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Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.(Isaiah 52:13-15)Israel has been awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Over the centuries, the Hebrew prophets described him through the Spirit of the LORD. He would...

(AP) - The Archdiocese of Chicago expects to close an undetermined number of parishes in coming years due largely to a shortage of priests. Archbishop Blase Cupich outlined a "multi-year planning process" in a column in this week's archdiocesan newsletter, Catholic New World. He says "demographics have shifted dramatically" in recent decades, buildings are in disrepair and fewer priests means resources are spread too thinly. Cupich says by the time the process is complete "we will mourn together the loss of some parishes."

An Open Letter to Independent Baptist Pastors in the Indiana 9th Congressional District. February 3, 2016 (Revised) Our Christian Daughters Potentially Subject to Selective Service Registration Dear Pastors: At some point you will have to develop a genuine conviction from the Scriptures on issues related to (1) Christian women serving in the Armed Forces; (2) Christian women serving in combat roles; (3) Christian women being required by federal law to register for Selective Service (register for the draft). American women have pushed their “rights” to serve in military functions alongside men, including in combat roles, to the point that now...

Cardinal Robert Sarah has the quiet authority to stand up to Western ideologyGod or Nothing by Cardinal Robert Sarah, Ignatius, £12.99I would bet that many Catholics in the West had not heard of Cardinal Sarah of Guinea before the family synod in October. Then his name kept cropping up, dispelling the disquiet many of us felt over the Church, when we heard his voice: strong, wise and confidently Catholic. It has become a cliche to survey the Church worldwide, note the moral turmoil in Europe alongside its decreasing populations, and then suggest that it might be Africa's turn to take...

It's Friday, but Sunday Is Coming! As Seen in Life and in a Powerful Video Msgr. Charles Pope -- February 5, 2016 -- Some years ago in a previous parish assignment (St. Thomas More, in Washington D.C.) I was accustomed to taking a Friday afternoon walk in order to focus on my Sunday homily. At the beginning of the walk I'd often stop by the house of an elderly parishioner, Ms. Lillian, and give her Communion. Her mind was beginning to fail and it was difficult for her to get to Church.In mild weather she would often be out...

In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence he hates with a passion. On the...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Character Studies From The Bible Paul (Paul's First Letter to The Corinthians) 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating...

"'There is no one holy like the Lord'" (1 Samuel 2:2). God's holiness means He transcends everything else and is completely righteous and separated from evil. Holiness is arguably God's most significant attribute. The angels don't sing, "Eternal, eternal, eternal" or "Faithful, faithful, faithful" or "Mighty, mighty, mighty." Rather, they sing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty" (Rev. 4:8; compare Isa. 6:3). His holiness sums up all He is. The psalmist says, "Holy and awesome is His name" (Ps. 111:9). Moses sings, "Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like Thee, majestic in...

"To all the saints in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). Every Christian is a saint. Many people think of saints as men and women who are especially holy or who have been canonized by an official church body. Usually only those who have been long dead and have extraordinary religious accomplishments to their credit qualify. God, however, has a different perspective on sainthood. Paul called the Corinthian believers saints (1 Cor. 1:2) then went on for many chapters correcting their sinful practices. He called the Roman, Ephesian, and Colossian believers saints but they weren't perfect either. What then qualifies someone as...

February 6, 2016 Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Reading 1 1 Kgs 3:4-13 Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,because that was the most renowned high place.Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you."Solomon answered:"You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David,because he behaved faithfully toward you,with justice and an upright heart;and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today,seating a son of his on his throne.O...

The Call of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and AlmsgivingThomas Moses For many Eastern Christians, Lent is embraced as a time for the renewal of repentance, fervent seeking after God, and increased love and concern for our neighbor. After a few weeks of preparation for Lent (also known as the Great Fast) we begin this period of bright sorrow, a forty day period leading up to Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and finally Pascha, Easter, or the Feast of all Feasts.I say bright sorrow because joy and sorrow are kept in tension. We experience sorrow because of the suffering endured by our Lord...

A Delaware superior court judge has questioned the constitutionality of a state law that protects the secrecy of sacramental confession. State law mandates the reporting of suspected child abuse except in cases covered by the attorney-client privilege and conversations "between priest and penitent in sacramental confession." Ruling in a case involving the failure of elders of the Jehovah's Witnesses to report child abuse, Judge Mary M. Johnston said that if "priest," "penitent," and "sacramental confession" are interpreted narrowly, then the law is unconstitutional because its "effect would be to advance certain religions over others."

The Church of England and the Church of Scotland have agreed to the Columba Declaration, an ecumenical statement that calls for closer cooperation between the two bodies and permits clergy to minister in one another's churches. The Church of England is the Anglican body in England and Wales; the Church of Scotland, founded by John Knox, is Presbyterian. The Columba Declaration has led to objections from the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in Scotland, whose primate questioned whether the Church of England has overstepped its bounds in making the agreement.

Turkey reinstated its ambassador to the Holy See because of the wording of a recent Vatican statement, according to the Turkish foreign ministry. Turkey recalled its ambassador in April after Pope Francis, quoting St. John Paul II, said that the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire "is generally referred to as the first genocide of the twentieth century." At the conclusion of Pope Francis's February 3 general audience, Rinaldo Mirmara, a historian and president of Caritas Turkey, presented the Pope with a copy of his new history of the Battle of the Dardanelles (1657), which took place during...

Over the past several months, the leader of an independent church movement called the "Catholic Church of the East," the former Archbishop Ramzi Mussalam, has begun a remarkable transition: to bring his entire movement, of over 60 parishes, into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). The former archbishop was received into the Orthodox Church and ordained a deacon and priest with the encouragement and blessing and by the hand of Metropolitan Hilarion, ROCOR’s First Hierarch. The former archbishop is now Hieromonk Elias. Father Elias grew up in the Scranton area of Pennsylvania as a communicant of the Polish...

Transgender baptisms are to be offered for the first time in the UK by a church in Greater Manchester. The New Chapel Unitarian and Free Christian in Denton, Tameside, agreed the move at its annual general meeting. Jean Clements, the church's worship leader, proposed the change after meeting a couple who had a transgender child. The church was moved to make a change in order to help those in the same situation.

Oh Troubler, why do you trouble us? We had just talked to you, we thought you were doing better… Why did you take your eyes off of Him who comes to us in the midst of every storm? What did you see, when you gazed at the Babylonian garment? What misery was so great that you were willing to sell out, just to relieve it? Did it work? Are you better now? Now, we who love you are miserable? Wouldn’t it be better to suffer than to sin? Which is worse, suffering or sin? Which is the cause and which...

The top court of India is re-evaluating a law deeming homosexual acts punishable with prison time-- and the Catholic archbishop of Bombay is encouraging the move. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, and known to be gay-friendly, has come out "in favor of decriminalization of Section 377" of the Indian Penal Code, which declares homosexual acts as "against the order of nature." The supreme court in New Delhi is setting up a panel to re-examine a 2013 ruling that declared only the Indian parliament could repeal the colonial-era law prohibiting the country's citizens from openly engaging in a homosexual lifestyle....

The Mystery of Iniquity -- A Meditation on the Mystery of Rebelliousness Msgr. Charles Pope February 4, 2016 Man who found exitThere is a phrase in the Scriptures that, while speaking of mystery, is itself a bit mysterious and is debated among scholars: the "mystery of iniquity." St. Paul mentions it in Second Thessalonians and ties it to an equally mysterious "man of iniquity" who will appear before the Second Coming of Jesus. Many modern translations (accurately) render it as the "mystery of lawlessness" but that has less of a ring to it.The Latin root of the English word...

The pursuit of happiness is to enter into obedience and not leave. Many of My children are doing their own thing which truly has nothing to do with My Kingdom or The Father's will and in such manner have heaped upon themselves coals of futility weighing themselves down with yokes of bondage. However where My Spirit is there is freedom and in this place you will find My Vessels filled from My Spring of Life within them for there is a well flowing freely that need not be dug again. . . 2 Corinthians 3:17 17 Now the Lord is...