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"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...

Human fraternity is an urgent necessity, Pope writes in Zayed Award messageIn a message for the International Day of Human Fraternity and the awarding of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to “what is most precious and universal in our humanity: our fraternity, that unbreakable bond which unites every human being, created in the image of God.”Both the day and the award recall the Document on Human Fraternity, signed on February 4, 2019, by Pope Francis and Sunni Muslim leader Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar in Egypt, during Pope Francis’s apostolic journey...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. We The People Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God....

[Catholic Caucus] Interview with the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X“Suprema lex, salus animarum”.“The supreme law is the salvation of souls.” The entire legitimacy of our apostolate ultimately depends on this higher principle.1. SSPX News: Mr. Superior General, you have just publicly announced your intention to proceed with episcopal consecrations for the Society of Saint Pius X on July 1st . Why did you make this announcement today, February 2nd?Father Davide Pagliarani: The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary is very significant in the Fraternity. It is the day when candidates for the priesthood...

A leader in the Lutheran church was recently arrested and accused of producing child pornography in Springfield, Illinois. The suspect in the case was identified as 54-year-old Michael William Mohr, who is president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced January 29. He was charged by complaint in St. Louis with a single count of producing child pornography. The attorney’s office detailed the case against him: The affidavit in support of the complaint alleges that a court-approved search of Mohr’s home in Springfield found storage devices...

[Catholic Caucus] An Open Letter to US DiocesesThe Annual Appeal was launched in our diocese this weekend, as it has been or will be in many other dioceses, with a sound-tracked video at every Mass and a step-by-step walk-through of the completion of pledge cards. While I sympathize with the committee that came up with that tedious line-by-line approach, it doesn’t wear well on adults.Instead, maybe give us an honest accounting of where our money has gone, the steps taken to protect and report it, and a picture of the accounting best practices that assure us the money is spent...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. Mark 6:10–13During the first half of Jesus’ public ministry, despite the religious leaders growing increasingly hostile, He accomplished many things. Numerous conversions took place, many began to believe He was...

5 February 2026 Saint Agatha, Virgin, Martyr on Thursday of week 4 in Ordinary TimeSaint Agatha Church, Saint Louis, MissouriReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: A(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Kings 2:1-4,10-12David's dying exhortation to SolomonAs David’s life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son Solomon, ‘I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, as it stands...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(2/5/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesGenesis 22 22 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation...

"Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). A faithful slave fulfills the will of his master. The metaphor of Christians as slaves to Christ is common in Paul's writings. It is one his readers would have readily understood because of the prevalence of slavery in the Roman Empire. Peter, James, John, and Jude used the same metaphor of their own ministries, as did Jesus in Mark 10:45: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." In Philippians 2:7 Paul refers to Christ as a...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. James Martin tells Stephen Colbert that Pope Leo plans to continue Francis’ LGBT agendaFr. James Martin said that 'the message I got from (Leo) was that he’s continuing Pope Francis’ mission and message of welcome and inclusion and he wants that to be broadcast.' During an appearance on left-wing comedian Stephen Colbert’s late night talk show Tuesday, celebrity priest James Martin revealed that Pope Leo told him he plans to continue Pope Francis’ LGBT agenda.After explaining that during an audience with Leo last year where “initially we talked about ministry to LGBT Catholics,” Martin said that “the...

Against lazy Catholicism: Discerning truth from errorThere’s a famous skit from the Irish sitcom Father Ted where, after hearing that his priest was caught making comedic caricatures of Asians, a parishioner greets him over a dry stone wall.“I hear you’re a racist now, Father,” he yells. “Should we all be racists now? What’s the official line the Church’s taking on this?”The clip ridicules something which, actually, today, ought to be taken seriously: a tendency among some Catholics to uncritically – and with a perhaps generous helping of intellectual laziness – accept as sacrosanct anything and everything handed down to them...

The host city for World Youth Day 2027 will be Seoul, South Korea. The fact that an American Pope will be presiding and that Korean culture generally is pretty popular in the US means that interest in attending should be pretty high among Americans. I suspect that some of my own kids may find their way over there for the event. This being the case, what better time for American Catholics to find out about the vibrant past and hopeful future of the Church in Korea? Seoul is a particularly appropriate site for WYD 2027 considering that Catholicism had its...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:4–6It’s an old expression that “familiarity breeds contempt.” It is often easier to harbor contempt for those closest to us than to offer admiration. This dynamic frequently manifests itself among relatives, neighbors, and friends... These feelings, if left...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

4 February 2026 Wednesday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Corsini Chapel, in the church of San Giovanni in Laterano, RomeReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading2 Samuel 24:2,8-17David takes the guilt on himself to save IsraelKing David said to Joab and to the senior army officers who were with him, ‘Now go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and take a census of the people; I wish to know the size of the population.’ Having covered the whole country, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Joab gave...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(2/4/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesGenesis 21:22-122 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. 24 And Abraham said,...

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"Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). Despite their shortcomings, people of kindred spirit are precious gifts from the Lord. Timothy was Paul's trusted companion in the gospel. In Philippians 2:20 Paul describes him as a man "of kindred spirit." That is, they were likeminded, sharing the same love for Christ and His church. Elsewhere Paul described Timothy as his beloved and faithful child in the Lord (1 Cor. 4:17) and fellow worker in the gospel of Christ (Rom. 16:21; 1 Thess. 3:2). Those are significant compliments coming from Paul, whose standard of ministry and personal integrity was...