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"But when it comes t evaluating which presidential candidate to vote for, Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life says Hillary Clinton’s steadfast support for abortion makes it so he will be voting for Donald Trump — and he urges pro-life voters to vote for him too."

October 11, 2016 Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 5:1-6 Brothers and sisters:For freedom Christ set us free;so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. It is I, Paul, who am telling youthat if you have yourselves circumcised,Christ will be of no benefit to you.Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcisedthat he is bound to observe the entire law.You are separated from Christ,you who are trying to be justified by law;you have fallen from grace.For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of...

What Is the Sign of Jonah and Has It Come Upon Us? Msgr. Charles Pope • October 10, 2016 • In today’s Gospel the Lord says, This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah (Lk 11:30). So what is the sign of Jonah and does it apply today?The Gospels (Matthew and Luke) present two signs of Jonah, one of which particularly concerns us here. First Sign: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invokes Jonah in a twofold way: For as Jonah was three days and...

October 10, 2016 Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1 Brothers and sisters:It is written that Abraham had two sons,one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.The son of the slave woman was born naturally,the son of the freeborn through a promise.Now this is an allegory.These women represent two covenants.One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;this is Hagar.But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.For it is written:Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;break forth and shout, you who were not in...

Archdiocese of Washington How to Give God Perfect Thanks: A Homily for the 28th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • October 8, 2016 • One of the great human inadequacies is our inability to give proper and adequate thanks to God. Perhaps the biggest problem is that we don’t even realize the vast majority of what He does for us; it is hidden from our eyes. A further problem is that in our fallen condition we seem to be wired to magnify our problems and minimize or discount the enormous blessings of each moment. God sustains every fiber...

If it’s you or your spouse driving your relationship, you may get lost. But God knows the way. In fact, Catholic marriages receive his grace. The problem is that “grace” can seem so abstract that we don’t always know how to access it. Two new books on marriage written by two married couples share personal experiences and insights on how to access those graces.  Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriages by Teresa Tomeo (Pastore) and Dominick Pastore and The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: How Your Catholic Marriage Can Bring You Joy for...

October 9, 2016 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Kgs 5:14-17 Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven timesat the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,and he was clean of his leprosy. Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,except in Israel.Please accept a gift from your servant.” Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not...

Church chatter Respectful silence before Mass might be a thing of the past, but competing factions aren’t the answer Msgr. Charles Pope October 9, 2016 9/28/2016 Question: There has been an attempt in my parish to end the talking before Mass by having the Rosary prayed. However, it starts to drone and sound like a race to finish the decades. Others say it makes it difficult for them to pray quietly. Any thoughts on this practice?— Art Osten, Fox River Grove, Illinois Answer: Though there is a legitimate need for some private preparation for Mass, the church is not, first...

More than half of all U.S. Catholics (52 percent) would cast a vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton if the election were held today, compared to just 32 percent for Republican Donald J. Trump... More than three in four (76 percent) non-white and Hispanic Catholics would pick Clinton, with 13 percent choosing Trump. Among white non-Hispanic Catholics, Clinton holds a much smaller lead, 44 percent to 41 percent.... Six in 10 (62 percent) white evangelicals say they would vote for Trump today, while 47 percent of white mainline Protestants pick Trump. That comes from a new survey by the Public Religion...

October 8, 2016 Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 3:22-29 Brothers and sisters:Scripture confined all things under the power of sin,that through faith in Jesus Christthe promise might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held in custody under law,confined for the faith that was to be revealed.Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ,that we might be justified by faith.But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.For all of you who were baptized...

How Can a Demon, Driven Out, Return with Seven More? A Meditation on a Puzzling Parable Msgr. Charles Pope • October 6, 2016 • The Gospel for Friday of this week (27th Week of the Year) features the puzzling parable about the cast-out demon who returns with seven others. What is most puzzling, is that finding the house (soul) “swept and clean” brings further trouble. One would think that a house that is swept and clean would be a good thing!For reference, here is the parable:When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he roams through waterless...

DAY 54 – OUR LADY OF VICTORY, PRAY FOR US NO CROSS, NO CROWN! No cross, no crown. No pain, no gain. No guts, no glory. St. James summons us to see the challenges we face as opportunities to rise to new heights of existence, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12). In the military, the cross and crown symbolizes a soldier’s willingness to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other,...

Denver, Colo., Oct 6, 2016 / 12:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wrote a letter to Catholic leaders during a two-day conference in Denver this week, identifying himself as pro-life and vowing to support core values such as religious liberty and school choice. “I have a message for Catholics: I will be there for you. I will stand with you. I will fight for you,” he wrote Oct. 5. “I am, and will remain, pro-life. I will defend your religious liberties and the right to fully and freely practice your religion, as individuals, business owners and academic...

October 7, 2016 Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary Reading 1 Gal 3:7-14 Brothers and sisters:Realize that it is those who have faithwho are children of Abraham.Scripture, which saw in advance that Godwould justify the Gentiles by faith,foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,Through you shall all the nations be blessed.Consequently, those who have faith are blessedalong with Abraham who had faith.For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;for it is written, Cursed be everyonewho does not persevere in doing all the thingswritten in the book of the law.And that no one is...

Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila has given one of the most powerful elections statements by any Catholic leader. He says Catholics in good conscience can’t support candidates who are pro-abortion.  But Archbishop Aquila goes further. He says Democrats are “aggressively pro-abortion” because they are pushing taxpayer funding of abortions and because they will appoint judges who support abortion. Naturally that includes Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president who is spearheading that agenda.Archbishop Aquila also complains about how Democrats are pushing to overturn the Helms Amendment, which prevents forcing taxpayers from promoting and performing abortions in other countries.  On the other...

The synod will instead focus on 'Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment'The topic of the next synod has been announced as “Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment”, according to a Vatican statement released today. But according to one respected Vatican journalist, the synod – a meeting of bishops which will take place in 2014 – was nearly dedicated to a different theme: priestly celibacy. Edward Pentin, Vatican correspondent of the National Catholic Register, reported that Pope Francis was “known to be keen” for the next synod to examine “priestly celibacy and a possible push to allow married priests”. However, Pentin...

Scurry out and buy two copies of John “Bad Catholic” Zmirak’s The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. Keep one for yourself, and give the other to your priest or clergyman (despite the title, this book is for all Christians). Be quick: get it to him before the election. If you have a clergywoman, buy three copies, because she might throw the first one out the window.

What Conscience Dreads and Prayer Dares Not Ask – A Consideration of a Powerful but Puzzling Prayer Msgr. Charles Pope • October 5, 2016 • The Collect (Opening Prayer) for this week’s Masses (27th Week of the Year), though directed to God, teaches us that our prayer is not always about things with which we are comfortable. Prayer sometimes leads us to look into areas of our life where we struggle with sin or we struggle to desire to be free of sin. Here is the prayer:Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits...

DAY 53 – OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP, PRAY FOR US THE PRECEPTS The Precepts of the Catholic Church are a description of the absolute minimum actions required of Catholics regarding the Church. The Church uses these precepts to remind us that Christian life requires a commitment to prayer and active participation in the liturgy and sacraments. If we fall below this bare-minimum level, then, practically speaking, we can hardly consider ourselves to be in full communion with the Catholic Church. Out of love for Christ and a desire to advance in the spiritual life, you will normally “strive” to...

October 6, 2016 Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 3:1-5 O stupid Galatians!Who has bewitched you,before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?I want to learn only this from you:did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,or from faith in what you heard?Are you so stupid?After beginning with the Spirit,are you now ending with the flesh?Did you experience so many things in vain?–if indeed it was in vain.Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to youand works mighty deeds among youdo so from works of the lawor from faith...