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America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 23, 2008                                  Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jer 1:1, 4-10 The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to me thus: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I dedicated you,a prophet to the nations I appointed you.“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,(I know not how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD answered me,Say not, “I am too...

SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI told pilgrims at the Youth Day closing Mass not to fear a call to the priesthood or consecrated life. One statistic indicates his words fell on fertile soil: An average of 2,500 pilgrims an hour visited the Vocations Expo in Sydney. This and other statistics reveal the most spiritual and the most simple aspects of the 23rd World Youth Day, which concluded Sunday. More than 400,000 people attended the closing Mass. And 500,000 welcomed the Pope to Sydney for his official arrival on Thursday. The number of international and local pilgrims was...

Tel Aviv- A tree blessed eight years ago by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Holy Land was the only one in its plot of land to produce olives this year, a Jewish National Fund official said. "It is a miracle," Yossi Karni from the JNF, which maintains the plot, told local media. During a visit to northern Israel, near the Sea of Galilee, John Paul blessed a tree that was planted on the Mount of Beatitudes, where according to Christian beliefs Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount. Karni noted that all the trees on the...

July 22, 2008                                  Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 Shepherd your people with your staff,the flock of your inheritance,That dwells apart in a woodland,in the midst of Carmel.Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,as in the days of old;As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guiltand pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;Who does not persist in anger forever,but delights rather in clemency,And will...

ASIA/CHINA - Bishop Joseph Jiang Mingyuan passes away: clergy, religious, and laity of Zhaoxian remember him as a zealous priest and a holy pastor, a resplendent example of faithful and sincere witness to the Lord and His Church, even in times of hardship Biancun (Agenzia Fides) – On July 13, at 77 years of age, His Excellency Joseph Jiang Mingyuan, Bishop of Chaohsien (Zhaoxian) and Administrator of Xingtai, in the Province of Hebei (continental China), passed away at 3:30 am at the residence for elderly clergy in Biancun. In December 2004, he suffered his first stroke, from which he was...

July 21, 2008                                     Monday of the Sixteenth Week                                      in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Mi 6:1-4, 6-8 Hear what the LORD says:Arise, present your plea before the mountains,and let the hills hear your voice!Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,pay attention, O foundations of the earth!For the LORD has a plea against his people,and he enters into trial with Israel. O my people, what have I done to you,or how have I wearied you? Answer me!For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,from the...

Father, we come before You thanking You for every time You use us, another being, an event or occurance to stop even one child from being aborted. Father we praise Your name and rejoice when the TRUTH is told and Your LIGHT shines forth in the darkness! Lord, thank You for bringing the voices of the post-abortives forth to speak Your TRUTH. Bless Dan and Julie Zanoza for sharing their story and their truth with those who will listen or read it. Give them and others the courage to stand up and be heard. May those words go forth to...

Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2008 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" Matthew 18:20 For some time, through FReepmail, several FReepers have provided each other with a way to share prayer requests and praises. Now that the Non-denominational category has been established, we are offering a weekly thread in which posts of your requests and praises are welcome. Anyone, regardless of denomination, is welcome to bring their concerns here. The one thing that we hope to establish here, is that at a set time on Sunday evening, 11:00 p.m....

July 20, 2008                                     Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Wis 12:13, 16-19 There is no god besides you who have the care of all,that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.For your might is the source of justice;your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,and with much lenience you govern us;for...

With WYD's grand finale shortly to come -- the climactic closing liturgy at Randwick (vidstreams and Missal) begins at 10am local (2300GMT, 7pm ET Saturday) -- in one of the week's many nods to Australia's indigenous community, topping the stage at the major events has been a popular Aboriginal rendering of the Holy Spirit known as "Marjorie's Bird." Now, with the design about to take on an even bigger visibility as a key element of the specially-designed vestments for tomorrow's liturgy, Marjorie Liddy, the Tiwi islander behind the image (who never painted before seeing its outline in the sky...

Dear Young People,   What a delight it is to greet you here at Barangaroo, on the shores of the magnificent Sydney harbour, with its famous bridge and Opera House. Many of you are local, from the outback or the dynamic multicultural communities of Australian cities. Others of you have come from the scattered islands of Oceania, and others still from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Some of you, indeed, have come from as far as I have, Europe! Wherever we are from, we are here at last in Sydney. And together we stand in our world...

July 19, 2008                                     Saturday of the Fifteenth Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Mi 2:1-5 Woe to those who plan iniquity,and work out evil on their couches;In the morning light they accomplish itwhen it lies within their power.They covet fields, and seize them;houses, and they take them;They cheat an owner of his house,a man of his inheritance.Therefore thus says the LORD:Behold, I am planning against this race an evilfrom which you shall not withdraw your necks;Nor shall...

Sydney, Jul. 18, 2008 (CWNews.com) - A shadow fell over the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations in Sydney, Australia, on July 18 when the Australian Cardinal Edward Cassidy was rushed to the hospital. The 84-year-old Cardinal Cassidy, a native of Sydney, was a longtime member of the Vatican diplomatic corps. From 1989 to 2001 he served as president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. Cardinal Cassidy was reportedly hospitalized with a heart problem. At a Thursday meeting with other Christian leaders, Pope Benedict asked for prayers for the prelate's recovery. Cardinal Cassidy had originally been scheduled to take part...

Stumbling to my feet amidst this show of inspiration, Crumbling to the earth in chunks of ebony; sublime! Wonder fills my senses with divine anticipation… Peeking through the twilight; blankets laced with starry night, ______________________________________________________ Like an orange flower blooming out of just a notion, Gentle beams of sunlight soon initiate the stream, Before you know it, floods of light come streaming like an ocean The sea lay there before me basking in its radiant beam ______________________________________________________ What do I owe this pleasure? To the gods of here or there? Or to a Heavenly Father who created all we see,...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

Romans 9 : 33 As it is written: “ Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'. They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too. For those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer)...

July 18, 2008                                     Friday of the Fifteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 When Hezekiah was mortally ill,the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him:“Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order,for you are about to die; you shall not recover.”Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD: “O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedlyI conducted myself in your presence,doing what was pleasing to you!”And...

If you and your church are called by His Name, you qualify!! Our goal is, at the very least, one church in each state! Will your church represent your state? We are coming together as Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals and any Bible believing church to to get on our faces, fast, pray and seek God for our families, cities and nation! It was once a common thing in our early nation for our Presidents to call us together for a time of prayer and fasting! Each church is free to organize their fast as they choose! Each church is encouraged to...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 17, 2008                                     Thursday of the Fifteenth Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 The way of the just is smooth;the path of the just you make level.Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,we look to you;Your name and your titleare the desire of our souls.My soul yearns for you in the night,yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;When your judgment dawns upon the earth,the world’s inhabitants learn justice.O LORD,...

SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 16, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Sydney says that World Youth Day is helping to restore a key element for the life of the Church -- the sacrament of reconciliation. To this end, Cardinal George Pell has made sure the sacrament is readily available in the host city this week. Priests, who received with their accreditation a schedule for hearing confessions, are located throughout the city in real and makeshift confessionals. You see them under the trees of the Domain, around the waters of Darling Harbor and in the alcoves of every city church. Notre Dame University...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 16, 2008                                 Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 10:5-7, 13b-16 Thus says the LORD:Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,my staff in wrath.Against an impious nation I send him,and against a people under my wrath I order himTo seize plunder, carry off loot,and tread them down like the mud of the streets.But this is not what he intends,nor does he have this in mind;Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,to make...

Brother and Sisters, let us pray: Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Sacred Host, offered for the salvation of sinners, Have mercy on us. Sacred Host, annihilated on the altar for us and by us,  Have mercy on us. Sacred Host, despised by lukewarm Christians,  Have mercy on...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 15, 2008                                     Memorial of Saint Bonaventure,                                      bishop and doctor of the Church       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 7:1-9 In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,Rezin, king of Aram,and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,went up to attack Jerusalem,but they were not able to conquer it.When word came to the house of David that Aramwas encamped in Ephraim,the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind. Then the...

...Eloise and John, 70, had recently moved into their own house on a gated farm in Kenya, where they grow food for local children. They were working with the non-profit organization Hope for the Nations, based in Kelowna, B.C. The Bergens' lives have long focused on their faith. John said he first fell in love with Eloise after watching her perform with her family band at his church as a teenager. While in college, he befriended Eloise's professor parents, and before long, asked her hand in marriage. They became ministers together in 1962, and married in 1964. The retired couple...

SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- World Youth Day is already bringing converts to the Catholic Church, and it hasn't even started yet. Sydney's Polish-Catholic community World Youth Day coordinator, 24-year-old Basia Slusarczyk, explained to ZENIT that her non-Catholic boyfriend is participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. His conversion was triggered by the experience of praying with her for the fruits of World Youth Day. "He is attending World Youth Day with me and I hope the week of events and the solidarity with so many Catholics from around the world will make him proud to be...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" Matthew 18:20 For some time, through FReepmail, several FReepers have provided each other with a way to share prayer requests and praises. Now that the Non-denominational category has been established, we are offering a weekly thread in which posts of your requests and praises are welcome. Anyone, regardless of denomination, is welcome to bring their concerns here. The one thing that we hope to establish here, is that at a set time on Sunday evening, 11:00 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, 10:00...

July 14, 2008                                 Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha,                             virgin       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 1:10-17 Hear the word of the LORD,princes of Sodom!Listen to the instruction of our God,people of Gomorrah!What care I for the number of your sacrifices?says the LORD.I have had enough of whole-burnt ramsand fat of fatlings;In the blood of calves, lambs and goatsI find no pleasure. When you come in to visit me,who asks these things of you?Trample my courts no more!Bring no more worthless offerings;your incense is...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 13, 2008                                     Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 55:10-11 Thus says the LORD:Just as from the heavensthe rain and snow come downand do not return theretill they have watered the earth,making it fertile and fruitful,giving seed to the one who sowsand bread to the one who eats,so shall my word bethat goes forth from my mouth;my word shall not return to me void,but shall do my will,achieving the end for which I sent it. Responsorial PsalmPs 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14 R. (Lk...

Q. Scripture says there is ONE mediator between God and man in I Tim 2:5. Aren’t Catholics going against scripture by praying to Mary and the saints?A. No. Jesus as God/Man is the ONE mediator between God and Man. Mary and all the saints are human beings. God of course is God and Jesus is BOTH. So, He is the Mediator between God and Man. Mary and the Saints and all Christians living and dead are a part of the Body of Christ. When we “pray to the saints� we are merely asking for their intercession.If we forbid “praying...

After my grandfather’s funeral, my mother and my aunt (her sister, my godmother) gave me my grandfather’s 1952 Saint Joseph Sunday Missal (�A simplified arrangement of praying the Mass on all Sundays and Feast Days with A Treasury of Prayers“) It is rather dog-eared from 6 decades of use - my grandfather continued to take it to Sunday Mass well after the implemenatation of the Pauline Rite so he could say the prayers in the back before and after Mass.Looking through it, I came across the following prayer: Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Most...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 12, 2008                                 Saturday of the Fourteenth Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 6:1-8 In the year King Uzziah died,I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,with the train of his garment filling the temple.Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:with two they veiled their faces,with two they veiled their feet,and with two they hovered aloft. They cried one to the other,“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!All the earth...

2 Samuel 22: 29-31 For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

Generations of recovering alcoholics, soldiers, weary parents, exploited workers and just about anybody feeling beaten down by life have found solace in a short prayer that begins, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.� Now the Serenity Prayer is about to endure a controversy over its authorship that is likely to be anything but serene. For more than 70 years, the composer of the prayer was thought to be the Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, one of modern Christianity’s towering figures. Niebuhr, who died in 1971, said he was quite sure he had written it, and...

July 11, 2008                                 Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;you have collapsed through your guilt.Take with you words,and return to the LORD;Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,and receive what is good, that we may renderas offerings the bullocks from our stalls.Assyria will not save us,nor shall we have horses to mount;We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’to the work of our hands;for in you the orphan finds compassion.”I will heal their defection, says the...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

On June 6, Martin Burnham, an American missionary, died in a battle between his Islamic kidnappers and Filipino troops sent to rescue him. Burnham, thus, becomes the newest member of what the Te Deum, an ancient hymn, calls "the white-robe army of the martyrs" -- an army that, according to a recent estimate, is a staggering 70 million strong. But what's even more staggering is that, according to the same estimate, 45 million, or two-thirds of all Christian martyrs, died in the twentieth century. These estimates are contained in a new book, The New Persecuted: Inquiries into Anti-Christian Intolerance in...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history 2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then...

July 10, 2008                                     Thursday of the Fourteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9 Thus says the LORD:When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son.The more I called them,the farther they went from me,Sacrificing to the Baalsand burning incense to idols.Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,who took them in my arms;I drew them with human cords,with bands of love;I fostered them like onewho raises an infant...

July 9, 2008                             Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 Israel is a luxuriant vinewhose fruit matches its growth.The more abundant his fruit,the more altars he built;The more productive his land,the more sacred pillars he set up.Their heart is false,now they pay for their guilt;God shall break down their altarsand destroy their sacred pillars.If they would say,“We have no king”—Since they do not fear the LORD,what can the king do for them? The...

Today is a little different. I am not writing something specifically for the PROLIFE, but it is a request going out to everyone. The effects of this praying will touch the country, the prolife issues, the troops, everything that our country stands for. Please consider what is written below. It was sent to me by a dear friend, and I agree with the power it will have. This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced, and from the looks of the polls,the Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees. Do you...

PHOENIX, Arizona, JULY 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- For many who have left the Catholic Church, there is often a great desire to come home. However, fear and guilt often lead many to put off the gnawing decision to return to the Church. Not knowing where to turn, many who were once faithful feel lost and ashamed. Tom Peterson, founder of Catholicscomehome.org, has found television and the Internet to be just the place to reach out to those wishing to come back to the Church. Earlier this year Peterson tested his methods and ideas using an advertising campaign geared toward the 3.5...