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Pilgrims who visit next Easter will be able to see the extraordinary work that has been done to the roof, walls and 900-year-old mosaics.BETHLEHEM — Christians planning on making a Holy Land pilgrimage — for many, a once-in-a-lifetime journey — may want to wait until Easter 2017, when the scaffolding used to restore the ancient Church of the Nativity is expected to come down. While the $15-million repair, conservation and restoration of the church, which is revered as the site of Jesus’ birth, will not be absolutely completed for another couple of years, due to a funding gap, pilgrims who...

The old Stav system. An old martial art system using staff with the stances of the younger futhark runes.

A Parable to Ponder - Why Does God Permit Disability? Msgr. Charles Pope • June 16, 2016 • Photo Credit: Jaclyn Lipplemann, Catholic StandardAllow me to begin with a simple parable. Every now and then I take a perfectly good paper clip and untwist it, reconfiguring it for some other purpose. Once, I used them to hang Christmas ornaments on my tree. Another time I fashioned a paperclip into a hook to keep my broken file drawer from rolling open. Now if paperclips could see or think, they might be horrified and saddened to see a fellow paperclip so...

The documentary "Liberating a Continent" is a subtly provocative refutation of what our secularized elites believe about what truly drives history and how Christianity impacts the world. Next month, the Catholic world’s eyes will for one week focus on Poland, as millions of pilgrims will celebrate World Youth Day with Pope Francis. This is the perfect time to get to know the country’s Catholic heritage. The many contributions of Poland and its native son Pope St. John Paul II include unleashing a revolution of the spirit that showed that the Soviet empire was based on an anthropological lie. This story...

Accepting the Disabled in a World Obsessed with Physical Perfection Msgr. Charles Pope • June 15, 2016 • Photo Credit: Jaclyn Lipplemann, Catholic StandardAs mentioned in yesterday’s post, Pope Francis recently lamented the obsession of modern society with perfect bodies. Although our first thought on contemplating this might be cosmetics and plastic surgery, he was actually speaking about our increasing rejection of the disabled and the sick. This rejection is perhaps most sadly evidenced by the fact that more than 90% of unborn children with a “poor prenatal diagnosis” are aborted. Perhaps the parents are informed that their child...

The Mystery of Holy Saturday Its Spiritual Significance Introduction : One could say that the "Shroud" is the Icon of this mystery, the Icon of Holy Saturday. Indeed, it is a winding - sheet that was wrapped round the body of a man who was crucified, corresponding in every way to what the Gospels tell us of Jesus Christ who was crucified at about noon, died at about 3.00 in the afternoon. At nightfall, since it was "Parasceve" that is the eve of Holy Saturday, Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and authoritative member of the Sanhedrin, courageously asked Pontius Pilate...

Letting Go of Our Obsession with Having the Perfect Body Msgr. Charles Pope • June 14, 2016 • The Pope’s recent remarks about the obsession with having the perfect body were intended as a commentary on the rejection by some of the dignity and quality of life of the disabled. I will be writing more on that topic tomorrow. Today, however, permit me some musings on the obsession that many of us have with achieving the perfect body ourselves.Let me start by saying (with all the good humor I can summon) that I do not have a perfect body....

In the Gospel of Luke, one of the major signs Jesus mentions as preceding His return (aside from earthquakes, wars, and signs in the heavens) is that "nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea" (Luke 21:25).  I think that all of these record breaking hurricanes and cyclones over the past few years may play a part in the fulfillment of this prophecy.  Just in the last decade or so we've seen the most powerful, costliest, and unique cyclones on record.  In addition there was the massive December 2004 tsunami in the Indian...

If You Don’t Know the Bad News, the Good News Is No News Msgr. Charles Pope • June 13, 2016 • Following up on Sunday’s Gospel, I would like to propose the following reflection. There was a woman who was so moved by Jesus’ mercy that she wept for joy and showed extravagant, grateful love. Are we that way? Too often we are not. And as Jesus pointed out, a big reason for that is that we do not understand the magnitude of our sin. We miss the greatness of God’s mercy; we lack gratitude for what He has...

Fifty years on, we publish a translation of the CDF’s 'Clarification' and 'Ordinance' regarding Paul VI’s Integrae ServandaeIn establishing the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Integrae Servandae, Pope Paul VI gave the congregation the duty of “carefully examin[ing] books that have been reported”, etc., but he made no mention of the status of the Index of Prohibited Books.[1] The following clarification by the CDF of Paul VI’s intention, issued in response to queries received, stated that the Index with its associated penalties would no longer be in force; however, the point of the Index, the safeguarding of...

St. Anthony of Padua, Servant of the Gospel By: Jeanne Kun "Let Works of Mercy Be Our Delight"> Stories abound about the extraordinary events coloring the life of St. Anthony of Padua, the “wonder-worker.” Fish are said to have listened to him preach, their heads attentively raised out of the river, when the hard of heart refused to heed his words. A donkey knelt reverently before the Blessed Sacrament, convincing heretics who had challenged Anthony on Christ’s presence in the host. A severed foot was reportedly rejoined to its owner’s leg when Anthony blessed it. Statues depicting Anthony with the...

He didn’t pretend he could tell the future. No. He was much too wise for that. As a matter of fact, he tempered his initial remarks with this disclaimer,“Let us, therefore, be cautious in our prognostications. What St. Augustine said is still true: man is an abyss; what will rise out of these depths, no one can see in advance. And whoever believes that the Church is not only determined by the abyss that is man, but reaches down into the greater, infinite abyss that is God, will be the first to hesitate with his predictions, for this naïve...

Why Was Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves? Msgr. Charles Pope • June 12, 2016 • There is a bit of puzzlement at the following question: Why was Christ crucified between two thieves? It might make one wonder why one would ask this question at all. Perhaps one could also ask why the Passion was on a Friday, or, why Jesus died at 3:00 PM instead of 4:00 PM. These sorts of questions could go on forever.Nevertheless, some of the best insights come from pondering seemingly insignificant questions. Seldom do the Gospel writers and the Holy Spirit provide a detail...

Jesus Christ, the Man Jesus Christ may be the most famous man who ever lived. But how do we know he did? Most theological historians, Christian and non-Christian alike, believe that Jesus really did walk the Earth. They draw that conclusion from textual evidence in the Bible, however, rather than from the odd assortment of relics parading as physical evidence in churches all over Europe.That's because, from fragments of text written on bits of parchment to overly abundant chips of wood allegedly salvaged from his crucifix, none of the physical evidence of Jesus' life and death hold up to scientific...

In his latest Facebook post, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks urges his legion of fans to see the documentary film “Chuck Norris vs. Communism.” Directed by Ilinca Calugareanu, the film is set in 1980s Romania, under the rule of the notorious Nicolae Ceausescu. It is a testament, Hanks suggested, of “The power of film! To change the world.” Well, film played a role in the transformation of Romania from the communist state it was during Ceausescu’s 22-year reign of repression to the free, democratic society it is today. But it was the power of God that toppled Ceausescu’s...

Always Remember- A Homily for the 11th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • June 11, 2016 • Every now and then some will suggest that the Church should speak less of sin and instead emphasize positive things. After all, it is said that one can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. In that vein, we in the Church have been collectively de-emphasizing sin to a large degree for more than forty years. And in spite of the saying, our churches have been getting emptier and emptier. Maybe this is because people are just a little...

Explaining disasters While the loss of life stemming from tragedies is heartbreaking, we can’t fully understand God’s plan Msgr. Charles Pope May 29, 2016 Question: Given God’s mercy, how do we explain devastating earthquakes and other natural disasters? It certainly tests our faith!— Gerald Olesen, Fortuna, California Answer: Part of the answer we must accept is that we cannot really know the full answer since there is so much we don’t see or understand. This was the basic answer God gave Job, who asked the meaning of suffering in his own life. In effect, God challenged Job to explain...

Adam Lived to Be 900? Maybe, but Our Shorter Life Spans Tell Us More Than We Might Like to Admit Msgr. Charles Pope • June 9, 2016 • I sometimes get questions about the remarkably long lives of the patriarchs who lived before the great flood. Consider some of their reported ages when they died: Adam 930Seth 912Enosh 905Jared 962Methuselah 969Noah 600Shem 600Eber 464Abraham 175Moses 120David 70 How should we understand these references? There are many theories that have tried to explain the claimed longevity. Some propose a mathematical corrective, but this leads to other inconsistencies such as certain...

It’s Time to Shine or It’ll Be Over Soon - A Meditation on Being Called the Light of the World Msgr. Charles Pope • June 8, 2016 • In the Gospel yesterday (Tuesday of the 10th week) the Lord describes what a Christian is and what He expects of us. He uses two different metaphors: salt and light. Yesterday’s post considered the metaphor of salt.Today let’s consider the metaphor of light. The Lord says,You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it...

Salt or Bust! A Consideration of the Lord’s Uncompromising Stance in Calling Us the Salt of the Earth Msgr. Charles Pope • June 7, 2016 • In the Gospel today (Tuesday of the 10th week) the Lord describes metaphorically what a Christian is and what He expects of us.You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the World … But if salt goes flat it is good for nothing … No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket.Note the metaphor of salt: You are either salt, or you are nothing—in fact,...