who Refuse to Treat Child as Opposite Sex | National Review: Virginia Democratic delegate Elizabeth Guzman is seeking to introduce legislation that would hold parents criminally liable for refusing to treat their children as a different sex from the one they were born into. The legislation, which Guzman plans to introduce in Virginia’s upcoming legislative session, would expand the definition of child abuse so that parents could be charged with a felony or misdemeanor for refusing to honor their child’s request to be treated as the opposite sex.

Pay attention, treat God with intimacy, be authentic — Simple steps in prayer from St. Teresa of Avila

Simple Steps in Prayer from St. Teresa of Avila - SpiritualDirection.comSPEARS: We celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, one of the four female Doctors of the Church, on October 15th. Teresa was instrumental during the Counter-Reformation and her treatises on prayer and the Christian life remain one of the greatest treasures in Christian spirituality. So what does Saint Teresa say about prayer? A lot, of course, but it boils down to a handful of simple tenets. We will look at just a few today. Perhaps you find prayer difficult in this season and you’re not sure how to begin or reconnect with the Creator.

‘Blonde’ film angers Planned Parenthood by showing humanity of Marilyn Monroe’s unborn baby

%u2018Blonde%u2019%20Film%20Angers%20Planned%20Parenthood%20by%20Showing%20Humanity%20of%20Marilyn%20Monroe%u2019s%20Unborn%20Baby%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterHELDT: The last thing Australian film director Andrew Dominik expected when he released his new Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde was the criticism that he would draw from Planned Parenthood. The film, currently streaming on Netflix, is based on a 2000 Joyce Carol Oates novel by the same name, and tells the fictionalized life story of Norma Jeane Mortenson.

Vatican II sought true liturgical reform

Vatican II Sought True Liturgical Reform| National Catholic RegisterCHAPP: In 1977, I was a freshman at the University of Nebraska. I was in the process of rediscovering my Catholic faith and decided to attend the Newman Center on campus. What I discovered there was the greatest community of faith-filled people I have ever encountered — and that remains true all of these years later. Thousands of young Catholics flocked there; and the daily Mass, which was at 10pm, was always packed. Religious vocations were nurtured there, and the Diocese of Lincoln, thanks to the Newman Center, was flush with seminarians.

UK Social Media Arrest: One Minute Catholic Mom Was Roasting Chicken, the Next She Was off to Jail

UK social media arrest: One minute Catholic mom was roasting chicken, the next she was off to jail | Catholic News Agency: A British Catholic mother of five, who was arrested at her family home while making roasted chicken, said that she believes Catholics are a “soft target” for the police. It was approaching dinnertime on Monday, Oct. 3, and Catholic commentator Caroline Farrow was roasting chicken and putting the laundry away when suddenly the police knocked on the door of her home in Guildford, West Surrey, and arrested her for malicious communications and harassment in relation to a long-running online debate she had regarding transgender issues, she said.

National Eucharistic Revival releases new ‘playbook’ to help support and guide local efforts

Eucharistic Revival aims to inspire local efforts with new playbook - Our Sunday Visitor: The National Eucharistic Revival executive team released on Wednesday, Oct. 12, a Leader’s Playbook to inspire and direct leaders as revival initiatives begin to take shape across the county. “The Leader’s Playbook is designed as a springboard to help lay leaders, priests and deacons brainstorm creative, effective and practical initiatives that fit the unique character of their people,” an announcement accompanying the release of the playbook states.

There are millions of post-abortive men who could benefit from a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat...

It%u2019s%20Time%20%u2014%20Post-Abortive%20Healing%20for%20Moms%20%28and%20Dads%29%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: “You ever go on a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat?” the priest asked after my confession. I shook my head and looked up. It was such an unexpected question, seemingly random — and it sure got my attention. Rachel’s Vineyard, Rachel’s Vineyard ... I knew it had something to do with post-abortion healing. I’d mentioned that I’d been party to an abortion decades ago merely for context during my confession, but I’d received absolution and had tried to put it behind me. My wife knew about it, and a couple close friends, but it was over and done. Why revisit such a tragic event? What’s the point?

The fall of leaves in autumn offers yet another occasion to ask and wonder about the one thing that matters...

To Hear the Call of the Leaves - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: I think that some men, like Belloc, act as weathervanes. They make more manifest what could be noticed without them. Yet we are grateful for the helpful pointer. Seasons evoke specific thoughts and feelings. Surely, this is a gift, if only we receive it. When Belloc writes “and all men feel” certain desires in autumn, we find ourselves thinking: oh, yes, indeed we do. Earlier in the essay he wrote, “Whatever permanent, uneasy question is native to men, comes forward most insistent and loud at such times”—such as at the fall of leaves. But even though it is loud and insistent, we do not necessarily hear it, or tune in to it. And more, we do not necessarily wrestle with the question, especially as it is an ‘uneasy’ one.

Everyone knows about the miracle of St. Januarius — but have you heard of the annual phenomenon that happens with a relic of St. Lawrence?

Amaseno, the Italian village with a 'blood-melting miracle' | CNN Travel: There are green fertile valleys, old brigands' hideaways, cherry orchards -- and a mysterious flask allegedly containing a very special blood. Amaseno, a tiny village located in the province of Frosinone between Rome and Naples, harbors a mystical secret that, locals say, questions the laws of nature. The villagers venerate a glass vial said to contain a saint's blood that is regularly involved in what they deem a "miracle." For the past four centuries, every year -- sometimes even more than once -- what is believed to be the blood and flesh of St. Lawrence liquifies -- turning from a dense, dark, brownish lump to a bright, shiny, ruby-red fluid mixed with other elements.

Social media, true love and resisting modern Catholic witch hunts

Social media, true love and resisting modern Catholic witch hunts - Our Sunday VisitorMILLS: It’s the judgmentalism that’s so startling. Starting a new job a few months ago — a job I love but one that requires long, intense days — I stopped going on Facebook very often. And when I do, oh boy, the amount of energy people put into telling other people how wrong and how awful they are. It’s modern Catholic witch-hunting. The witch-hunters excuse it by saying they’re only telling the truth that must be told. The judgment comes from all sides. Some Catholics call other Catholics “heretics” and accuse them of worldliness and wanting to be approved by the world, or of trying to subvert the Church and her teaching. Some of the other Catholics call the first set “MagaChristians” and (sarcastically) “the greatest Catholics of all time,” and accuse them of being heartless and cruel, also foolish and stupid.

A warning from St. Gregory the Great for the priest to guard his heart

A Warning from St. Gregory the Great for the Priest to Guard His Heart - Community in MissionPOPE: For spiritual reading, I am currently reading The Book of the Pastoral Rule by St. Gregory the Great. Pope Saint Gregory was a master at taking details from the Old Testament priesthood and applying them to the priests of the New Covenant. In one reflection, he remarks on the details of the breastplate of the high priest and what they signify. In effect, Pope Gregory instructs the priest to guard his heart, keeping it safe from the poison of false doctrine and misplaced affections, wherein he fears man more than God and desires affection and approval more than speaking the truth.

What do we know about the religious beliefs of King Charles III?

The Religion of King Charles III| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: As the supreme governor of the Church of England, King Charles III is expected to continue his mother’s friendship and esteem for the Catholic Church, but it will form just part of his broad interest in all Christian denominations, other world religions, and his seeming religious fervor for environmental concerns. The new monarch, who immediately acceded to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8 and will be crowned May 6 in Westminster Abbey, has long had close ties with the Catholic Church. As heir to the throne, he spent many years supporting Catholic charities, as well as often speaking out on behalf of persecuted Christians, including working with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

Philadelphia pro-lifers look at evil in the FACE and stand up for the embattled Houck family

Philadelphia Pro-Lifers Look at Evil in the FACE and Stand Up for Houck Family| National Catholic RegisterARCHBOLD: Just a block and a half from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia stands a large colorful mural with a quotation by Abraham Lincoln saying, “It is the eternal struggle between these two principles — right and wrong — throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time, and will forever continue to struggle.” I snapped a photo of it with my phone after I got lucky and parked my car not too far from the event I was covering. I walked down the busy city street in Old City and soon spotted about 75 people standing in a semicircle around a small wooden podium in front of the building housing the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

‘Gaudium et Spes’ and Germany’s Synodal Way: Reflections on the Church in the Modern World

%u2018Gaudium%20et%20Spes%u2019%20and%20Germany%u2019s%20Synodal%20Way%3A%20Reflections%20on%20the%20Church%20in%20the%20Modern%20World%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPELL: The Latin title of the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world, Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), is not misleading, as it sets out to be both joyful and hopeful, not seeking conflict or confrontation, totally avoiding the use of any anathemas. It is described as a pastoral constitution and was a novelty in conciliar history. I am unsure it will ever be attempted again by a full council, however that may occur with more than 5,000 bishops.

Notre Dame Professor Offers Abortion Access to Students, Calls Pro-Life Critics ‘White Nationalist Catholic Hate Groups’

Keough School Professor Offers Abortion Access to Students - Irish RoverDEREUIL: “For me, abortion is a policy issue. And yes, my view runs afoul of Church teaching, but in other areas, my positions are perfectly aligned [with the Church],” Prof. Tamara Kay of the Keough School of Global Affairs told the Rover following the September 21 panel, “Post-Roe America: Making Intersectional Feminist Sense of Abortion Bans.” Kay used this panel as a platform to explain why she thought abortion bans are ineffective and immoral, complementing her work to bring abortion to Notre Dame students. Her initiatives began after Indiana S.B.1—a law that banned abortion statewide—took effect September 15. She has continued since the law was suspended via injunction by a state judge while litigation takes place.

Truth seems to be hard to find today. But Jesus is the Truth...

New Advent: Truth seems to be hard to find today. But Jesus is the Truth...STEFANICK: Truth seems to be hard to find today. We live in a time and culture where more and more people think we can make up our own story for meaning. But perhaps we aren't finding what we're looking for (as the ever-increasing mental health data reveals) is because the answer isn't found in creating our own story. God has already given us one, and through Him, we find our place, meaning, and value in it. Thankfully, it's a redemptive story that ultimately leads us to real joy and lasting peace.

Faith does not dampen the desire to know, but inflames it...

A Catholic Intellectual: A Contradiction in Terms? - Word on FireKACZOR: Some people think a Catholic intellectual is something like a waterproof towel, a screen door on a submarine, or an ejection seat on a helicopter, as Jonathan Swan quipped. These people must have forgotten about the long list of Catholic intellectuals, from Augustine and Aquinas in the premodern world, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas More in the Renaissance, and Elizabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre in our own times. It is always surprising to me that nonbelievers sometimes posit that the life of faith shuts down the inquiring mind. In fact, faith does not dampen the desire to know, but inflames it. Thomas Aquinas pointed out that

Truth seems to be hard to find today. But Jesus is the Truth...

New Advent: Truth seems to be hard to find today. But Jesus is the Truth...STEFANICK: Truth seems to be hard to find today. We live in a time and culture where more and more people think we can make up our own story for meaning. But perhaps we aren't finding what we're looking for (as the ever-increasing mental health data reveals) is because the answer isn't found in creating our own story. God has already given us one, and through Him, we find our place, meaning, and value in it. Thankfully, it's a redemptive story that ultimately leads us to real joy and lasting peace.

The Trilemma Of C.S. Lewis: Was Jesus a Liar?

The Trilemma Of C. S. Lewis, Part Three: Was Jesus A Liar?CLARK: In the previous pieces for this series, we referenced C. S. Lewis’s Trilemma, essentially his argument that: in claiming He was God, Jesus was either a liar, insane, or God. But before we addressed these three possibilities, we provided historical evidence that Jesus actually walked the Earth and actually claimed to be God. This brings us to Lewis’ first possibility: Was Jesus a liar? To investigate that question, we might begin with a general observation: people do not typically lie without a motive. The liar seeks something, most commonly fortune and/or fame. In claiming to be God, is that what Jesus was seeking?

True accompaniment must always lead you to Jesus Christ

True accompaniment to Jesus Christ involves a conversion of the mind. | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: One must be careful to describe the act of accompaniment as a formula to develop a belief in Jesus Christ. Several weeks ago, I began my series of articles on accompaniment to address the body, heart, and mind. Accompaniment through the body e.g. involves the organic environment around a human being and his relationship with the Divine. Accompaniment through the heart involves an interior trust and softening of the heart to God’s love for you, and the final step in the accompaniment process addresses the mind of the person and his willingness to know and understand that God is love, and in the course of that love, our call to have an active relationship with Him.

Pope St. John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council on Oct. 11, 1962

Pope St. John XXIII convenes the Second Vatican CouncilSEWELL: Today in Papal History marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the 21st ecumenical council in the history of the Catholic Church. Drawing together all of the bishops of the world, Pope John XXIII gave his opening remarks to a crowded St. Peter’s Basilica, kicking off the great event that had two future popes – St. John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI – as some of its key influences.

I used to work at a French bistro that served the best onion soup I’ve tasted. Here is that recipe...

The Best French Onion Soup - Andrew Zimmern: In 1992, I started work at a French bistro in Minneapolis that for the longest time served the best onion soup I ever tasted. Here is that recipe. It’s redesigned for the home cook in only one way: the stock. In the restaurant we were able to make a 72-hour veal stock that provided a backbone like no other for this French classic. If you want to be super-ambitious and love the crafty part of cookery, go for it and make your own.

It’s still too early to celebrate Halloween

It%u2019s%20Still%20Too%20Early%20to%20Celebrate%20Halloween%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCLARK: Five years ago, I wrote a blog called “It’s Never Too Early to Celebrate Christmas.” I wrote it because many people around me were lamenting the fact that retail stores were already decorating for Christmas in November, the Hallmark Channel was showing Christmas-themed rom-coms, people were buying Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving, and so on. Priests were even delivering sermons about why it is liturgically inappropriate to decorate for Christmas early.

The year ahead will reveal who the true backwardists are...

Vatican%20II%20at%2060%3A%20%u2018Backwardist%u2019%20to%20the%20Future%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: For Catholics too young to remember the immediate post-conciliar period, the 60th anniversary of Vatican II offers a chance to relive the past. The Church is going backwards. There is a wide consensus on that. There is disagreement over the precise historical destination. With increasingly pointed rhetoric, Pope Francis denounces those who commit the “sin of backwardism” — a neologism he coined to characterize those he believes want to go back to before the Second Vatican Council.

Here’s the crucial question about Vatican II: Was it about wordly power, or Christ’s power?

Vatican II at 60: The Crucial Question| National Catholic RegisterLEVERING: If Vatican II is an ongoing theological event, as I argued in a 2017 book, then it has now been ongoing for 60 years. For most people, 60 years marks the beginning of old age, even though people who reach this threshold may continue to insist that they are feeling and looking young! Can we say the same for Vatican II? Has the Council — once young, hip, celebrated as part of the 1960s baby-boomer revolutions — become creaky and tired, even “over the hill?” On the one hand, the answer is surely No. The contest over Vatican II’s meaning is today more intense than ever. The ecclesiastical party associated with Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx and Concilium was generally on the outside looking in for the first 50 years of the reception of Vatican II’s documents. They had to read the papal magisterial documents in those decades with teeth gritted. They published and advocated for change or reversal in consistent, long-standing doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church.

60 years after the opening of the Second Vatican Council, where do we stand?

60 years after the opening of the Second Vatican Council, where do we stand? - Our Sunday VisitorCHAPP: This year we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The question of the council’s legacy is an ongoing matter of continuing debate among theologians whose discussions of the finer theological points of the council leave most average Catholics yawning. The relationship between nature and grace? What is that? Neo-scholasticism versus more modern theologies? Hmmm ... don’t really understand theology anyway, so who cares? Religious freedom for all in civil society? Duh, isn’t that a no-brainer? Non-Catholics have a legit shot at salvation? Well, of course they do. Mass in the vernacular in a reformed liturgy? Is that still a question for anyone other than a small group of right-wing Latin fanatics over at that abandoned parish downtown? Local bishops now have more independent authority from the pope than they did before? Really? Seems the pope is still the celebrity center of attention with the Catholic media reporting on the pope’s every hiccup and facial twitch.

‘The Time Has Arrived’ — New York Judge Paves Way for Recognition of ‘Multi-Person Relationships’

New%20York%20Judge%20Paves%20Way%20for%20Recognition%20of%20%u2018Multi-Person%20Relationships%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: A New York judge opened the door to legal recognition of multi-partner relationships while ruling in a housing court case. In a ruling on a dispute over a rent-stabilized apartment, Judge Karen May Bacdayan of the Civil Court of the City of New York, opined that the legal protection of same-sex relationships shouldn’t be limited to two people. The case centers on three men: Scott Anderson, who died in 2021; Markyus O’Neill, who lived with Anderson in the now-deceased’s apartment; and Anderson’s life partner Robert Romano, who lived at a different location.

Food insecurity at the time of Christ

Food%20Insecurity%20at%20the%20Time%20of%20Christ%20%u2013%20The%20Five%20Beasts: When traveling in the Middle East, I especially enjoy the typical Mediterranean diet: fresh, local, and meat-free, consisting of vegetables (fresh or cured), fruit, dairy products, legumes, olives, breads, etc. This would have been the standard fare in Jesus’ time as well, though minus a few essentials of today: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, apples, pears, bananas etc. Meat was rare and in 1st-century Palestine would only have been eaten by the wealthy and most likely would have been goat; beef and lamb would have been reserved for holidays.

Kristen Van Uden: How atheism developed and took root

Respect Life Radio Podcast - Kristen Van Uden: How atheism developed and took root | Free Listening on Podbean App: "This book really shows us that atheism and communism were not natural disasters that were just bound to happen, but rather they were ideological revolutions that were carefully calculated," said Kristen Van Uden, referring to "The Gods of Atheism," a 1971 book by Fr. Vincent Miceli, S.J., recently republished by Sophia Institute Press. Van Uden is the author spokesperson at Sophia Institute Press and also "studies the persecution of Catholics under communist regimes," a subject on which she is writing a book. Van Uden is editor of, and a writer for, Catholic Exchange, including the recent article, "How to Make an Atheist," which revisits Fr. Miceli's book.

What you should know about Christopher Columbus

What You Should Know About Christopher Columbus| National Catholic RegisterSIMONSON: I was taught in kindergarten that a certain man was a great hero. An episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks had even left me with the impression, for several years afterward, that he’d proven that the Earth is round. Some years later, while at the University of Michigan, I was told that that same man was a harbinger of death and destruction. The truth about him is probably something far more familiar to us all: that he was a man with very heroic qualities, as well as very real shortcomings. He was born the son of a weaver in the city-state of Genoa in 1451, and largely self-educated. During his youth he’d demonstrated aptitude and ambition, including skills as a promising navigator. The threat of Islamic conquest was a fact of life during his lifetime. Christendom’s borders had been receding for more than 800 years by the time he was born. Constantinople fell under Ottoman control when he was very young, thus closing the Silk Road to Christian traders. The flourishing of Christendom became the great cause for which Christopher Columbus would dedicate his ambition.

Diocese of Steubenville could soon face merger with neighboring Diocese of Columbus

Steubenville diocese could soon face merger with neighbor dioceseJDFLYNN: The Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, is expected to announce to priests Monday that a process is underway that could see the diocese merge with the neighboring see of Columbus. Senior U.S. and Vatican sources have confirmed to The Pillar that a merger process between the dioceses is underway, and that Steubenville priests and chancery personnel will be informed of the merger process at an all-hands meeting Monday afternoon. The Steubenville diocese would be the second U.S. diocese to be merged in recent years with a larger neighbor — the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska, was in 2020 merged with the Archdiocese of Anchorage.