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August 14, 2015   Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr Reading 1 Jos 24:1-13 Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,summoning their elders, their leaders,their judges and their officers.When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: In times past your fathers, down to Terah,father of Abraham and Nahor,dwelt beyond the River and served other gods.But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the Riverand led him through the entire land of Canaan.I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.To...

Catholic Expert: Pope’s New Encyclical Denounces Radical Environmentalism SAN DIEGO (June 18, 2015) — A Catholic expert said today that the news media and other observers are misinterpreting Pope Francis’s new encyclical on environmentalism, Laudato Si.“Some in the media are portraying the encyclical as if Pope Francis is a secular environmentalist, when in reality the encyclical is sharply critical of environmental ideologies that don’t recognize mankind’s unique place in creation,” said Jimmy Akin, senior apologist for Catholic Answers, the largest lay-run apostolate of Catholic apologetics and evangelization in the United States.Akin said the Catholic Church’s longstanding teaching on caring for...

Donald Trump suggested that he would not support ending taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood's non-abortion services in two interviews Tuesday. "We have to help women," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an interview that aired on Tuesday night. " So we have to look at the positives, also, for Planned Parenthood." Trump said he opposes federal grants going towards Planned Parenthood's abortion practices, but noted that abortions make up a "small part" of the organization. ... Trump appeared to support shutting down the government rather than fund Planned Parenthood in an interview last week. "Asked directly by conservative radio...

On Losing Our Life to Find It – A Meditation on a Paradox Taught by the Lord Msgr. Charles Pope • August 12, 2015 • In the Gospel of Mark, there is a funny story about Peter that speaks to the paradox of losing one’s life only to find it more abundantly:Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who...

August 13, 2015   Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17 The LORD said to Joshua,“Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,that they may know I am with you, as I was with Moses.Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenantto come to a halt in the Jordanwhen you reach the edge of the waters.” So Joshua said to the children of Israel,“Come here and listen to the words of the LORD, your God.This is how you will know that there is a living...

Did the Patriarchs Really Live to Be 900 Years Old? Perhaps, but Here’s Why We Do Not Msgr. Charles Pope • August 11, 2015 • I sometimes get questions about the remarkably long lives of the patriarchs who lived before the great flood. Consider some of their reported ages when they died: Adam 930Seth 912Enosh 905Jared 962Methuselah 969Noah 600Shem 600Eber 464Abraham 175Moses 120David 70 How to understand these references? There are many theories that have tried to explain the claimed longevity. Some try to introduce a mathematical corrective, but this leads to other pitfalls such as certain patriarchs apparently begetting...

Purgatory The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030). It notes that "this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1031). The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still...

August 12, 2015   Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Dt 34:1-12 Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,and the LORD showed him all the land—Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordanwith the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,and as far as Zoar.The LORD then said to him, “This is the landwhich I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobthat I would give to...

What Is the Math of Spiritual Goods and Why Is The World Such a Deadly Place Without It? Msgr. Charles Pope • August 10, 2015 • In an increasingly materialistic and secular world, a deadly math has set up. It is deadly because it has rejected the spiritual math of God and of spiritual goods.What is meant by “spiritual math”? It is a math that recalls that spiritual goods, in themselves, do not admit of division and subtraction, but only of multiplication and addition. Rather than diminishing, spiritual goods grow when shared. And this is a critical math never to...

August 11, 2015   Memorial of Saint Claire, Virgin Reading 1 Dt 31:1-8 When Moses had finished speaking to all Israel, he said to them,“I am now one hundred and twenty years oldand am no longer able to move about freely;besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan.It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;he will destroy these nations before you,that you may supplant them.It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,the kings of...

Minor Exorcism at Denver Planned Parenthood Father does a minor exorcism of the eugenics clinic & also the procession around and application of holy water on the site of this abortion mill. To join in what you can do please see this group

Humility is Hard – A Meditation on Some Aspects of Humility Msgr. Charles Pope • August 9, 2015 • 0 Comments Pride is our most pervasive and serious sin; humility is its antidote and the foundation of our spiritual life. And as the remedy to our most deep-seated pathology, it must be strong medicine. Humility is hard to swallow and has a lot of things it needs to work on.Let’s consider humility under a number of headings.I. The Foundation of Humility – Indeed, humility as a foundation is a good image, since by it we bow toward the earth or...

August 10, 2015   Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr Reading 1 2 Cor 9:6-10 Brothers and sisters:Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,for God loves a cheerful giver.Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,so that in all things, always having all you need,you may have an abundance for every good work.As it is written: He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;his righteousness endures forever. The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for foodwill...

Margie Winters, right, ex-nun, ex-Director of Religious Education at Waldron Mercy, a private Catholic high school--- and partner Andrea Vettori Pope Francis refined his vision for the church last week when he said long-spurned divorced and remarried Catholics should be welcomed with "open doors." And he has famously parsed centuries of thought on homosexuality into a five-word quip: "Who am I to judge?" Yet the Archdiocese of Philadelphia opened its door only briefly when married gay teacher Margie Winters, trailed by supporters, arrived Monday with 23,000 petitions seeking reinstatement to her job at a Catholic elementary school. "The school and...

Lagos – The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins on Tuesday praised President Muhammadu Buhari for dissociating Nigeria from same sex marriage. Martins, who spoke at the 3rd anniversary of his ordination and installation as the Archbishop of Lagos held at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, said that Buhari’s rejection of same sex marriage on behalf of Nigeria indicated that he was a responsive leader. “About a week ago, the President won the applause of most Nigerians when during his visit to the United States he made it clear that Nigeria considers same sex union as contrary to...

Faith or Famine – A Homily for the 19th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • August 8, 2015 • The gospel today amounts to a summons to faith by Jesus. In particular, He is summoning us to faith in Him and in the truth He proclaims about His presence in the Holy Eucharist. Last week’s gospel ended with Jesus declaring that He is the bread that has come down from Heaven. Today’s gospel opens with the Jewish listeners grumbling about Jesus’ claim to have come from Heaven. Throughout the gospel, Jesus stands firm in His call to faith....

August 9, 2015   Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Kgs 19:4-8 Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death saying:“This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cakeand a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again,but...

Church Fathers: The Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas By Thomas Van | Aug 19, 2014 The Didache One of the most important sources from the age of the Apostolic Fathers is “The Lord’s Teaching through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations,” commonly referred to by its short name, the Didache (Greek for “teaching”). While the Didache was lost until the mid-19th century, it was known to and quoted by the Fathers Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and St. Athanasius, the latter of whom recommended it for the instruction of catechumens. Indeed, the importance of the Didache is such that some...

Church Development Msgr. Charles Pope 8/7/2015 Q. Do you think the apostles would recognize the simple and humble Church they had, compared with the pompous and ceremonial Church of today? — J.F., San Diego, Calif.A. Here’s a reply from Msgr. Charles Pope: Well, I am not so sure. It’s kind of like asking if Orville and Wilbur Wright would recognize the simple wooden and cloth plane they flew, compared with the modern jetliner of today. To some extent they certainly would see the basic structure, but they would also marvel at all the magnificent developments that their simple idea ushered in.  It would...

August 8, 2015   Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Reading 1 Dt 6:4-13 Moses said to the people:“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,with all your heart,and with all your soul,and with all your strength.Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.Drill them into your children.Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.Bind them at your wrist as a signand let them be as a pendant on your forehead.Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your...