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Christ Our Light Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Christ is the Light of the World It is especially in St. John’s Gospel that Christ is identified as the Light which enlightens every man that comes into this world. His followers are told to walk in this light so that they may be free, and without this light all is darkness and spiritual night. So we ask, “How is Jesus the Savior also, and necessarily, our Light?” This is not an unimportant question in our day when there is so much confusion among Catholics, including not a few priests and religious....

Earlier this year, the New York Times published two opinion columns harshly critical of the Republican party. The author bemoaned the passing of a time when, he argued, Republicans stood solidly for a handful of core principles: limited government, a strong national defense, light taxes and regulatory burdens, and free trade. Pointing to recent high-profile fights over issues like Terri Schiavo and embryonic stem-cell research, he accused party bigwigs of promoting a cynical alliance with socially conservative, and primarily evangelical, Christians. This partnership, he wrote, threatened to turn the party into "the political extension of a religious movement." Fears about...

NEW YORK — German scientists say cells from the testes of mice can behave like embryonic stem cells. If the same holds true in humans, it could provide a controversy-free source of versatile cells for use in treating disease. Embryonic stem cells can give rise to virtually any tissue in the body and scientists believe they may offer treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes and spinal cord injuries. But to harvest the cells, human embryos must be destroyed. Some religious groups and others oppose that. The new research into testicular cells, published online Friday by the journal Nature, comes...

Sri Lanka has recently witnessed an increase in attacks and threats against the Christian community there. The increase has led to fears that a new wave of anti-Christian violence is about to begin, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). According to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) "there is a visible increase in the number of attacks on Christian places of worship and acts of intimidation during the past two months." A report from NCEASL claimed that the pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Galle was subject to a host of virulent threats on 6th February. He...

ENCINITAS, January 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Many pro-life organizations use Christmas season sales of poinsettias to raise funds, but according to a US-based researcher, so do Planned Parenthood and other abortionists in the US. James Hartline, a Christian activist in California wrote to LifeSiteNews.com warning that the poinsettias decorating the churches and homes of Christians in the US could easily originate from a family-owned business that has been supporting abortion for decades. The Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California, supplies 70% of all of the poinsettias sold in the United States and the Ecke family is among the most generous supporters...

Christmas is a time of joy for Christians and, for multitudes around the world, a time of suffering. Last Wednesday, under the auspices of Senator Rick Santorum and the Congressional Working Group on Religious Freedom that he cochairs with Congressman Roy Blunt, some of the world's foremost defenders of persecuted Christians gathered in the U.S. Capitol to draw attention to this suffering. Over Christmas 2000 in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country and one traditionally renowned for its religious toleration, terrorists bombed churches in 18 cities, killing scores and wounding hundreds. At Wednesday's forum, Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver...

MEDIA, Pa. - Instead of feeding children in third-world countries and fixing the leaky roof, a woman used money from First Church of Lansdowne collection plates to buy a shore home and breast implants. "I was very dishonest and selfish," Colleen Lacombe, 34, of Drexel Hill, told Judge Robert C. Wright tearfully. Lacombe pleaded guilty in September to theft by deception, and made full restitution of $325,000 to the church. Wright sentenced the mother of two to two years of house arrest Tuesday, followed by two years of probation. Lacombe embezzled the money while handling finances at the church from...

In the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a crowd of Muslim demonstrators tries to storm a Coptic church to protest at a play about a Muslim campaign to convert Christians. In Iraq, the Christian middle class is emigrating in droves, fearful of the daily violence and the hostility it now encounters from Islamists.  In Saudi Arabia, churches and other places of non-Muslim worship are banned, and foreign workers who try to hold secret Christian services are jailed, flogged and often deported. In the land of its birth, Christianity is in sad decline as the pressures of life under Israeli occupation and...

The Christian Defense Coalition Director says in many cases "national security" has become more important than protecting the First Amendment and civil liberties. Coalition especially concerned about the Patriot Act defining terrorism as "... .to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion." Those definitions are so broad it is an open invitation for the government to harass and attack any groups who use public demonstrations or peaceful civil disobedience to "influence" government policy. Organization cites the improper use of the federal RICO laws against non-violent pro-life activists as a clear example of how the Patriot Act could...

Muslim Mob 'Terrorizes' Children in Indonesian Sunday School(CNSNews.com) - Approximately 30 Christian children fled in panic after a mob of Islamic militants raided and vandalized their Sunday school class, which was being held in a private home last weekend in Curug, Indonesia, according to a Christian group called Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). The violence came less than a month after three teenaged Christian schoolgirls were attacked and beheaded as they walked through a cocoa plantation on their way to school. One girl's severed head was reportedly placed in front of a church, eight miles from where the bodies were...

Manhattan prep school officials and parents aren't the only ones who hope the NYPD tracks down and arrests a defrocked priest accused of molesting a student. His son wants him behind bars, too. "I'd love to see him get caught," Aaron Jacques, 25, the youngest child of school fund-raiser Bruce Jacques, told the Daily News yesterday. "If he really did what they say he did, that would make my day." Bruce Jacques, 57, is on the run after a male student at the Robert Louis Stevenson School on W. 74th St. claimed the ex-priest sexually assaulted by him in Central...

On Sunday, October 2nd, thousands of pro-lifers across the US and Canada will participate in Life Chain, a silent, prayerful, hour-long protest to tell the truth about abortion: that abortion kills babies. I strongly urge all pro-lifers reading this to look up Lifechain.net to find out where their local Life Chain will be held. It is not an easy thing to witness to the truth of abortion. The media continues to treat those who oppose abortions as extremists and mindless zealots. However, considering the scope of the evil that plagues our countries, it is vital that pro-lifers speak up, because...

good or evil: who decides?Dr. Raymond DeSouza Who decides what is good or evil? The state? Society? The individual? Join Dr. Raymond De Souza as he teaches about the Natural Law and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.Contact:Dr. Raymond De Souza http://saintgabriel.com.au PO Box 111 Western Australia 6058 Telephone:[61] 08 9202 1300  Back to Series List

Park United Methodist Church minister Mike Allen knew it would turn his life upside down -- cost him his job, his home and his preaching credentials.Despite the certain consequences, the Lexington pastor made his choice.One Sunday in January, he stood in front of his stunned congregation and broke the news: He was going to follow his heart and convert to Roman Catholicism.With that decision, Allen joined not only thousands of members who are leaving mainstream denominations, but hundreds of Protestant ministers who are joining the Roman Catholic Church.For Allen, conversion was an eight-year process of study, prayer and reflection.It began...

Judaism’s Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism (and then Christianity) Rejected Homosexuality    DENNIS PRAGER When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world. The Torah's prohibition of non-marital sex quite simply made the creation of Western civilization possible. Societies that did not place boundaries around sexuality were stymied in their development. The subsequent dominance of the Western world can largely be attributed to the sexual revolution initiated by Judaism and later carried forward by Christianity.This revolution consisted of forcing the sexual genie into the marital bottle. It ensured that sex no longer dominated society, heightened...

ACTION NEEDED NOW: Stop & Shop Supermarkets “negotiating” with Bay Windows to bring sexually graphic, revolting anti-Catholic newspaper back into its stores! Your hard work got it removed in the first place!  As you remember, about three weeks ago the two largest supermarket chains in New England, Stop & Shop and Shaws / Star Markets, bowed to pressure from their customers across the state (i.e., you!).  Both companies agreed to stop distributing ”Bay Windows,” a sexually graphic, anti-family homosexual newspaper, in their stores.This decision was hailed by families all over New England.  Click here to see what was in an...

Federal law enforcement officials call a Nutley man a ``dangerous predator.'' Kevin Hildreth has admitted sexually assaulting nine children and videotaping at least two having sex in the basement of a church where he was an assistant scoutmaster. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to federal charges of crossing state lines to sexually assault a child and possession of child pornography. Hildreth was arrested in June as part of an international child porn Internet investigation. He told investigators that he had fondled or raped nine boys in the past 16 years. The victims ranged in age from four to 13. One was...

Nick Silverio of Safe Haven for Newborns in Florida has asked that we spread the word of a disabled newborn in need of adoption. The child, born today, has no arms, only one leg, and is missing a good portion of his jaw - but his prognosis is good.  The baby was abandoned by his mother under the Florida Safe Haven law and, unless potential adoptive parents can be found quickly, the child will become a ward of the state (and, it is feared, the target of euthanasia).  The Florida Department of Children and Families will not become involved unless...

For the last quarter of a century, this non-Catholic has had a pope. Now that John Paul II is gone, I am even more of an orphan than the Christians in the Roman church. For they will surely have another pope, but that one may not be mine, since I haven't converted. I am sure I am reflecting the views of many Protestants. Who else but John Paul II gave voice to my faith and my values in 130 countries? Who else posited personal holiness and theological clarity against postmodern self-deception and egotism? Who else preached the gospel as tirelessly...

Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children's Culture The realm of human imagination is a God-given gift, a faculty of the mind that is intended to expand our understanding by enabling us to visualize invisible truths. In the modern era this zone of man's interior life has moved to the forefront of his experience. With the advent of film, television, and now the near-virtual reality of special-effects videos and other electronic entertainment, the screen of the imagination is stimulated to a degree (both in quantity and in kind) more than at any other period in history. This has prompted a...

Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, OSP     The early years of Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, the foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, have been delineated more by oral tradition than by anything else. Elizabeth was born in the 1780s, a native of the Caribbean where havoc was constantly being created by both weather and the will of man. Her country of birth is not documented but oral tradition says she was born in Haiti and moved with her family to Santiago, Cuba.  She received an excellent education and in the early 1800s Elizabeth left Cuba and settled in the United States. By 1813, Providence directed her to Baltimore, Maryland where a...

STOPP International's Ryan Report                                            SPECIAL ISSUE 2003 Summary and Analysis of Planned Parenthood’s Operations in the U.S.Behold the Lord, Jesus Christ, who tries so hard to get our attentionContents:1) Introduction 2) Abortion 3) Planned Parenthood Financial Information 4) Planned Parenthood Organization 5) Planned Parenthood’s National Headquarters 6) Sex Education and Other ‘Services’7) STOPP International's Plan for Defeating Planned Parenthood1) IntroductionThis is the e-mail version of STOPP International’s 2003 Special Issue of the Ryan Report.  Its purpose is to provide detailed information about the very head of the Culture of Death in the U.S. – Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).  Please...

Amman (AsiaNews) – About 15,000 Christians from Jordan and the Holy Land came today to the shores of the Jordan River to the spot where, according to tradition, Jesus was baptised. They travelled to the holy site, which is just a few kilometres south-west of the Jordanian capital of Amman, to celebrate the Feat of the Theophany.The high point of the event was a holy mass celebrated at 10 am by Mgr Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, with seven leaders of other Churches with a presence in the Holy Land such as the Melkite, Armenian, Maronite, Chaldean, Coptic...

Dear Colleague, A major UN conference is brewing. This one on disabilities. The UN is trying to draft a global treaty that could promote homosexuality and euthanasia. Yours truly, Austin Ruse President ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ January 14, 2004 Volume 8, Number 4 UN to Draft Sweeping Convention on All "Disabilities"    Next week the United Nation convenes a working group to continue drafting an international convention on people with disabilities. The eventual treaty will set domestic legislation on disabilities as treaties are legal documents binding states that ratify them. There is a strong push to finish the Convention this year, and currently...

Damour lay across the Sidon - Beirut highway about 20 km south of Beirut on the slopes of a foothill of the Lebanon range. On the other side of the road, beyond a flat stretch of coast, is the sea. It was a town of some 25,000 people, containing five churches, three chapels, seven schools, private and public, and one public hospital where Muslims from near by villages were treated along with the Christians, at the expense of the town. On 9 January 1976, three days after Epiphany, the priest of Damour Father Mansour Labaky, was carrying out a Maronite...

What are we to say about a human condition in which "Nature red in tooth and claw" rears up on its massive hindquarters, and hurls a 30-foot wall of water against the lowlands of eleven of the poorest and most populous nations on earth, including some playgrounds of the rich of Europe and America, and crushes, chokes, and twists away the lives of going past 150,000 human beings? "Nature" is not the way the Greens picture it. Nature batters human beings. Nature has annihilated tens of thousands of other species, why not the human species? Most of the public voices...

Homosexual attorneys from the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division not only attended a large homosexual event in Philadelphia last year, but they advised police on the scene who arrested 11 Christian protesters, says a source within the agency. According to the Justice Department employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, a number of agency attorneys from Washington, D.C., attended the October "OutFest" event, and, he says, they therefore are not likely to take up the cause of the five criminally charged Christians who believe Philadelphia officials violated their civil rights. As WorldNetDaily reported, on Oct. 10, the group...

YMCA Chief Fired for Transgender Ball Flap Dec 24, 10:00 AM (ET) CHICAGO (AP) - A YMCA director has been fired and overnight facility rentals banned after the parents of young children arriving for a morning swim meet clashed with participants in an overnight transgender fashion show and ball. Greg Weider, who had been acting director of the New City YMCA for two years, was fired Wednesday. Programming manager Michael Horton, who oversaw scheduling at the center, resigned two days earlier. "We've taken very swift, decisive action, and we will do everything we can in order to restore the...

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - An Arizona church pastor accused of molesting a Florida boy eight years ago has been arrested, authorities said. Robert A. Enersen, 54, pastor of the First Assembly of God church in Douglas, Ariz., faces three counts of lewd assault on a child and is being held in an Arizona jail without bail after his Monday arrest, a Polk County (Fla.) sheriff's report said.The charges also include accusations from boys in Michigan and North Carolina.A representative with the Assemblies of God national headquarters said Tuesday the organization was not aware of Enersen's arrest. He does not have...

The Australian site "Christianity.net.au" has a page on How can we know the bible is a reliable document? which is worth a look. As the opening paragraphs state, The reliability of the Bible has been attacked by those outside the Christian faith and even by some who claim to be 'Biblical Scholars'. Yet despite these attacks the Bible has stood the test of time and continues to be a world best seller. Throughout its long history people from different cultures and all walks of life have read the Bible and recognised it as the Word of God. Christians readily acknowledge...

A Methodist minister who was defrocked for declaring that she is a lesbian living with her partner ... Ms. Stroud decided last week to appeal, but delayed the announcement until after Christmas weekend. ... Ms. Stroud said she hesitated to appeal because she is tired and dislikes being in the spotlight, but "there are questions the larger church needs to discuss and wrestle with." She said one factor in her decision was something retired Bishop Joseph Yeakel, the judge who presided at her church trial, said to her after the verdict. Bishop Yeakel told Ms. Stroud "the day will come...

The Embryonic Jesus Story At this time of year, we focus on Christ's birth, but there is a fascinating incident the Bible describes near the beginning of Jesus' human life, several months prior. It is the Embryonic Jesus Story.Luke 1 tells about the first person besides Jesus' mother and earthly father who recognized He was extraordinary – Jesus' cousin John, while John was yet a fetus, and Jesus was but an embryo. When John was a preborn 6-month-old, his Aunt Mary came to visit John's expectant mother Elizabeth, her cousin. Mary was newly pregnant with Jesus. Luke 1:41 says when...

A 12-year-old New Hampshire boy who wanted to jolly up his junior high dance by dressing in a Santa suit instead got a lesson in political correctness when his Scroogelike principal turned the student away, fearing he might offend his classmates.

In America today, Christians have many enemies and few friends. I would like to be counted among the latter. It might appear odd that, as a Jew, I would support Christians and the concept of Christian America. Once upon a time, it would have seemed equally strange for a Christian to call himself a Zionist.But the world is forever and relentlessly changing. As a member of one of the most persecuted minorities in history, I can relate to what Christians are experiencing in the first decade of the 21st century.In America today, devout Christians are rapidly assuming the roles traditionally...

In an incident the YMCA is calling "a very regrettable scheduling error," kids arriving for an early-morning swim meet Sunday walked into a gender-bending scene of the kind most of them wouldn't be allowed to watch on TV. Several of the kids' angry parents clashed with participants in a transgender fashion show, which had been under way at the New City YMCA since about midnight, resulting in a chaotic melee that was eventually broken up by private security guards and East Chicago District police. A YMCA member had reserved the entire facility, at 1515 N. Halsted, from 11 p.m. Saturday...

Here is a list of “religious” members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. The list is from their website. Some may be surprised to see that their “churches” are officially pro-abort “churches.” The list: Conservative Judaism Rabbinical Assembly United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Women’s League for Conservative Judaism Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church Ethical Culture Movement American Ethical Union National Service Conference of the American Ethical Union Humanist Judaism Society for Humanistic Judaism Presbyterian Church (USA) Presbyterians Affirming Reproductive Options (PARO) Women’s Ministries Washington Office Reconstructionist Movement Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Reform Judaism Central Conference of American Rabbis North American...

The false spider mite has been revealed as the first known animal to make do with only one set of chromosomes, challenging traditional theories of evolution... Using standard sequencing techniques, Weeks's team found the mites' chromosomes to be very different. As far as the researchers could tell, none of the mites carried two identical copies of any particular gene. They conclude that the species is exclusively haploid. Weeks thinks being exclusively haploid might give the animals an evolutionary advantage... This genetic state may be rare simply because diploidy was "frozen" early in evolution and other animals haven't had the...

A couple who placed an anti-abortion sign on their Dauphin County home are refusing to heed borough officials' demand to remove the sign or risk a $500 fine and up to two months in jail. Paxtang officials say the sign violates the borough ordinance that permits "signs for public, religious and charitable institutions and uses such as parks, schools, churches and similar uses." Colman and Frances Wessel attached the sign to their front porch three weeks ago. "We're just exercising our freedom of speech and religion," said Colman Wessel said. "Is it the pro-life words or the picture of Jesus...

VATICAN CITY, JULY 29, 2004 (Zenit.org).- We should take the devil "very seriously," but without losing confidence in the love of God, says the theologian of the Pontifical Household. Cardinal Georges Cottier gave this interview in the wake of last Saturday's murder of a priest in the cathedral of Santiago, Chile. The killing was linked to Satanism. Q: In the great mystery of evil, how much does the action of the devil count and how much responsibility does man bear? Cardinal Cottier: The devil is without a doubt the great seducer because he tries to lead man to sin by...

Sister Grace Marie is requesting prayers for her Mother Margaret Ihlenfeldt who is gravely ill with cancer. Please pray that God's mercy, grace, and wisdom will touch Margaret, and give her courage and peace. Please pray that Grace Marie, and her family who are gathered around her Mom will be strengthened by God's love at this difficult time. If you ever watch EWTN, and you've heard prayers said by a young woman with an English accent-that's Grace Marie. She asked me to post this as she knows Freepers are uber-prayer warriors.

<p>Fr. Benedict Groeschel hosts this half hour special about Good Counsel Homes. Good Counsel provides homeless pregnant mothers a place to stay during their pregnancies, as well as training in skills to help them get jobs and assists them in finding affordable apartments after their babies are born. This special features interviews with Executive Director of Good Counsel Homes, Mr.Chris Bell, as well as mothers who have benefited from Good Counsel's assistance.</p>

What Is LIFE CHAIN? Annually, on the first Sunday in October, LIFE CHAIN invites the churches in each city and town across North America to stand on a designated local sidewalk and pray for one hour, while holding one of the following approved pro-life sign messages: ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN JESUS FORGIVES AND HEALS ADOPTION: THE LOVING OPTION LORD, FORGIVE US AND OUR NATION ABORTION HURTS WOMEN PRAY TO END ABORTION LIFE—THE FIRST INALIENABLE RIGHT In 2003, over 1,000 LIFE CHAINS were held in the U.S. and Canada, and over 1,000 are hoped for in 2004. National Life Chain Sunday 2004...

KNOXVILLE - Since 1995, Bob Parker has sent nearly 2,000 honorary medallions to survivors of soldiers, police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. Parker and his nonprofit organization Fallen Friend has 17 more medallions to give, including one for Pat Tillman, the football player who quit the NFL to become an Army Ranger and was killed in April in Afghanistan. But Tillman's family and others won't receive their medallions. The Army has stopped helping Parker and Fallen Friend distribute the medals because there is a reference to a Bible verse on the back, according to two letters...

Scientology and Terri Schindler Schiavo: The Death ConnectionScientology Doctrine:  Michael Schiavo Removed Terri From SocietyKeeping Terri Disabled: Michael's Illegal Pretext to Kill Florida Law Vs Scientology PolicyScientology, The Clearwater Bar Association, and Judge GreerScientology and Terri Schindler Schiavo: The Death Connection Terrisfight.org: A Hidden Agenda Liberty of the CaptivesContact freeper Lisa Ruby for further details and dialogueScientology

TOLEDO, Ohio (April 24) - A Roman Catholic priest charged in the 1980 strangling and stabbing of a nun whose body was found in a hospital chapel had always been a suspect in the killing. Police never could gather enough evidence, though, until they reopened the case about five months ago. On Friday, police arrested the Rev. Gerald Robinson, who performed the funeral for the 71-year-old nun. Police Chief Mike Navarre would only say that "new technology" led them back to Robinson, 66, who was charged with murder. Navarre would not talk about evidence or a motive. Robinson and Sister...

Sister Donna Quinn, a Palos Hills resident, attended the last two and is flying to this one with four other nuns. Rev. Nan Conser, a retired United Church of Christ minister in Golf, never went before but is going with a group of 10 clergy and lay people. Rev. Larry Greenfield, an American Baptist minister who leads Hyde Park Union Church, couldn't make it last time, but said he wouldn't miss this one for anything.

Why has a reverent movie about Jesus Christ become one of the most controversial films in history? But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. — Isaiah 53:5 Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ begins with a black screen and the above-quoted passage of Holy Scripture from the prophet Isaiah. It ends with a scene of the resurrected Jesus Christ stepping from the tomb. In the two hours of film that run between those two bookends, writer-director-producer Mel...

Pharmacist faces complaint over failure to dispense birth control (Published Tuesday, March 16, 2004 09:10:04 AM CST) Associated Press MADISON, Wis. -- The state Department of Regulation and Licensing has filed a complaint against a pharmacist who refused to fill a woman's birth control prescription because of his religious beliefs. The complaint against Neil Noesen was filed with the Wisconsin Examining Board over an incident that happened in the summer of 2002. It said Noesen, 30, was working as a fill-in pharmacist at the K-Mart Pharmacy in Menomonie and had told the managing pharmacist he wouldn't fill prescriptions for...

Please come and join Middlesex County Right to Life in Protest and solidarity on Sunday, March 14th, 2004, at 12:30 pm, at the corner of Rt. 35 and Main St., Woodbridge, NJ,  (in front of the Woodbridge K of C building), to watch the Irish Club's St. Patrick's Day parade.   The Middlesex County Right to Life was banned from marching in this parade, being told by the Irish Club parade organizers that they are not religious or political where they implied that the MC RTL was; the NJ RTL/NJ RTL PAC and its county affiliates are non-partisan and non-religious and  have backed members...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In an attempt to counter criticism that it's unyielding support of abortion runs counter to the Christian religious views of most Americans, Planned Parenthood has announced it has hired a national chaplain to advocate the "spiritual side" of abortion advocacy. The national abortion business appointed Rev. Ignacio Castuera, senior pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in the Watts community of Los Angeles, as its chaplain. "His expertise in offering spiritual insight and guidance to the reproductive health movement is invaluable," Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt said. The appointment is also an attempt by the abortion...