Free Republic

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority: in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. <And this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His Will, He hears us. We know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him - I John 5: 14-15 "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them". - Ephesians 5:11 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter...

14 September 2026 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Feast Church of St. Notburga, Eben-Maurach on Achensee, Tyrol, AustriaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: A(II).When a Feast of the Lord is celebrated on a weekday there is only one reading before the Gospel, which may be chosen from either the first or second reading.(This rule is not followed in the United States, so two separate readings are shown here).First readingNumbers 21:4-9If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked up at the bronze serpent and livedOn the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God...

"Stand firm therefore . . . having put on the breastplate of righteousness" (Eph. 6:14). True righteousness begins with a right relationship with God. A Roman soldier would often engage his enemy in hand- to-hand combat. At such times, the weapon of choice was the short sword, with which he sought to penetrate his opponent's vital organs. For his own protection he wore a molded metal breastplate that extended from the base of his neck to the top of his thighs. It helped deflect any attacks aimed at his heart and abdomen. The Roman breastplate has great symbolism in Paul's...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem🇮🇱 (9/13/26)[Prayer]Personalities Psalm 22[a] For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David. 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.[b] 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.[c] 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered...

Daily Readings from the USCCBFeast of the Exaltation of the Holy CrossJesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:13–15Today, as we celebrate the great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are invited to ponder Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, “a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). Nicodemus was one...

Join together with Fellow FREEPERS to Pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.'And this is the Confidence that we have in Him, that, if we Ask Anything According to His Will, He Heareth us.' 1 John 5:14Religion Forum Threads Labeled [Prayer] are Closed to Debate of Any Kind.

Müller warns of an "internal apostasy" in the West in the face of the expansion of Islam Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller has warned that the expansion of Islam in Europe coincides with a profound identity crisis in the West, which is abandoning its Christian roots. “Muslims do not respect a weak Christianity that is ashamed of the Cross and reduces itself to a charitable organization or an environmental watchdog body,” stated the prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.Müller made these remarks in a prepared address for the Tavole di Assisi 2026, a gathering held on...

[Catholic Caucus] 10 Italian bishops attend national conference on LGBT ‘pastoral ministry’ The meeting presented initiatives already operating in several Italian dioceses.Italy’s Catholic bishops gathered to discuss the integration of LGBT-identifying people and their families into ordinary diocesan life.On September 4, nearly 200 pastoral workers and around 10 bishops gathered at the General Curia of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Rome for Italy’s first national conference dedicated to “pastoral ministry with homosexual and transgender people.”The meeting, titled “Good Practices in Pastoral Ministry with Homosexual and Transgender People,” presented initiatives already operating in several Italian dioceses, while also examining the...

[Catholic Caucus] Kraków was John Paul II’s diocese. Now a trans activist helps plan its future 'I am changing the Church from inside,' said the trans activist, a formerly married father of one. Pope John Paul II’s Polish diocese is embracing gender ideology, even going so far as to welcome a gender-confused “trans” activist into its synodal process.The Archdiocese of Krakow released its Report of Synodal Work, marking the conclusion of the first stage of the Second Pastoral Synod. Both were influenced by 54-year-old trans activist Maria Minakowska (born Marek Jerzy Minakowski). The document proposes creating pastoral “safe havens” for...

13 September 2026 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time St. John Chrysostom Catholic Church, Inglewood, California Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingEcclesiasticus 27:33-28:9Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you; and when you pray, your sins will be forgivenResentment and anger, these are foul things, and both are found with the sinner.He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord, who keeps strict account of sin.Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.If a man nurses anger against another, can he then demand compassion from the Lord?Showing...

First reading Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9 Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you; and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven Resentment and anger, these are foul things, and both are found with the sinner. He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord, who keeps strict account of sin. Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. If a man nurses anger against another, can he then demand compassion from the Lord? Showing no pity for a man like himself, can he then plead for his own sins?...

Fishers of Men SONG DEVOTIONAL When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He gave them a simple invitation: "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:17) Beloved, from that day on, they left their nets and followed their Good Shepherd, not looking back. Jesus then began to disciple them, transform them, work through them, and after the cross Jesus used them to proclaim His ETERNAL Gospel for His ETERNAL glory to a lost and dying world. That same call is for every blood-bought believer today in Jesus Christ, but how many are willing to leave their...

"Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth" (Eph. 6:14). Truthfulness is the best defense against Satan’s lies. The first piece of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:14 is the belt of truth. Roman soldiers of his day wore a tunic, which was a large square piece of material with holes for the head and arms. A belt kept the tunic from flying loosely and getting in the way in the midst of battle. The phrase "having girded your loins" was commonly used for gathering up the loose material of one's tunic or robe when preparing for battle or...

Was America founded as a Christian nation?

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem🇮🇱 (9/13/26)[Prayer]Personalities Psalm 21[a]For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! 2 You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.[b] 3 You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. 5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;...

Daily Readings from the USCCBTwenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time“That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.” Matthew 18:23–25Jesus tells this parable in response to Peter, who asked, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?...

We Came, We Saw, God Conquered! Photo of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.The year is 1683. The Muhammadan empire have slowly rebuilt its forces since its defeat in 1571 at Lepanto. The news was spreading in Europe that the Turks had assembled a massive army to strike at the heart of Europe. In anticipation of an Ottoman invasion, Emperor Leopold I of Vienna in the Holy Roman Empire made a bilateral defense treaty with King Jan Sobieski III of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on March 31 1683, backed and guaranteed by Pope Innocent XI. The unfolding of subsequent events is remembered...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority: in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. <And this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His Will, He hears us. We know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him - I John 5: 14-15 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. - Ephesians 5:11Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe Readings for this Lord’s Day are unified around the theme of forgiveness. We begin and end with the words of “Jesus” on this topic: the First Reading records the words of Jesus, son of Sira, and the Gospel records the words of Jesus, Son of God. One of the last books of the Christian Old Testament to be written, Sirach (also known as Ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus) often seems to anticipate the teachings of Christ himself: Reading 1: Sirach 27:30-28:7Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the...

Leo XIV appoints Archbishop: “The Church is called to disappear so that the Kingdom may grow.” Leo XIV appoints Archbishop: “The Church is called to disappear so that the Kingdom may grow.” Today, Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Mario León Dorado, 52 — a T-shirt guy and an adherent of the heretical Abu Dhabi program — as Coadjutor Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco. Born in Madrid, Dorado joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 2001.He has served as Apostolic Prefect of Western Sahara since 2013.“The Church is called to disappear”In September 2022, he...