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Let me begin by applauding your desire to know GodÂ’s will; this is often a sign of spiritual health. God guides those who are willing to follow. When it comes to knowing GodÂ’s will, more often than not, unless itÂ’s written in His word, there are no specific answers. For instance, the Bible doesnÂ’t say who to marry or where to work, but it does offer important principles that lead you in the right direction. However, there are other areas that are clearly GodÂ’s will for our lives: to be saved and to worship Him, to be holy and set...

"This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment" (Phil. 1:9). Christian love operates within the parameters of Biblical knowledge and spiritual discernment. As a Christian, you are a repository of divine love. More than anything else, your love for God and for other believers marks you as a true disciple of Jesus Christ (John 13:35). In addition to possessing God's love, you have the privilege and responsibility of expressing it to others on His behalf. That's a sacred trust. Paul qualifies it in Philippians 1:9, which tells us love is...

“‘The Lord, the Lord God, [is] compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth’” (Exodus 34:6). God’s grace is His undeserved favor shown to sinners. God’s grace has always been a focus of praise for believers. Today’s verse is quoted several times in the Psalms and elsewhere in Scripture (for example, Neh. 9:17, 31; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8). Paul is grateful for God’s abundant grace in 1 Timothy 1:14, and John writes, “For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Today some of our favorite hymns are “Amazing Grace,” “Marvelous...

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he...

"This I pray" (Phil. 1:9). Your prayers reveal the level of your spiritual maturity. As we come to our study of godliness in Philippians 1:9-11, we note that this passage is a prayer. Typically, Paul's prayers reflected his concern that his readers would mature spiritually. That is impossible without prayer because spiritual growth depends on the Holy Spirit's power, which is tapped through prayer. Prayer is so vital that Jesus instructed His disciples to pray at all times (Luke 18:1). Paul commands us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Peter said we should be "of sound judgment and sober...

“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life’” (John 3:16). God’s love is vicarious and sacrificial. Today we continue a short study of a topic that brings joy to every Christian: God’s love. Both Paul and John call His love “great” (Eph. 2:4; 1 John 3:1), because only great love would provide such a sacrifice as God did in Christ. We have already seen that God’s love is unconditional, unrequited, and righteous. God’s love is also vicarious; it bears the pain of others....

The unavoidable truth is that many are becoming desensitized. When the Holy Spirit no longer fills hearts and minds with a passion for purity and holiness, there is a general lack of conviction. Compromise in this area can be well-illustrated through a story I heard years ago. Eskimos in the barren North often kill wolves by taking a razor-sharp knife and dipping it in blood. They allow the blood to freeze to the blade. Then they bury the handle of the knife in the snow with the blade exposed. As the wolf begins to lick the blade, his tongue becomes...

Grace of the Spirit The key difference in people of the Old and New Testaments is that the Holy Spirit now dwells in us Msgr. Charles Pope Question: I was asked the other day how people who lived in Old Testament times were really any different from New Testament Christians. We seem just as sinful and foolish, but also as virtuous as they were. I did not know how to answer this. What is the basic difference?— Stewart Johnson, via email Answer: The essential difference is grace. The Prophet Ezekiel records God’s promise to ancient Israel: “I will sprinkle clean...

How can we help our loved ones who have departed this life? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) talks about the commemoration of the dead.      According to Orthodox teaching, through the prayers of the Church the dead can receive relief or freedom from their punishments beyond the grave. “Anyone who wishes to show his love for those who have died and give them real help can do this in the best way by praying for them, and especially by commemoration at the Liturgy, when a particle removed [from the prosphora, or communion bread] for the living and the dead is immersed in...

Crux having a bit of fun: “Since Francis is in continuity with tradition, his critics aren’t”Benedict XVI, in his latest book interview with Peter Seewald, admits himself that he was on the so-called “progressive” side during Vatican II, and the accusations of modernism and heresy against their side was abundant. He personally was accused of heresy after his article “New pagans and the Church,” and his bishop, Cardinal Joseph Wendel, wanted to block his appointment as a professor in Bonn for the same reason. In the end, the biggest blessing probably is to have Benedict still alive and able to...

February 17, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Asked about the confusion in the Church today stemming directly from Pope Francis and how the faithful are to respond, a prominent Catholic bishop has said Catholics do not owe blind obedience to the Pope, adding that blind obedience is characteristic of a ‘dictatorship,’ not the Church. Kazakhstan Bishop Athanasius Schneider, one of the most prolific voices in the Church today seeking to defend the Catholic faith from anti-life and anti-family distortion, made the remarks in an interview with Rorate Caeli and Adelante la Fe. “As Catholics,” he said we have “to be submitted, (canonically)...

As you may remember, some months ago Pope Francis saw to the creation of a group to study the question of female deacons (aka deaconesses, aka deaconettes). Last November, when the group met for the first time, I wrote: “Their slow march to the vanishing point has begun.” Perhaps that march won’t be so slow after all. I saw an interesting story at the German language site Kathnet. Gerhard Ludwig Card. Müller, Prefect of the CDF, isn’t encouraging the proponents of the ordination of women. Kardinal Müller, Präfekt der Glaubenskongregation, im Interview mit der „Rheinischen Post“: Bischofs-, Priester- und Diakonenweihe...

Article referenced in ‘It gives the feeling of a schism’: EWTN panel analyzes current ‘disaster’ in the Church posted by NYer. It was easily predictable that the Amoris Laetitia (particularly footnote 351), would lead to jarring assaults on the Church’s doctrinal unity – even by some of the Church’s own shepherds. Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, has just joined the ranks of prelates who say that Pope Francis has authorized giving Holy Communion to those in adulterous second “marriages.” Coccopalmerio even extends this permission to others living in sexual relationships apart from marriage in...

In his column this week, George Weigel writes that “it cannot be the case that a grave sin in Poland is a source of grace two kilometers across the border in Germany.” The point is that the Church is universal, and ecclesial division ruptures our communion with Christ. There is only one problem with the argument: What is a grave sin in one place can, most certainly, be an occasion of grace in another.St. Patrick’s Day, the great high feast of Irish-Catholic Americans, falls on a Lenten Friday this year. On such Fridays, Catholics are obliged to abstain from...

LENEXA, Kansas, February 17, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The façade of Cardinal Raymond Burke as a boogeyman of tradition projected by his critics and the media was nowhere to be found last Friday when he gave his usual clear witness to the Catholic faith before an overflow crowd in the Kansas City area. Cardinal Burke delivered a stirring, clear message on defending the Catholic faith amid the current confusion in the Church that was embraced with resounding gratitude by more than 1,500 who flocked to St. James Catholic Academy. Many had come from various parts of Kansas and surrounding states...

Additional detail to OnePeterFive's article posted by ebb tide on the 9th at The Pontifical Academy for Life Currently Has No Members [Catholic Caucus] . February 17, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The Pontifical Academy for Life, long a bastion of orthodoxy within the Vatican, now has no members and is effectively shut down after Pope Francis’ recent reform of the institution. The pope issued new statutes for the Academy on October 18, and removed all of its members. “All members’ terms ended on December 31, 2016; currently the Academy is waiting for the new appointments,” Fr. Andrea Ciucci, a staff member...

Cardinal Müller said that nobody could alter the way the sacraments work. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, has said that local bishops cannot reinterpet Church teaching subjectively.In an interview with the German magazine Rheinische Post, Cardinal Müller said it was “not his style” to criticise publications by bishops. However, he added, “I do not think it is particularly beneficial for each individual bishop to comment on papal documents to explain how he subjectively understands the document.”In recent weeks, the bishops of Malta and Germany have issued guidelines permitting Communion for the remarried. The Maltese bishops said that it might...

Did Noah Really Live to Be 950? Msgr. Charles Pope • February 16, 2017 • I occasionally get questions about the remarkably long lives of the patriarchs who lived before the great flood. Consider the ages at which these figures purportedly died: Adam – 930Seth – 912Enosh – 905Jared – 962Methuselah – 969Noah – 950Shem – 600Eber – 464Abraham – 175Moses – 120David – 70 How should we understand these references? Many theories have been proposed to explain the claimed longevity. Some use a mathematical corrective, but this leads to other pitfalls such as certain patriarchs apparently begetting children...

And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of...

Since that very moment in the Garden of Eden when a single bite shattered the harmony of the world, man has tried to make his own way, be his own master, and set up his own kingdom. It's nothing new. Nevertheless, if we want to be faithful followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this day and age, we must be alert and ready to boldly stand against the spirit of the age that seeks to modify the message of Christ, undermine His power to set us free from sin, repaint Christ's picture to make Him more acceptable...