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4 July 2024 Thursday of week 13 in Ordinary TimeSt Elizabeth of Portugal Church, Richmond, LondonReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First readingAmos 7:10-17The Lord took me from herding the flock and sent me to prophesyAmaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel as follows. ‘Amos is plotting against you in the heart of the House of Israel; the country can no longer tolerate what he keeps saying. For this is what he says, “Jeroboam is going to die by the sword, and Israel go into exile far from its country.”’ To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go...

“Through [Christ] also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Romans 5:2). It is God’s grace, not the believers’ faith, which enables them to stand firm in their salvation. In Old Testament times, the notion of having direct access or “introduction” to God was unthinkable, because if anyone was to look at Him they would surely die. After the tabernacle was built, only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, where God would manifest His divine presence, and only once a year for just a brief time. But Christ’s atoning sacrifice...

Daily Readings from the USCCBAfter entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:1–2Just prior to this passage, Jesus cast out demons from two men from the town of the Gadarenes. Afterwards, the townspeople told Him to leave their town, so Jesus departed by boat and arrived in Capernaum, which was where He had been living after leaving Nazareth. This encounter with a paralytic on a...

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Peace with God is the first link in the chain that securely binds a true believer to Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most significant attack Satan wages against Christians is raising doubt about the reality and security of their salvation. He continually promotes the destructive notion of a works-righteousness system as a means of salvation, thus making the preservation of one’s salvation totally dependent upon the believer’s faithfulness. To counteract such a misguided interpretation of what the Bible teaches about salvation, the apostle...

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Wednesday 3 July 2024 Saint Thomas, Apostle Feast St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Ann Arbor, MIReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II).First readingEphesians 2:19-22In Christ you are no longer aliens, but citizens like usYou are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:27–29Thomas the Apostle, in many ways, represents each and every one of us in this exchange with Jesus. We’d like to believe that we always believe and are not unbelieving. But it’s important to admit...

2 July 2024 Tuesday of week 13 in Ordinary Time Resting place of Saint Bernardino Realino in Jesuit Church of Jesus, Lecce Italy BReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First readingAmos 3:1-8,4:11-12It is for all your sins that I mean to punish youListen, sons of Israel, to this oracle the Lord speaks against you, against the whole family I brought out of the land of Egypt:You alone, of all the families of earth, have I acknowledged,therefore it is for all your sins that I mean to punish you.Do two men take the road togetherif they have not planned to...

Daily Readings from the USCCBAs Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. Matthew 8:23–24This experience had quite an impression upon the disciples, which is evidenced by the fact that it is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels. We also see this in the concluding words of the story after Jesus calmed the storm: “The men were amazed and said, ‘What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?’” Traditionally, this story...

[Catholic Caucus] Frontline report: New rounds in the war against traditionOtto van Veen, Valentinus Taken Prisoner Can we speak of a “report from the front” when it comes to the current dispute over the traditional liturgy of the (no longer) Latin Church? We are afraid so: Yes!—and judging by the unspeakable outbursts of the papal court theologian Grillo, one not only may speak of “war”, one must.But let’s take the news of the last few days in turn. First of all, there is the case of the “Missionaries of Divine Mercy”—a small community of diocesan right founded by the (now...

[Catholic Caucus] Why is the Traditional Latin Mass So Hated? - Op-Edby Father Enda*Vision of TuyAmongst all women one alone was chosen to be His Mother, who is The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of All Graces. No other. Chosen from amongst all other holy Virgins.Amongst all instruments one alone was chosen to be His Katechon, ("what witholdeth" (2 Thess. 2:6-7 -singular), which is the Latin Rite Mass of the Ages. No other. Chosen from amongst all other holy rites. The Vision of Tuy is the vision of the Katechon. The Mediatrix of All Graces stands beneath Her Son over...

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5). True believers will see the glory of Christ reflected in their lives when they examine the genuineness of their salvation. Assurance of one’s salvation has been a key issue throughout the history of the church, especially the Reformers’ reaction to the Roman Catholic Church’s assertion that since salvation is a joint effort between man and God, the outcome is in doubt until the end. John Calvin, the leading sixteenth-century Reformer, taught that believers can and should be assured of their salvation. He made the grounds...

Bishop Barry Knestout suspended the Latin Mass at Holy Comforter Catholic Church until receiving a renewal from the Vatican, but there are reports that Rome is ready to shut down all Traditional Masses not affiliated with an approved Ecclesia Dei institute. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (LifeSiteNews) — The bishop of Richmond, Virginia is ending the Traditional Latin Mass in Charlottesville, Virginia, after the two-year permission given by Rome expires this week. Bishop Barry Knestout informed Father Joseph Mary Lukyamuzi, the pastor of Holy Comforter Catholic Church in Charlottesville, that the “dispensation” granted in virtue of Traditionis custodes for the parish to offer...

Lefebvre, Viganò and the Post-Conciliar Struggle Against the Catholic Church’s EnemiesArchbishop Carlo Maria Viganò began his recent statement (responding to accusations of schism) by quoting Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre from 1979:“‘When I think that we are in the palace of the Holy Office, which is the exceptional witness of the Tradition and of the defense of the Catholic Faith, I cannot stop myself from thinking that I am at home, and that it is me, whom you call ‘the traditionalist,’ who should judge you.’ So spoke Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1979, when he was summoned to the former Holy Office, in...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Matthew 8:19–20It is unclear from this passage alone why Jesus answered this scribe the way He did. At first, the statement of the scribe seems very devout: “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But many of the Church Fathers, in their reflections of this conversation between Jesus and the scribe, offer helpful insights. First of all, note that Jesus neither accepts the...

1 July 2024 Monday of week 13 in Ordinary TimeSerra Chapel at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, CaliforniaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First readingAmos 2:6-10,13-16Because of your crimes I will crush you into the groundThe Lord says this:For the three crimes, the four crimes, of IsraelI have made my decree and will not relent:because they have sold the virtuous man for silverand the poor man for a pair of sandals,because they trample on the heads of ordinary peopleand push the poor out of their path,because father and son have both resorted to the same girl,profaning my holy name,because...

“Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10). Every true Christian should enjoy the reality of salvation. A sad fact of contemporary Christianity is that many in the church greatly misunderstand what the Bible teaches about the assurance of one’s salvation. As a result many genuine believers struggle with doubts about the reality of their salvation, while many professing believers are confident they are saved when in truth they are headed for Hell. Such a misunderstanding is unnecessary since Scripture makes it abundantly clear that believers should not only enjoy assurance...

[Catholic Caucus] The Game: What Now For the Traditional Mass Under Francis? - Op-EdDuring the pontificate of Pope Francis, we have seen a careful game being played by the Vatican and their allies when it comes to dealing with Catholics drawn to the Traditional Latin Mass. When they attempt to downplay traditionalists, they are an irrelevant sect, with numbers so insignificant none should take them seriously. After this approach, they then flip, treating traditionalists as a threat to the unity of the Church, a threat so severe the ordinary rights of clerics and the faithful must be curtailed. This mentality...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Banning the Latin Mass would be an ‘unjust law’ many faithful couldn’t obeyOn this week’s two-part episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland discusses the narrow path to salvation, awareness of false prophets, and the rumored ban on the Traditional Latin Mass.On this week’s two-part episode of The Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland discusses the narrow path to salvation, awareness of false prophets, and the rumored ban on the Traditional Latin Mass.Strickland begins the first part of the episode by offering commentary on Matthew 7:6-14, in which Our Lord tells his disciples to...

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