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September 8, 2014Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary    Reading 1 Mi 5:1-4a The LORD says:You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,too small to be among the clans of Judah,From you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel;Whose origin is from of old,from ancient times.(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the timewhen she who is to give birth has borne,And the rest of his brethren shall returnto the children of Israel.)He shall stand firm and shepherd his flockby the strength of the LORD,in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;And they shall remain,...

Fountains of Blessings " The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life —John 4:14 " The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame— something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus...

You don’t honor a saint by encouraging a sin. No doubt there have been homosexual persons marching down Fifth Avenue every year in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. There was never any ban on their participation; there was no test of sexual orientation for marchers. But next year the parade in New York will feature something new: a group of avowed homosexuals carrying a banner, promoting same-sex unions, supporting the gay lifestyle. Next year there will be only one story-line of interest to the reporters who cover the annual parade in the world’s media capital: the triumph of the gay...

September 7, 2014 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Ez 33:7-9 Thus says the LORD:You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, ”and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,the wicked shall die for his guilt,but I will hold you responsible for his death.But if you warn the wicked,trying to turn him from his way,and he refuses to turn from his way,he shall die for...

The Far-Reaching Rivers of Life " He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water —John 7:38 " A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, “rivers of living water” will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow— “This is the work of God, that you believe. ....

NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s positive reaction to this week’s decision by organizers of New York’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade to allow gay groups to march under their own banners initially drew charitable responses in many Catholic Church circles. But it didn’t take long for conservative church critics to turn. After initially signaling his grudging acceptance, William Donohue of the Catholic League came back with a revised view when he realized that more than one gay group could be allowed to march in the future.

September 6, 2014Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 1 Cor 4:6b-15 Brothers and sisters:Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written,so that none of you will be inflated with pridein favor of one person over against another.Who confers distinction upon you?What do you possess that you have not received?But if you have received it,why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;you have become kings without us!Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,so that we also might become kings...

Be Great in the Midst of Criticism Today's Scripture "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria If you’re going to pursue greatness, if you’re going to be a great businessperson, a great teacher, a great parent, a great leader, you have to understand that not everyone is going to cheer you on. I’d love to tell you that your family, friends and co-workers will celebrate you,...

Watching With Jesus " Stay here and watch with Me —Matthew 26:38 " Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own. But we refuse to...

It is a disgraceful and a dangerous thing for an unbeliever to hear a Christian, presumably explaining science, nutrition, and medicine, talking nonsense on these topics. Many non-Christians are well-versed in Natural knowledge, so they can detect vast ignorance in such a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The danger is obvious-- the failure to conform interpretation to demonstrated knowledge opens the interpreter, and by extension, Christianity as a whole, to ridicule for being unlearned. All right, so St. Augustine didn't say "science, nutrition, and medicine," he said "the meaning of scripture." But other than that, he's describing a good...

Painting the Catholic Church as "out of touch" is like shooting fish in a barrel, what with the funny hats and gilded churches. And nothing makes it easier than the Church's stance against contraception. Many people, (including our editor) are wondering why the Catholic Church doesn't just ditch this requirement. They note that most Catholics ignore it, and that most everyone else finds it divisive, or "out-dated." C'mon! It's the 21st century, they say! Don't they SEE that it's STUPID, they scream. Here's the thing, though: the Catholic Church is the world's biggest and oldest organization. It has buried all...

September 5, 2014Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 1 Cor 4:1-5 Brothers and sisters:Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christand stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewardsthat they be found trustworthy.It does not concern me in the leastthat I be judged by you or any human tribunal;I do not even pass judgment on myself;I am not conscious of anything against me,but I do not thereby stand acquitted;the one who judges me is the Lord.Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,until the Lord...

Giant Slayer Today's Scripture "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men." (Proverbs 18:16, NASB) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria When people hear the story of David and Goliath, sometimes they think, “That was all God.” And yes, in a sense, it was all God; but God didn’t sling the stone. David had a role to play, too. God gave David the skill that he had to develop in order to be prepared for that defining moment. Like David, God has put skills inside of you so that you can slay the giants...

His! " They were Yours, You gave them to Me . . . —John 17:6 " A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: “You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). To say, “I am not my own,” is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to...

September 4, 2014Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 1 Cor 3:18-23 Brothers and sisters:Let no one deceive himself.If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,let him become a fool, so as to become wise.For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,Paul or Apollos or Cephas,or the world or life...

Before the start of the Holocaust, Jewish born Rose Warmer found her Messiah. When her people were being deported, she longed to go with them. She handed herself in, was transported to Auschwitz and brought the people there the Word of God. Rising anti-Semitism Rose was born in a well-to-do Jewish family in Hungary. She studied art, music and dance and led a wandering artist’s life in Vienna and Budapest. In the 1930s when Nazism was rising, anti-Semitism too was growing day by day. Jews were being forced to wear the yellow star and were thrown out of professional jobs...

When Donald Sterling had to sell the Los Angeles Clippers because he was caught on tape saying he didn’t want his mistress bringing black people to his basketball games, many people cheered. But if you had paid much attention to Sterling prior to the TMZ-leaked audio, you probably didn’t cheer—not because you weren’t troubled by Sterling’s comments, but because Sterling’s downfall over those particular comments felt a bit anticlimactic. Sterling was sued for racial discrimination in basketball. He was repeatedly sued for housing discrimination against blacks and Latinos. Sterling’s wife allegedly posed as a health inspector to survey the race...

Water the Right Seeds Today's Scripture “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” (Mark 4:8, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria When somebody calls you something, either good or bad, that seed is planted in the soil of your mind. However, you get to determine whether or not that seed takes root and grows. When you dwell on what was said, you are watering the seed. You’re giving it a right to become a reality. That’s why it’s so important to...

Pouring Out the Water of Satisfaction " He would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord —2 Samuel 23:16 " What has been like “water from the well of Bethlehem” to you recently— love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing ( 2 Samuel 23:16 )? Have you taken whatever it may be, even at the risk of damaging your own soul, simply to satisfy yourself? If you have, then you cannot pour it out “to the Lord.” You can never set apart for God something that you desire for yourself to achieve your own satisfaction. If...

September 3, 2014Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 1 Cor 3:1-9 Brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as spiritual people,but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.I fed you milk, not solid food,because you were unable to take it.Indeed, you are still not able, even now,for you are still of the flesh.While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,are you not of the flesh, and walking according to the manner of man?Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another,“I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men?...