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Daily Readings from the USCCBThird Sunday of Advent“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” Matthew 11:4–6Suppose a priest came to your church to put on a parish mission, and during that mission he miraculously healed the blind, crippled, terminally ill, and deaf. What if he even raised the dead to life? How would you respond? Most likely with amazement!...

By Dr. John BergsmaOnce when I was a grade school kid, my mother and I camped in Shenandoah National Park for a week in the fall. One morning we got up to go hiking, but the weather was bad. It was starting to rain. I was bummed. My mom said to go back in the tent and pray that the weather would clear. So I did go and pray. But the weather didn’t clear, it only got worse. The rain got heavier, and the wind began to pick up—slowly and first, but soon so strong that the tent was shaking...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and MartyrAs they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Matthew 17:9a & 10The final book of the Old Testament, written by the prophet Malachi around the fifth century BC, contains a prophecy that Elijah would return to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 3:23–24). The scribes used this prophecy to argue that Jesus could not be the Messiah since Elijah had not yet returned, at least not in the way they expected....

The City Club of Cleveland is defying LGBTQ+ activist pressure to cancel or substantially alter an event featuring a conservative Christian leader next month, and Ohio’s attorney general is standing with the venue. “We’re not canceling, and we have never had any intention of canceling this,” Dan Moulthrop, the City Club’s CEO, told The Daily Signal in an interview Wednesday. “We’re gonna continue to do what we always do, and have done for 113 years, which is convene conversations of consequence that help democracy thrive and do that with the leadership of relevant organizations who are shaping our communities.” Moulthrop...

Daily Readings from the USCCBFeast of Our Lady of GuadalupeThen the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Luke 1:30–31Of all the saints throughout the ages, none has proved to be as powerful an evangelist as the Mother of God. While on Earth, she lived a mostly hidden life, demonstrating the perfection of virtue to those closest to her. As a young mother, she cared daily for the needs of her divine Son, constantly...

A primary school teacher was reportedly banned from working with children after telling a Muslim child that “Britain is still a Christian state.” Police were called to investigate an alleged hate crime, after the teacher reprimanded students for washing their feet in the sinks of the boys’ toilets, according to The Telegraph. The teacher, who did not want to be named, reportedly pointed to the fact that the King was the head of the Church of England and that Islam was a minority religion in the UK. The school sacked the teacher in February, after suspending him in March 2024....

Most Americans have never heard the name Enoch Burke, but they should—because his story is quietly becoming one of the most important religious liberty cases in the Western world. Burke is an Irish schoolteacher, a Christian, and the kind of man whose convictions are not negotiable, even when the entire cultural machine demands otherwise. In 2022, he was ordered by the administration of Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath to use transgender pronouns for a student. Burke refused, not out of spite, but because his faith does not allow him to affirm what he believes is false. That refusal set...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” Matthew 11:11–12The two sentences in the passage above can be challenging to comprehend, but the insights of Church Fathers and saints offer us a deeper understanding. In the first sentence, Jesus declares John the Baptist to be the greatest of those born...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30Each of us needs to hear these gentle and inviting words more than we realize. On the surface, many people project an image of happiness, as if they have it all together. Social media profiles often present the happy, successful, fun, and impressive aspects of a...

Erika Kirk is part Lebanese which must explain her strong faith. She was brought up Catholic and her mother who was half Lebanese must have had a strong influence on her!

Daily Readings from the USCCB“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.” Matthew 18:12–13Jesus teaches us a powerful lesson using a familiar image: the shepherd who discovers one of his sheep is missing, goes on a diligent search, finds the lost sheep, and rejoices. The hard work of searching through the hills and valleys is rewarded...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryThe angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:26–29The Blessed Virgin Mary was “full of grace!” To be “full” means just that—full, lacking in nothing. This fullness...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSecond Sunday of Advent“I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11–12This passage comes just before Jesus is baptized and begins His public ministry. John the Baptist had been ministering in the desert of Judea, preaching,...

By Dr, John BergsmaEvery year on this, the Second Sunday of Advent and thus the second Sunday of the new liturgical year, the brash and burly figure of the Baptist bursts onto the liturgical stage, bellowing his characteristic charge, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” As we know, the First Sunday of Advent is always given to reflection on the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world whereas the Second and Third Sundays always focuses on John the Baptist, one of the most pivotal yet underappreciated figures in salvation history. In the context of...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.” Matthew 9:35This one line speaks volumes about Jesus’ public ministry. He didn’t just preach a few sermons or heal a few who were sick. He “went around to all the towns and villages…teaching…proclaiming the Gospel…” and cured “every disease and illness.” It’s important to contemplate that Jesus’ public ministry lasted approximately three years. Three years of constant preaching, healing, and relating to people. During this time, Jesus encountered many thousands of...

Daily Readings from the USCCBAs Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” Matthew 9:27Picture these two men for a moment. Just before this passage, Jesus had cured a leper, healed a Roman centurion’s servant, restored Peter’s mother-in-law to health, made a paralytic walk, and stopped a woman’s years-long hemorrhages. He had cast out demons, freeing people from their oppression, and even raised a twelve-year-old girl from the dead. This context is crucial as we imagine these two blind men crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” Word was...

A Christian college student in California has successfully established a pro-life club on her campus, overcoming an initial rejection by school administrators who cited concerns over political affiliations, in a win for pro-life advocates. Linda-Isabella Rendon, a sophomore pre-nursing major at Vanguard University, founded the group after her application to start a chapter of Students for Life of America was denied earlier this year. The private Christian university rejected the proposal, stating it did not permit political or ideological student organizations. Rendon met with university President Michael Beals following the denial, but the decision remained unchanged. Students for Life intervened...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:24 & 26Jesus’ words remind us that each of us will inevitably face hardships: “The rain fell, the floods...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Francis Xavier, PriestAt that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. Matthew 15:29–30Why did Jesus perform so many miracles when He walked the earth? The Church Fathers and saints offer various insights. His miracles were personal acts of compassion, expressions of divine love welling up within His human Heart. They were also testaments to...

… In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many American mothers began to question the institutions they had once trusted to uphold their lives. Into that vacuum stepped conservative Christian women influencers — like political commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, Make America Healthy Again pioneer Alex Clark, and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines Barker …(who famously tied for fifth with trans athlete Lia Thomas in a 2022 NCAA championship race) - who blend religion, polished aesthetics and personal stories to build trust on issues from food dyes and vaccines to transgender athletes and immigration. … For many women during the COVID-19 pandemic,...