Free Republic

“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth’” (Matthew 6:19). You cannot pursue both God and riches. Ours is a society consumed with material things. Status, success, and importance are all too often measured by a person’s financial worth. Those with wealth flaunt it; those without wealth fake it. People often rack up huge debts in their desperate and futile pursuit of happiness through accumulating material things. Sadly, that same materialistic mind-set permeates the church. Instead of offering an alternative, that of being distinct from the world, the church joins the world in its pursuit of riches. Most tragically...

“I am Sending Timothy” - A Brief Summary of St. Paul’s Letters to the Thessalonians Msgr. Charles Pope • August 21, 2016 • In daily Mass this week (21st Week of the Year) we are reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. I thought it might be helpful to present some notes I have assembled over the years from various sources. My goal is to bring the text a bit more alive and to provide some context.Overall context – St. Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica was cut short due to persecution, and after he left he had...

“The chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city.” - Mark 11:18–19 Ezekiel 10–11, chapters that were written not long before Babylon destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C., contains a vision that revealed to Judah the inevitability of exile. For centuries, the prophets had been warning the old covenant community that their flagrant violation of God’s covenant would lead to their being taken away from the Promised Land....

"[Love] does not take into account a wrong suffered" (1 Cor. 13:5). If you love someone, you won’t keep a record of their offenses. It is reported that when the Moravian missionaries first went to the Eskimos, they couldn't find a word in their language for forgiveness. They had to combine a series of shorter words into one compound word: Issumagijoujungnainermik. Although the word appears formidable, its meaning is beautiful, being translated: "Not-being-able-to-think-about-it-anymore." You've probably noticed that unforgiving people usually have good memories. Some can hold a grudge for a lifetime. But love never keeps a record of wrongs committed...

“Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for [the Lord] Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). God promises to provide for all your needs. In World War II the death of many adults left many orphans. At the close of the war, the Allies provided some camps to feed the orphans and to try and find a place to relocate them. The children began to develop and grow, receiving the finest food and care. But in one of the camps, the...

Sober and Serious about Salvation – A Homily for the 21st Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope • August 20, 2016 • In the readings today the Lord describes a danger: our tendency to make light of judgment and not be sober that one day we must account for our actions. In the first reading the Lord sets forth His desire to save us, but we must understand that our will, our yes, is essential to our salvation. In the second reading (from the Letter to the Hebrews) Our Lord sets forth a plan whereby, having accepting Jesus,...

And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.And the four beasts had...

“Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it will be provided’” (Genesis 22:13-14). When God provides for a believer, He’s being true to His name. The Old Testament gives God many names, but one of the most lovely is Jehovah-Jireh, translated in...

"[Love] is not provoked" (1 Cor. 13:5). Self-centered anger cannot coexist with love. The great eighteenth-century preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards had a daughter with an uncontrollable temper. When a young man asked Dr. Edwards for his daughter's hand in marriage, he said no. The young man was crushed. "But I love her and she loves me," he pleaded. "That makes no difference," Edwards replied, "she isn't worthy of you." "But she is a Christian, isn't she," the young man argued. "Yes," said Edwards, "but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could...

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.(Revelation 4:2-5)After hearing the heavenly voice commanding him to “Come up here”, the apostle John has been translated...

Judging non-Catholics Seeing into the hearts of those outside the Church, the Lord will judge them by their knowledge, deeds Msgr. Charles Pope Catholic, August 28, 2016 8/17/2016 Question: How will God judge non-Catholics at the time of their death? — William Bandle, Manchester, Missouri Answer: Scripture says, “God does not see as a mortal ... The Lord looks into the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Thus, God, who knows our hearts, will judge us based on what is there. Not all have had the same opportunity to come to know the Lord, his Church and the help of the sacraments....

It is my honor and privilege to be writing two essays for Fr. Aidan Kimel’s excellent blog (I am a big fan), which I hope to be able to read it all, even those entries way over my head regarding the various ideas of classical theism as explained by Western theologians. A little bit about myself: As Fr. Thomas Hopko of blessed memory would say, “I’m not a scholar; I’m just an amateur and a lover of theology and scholarship, but not one.”1 My background is more in medicine. This essay may be a bit detail oriented, so color me...

I Got a Robe! A Teaching on One of the Most Shocking Parables Jesus Ever Told Msgr. Charles Pope • August 18, 2016 • The Gospel from Thursday’s Mass (Thursday of the 20th Week of the Year) contains one of the most shocking parables Jesus ever told. It is the Parable of the Wedding Feast from the Gospel of Matthew, and it tells the story of a king who gives a wedding banquet for his son. Most know it well, but in case you want to review it, the full text is available here: Parable of the Wedding Feast.It...

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.(Revelation 4:2-5)After hearing the heavenly voice commanding him to “Come up here”, the apostle John has been translated...

"[Love] does not seek its own" (1 Cor. 13:5). Love transforms selfish people into self-sacrificing people. From the time of Adam and Eve, replacing God with self has been at the root of all sin. Our first parents had only one restriction: "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). But Eve believed the serpent's lie that God was trying to keep her from realizing her full potential (Gen. 3:5). She ate the forbidden fruit, gave some to Adam,...

“‘Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all’” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). Trust God, who controls everyone and everything. In Daniel 6, King Darius chose 120 princes to help him govern his kingdom. Over the princes he appointed three presidents, with Daniel being the first president. The princes and other two presidents were jealous of Daniel, so they devised a scheme against him. They told the king that he should make a law requiring every person to make his requests only...

“Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.’ ” - Amos 2:1 The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution forbids the federal government from establishing a particular church as the official religion of the nation. Over time, this principle of disestablishment has come to be known on the popular level and in the language of U.S. courts as the “separation of church and state.” In many ways, it has served the country well, for it has tended...

I'm looking for a good commentary book to go with the NIV bible. I like the Standard Lesson Commentary series, but it jumps around too much for me. Any suggestions would be appreciated. And any larger-print suggestions would be doubly appreciated!

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.(Revelation 4:1-2)The revelation given to the apostle John,begins with “the things that are…”. That would be the temporal situation of the church; despised and rejected like her Lord, struggling with temptation, persecution, false doctrine, false prophets,...

"[Love] does not act unbecomingly" (1 Cor. 13:5). Considerate behavior demonstrates godly love and adds credibility to your witness. When I was a young child, I loved to slurp my soup. I didn't see any harm in it even though my parents constantly objected. Then one evening I ate with someone who slurped his soup. He was having a great time but I didn't enjoy my meal very much. Then I realized that proper table manners are one way of showing consideration for others. It says, "I care about you and don't want to do anything that might disrupt your...