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“‘Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end’” (Psalm 102:27). God never changes, so He can be trusted to do what He says. God alone is unchanging (or as the theologians say, immutable). The psalmist says, “Even [the heavens and earth] will perish, but Thou dost endure. . . . Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end” (Ps. 102:26-27). Though Israel deserved destruction for its sin, God was faithful to His covenant with Abraham, saying, “I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not...

February 9, 2017 Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 2:18-25The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone.I will make a suitable partner for him."So the LORD God formed out of the groundvarious wild animals and various birds of the air,and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;whatever the man called each of them would be its name.The man gave names to all the cattle,all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals;but none proved to be the suitable partner for...

Kermit Gosnell shows no remorse for his abominable actions in his Philadelphia abortion clinic, actions which have him serving multiple life sentences. Gosnell, a late-term abortionist, was found guilty of murdering babies by snipping their necks, and faced charges for racketeering and blatantly ignoring abortion laws. At least one patient died in his clinic due to his neglect. Townhall recently brought you an interview with the authors of Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer, a bestselling book on Amazon. His crimes are also described in detail in the documentary 3801 Lancaster: American Tragedy. The documentary, directed...

One abortionist is revealing his abortion religion – and one New York Times writer couldn’t get enough of it. In a piece published Wednesday, New York Times Magazine columnist Ana Marie Cox interviewed Willie J. Parker, a Mississippi abortionist and former Planned Parenthood medical director, on his upcoming Life’s Work memoir. During the interview, Parker pointed to his faith as the reason he performs abortions. And while abortion is “life-ending,” he added, it isn’t “killing a person” – just a “human entity.” From the very beginning, Cox hyped that Parker’s book “is rooted” by his “moral and spiritual argument in...

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” - 2 Timothy 3:16 Human beings speak with their mouths as their breath moves across their vocal cords, causing the cords to vibrate and produce sounds that are formed into letters and words by our lips, tongues, and teeth. There is a breathing out that has to take place for speech, and understanding this reality helps us to understand Paul’s point in today’s passage. Scripture, he tells us, results from God’s breathing out in speech. This is a rather clear...

February 8, 2017 Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—while as yet there was no field shrub on earthand no grass of the field had sprouted,for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earthand there was no man to till the soil, but a stream was welling up out of the earthand was watering all the surface of the ground—the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the groundand blew into his nostrils the breath of life,and...

"Saints . . . who are in Philippi" (Phil. 1:1). As you give toward the needs of others, God will supply your needs. Perhaps more than any other New Testament church, the Philippian church was characterized by generous, sacrificial giving. Their support for Paul extended throughout his missionary travels and was a source of great joy to him. In addition to money, they also sent Epaphroditus, a godly man who ministered to Paul during his imprisonment (Phil. 2:25-30; 4:18). Paul was selective about accepting financial support from churches because he didn't want to be a burden or have his motives...

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways” (Psalm 145:17). God’s holiness is evident in everything He does, particularly in creation, the law, judgment, and salvation. The whole purpose of the Old Testament is to reveal the holiness and righteousness of God, who is utterly perfect and pure. In fact, the Hebrew word for “holy” is used more than 600 times in the Old Testament to indicate moral perfection. What are some areas in which we see God’s holiness? First, we see it in the original perfection of His creation: “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it...

What would Thomas Aquinas, in his wisdom, say about President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning travel from seven Muslim countries, in terms of its justness and conformity to right reason?… I am grateful to The Imaginative Conservative for publishing Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s reasoned defence of President Trump’s executive order placing a ninety day moratorium on immigration from countries deemed to pose a terrorist threat to the United States. I am grateful also for a recent essay by John Horvat II in which Mr. Horvat discusses what Thomas Aquinas says on the thorny topic of immigration.[1] Both of these essays have served as...

Nehemiah served in a pagan government as a believer in God. He was humble and respectful to the king, but proper fear of his king did not stop him from acting to save his people. He prayed to God and made a request of the king, asking for permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild it. He also asked for letters that he might present to various governors for safe conduct, and even a grant for building materials. Not all the pagan governors were sanguine toward Nehemiah and his plans. Indeed, some were fiercely resistant to them. When Sanballat the...

February 7, 2017 Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 1:20—2:4aGod said,"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."And so it happened:God created the great sea monstersand all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,and all kinds of winged birds.God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;and let the birds multiply on the earth."Evening came, and morning followed–the fifth day. Then God said,"Let the earth bring forth...

Perry Noble, a pastor fired last July from his South Carolina megachurch for problems that included alcohol use, returned to the pulpit over the weekend – at Charlotte's Elevation Church. It was at the invitation of Elevation Pastor Steven Furtick. The two are close friends and Furtick chose Noble, soon after Elevation was launched 11 years ago, to be among the out-of-town pastors on the church’s board of overseers. “In July of 2016 I thought I would never preach again!” Noble wrote on his Facebook page Sunday morning. “Last night, (Furtick) allowed me the honor of returning to preaching on...

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah” (Neh. 1:1–2a). - Nehemiah 1:1-3 After the Babylonian empire fell to the Persians, the new world power was left in charge of all the lands over which Babylon once reigned. To help maintain peace in its territories, Persia often allowed exiled peoples to return to their homelands, including the Jews following Cyrus’ proclamation in 538 BC (2 Chron. 36:22–23). Since the...

Catholic conservatives level criticism against popeCritics target his intervention in the Knights of Malta order. On Saturday, posters appeared around Rome featuring a stern-looking Francis and questioning, "Where's your mercy?" Associated Press/Beatrice Larco A passerby lifts a paper sheet covering an anti-Pope Francis poster to read it, in central Rome, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. On Saturday, posters appeared around Rome featuring a stern-looking Francis and questioning "Where's your mercy?" It referenced the "decapitation" of the Knights of Malta, Cardinal Raymond Burke's marginalization and other actions Francis has taken against conservative, tradition-minded groups. (AP Photo/Beatrice Larco) VATICAN CITY —Conservative criticism of...

February 6, 2017 Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Reading 1 Gn1:1-19In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,while a mighty wind swept over the waters. Then God said,"Let there be light," and there was light.God saw how good the light was.God then separated the light from the darkness.God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day. Then God said,"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,to separate one body of water...

"Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). A faithful slave fulfills the will of his master. The metaphor of Christians as slaves to Christ is common in Paul's writings. It is one his readers would have readily understood because of the prevalence of slavery in the Roman Empire. Peter, James, John, and Jude used the same metaphor of their own ministries, as did Jesus in Mark 10:45: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." In Philippians 2:7 Paul refers to Christ as a...

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Though there is only one God, He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is one, but He exists in three distinct Persons. We call this the Trinity, a contraction of “tri-unity,” meaning “three in one.” The word Trinity doesn’t appear in the Bible, but God’s existence as three Persons in one God is clear from Scripture. Old Testament evidence of God’s plurality can be...

February 5, 2017 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Is 58:7-10Thus says the LORD:Share your bread with the hungry,shelter the oppressed and the homeless;clothe the naked when you see them,and do not turn your back on your own.Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,and your wound shall quickly be healed;your vindication shall go before you,and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!If you remove from your midstoppression, false accusation and malicious speech;if you bestow...

February 4, 2017 Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Heb 13:15-17, 20-21Brothers and sisters:Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise,that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have;God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind. Obey your leaders and defer to them,for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account,that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow,for that would be of no advantage to you. May the God of peace, who...

Parashat Bo / פרשת בא Next read in the Diaspora on 04 February 2017. Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1 - 13:16 Next: Parashat Beshalach / פרשת בשלח Next read in the Diaspora on 11 February 2017. Parashat Beshalach is the 16th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17 - 17:16