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November 2, 2017 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed(All Souls) The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day. Reading 1 Wis 3:1-9 The souls of the just are in the hand of God,and no torment shall touch them.They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;and their passing away was thought an afflictionand their going forth from us, utter destruction.But they are in peace.For if before men, indeed, they be punished,yet is their hope full of immortality;chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,because God tried themand found them...

St. Jude: What’s in a Name?Cari Donaldson What’s in a name? As Shakespeare famously noted, a rose would still have the same fragrance no matter what we call it, so does it really matter which name we pick?Any advertising executive or PR rep would tell you differently though, arguing that names hold the power to shape and warp the world’s perception of the object, and today’s saint may be inclined to agree.St. Jude Thaddeus was one of Christ’s Apostles, this much is clear. Equally certain was that he was the brother of James and was present at Pentecost. Following that,...

Madison (WKOW) -- There's an online petition being circulated to remove the Bishop of the Diocese of Madison. Bishop Robert Morlino is being criticized for his attitude about the LGTBQ community. Earlier this week, an email was sent to priests in the diocese saying that they could deny funeral rights for those in same-sex partnerships. The diocese released a statement that said the communication is not official policy, but does meet the approval of Bishop Morlino. The petition was posted on change.org Thursday and has thousands of signatures. Here is the statement from diocese on the matter, as submitted to...

Four Common Tactics of the Devil Msgr. Charles Pope • October 31, 2017 • One of the key elements in any contest is understanding the strategy of your opponent. In the spiritual battle of life, we must be able to recognize, name, and understand the subtleties of the Devil’s tactics. While we often emphasize his more obvious and frightening maneuvers (especially on Halloween), his usual tactics are subtler and more pervasive.A 2011 book by Fr. Louis Cameli, The Devil You Don’t Know, is of great assistance in this matter. Having read it a few years ago, I think it...

November 1, 2017 Solemnity of All Saints Reading 1 Rv 7:2-4, 9-14 I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,holding the seal of the living God.He cried out in a loud voice to the four angelswho were given power to damage the land and the sea,"Do not damage the land or the sea or the treesuntil we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,one hundred and forty-four thousand markedfrom every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had...

‘Father Barack Obama‘ mocked the Sign of the Cross at the White House yesterday. It was an open mockery of the Christian prayer that is accompanied by the immortal words used by peasants and kings over the centuries: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Obama, who is left-handed, made the sign of the cross with his left hand, which out of respect for the centuries-long Christian practice, no one ever does.

On the Loss of Humor in a Very Serious Age Msgr. Charles Pope • October 30, 2017 • One of the more irritating and sadder characteristics of our times is that we seem to have lost our collective sense of humor. Our ability to laugh at ourselves appears to be gone, replaced by “frowny-faced” political correctness; there are seemingly endless rules about what can be said about whom, when, where, and using what terminology. On college campuses, young people demand “safe zones,” where nothing can be said that might cause them to feel “unsafe.” In media circles, outrage is...

October 31, 2017 Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rom 8:18-25 Brothers and sisters:I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothingcompared with the glory to be revealed for us.For creation awaits with eager expectationthe revelation of the children of God;for creation was made subject to futility,not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,in hope that creation itselfwould be set free from slavery to corruptionand share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;and...

Some Qualities of True Love in an Age of Distortion Msgr. Charles Pope • October 29, 2017 • We live in times in which love is presented in a distorted, even manipulative way. Some use a vague and all-encompassing notion of love to justify almost any behavior. They declare that if we do not approve of what they do, not only are we unloving, we are haters. In this way love is equated with kindness, affirmation, and approval.This, of course, is an inaccurate, diminished understanding of love. Love wills the good, the best, for another. Love speaks the truth...

October 30, 2017 Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rom 8:12-17 Brothers and sisters,we are not debtors to the flesh,to live according to the flesh.For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,but you received a spirit of adoption,through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spiritthat...

The Gospel, Standing on One Foot - A Homily for the 30th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • October 28, 2017 • There was an expression common among the rabbis of Jesus’ time, wherein one rabbi would ask another a question, and request that the answer be given while “standing on one foot.” This is a way of saying, be brief in your answer.That idea may be behind the question that is raised in today’s Gospel by the scholar of law, who asks, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”The text says that he asks...

October 29, 2017 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ex 22:20-26 Thus says the LORD:"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. "If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,you shall not act like an extortioner...

Bless me, FatherMsgr. Charles Pope Question: In confession recently the priest told me I should not say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned”; instead I should say, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.” Is he right?— Name, location withheld Answer: The opening of confession with the expression “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned” is a widespread custom in the United States and in some other regions. In different parts of the world, there are other expressions used to begin the confession.The insistence that you should say “Forgive me, Father” is puzzling and requires something of you that...

October 28, 2017 Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles Reading 1 Eph 2:19-22 Brothers and sisters:You are no longer strangers and sojourners,but you are fellow citizens with the holy onesand members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.Through him the whole structure is held togetherand grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;in him you also are being built togetherinto a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.The heavens declare...

Meanwhile We Pray – In Humility, Always in Humility Msgr. Charles Pope • October 26, 2017 • We are often quite certain that we know what is best for us. Therefore, we pray, asking God for good health, prosperity, or victory in some cause. But what if it is better for us to be unhealthy, to be poor, or to lose? Can we really say we know what is best and confidently set before God our agenda?James and John sought honors and exaltation, but Jesus responded, You do not know what you are asking (Mark 10:38). Paul prayed three...

The Catholic primate has expressed concern at the prospect of “a generic model of primary education” being promoted in Ireland. Catholic schools “cannot stand back and allow faith and religion to be sidelined or privatized out of the realm of schools and education,” he said. Archbishop Eamon Martin told a conference in Dublin on Thursday that religion in a Catholic school was “not an added extra to be fitted in during break time or twilight hours or during registration. Everything that happens in the school community is rooted in the Gospel values,” he said. Principals and boards in Catholic schools...

October 27, 2017 Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rom 7:18-25a Brothers and sisters:I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.For I do not do the good I want,but I do the evil I do not want.Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,but sin that dwells in me.So, then, I discover the principlethat when I want to do right, evil is at hand.For I take delight in the...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) led a Pro-Choice Caucus briefing Thursday in support of a bill which would repeal President Trump’s exemptions from the Obamacare contraceptive mandate for groups, like the Little Sisters of the Poor, with religious and moral objections to paying for their employees' birth control. Pelosi emphasized that ensuring all employers have to pay for their employees' birth control “is for us a value, it’s not an issue, it’s a value, a personal respect that we have for women, for men, for families, and their planning.”“What the president did is such a sign of disrespect for...

The very room once used to end lives through abortion in Elkton, Md., is now the setting where countless women will meet their children for the first time via ultrasound through the building’s new occupant, a life-affirming pregnancy center. Once dubbed the, “Little Shop of Horrors,” the former abortion clinic was operating secretively until a 2010 raid found the remains of 35 frozen late-term aborted babies, including one that was 33 weeks gestation. It’s sat vacant since that time, while its former tenant Steven Brigham and his associate withstood a combined six charges of first-degree murder, plus six more second-degree...

Promises, Promises - A Parable on the False Promises of This World Msgr. Charles Pope • October 25, 2017 • One of the great illusions under which we labor is that if we only get just one more thing from this world, then we will be happy. Perhaps we think that if we just had a little more money, or a better job, or the latest iPhone, or if we were married to so-and-so, or if we lived in a better neighborhood, then we would be satisfied and content at last. But “at last” never seems to come even...