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If Demons Believe and Tremble, What about Us? Msgr. Charles Pope • January 9, 2018 • As we begin the ordinary time of the Church year, we follow the Lord’s public ministry. The curtain lifts and we are in the synagogue at Capernaum:Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know...

January 10, 2018 Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20 During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli,a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.One day Eli was asleep in his usual place.His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORDwhere the ark of God was.The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am." Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me.""I...

A tight-knit Roman Catholic Church parish north of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, is dealing with the fallout of its new priest's decision to dismiss three men from the church's musical ensemble because they are in same-sex marriages. The Rev. John Drees, who replaced his retiring predecessor at the Church of St. Joseph in Taylors Falls and the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Shafer in July, has explained that he had no choice but to dismiss the trio, as same-sex marriage goes against the teachings of the Church. According to a report in The Pioneer Press last week, the men have...

Encouragement from Jesus in One of His Lesser-Known Sayings Msgr. Charles Pope • January 8, 2018 • It’s one of the stranger dialogues that occurs in the Gospel, yet it is difficult not to rejoice in the aplomb of Jesus has he says it.Some Pharisees, likely disingenuous in their motives, approach Jesus to warn him that he needs to leave immediately: Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you. Jesus, more likely speaking to them, rather than Herod, says the following:Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and...

January 9, 2018 Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Sm 1:9-20 Hannah rose after a meal at Shiloh,and presented herself before the LORD;at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chairnear the doorpost of the LORD's temple.In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously,and she made a vow, promising: "O LORD of hosts,if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid,if you remember me and do not forget me,if you give your handmaid a male child,I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives;neither...

A Meditation on Eternal Life Msgr. Charles Pope • January 7, 2018 • We are concluding our reading of the First Letter of John during daily Mass. Many struggle to understand this letter because they miss the experiential aspects of the faith to which he refers. Consider just a few brief lines from the end of the letter:[God] has testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself …. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. I write these things...

Madrid’s 2018 Three Kings Parade featured a gay themed float to encourage LGBT normalization on the eve of Epiphany, stirring outrage among the country’s Catholic faithful. The controversial float in Friday’s parade featured a female stripper, a female hip-hop artist, and a drag queen, according to Crux Now. The archdiocese of Madrid responded indirectly to the float, reminding Catholics that celebrations of Christmas and the Magi should center around praise of Jesus, not the promotion of personal ideologies. Archbishop of Madrid Cardinal Osoro Sierra also tweeted after the parade, and urged parents to “explain to your children that the Wise...

January 8, 2018 The Baptism of the Lord Reading 1 Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Thus says the LORD:Here is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one with whom I am pleased,upon whom I have put my spirit;he shall bring forth justice to the nations,not crying out, not shouting,not making his voice heard in the street.a bruised reed he shall not break,and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,until he establishes justice on the earth;the coastlands will wait for his teaching. I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,I have grasped you by the hand;I formed you, and...

Walking with the Wise – A Homily for Epiphany Msgr. Charles Pope • January 6, 2018 • There are so many wonderful details in the Epiphany story: the call of the Gentiles, their enthusiastic response, the significance of the star they seek, the gifts they bring, the dramatic interaction with Herod, and their ultimate rejection of Herod in favor of Christ.In this meditation I would like to follow these Magi in their journey of faith to become “Wise Men.” As magi, they followed the faint stars, distant points of light; as wise men they follow Jesus, who is the...

January 7, 2018 The Epiphany of the Lord Reading 1 Is 60:1-6 Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your sons come from afar,and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see,your heart shall throb and overflow,for the riches of the sea...

No One Goes Away from Jesus Unchanged Msgr. Charles Pope • January 5, 2018 • The video below is a 2008 Coca-Cola commercial that takes up the theme of the star of Christmas.Let us review the impact that the star of Christmas had on the wise men, the Magi. The star moved them to seek meaning outside themselves; it made them look out and up.The star called them beyond what was familiar in their own country and world and expanded their horizons toward Christ and His Kingdom.The star summoned them to seek Christ, and when they found Him, to...

January 6, 2018 Christmas Weekday Reading 1 1 Jn 5:5-13 Beloved:Who indeed is the victor over the worldbut the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,not by water alone, but by water and Blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies,and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify,the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony,the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this,that he has...

Defining Ministry or Muddling It? A Reflection on an Article “Assigned” to Me Msgr. Charles Pope • January 4, 2018 • Not too long ago, one of my readers sent me a collection of sayings or proverbs on the topic of ministry. The collection is entitled Defining Ministry. The reader, who apparently does not think I follow modern trends very well, scolded me for being out-of-touch and recommended that I review the list. That reader apparently believes that those “proverbs” describe what I should be like, but am not.I took my “assignment” seriously and read each one of the...

January 5, 2018 Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop Reading 1 1 Jn 3:11-21 Beloved:This is the message you have heard from the beginning:we should love one another,unlike Cain who belonged to the Evil Oneand slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil,and those of his brother righteous. Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to lifebecause we love our brothers.Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,and you know that no...

Who or What Is the Antichrist? A Reflection on the Biblical Teaching Msgr. Charles Pope • January 3, 2018 • Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist, Luca Signorelli (1499)There is much lore about the antichrist (especially among certain Evangelicals) that is out of proportion to the attention Scripture pays to the concept, and more importantly is at possible variance from what is certainly taught. It easily becomes fodder for movies and novels: the antichrist figure steps on the scene, deceiving many, and mesmerizing the whole world with apparent miracles and a message of false peace.But is this really what...

Posthumous awareness is yours for the taking as you enter My gates of Thanksgiving and fill My courts with praise for Truly as you enter in My likeness I arise in you ! My words become yours and your words become My knowledge for you HAVE obtained The Mind of CHRIST that "IS" The Manifold Wisdom of God Himself in an eternal manner for His Glory "as" The Kingdom of ZION above all kingdoms for this is the inheritance of The Sons and Daughters of The Living GOD "YAHWEH" 8888888 EPHESIANS 3:8-11 8Though I am less than the least of...

I recently became aware of this blog: https://socialcross.org/ (Social Cross). It advertises itself as being a moral, Christian alternative to Facebook. I joined it a whim - and since I've been there (a little over 1-2 months) three fellow Catholic posters (also registered on the site) were booted off because they "offended" the owner of the site - "Pastor" Rich. In other words, they were booted off because they posted refutations to the lies daily posted on Social Cross regarding Catholics. One might call it a "feeding frenzy" that immediately occurs every time "Pastor" Rich posts a blatantly anti-Catholic missive....

January 4, 2018 Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious Reading 1 1 Jn 3:7-10 Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous,just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the Devil,because the Devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil. No one who is begotten by God commits sin,because God's seed remains in him;he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way,the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain;no one who...

This Theologian Has An Answer To Atheists’ Claims That Evil Disproves GodTaken at face value, the problem of evil appears to be a devastatingly convincing argument against the existence of the Christian God. Many atheists today argue that the existence of suffering is powerful evidence against the all-good, all-powerful God of Christianity. Many philosophers, both Christian and atheist alike, believe the “problem of evil” to be the most persuasive argument in favor of atheism.Dr. Peter Kreeft, a prolific author and professor of philosophy at Boston College, states in “Making Sense Out Of Suffering” that “the most powerful argument for atheism...

The BBC has been hit by accusations of anti-Semitism by Jewish groups following the airing of its new crime drama McMafia. McMafia explores the world of organised crime and follows the story of Alex Goodman, played by actor James Norton, the English-raised son of Russian exiles with a mafia history. But since the first two episodes were aired this week, it has been hit by complaints, with viewers saying it contained 'gratuitous slurs' and 'lazy stereotyping' against the Jewish community.