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16 June 2024 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cathedral of Meissen Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First readingEzekiel 17:22-24I will plant a shoot on the high mountain of IsraelThe Lord says this:‘From the top of the cedar,from the highest branch I will take a shootand plant it myself on a very high mountain.I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel.It will sprout branches and bear fruit,and become a noble cedar.Every kind of bird will live beneath it,every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.And every tree of the field will learn that I, the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWith many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. Mark 4:33–34The deepest mysteries of our faith can only be understood by someone who has deep faith. Understanding requires much more than just a keen intellect; it also requires an interior attentiveness to and familiarity with the voice of God. For that reason, as Jesus spoke to the crowds, He used parables and figures of speech rather than speaking directly about...

In this week’s Mass readings, Jesus teaches us about himself and the Church using agricultural images. It is the Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time. The Gospel is moving ad seriatim (sequentially) through Mark. We are going to read virtually all of Mark this year by the end of November, with the exception of the Passion and Resurrection accounts (Mark 14-16), which were already read during the Triduum. The second reading at this time of year is moving through Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians. The first readings for the rest of the year are selections from the Old Testament chosen to...

15 June 2024 Saturday of week 10 in Ordinary Time St. Vitus Cathedral, PragueReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First reading1 Kings 19:19-21Elisha leaves the plough to follow ElijahLeaving Mount Horeb, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all…” Matthew 5:33–34The purpose of an oath was to guarantee the truthfulness of the statement made. Sometimes this can be very good. For example, many of the Sacraments involve making a public vow before God and the Church. In these cases, the vow is a form of oath that is solemnized so as to invite the...

'It's a bigger problem than people think," FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin tells Fox News Digital ..."We have just lost our damn minds when it comes to criminal prosecution," healthcare defense attorney Ron Chapman told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Ninety-five percent of cases do not go to trial, because prosecutors can find fuzzy statutes to get such high maximums or even mandatory minimums at play, which force innocent people to plead guilty. And that's what we're dealing with — we're dealing with tons of innocent people who may not be innocent of all the crimes, but they're innocent of...

Daily Readings from the USCCB"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna." Matthew 5:29–30This imagery of tearing out your eye and cutting off your hand is clearly meant to get our attention. Though we can be certain...

14 June 2024 Friday of week 10 in Ordinary Time Church of St. Elisha the Pure, Artsakh Diocese, Nagorno-KarabakhReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First reading1 Kings 19:9,11-16The Lord was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fireWhen Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God, he went into the cave and spent the night in it. Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ Then the Lord himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” Matthew 5:21–22The passage quoted above gives us three deepening levels of sin that we commit against another. These sins were new teachings not contained in the Old Testament. By this teaching, Jesus’ call to...

An unhinged man armed with a hammer targeted a Brooklyn church’s beloved statues of Mother Teresa and a Catholic pope, smashing their faces in, police said Tuesday. Randy Maldonado-Avila is accused of bashing a statue of Pope John XXIII, who led the Catholic church from 1958 till his death in 1963, with a hammer, as well as lopping of one of its hands. He also allegedly smashed a statue of St. Teresa of Calcutta, denting her face. Maldonado-Avila, 30, also used the hammer to smash the glass front doors of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church on Bay Ridge Parkway near 20th...

CV NEWS FEED // A day after CatholicVote reported that The Hill had published a column identifying a flag of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as “a symbol associated with the Christian right wing, specifically used to protest Pride,” the publication erased that claim from the column without noting the change. The practice of editing out controversial passages without acknowledging the correction in an editorial note is commonly known as “stealth-editing.” Nick Robertson originally wrote in his column: “The Sacred Heart of Jesus flag is a symbol associated with the Christian right wing, specifically used to protest Pride.” As of...

13 June 2024 Saint Antony of Padua, Priest, Doctor on Thursday of week 10 in Ordinary Time Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, Padova, Italy Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Kings 18:41-46'A cloud no bigger than a man's hand'Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go back, eat and drink; for I hear the sound of rain.’ While Ahab went back to eat and drink, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and bowed down to the earth, putting his face between his knees. ‘Now go up,’...

12 June 2024 Wednesday of week 10 in Ordinary Time St. John de Sahagun Church of Candon, the PhilippinesReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First reading1 Kings 18:20-39Elijah vanquishes the priests of BaalAhab called all Israel together and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah stepped out in front of all the people. ‘How long’ he said ‘do you mean to hobble first on one leg then on the other? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.’ But the people never said a word. Elijah then said to them, ‘I, I alone, am left as...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” Matthew 5:17–18The law and the prophets, as found in the Old Testament, consists of three types. First, there are the moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments, that are primarily based on the natural law...

Boston Celtics’ Catholic coach leaves reporters speechless with simple answer about Christian faith I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches, Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla said when asked if he took ;pride; in the fact that the head coaches of both teams in this year’s NBA Finals are black. BOSTON (LifeSiteNews) — The head coach of the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics again left reporters speechless after his team took a 2-0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in this year’s NBA Finals. Joe Mazzulla, 35, has been at the helm of the historic Celtics franchise since mid-season last...

In a press conference that should have focused on the Boston Celtics’ strategies for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the discourse took an unexpected detour into identity politics, thanks to a question from Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Mazzulla, however, was not playing along. The question posed to Joe Mazzulla was loaded, aimed not at the game but at stirring racial narratives. Goodwill asked, “For the first time since 1975, this is the NBA Finals with two black head coaches. Given the plight sometimes of black head coaches in the NBA, do you think this...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world…” Matthew 5:13–14Every Christian has two primary duties in life. First, we must strive for personal holiness. And second, we must work to help others achieve this same degree of holiness. This is what it means to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” Consider salt....

11 June 2024 Saint Barnabas, Apostle on Tuesday of week 10 in Ordinary Time Barnabas Catholic Church Omaha, Nebraska Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaThe following reading is proper to the memorial, and must be used even if you have otherwise chosen to use the ferial readings.First readingActs 11:21-26,13:1-3He was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faithA great number believed and were converted to the Lord. The church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:1–3Today we are given the incredibly high calling of the Beatitudes to ponder. These lessons were taught by Jesus on a hill just north of the Sea of Galilee. Many were coming to Jesus to listen to Him preach and to witness His many miracles. They flocked to Him in this remote location, and Jesus...

10 June 2024 Monday of week 10 in Ordinary Time L'Aquila Cathedral, ItalyReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First reading1 Kings 17:1-6The Lord sends Elijah into the wildernessElijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord lives, the God of Israel whom I serve, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except at my order.’ The word of the Lord came to him, ‘Go away from here, go eastwards, and hide yourself in the wadi Cherith which lies east of Jordan. You can drink from the stream, and I have ordered the ravens...