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May 12, 2008                                   Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jas 1:1-11 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,when you encounter various trials,for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.And let perseverance be perfect,so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.But if any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,and he will be given it.But he should ask in faith,...

Domitilla with Nereus and Achilleus Painting by Peter Paul Rubens. Weblink. May 12: Nereus, Achilleus and DomitillaToday, May 12, is the feast day of Nereus and Achilleus who persuaded the Roman lady Domitilla, niece of the emperor Domitian, to reject her betrothed, Aurelianus, in order to keep her virginity. Aurelianus finally does away with both Nereus and Achilleus and decides to marry Domitilla by force, but he dances himself to death at his own wedding! The legend is set in ancient times, and the names of the characters in this story - Domitilla, Nereus, Achilleus - are associated with some...

May 11, 2008                                             Solemnity -- Pentecost Sunday                                            Mass during the Day       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 2:1-11 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit...

May 10, 2008                                          Pentecost Sunday                                         At the Vigil Mass         Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Genesis 11:1-9 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.While the people were migrating in the east,they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.They said to one another,“Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.”They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a cityand a tower with its top in the sky,and so...

May 10, 2008                             Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter                                     Mass in the Morning       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 28:16-20, 30-31 When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,with the soldier who was guarding him. Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.When they had gathered he said to them, “My brothers,although I had done nothing against our peopleor our ancestral customs,I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.After trying my...

Vigil of the Pentecost and Whitsunday   The Vigil of Pentecost is traditionally a day of fasting. This requirement has been done away with in the most recent Code of Canon Law, but many traditional Catholics fast anyway. The Feast itself -- a day also known as "Whitsunday" -- is considered a sort of "birthday" for the Church and marks the beginning of the week known as Whitsuntide. Vestments on Whitsunday are red, but the name "Whitsunday" comes from "White Sunday" because, at one time, those who entered the Church at Easter would once again wear their white robes today....

May 9, 2008                                 Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 25:13b-21 King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesareaon a visit to Festus.Since they spent several days there,Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jewsbrought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.I answered them that it was not Roman practiceto hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusersand had the...

May 8, 2008 Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 Wishing to determine the truthabout why Paul was being accused by the Jews,the commander freed himand ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,so he called out before the Sanhedrin,“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”When he said this,a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,and...

May 7, 2008 Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 20:28-38 At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flockof which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,in which you tend the Church of Godthat he acquired with his own Blood.I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,and they will not spare the flock.And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truthto draw the disciples away after them.So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night...

May 6, 2008 Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 20:17-27 From Miletus Paul had the presbytersof the Church at Ephesus summoned.When they came to him, he addressed them,“You know how I lived among youthe whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.I served the Lord with all humilityand with the tears and trials that came to mebecause of the plots of the Jews,and I did not at all shrink from telling youwhat was for your benefit,or from teaching you in public or in your homes.I earnestly bore witness for...

May 5, 2008 Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 19:1-8 While Apollos was in Corinth,Paul traveled through the interior of the countryand down to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them,“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”They answered him,“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”He said, “How were you baptized?”They replied, “With the baptism of John.”Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,that is, in Jesus.”When they heard this,they...

May 4, 2008 Seventh Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 1:12-14 After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostlesreturned to Jerusalemfrom the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,a sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the citythey went to the upper room where they were staying,Peter and John and James and Andrew,Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,and Judas son of James.All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,together with some women,and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Responsorial PsalmPs 27:1, 4, 7-8 R. (13) I...

May 3, 2008 Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Cor 15:1-8 I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,of the Gospel I preached to you,which you indeed received and in which you also stand.Through it you are also being saved,if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,unless you believed in vain.For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:that Christ died for our sinsin accordance with the Scriptures;that he was buried;that he was raised on the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures;that he appeared to Cephas,...

May 2, 2008 Memorial of Saint Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 18:9-18 One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,“Do not be afraid.Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.No one will attack and harm you,for I have many people in this city.”He settled there for a year and a halfand taught the word of God among them. But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,the Jews rose up together against Pauland brought him to the tribunal, saying,“This man is inducing people...

May 1, 2008 The Ascension of the Lord Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 1:1-11 In the first book, Theophilus,I dealt with all that Jesus did and taughtuntil the day he was taken up,after giving instructions through the Holy Spiritto the apostles whom he had chosen.He presented himself alive to themby many proofs after he had suffered,appearing to them during forty daysand speaking about the kingdom of God.While meeting with the them,he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,but to wait for “the promise of the Fatherabout which you have heard me speak;for John baptized with water,but in a few...

April 30, 2008 Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 17:15, 22—18:1 After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothyto join him as soon as possible. Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:“You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious.For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.The God who made the world and all that is in it,the Lord of heaven and...

April 29, 2008 Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 16:22-34 The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,and the magistrates had them strippedand ordered them to be beaten with rods.After inflicting many blows on them,they threw them into prisonand instructed the jailer to guard them securely.When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost celland secured their feet to a stake. About midnight, while Paul and Silas were prayingand singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,there was suddenly such a severe earthquakethat...

April 28, 2008 Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 16:11-15 We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.We spent some time in that city.On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the riverwhere we thought there would be a place of prayer.We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,from the city of Thyatira,...

For the April 17th, 2008 Press Release, please click here (PDF) (the press release includes words of support from Cardinal Arinze (Vatican City); Archbishop Burke (Archdiocese of St. Louis); and, Mother Assumpta (Prioress General of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist).   On Saturday, May 3rd, 2008, the ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES prayer event is scheduled to take place. One may register for this prayer event by clicking on "Register as a Participant." (It may take you about a minute to register.)   People are very much needed to promote the ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN...

April 27, 2008 Sixth Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Philip went down to the city of Samariaand proclaimed the Christ to them.With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philipwhen they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,came out of many possessed people,and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.There was great joy in that city. Now when the apostles in Jerusalemheard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,they sent them Peter and John,who went down and prayed for...

Divorce and unwed childbearing cost taxpayers at least $112 billion each year or more than $1 trillion over the last decade. This estimate from the Institute for American Values is, as the authors suggest, likely to be an underestimate. This staggering but plausible tally of the economic costs of family dissolution follows what we have long known about the social costs. All our major social ills -- poverty, violent crime, substance abuse, truancy and more -- are more closely linked to family breakdown and single-parent homes than to any other factor. A poor black child from an intact home is...

April 26, 2008 Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 16:1-10 Paul reached also Derbe and Lystrawhere there was a disciple named Timothy,the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,but his father was a Greek.The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,and Paul wanted him to come along with him.On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,for they all knew that his father was a Greek.As they traveled from city to city,they handed on to the people for observance the decisionsreached by the Apostles and presbyters in...

  (photo by Dr. Geraldine M. Rohling)The Holy Father is greeted by the staffs of the National Shrine, the USCCB, and the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Monsignor Rossi, Rector of the National Shrine (left), and Archbishop Wuerl of Washington, D.C. (right), pause while the Holy Father admires the Basilica's beautiful mosaic domes.      Archbishop Wuerl and Monsignor Rossi escort the Holy Father on a tour of the Great Upper Church.  The Holy Father stopped to pray at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the Oratory of Our Lady of  Altötting.  Both chapels are open to those visiting the National Shrine.  ...

April 25, 2008 Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Pt 5:5b-14 Beloved:Clothe yourselves with humilityin your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proudbut bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that he may exalt you in due time.Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and vigilant.Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lionlooking for someone to devour.Resist him, steadfast in faith,knowing that your brothers and sistersthroughout the worldundergo the same sufferings.The God of all gracewho called you to his...

April 24, 2008 Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 15:7-21 After much debate had taken place,Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,“My brothers, you are well aware that from early daysGod made his choice among you that through my mouththe Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.And God, who knows the heart,bore witness by granting them the Holy Spiritjust as he did us.He made no distinction between us and them,for by faith he purified their hearts.Why, then, are you now putting God to the testby placing on...

April 23, 2008 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,you cannot be saved.”Because there arose no little dissension and debateby Paul and Barnabas with them,it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the othersshould go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbytersabout this question.They were sent on their journey by the Church,and passed through Phoenicia and Samariatelling of the conversion of the Gentiles,and brought great joy to all the brethren.When they arrived in...

April 22, 2008 Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 14:19-28 In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconiumarrived and won over the crowds.They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,supposing that he was dead.But when the disciples gathered around him,he got up and entered the city. On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that cityand made a considerable number of disciples,they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.They strengthened the spirits of the disciplesand exhorted them to persevere in...

April 21, 2008 Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 14:5-18 There was an attempt in Iconiumby both the Gentiles and the Jews,together with their leaders,to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.They realized it,and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbeand to the surrounding countryside,where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,who had never walked.He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,saw that he had the faith to be healed,and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your...

April 20, 2008 Fifth Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 6:1-7 As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrewsbecause their widowswere being neglected in the daily distribution.So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,filled with the Spirit and wisdom,whom we shall appoint to this task,whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayerand to the ministry of the word.”The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,so they chose...

April 19, 2008 Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 13:44-52 On the following sabbathalmost the whole citygathered to hear the word of the Lord.When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousyand with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,but since you reject itand condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,we now turn to the Gentiles.For so the Lord has commanded us,I have made you a light to the Gentiles,that you may be...

April 18, 2008 Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 13:26-33 When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue:“My brothers, children of the family of Abraham,and those others among you who are God-fearing,to us this word of salvation has been sent.The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him,and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophetsthat are read sabbath after sabbath.For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence,they asked Pilate to have him put to death,and when they had accomplished all that was...

April 17, 2008 Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 13:13-25 From Paphos, Paul and his companionsset sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.After the reading of the law and the prophets,the synagogue officials sent word to them,“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortationfor the people, please speak.” So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,“Fellow children of Israel and you others...

April 16, 2008 Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 12:24—13:5a The word of God continued to spread and grow. After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,they returned to Jerusalem,taking with them John, who is called Mark. Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saulfor the work to which I have called them.”Then, completing...

Reading 1Acts 11:19-26 Those who had been scattered by the persecutionthat arose because of Stephenwent as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,preaching the word to no one but Jews.There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,proclaiming the Lord Jesus.The hand of the Lord was with themand a great number who believed turned to the Lord.The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.When he arrived and saw the grace of God,he rejoiced and encouraged them allto remain...

April 14, 2008 Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading 1 Acts 11:1-18 The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers confronted him, saying, ‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying, “I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when in a trance I had a vision, something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from...

April 13, 2008                                     Fourth Sunday of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,raised his voice, and proclaimed:“Let the whole house of Israel know for certainthat God has made both Lord and Christ,this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,and they asked Peter and the other apostles,“What are we to do, my brothers?”Peter said to them,“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of...

The Eucharist in Scripture by Marty BarrackCopyright © 2000 - 2001 Martin K. Barrack. All rights reserved. "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Mt. 26:26-28) The Old Testament God Raises His Covenant ChildrenJesus introduced the Sacrament of...

April 12, 2008                                 Saturday of the Third Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 9:31-42 The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samariawas at peace.She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers. As Peter was passing through every region,he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.There he found a man named Aeneas,who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.Peter said to him,“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals...

April 11, 2008                                Memorial of Saint Stanislaus,                                    bishop and martyr       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,went to the high priest and asked himfor letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and...

April 10, 2008                                 Thursday of the Third Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 8:26-40 The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,“Get up and head south on the roadthat goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”So he got up and set out.Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,a court official of the Candace,that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,in charge of her entire treasury,who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.The Spirit said to...

Vatican No. 2 says pope will seek healing from US clergy sex abuse scandal AP POSTED: April 9, 2008     VATICAN CITY (AP) _ Pope Benedict XVI recognizes the damage and pain caused by the clergy sex abuse crisis and will seek to heal wounds during his U.S. trip next week, the Vatican's No. 2 official said Tuesday. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in an interview with The Associated Press, said Benedict will deliver a message of "trust and hope" when he meets American clergy at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Benedict "will try to open the path of healing...

April 9, 2008                                 Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 8:1b-8 There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,and all were scatteredthroughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,except the Apostles.Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;entering house after house and dragging out men and women,he handed them over for imprisonment. Now those who had been scattered went aboutpreaching the word.Thus Philip went down to the city of Samariaand proclaimed the...

Dear Family, Mother Angelica is doing excellent! We had a wonderful Easter Triduum. Mother was able to attend the Passion Celebration on Good Friday. She led the community in venerating the Cross and remained very attentive throughout the long service. Her example gives us a beautiful witness to the love she bears her Crucified Spouse. On her Feast Day, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Mother attended Mass with the nuns. She also joined the community for breakfast, which lasted longer than usual. We wanted to spend as much time in her company as possible. Later that same day she...

April 8, 2008                                 Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 7:51—8:1a Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,you always oppose the Holy Spirit;you are just like your ancestors.Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.You received the law as transmitted by angels,but you did not observe it.” When they heard this, they were infuriated,and...

April 7, 2008                                     Memorial of Saint John Baptist                                  de la Salle, priest       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 6:8-15 Stephen, filled with grace and power,was working great wonders and signs among the people.Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,and people from Cilicia and Asia,came forward and debated with Stephen,but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.Then they instigated some men to say,“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”They...

Archbishop Charles Chaput  Other Articles by Archbishop Charles ChaputPrinter Friendly Version   Priests: Ordinary Men Made Extraordinary by Grace April 4, 2008 A friend of mine grew up in a family where her father worked for General Motors. When she was young, the company transferred her dad around the Midwest every few years. The good news is that she made many different friends, some of whom have lasted a lifetime. The bad news is that she never really set down roots until adulthood. She has no single city or town from her childhood that she remembers as "home." Military...

April 6, 2008                                         Third Sunday of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 2:14, 22-33 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,raised his voice, and proclaimed:“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.You who are Israelites, hear these words.Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by Godwith mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge...

April 5, 2008                                     Saturday of the Second Week of Easter       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 6:1-7 As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrewsbecause their widowswere being neglected in the daily distribution.So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,filled with the Spirit and wisdom,whom we shall appoint to this task,whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayerand to...

Last week I received the following e-mail, and I felt it would be best to share my response here on the blog. Dear Mr. White, For someone considering converting to Catholicism, what questions would you put to them in order to discern whether or not they have examined their situation sufficiently? Say, a Top 10 list. Thanks. When I posted this question in our chat channel a number of folks commented that it was in fact a great question, and we started to throw out some possible answers. Here is my "Top Ten List" in response to this fine inquiry....