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It remains the least-known historical event of the 20th century: a president and a Pope who combine deep faith with political acumen and high-octane star power to help end the Cold War. And the incredible story of how President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II joined forces to change the world is now a riveting documentary — "The Divine Plan" — to be aired Wednesday, Oct. 25, on Newsmax2. In "The Divine Plan," award-winning writer-director Robert Orlando takes an in-depth look at the pivotal bond that formed between America's 40th commander in chief and the leader of the Roman...

SHABANIYA, Lebanon — On the feast of Mor Ephrem the Syriac, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Younan presided over a Divine Liturgy and reopened the historic Mor Ephrem Monastery in Shabaniya in Mount Lebanon after more than 160 years of abandonment. The Divine Liturgy and reopening ceremony was attended by members of clergy and believers. In his sermon, after reading from the Holy Bible, the Patriarch read two verses of Mor Ephrem’s poetry, stressing the importance of reopening the monastery due to its importance to townspeople. Father Hanna Yako delivered a speech in which he thanked the Patriarch who sought to restore...

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ( 2 Corinthians 3:18)Worship is serious business. When the church gathers to offer worship, in the name of Jesus, and through his blood, there is nothing on earth happening which is of greater import. God will be worshipped. Those who casually dismiss church, are shrugging off our highest duty as people, nothing less than the Worshipful beholding of God. As the passage in 2 Corinthians 3...

Posted on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope The Divinity of Jesus Christ The biblical evidence of Jesus’ divinity is remarkably rich and consistent throughout the New Testament. Although I present many Scripture passages below, I cannot include most of them because doing so would dwarf the rest of the post. Perhaps at some point in the future I will publish a version containing all of the detailed citations. For now, though, let these examples suffice to demonstrate scriptural affirmation of the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.To begin, recall that the divinity of Christ is...

Visiting U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, watched the last day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 26 alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie. Trump climbed into the dohyo to present the massive "U.S. President's Cup" to the tournament winner, Asanoyama, a No. 8 maegashira, in the awards ceremony after the conclusion of the 15-day tournament. According to the White House, the U.S. President's Cup is a custom-made silver trophy, which is about 137 centimeters in height and weighs 27 to 32 kilograms. It is even larger than...

President Donald Trump pointed to media bias against first lady Melania Trump on Monday, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News. “If Ivanka Trump were a Democrat or a liberal democrat, even better, she’d be the toast of the world,” the president said. “Same thing with our great first lady, who people love by the way. If our first lady, if I were a Democrat instead of a Republican, she’d be Jackie O times twenty. Instead, they go after her.” Trump was referring to President John F. Kennedy’s wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — frequently nicknamed “Jackie O” after she became...

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY’S DIVINE MATERNITY (Beginning October 2) (May be said in public or private. i. 300 Days each day. ii. Plenary, on the Feast or during the Octave. I, II, IV. See Instructions, p. I, 1910 Raccolta.) —Pius VII, Mem., August 12, 1815; Pius VIII, July 9, 1830. FROM ALL ETERNITY, GOD thought of the Virgin of Nazareth as the future Mother of His Son. At the Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin Mary became the Mother of God. This is her most exalted title, the source of all Her other privileges. On Calvary CHRIST gave His...

President Donald Trump has arrived at Blenheim Palace in grand style ahead of a gala dinner with US and UK business leaders. He was pictured arriving in Marine One in a tuxedo with First Lady Melania, who is wearing a floor-length, pleated buttercup yellow gown. Awkwardly grabbing Theresa May hand - in a replay of their White House meeting last year - Trump was treated to a fanfare welcome by the Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards bands. The president was also given a performance of Amazing Grace featuring a bagpipe solo. The magnificent English country house, which was built in...

Thousands of heat deaths predicted as New York City heats up, scientists say By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than 3,000 New Yorkers could die each year from intense heat due to climate change beginning about 60 years from now, researchers said on Thursday. The number of hot days is expected to triple by the year 2080 and beyond, causing death by heat exhaustion, dehydration or heart and respiratory conditions, said the main author of a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. With so many hot days, when the temperature is at or above...

Yesterday afternoon when I heard the sad news that Justice Scalia had died, I felt like I had been sucker punched. With the news of Scalia’s death, thoughts tumbled into my mind about how critically important this election really is and how we cannot afford to get this wrong. There is just too much at stake, so many issues seem poised to take this nation into darkness and possibly real despair if they are not thoughtfully, objectively, humbly, prayerfully addressed. If the leaders we are choosing are not doing their absolute best to serve this nation, its people, its Constitution...

Move over Jesus, Hillary Clinton is running for president. An all-women’s choir called “Voices From the Heart” performed at Clinton’s Portsmouth, New Hampshire rally Saturday. The group describes itself on its website: “Our powerful and eclectic songs range from African-American spirituals to Korean songs for unity, South African anti-apartheid songs to Macedonian love songs. The songs are powerful testaments to the triumph of the human spirit. Sung with the strength of 200 voices, the songs delight and inspire audiences,” The Blaze reports. There, they serenaded the former Secretary of State with an old gospel tune, “Woke Up This Morning (With...

ews in the United States are overwhelmingly proud to be Jewish, yet nearly one in five of them describe themselves as having no religion, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Tuesday. The gap is generational, with 32 percent of Jews born after 1980 identifying as Jewish on the basis of ancestry, ethnicity or culture – compared with 93 percent of Jews born in 1914-27 who identified on the basis of their faith. "This shift in Jewish self-identification reflects broader changes in the US public," said Pew's Religion and Public Life Project in a summary of its 210-page report....

Amid our busy workdays and weekends, it is not unusual for most of us to let the 3 pm hour pass by as any other hour in the day. Yet after reading the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul, the 3 pm hour has become a deeply significant time for me. We know 3 pm is significant for us on Good Friday as the hour when Christ breathed his last and died on the cross for our sins and those of the whole world. We also know it is the hour when his side was...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us…(Ephesians 2:4)John 3 is the record of an interview that Jesus gave to a leading Rabbi, a Senator(Sanhedrinist) and a Pharisee, Nicodemus.The Topic? The New Birth. Jesus told Nicodemus that the New Birth was more than the acceptance of a new set of responsibilities such as marriage or ministry, as the Jews believed. The New Birth was an act of...

OREM, Utah -- A mother loses everything. A suffering god defies the taunts of Furies. Brother stands against brother -- with a kiss. I'm listening to Terryl Givens, a University of Richmond professor of literature and religion, as he recounts some stories in literature where God utterly fails. You can do this sort of thing in literature -- it is fiction, after all. Givens, who is speaking to a group at the seventh annual meeting of the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology on March 25, recognizes the value of literature for exploring ideas. Deep ideas -- like trying to...

A great explosion of purity is about to come , But "not" as before(as Katrina) ,something straight from my kingdom , The heavenlies are about to applaud , I AM The Lord behold I alone am God ! Yet for my children of my rod and staff , They shall rest in my bossom of Zion and laugh , For the Joy of The Lord is their strength , And these are my children of victiory that have gone the full length , Obedience to me has become their rod , My staff is their com(fort) for I AM their...

"President-elect Obama has energized all segments of the depressed, downtrodden, rejected and despised," he said in a 90-minute speech at Mosque Maryam on the city's South Side. "Now it is up to us to take the new energy that he has given us ... and channel that energy into making ourselves better." Dressed in intricately decorated red and gold robes and a matching fez, the once-ailing 75-year-old leader spoke to more than 1,000 followers in an address called "America's New Beginning: President-elect Barack Obama." Farrakhan, who said Obama draws a "oneness of spirit" from all people, admitted he stayed quiet...

One of the beautiful aspects of self evident truths is that they can be proven on both the simplest and the most complex of levels. By contrast, to make an argument for what is in fact an illogical fallacy, one must use plenty of skill, sophistry and remain beholden to a dogmatic protection of what is really an illogical position. Yet even after a detailed case is made for the illogical side of the argument, it can instantly be deflated like a balloon with the simplest poke of clear logic. It can also be attacked piece by piece with even...

Buried Dogs Were Divine "Escorts" for Ancient AmericansAnne Casselman for National Geographic NewsApril 23, 2008 Hundreds of prehistoric dogs found buried throughout the southwestern United States show that canines played a key role in the spiritual beliefs of ancient Americans, new research suggests. Throughout the region, dogs have been found buried with jewelry, alongside adults and children, carefully stacked in groups, or in positions that relate to important structures, said Dody Fugate, an assistant curator at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fugate has conducted an ongoing survey of known dog burials in the...

Who—and What—Was Jesus Christ? "None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8, New Revised Standard Version).The Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, faced a difficult situation when Jesus was brought before him. Apprehensively, he attempted to dismiss the picture that was emerging in front of him. When Pilate heard the accusation, it struck fear into his heart. "He has claimed to be the Son of God" (John 19:7, NRSV). Pilate's next question betrayed his fear that he was not dealing with an ordinary...