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Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing stock.(Nahum 3:5-6)Can this obscene parody of an election sink any lower? ( I am afraid to ask…). Could it be that America is undergoing the judgment spoken of in Nahum? Our politicians, the “Elite class” who have selfishly constructed a system for themselves, (through unbelievably reckless levels of immigration),and to...

October 9, 2016 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Kgs 5:14-17 Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven timesat the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,and he was clean of his leprosy. Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,except in Israel.Please accept a gift from your servant.” Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not...

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. . . . Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee" (Ps. 119:9, 11). Scripture is the source of spiritual victory. Many Christians struggle with spiritual defeat or recurring sins because they haven't learned to apply biblical principles to specific situations. Perhaps they don't know God's will because they haven't matured in the Word. Or maybe they know what He expects of them but disregard His counsel. In either case, the result is the same. Jesus Himself...

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2). True confession involves a proper understanding of sin. King David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). He was far from perfect, however. He was not an effective father (1 Kings 1:5-6), nor did he always trust God (1 Sam. 21:10—22:1). But by far his greatest failings were his horrible sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband (2 Sam. 11—12). After Nathan the prophet confronted him with his sin, David poured out his heart in confession to God....

October 8, 2016 Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 3:22-29 Brothers and sisters:Scripture confined all things under the power of sin,that through faith in Jesus Christthe promise might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held in custody under law,confined for the faith that was to be revealed.Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ,that we might be justified by faith.But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.For all of you who were baptized...

Anyone who is still wondering how to vote on November 8, and who sincerely wants to vote their conscience, need only listen to this extraordinary homily given by a priest who knows exactly who to vote for. On October 2, 2016, the Very Reverend John Lankeit of the Diocese of Phoenix began his homily by warning the congregation that the devil is a divider who will use almost any tactic to separate Christians from Christ. “He doesn’t typically come right out and say, ‘Deny Jesus Christ!’ because he knows that someone who loves Jesus would immediately reject the suggestion. So,...

“When you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (v. 14). - Mark 13:14–20 In 168 BC, the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes invaded Jerusalem and captured the city. He marched into the Jewish temple, erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus, and sacrificed a pig on the altar of incense. This provoked a revolt in Judea as the Jews fought to remove Antiochus’ sacrilege from the temple. Under the leadership of the Maccabees, the Jews drove Antiochus and...

October 7, 2016 Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary Reading 1 Gal 3:7-14 Brothers and sisters:Realize that it is those who have faithwho are children of Abraham.Scripture, which saw in advance that Godwould justify the Gentiles by faith,foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,Through you shall all the nations be blessed.Consequently, those who have faith are blessedalong with Abraham who had faith.For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;for it is written, Cursed be everyonewho does not persevere in doing all the thingswritten in the book of the law.And that no one is...

New Creation Church in Hillsboro recently found itself at the center of a controversy when guidelines posted on its website for people seeking to join the "worship team" were posted on Facebook. Among the requirements for the group of churchgoers who help lead the congregation in songs during services at the non-denominational evangelical church? "No excessive weight." "Weight is something that many people have to deal with," reads the instructions for would-be worship team members. "Make sure that you are taking care of your temple, exercising and eating properly." Ponder Anew, a blog about faith, reports that the document was...

The following is a rough translation using Google Translate of an interview of Cardinal Burke which originally appeared in Il Giornale on 10.4.16 An Islam that wants to conquer the world, black flags pointed at Rome, immigration that subverts population majorities, Christians under fire even in the West, no alternative to traditional families, and Vladimir Putin’s conversion are some highlights of Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s exclusive interview with the Journal ( watch video ). Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Cardinal from Wisconsin, born in 1948, is...

I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come? My help [cometh] from Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. Jehovah is thy keeper: Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, Nor the moon by night. Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; He will keep thy soul. Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in From this...

“Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (vv. 12–13). - Mark 13:11–13 Christ preached the Olivet Discourse to tell His first-century disciples to be on guard for what awaited them after His ascension (Mark 13:9). Essentially, He wanted them not to be taken unaware by the many trials and tribulations that would occur in the decades leading up to the destruction...

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable . . . that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Scripture equips you for spiritual service. Each week I have the privilege of interacting with more than one hundred students at The Master's Seminary. One of my greatest joys is seeing their determination to do God's work in God's way. That attitude is the key to success in ministry, as Joshua learned when he assumed leadership over the Israelites after Moses' death. At that point, God said to him, "This book of the...

“If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God is light, and His children share His nature. First John 1:5 aptly describes God’s nature as “light” (truth and holiness). Because they partake of His nature (2 Peter 1:4), His children also walk in the light. It must be understood that we don’t become God’s children by walking in the light, but rather we walk in the light because we are His children. The Greek...

October 6, 2016 Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 3:1-5 O stupid Galatians!Who has bewitched you,before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?I want to learn only this from you:did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,or from faith in what you heard?Are you so stupid?After beginning with the Spirit,are you now ending with the flesh?Did you experience so many things in vain?–if indeed it was in vain.Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to youand works mighty deeds among youdo so from works of the lawor from faith...

“Be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” - Mark 13:9–10 After Jesus predicted the fall of the temple in Jerusalem, the disciples asked Him when it would happen and what would be the sign that the fulfillment of His prediction was at hand (Mark 13:1–4). Christ responded with a lengthy address that has come to be known as the Olivet Discourse. What...

October 5, 2016 Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 2:1-2, 7-14 Brothers and sisters:After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,taking Titus along also.I went up in accord with a revelation,and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–but privately to those of repute–so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,just as Peter to the circumcised,for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the...

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). The Holy Spirit protects you from false doctrine, but that doesn’t eliminate the need for diligent Bible study. For the next few days we'll consider several benefits of Bible study. Today we'll address the broader question of why Bible study is necessary at all. Perhaps you know believers who think Bible study is unnecessary. Bible reading, they say, is sufficient because we have the Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things. Often they...

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s truthfulness and holiness are powerful motives not to sin. Light and darkness are familiar metaphors in Scripture. Intellectually, light refers to truth, and darkness to error; morally, light refers to holiness, and darkness to evil. Intellectually, the Bible reveals God as the God of truth. In Exodus 34:6 God described Himself to Moses as “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Both Psalm 31:5 and Isaiah 65:16 refer to Him as the “God of truth.”...

October 4, 2016 Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi Reading 1 Gal 1:13-24 Brothers and sisters:You heard of my former way of life in Judaism,how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measureand tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaismbeyond many of my contemporaries among my race,since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apartand called me through his grace,was pleased to reveal his Son to me,so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,nor did I go...