Free Republic

For years there has been disagreement between Catholics and some non-Catholic groups about the Catholic ChurchÂ’s teaching on the Marian Dogmas, particularly, the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother. This will attempt to clear up some of the confusion. Catholics have always held that Mary remained a virgin before, during, and following the birth of Jesus. Many non-Catholics contend that scripture proves that she did not and points to several instances of people being called brothers or sisters of Jesus. When we study the scriptures carefully, paying particular attention to the order of sentences and view the language with precision,...

11/5 - Although the results are preliminary, all of Sawyer's bone marrow results were NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!! We can't even begin to describe our elation at this news!! We're currently waiting on an ultrasound, but otherwise they kept their promise to us and left Sawyer alone for the day. Tomorrow, she'll resume being a "pin cushion" as Brent says, and have her blood drawn. We're not sure of what else is in store, but we're feeling up right now. We're definitely here until Tuesday as they are going to run the antibiotics for 14 days. Until then and after, who knows, but...

Urgent prayers: I posted earlier in the week that a friend of mines newborn infant was admitted to the hospital. I just received word that she is being taken in for a bone marrow transplant. She will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. Her name is Sawyer Jane, Her parents are Brent and Wendi. Please pray for the family and the doctors.

Friends of mine had their first child 2 and a half weeks ago, a little girl, Sawyer Jane. In the first week she began to have difficulty eating and sleeping. They took her to the Doctor and could find nothing wrong. They took her into the hospital and all they know is that she has some sort of infection. All the tests keep coming back negative so they have not been able to pin it down. This morning I received this message from her mother: Sawyer update: We are being transferred to UVA nicu. Sawyer's white blood cell count almost...

Most of us who teach in the field of Christian Origins get asked from time to time by students or in public lectures, “Professor, Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?” Scholars are aware of the rich and diverse ways in which the term “Son of God” is used in the Hebrew Bible, in subsequent Jewish literature, and in the New Testament writings themselves, not to mention various non-Jewish texts (including inscriptions and coins) of the Greco-Roman period. Most of us who teach in the field of Christian Origins get asked from time to time by students...

I received this e-mail from our Faithful Navigator this morning. Dear Knights and friends of the Knights of Columbus, It was recently announced that Gov. Terry McAuliffe was selected as the Grand Marshall for this year's Norfolk St. Patrick's Day Parade (March 14th) which is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 3548. http://norfolkparade.com This was against the directive of Holy Trinity Pastor, Fr. Dan Beeman. Please read Fr. Beeman's letter below. It appears that the KofC State Deputy, Steve Burnley, first agreed to immediately replace Terry McAuliffe, but later he reversed his decision. It is totally unacceptable that Terry...

Dr. Scott Hahn shows us how the Catholic Understanding of the Mystical Body of Christ, embodied in the Church and revealed anew in the Holy Eucharist, comes directly from the Bible. He places the Last Supper in the context of the Jewish Passover Seder liturgy. By explaining the significance of the drinking of the fourth and final cup in the Old Testament Passover meal ceremony, Dr. Hahn draws a symbolic parallel to Christ’s death on the Cross. It is an exciting concept, that will help viewers discover a whole new dimension to Holy Mass, and the relationship of the Last...

In a typical, unassuming classroom at Rosemount High School in the suburbs of Minneapolis, U.S. history teacher Josh Hoekstra had a very novel idea about how the subject is taught. The 39-year-old husband and father of three has been teaching U.S. history for 13 years. He's seen firsthand the demise of U.S. history education, now our high school seniors' worst subject. This school year, after watching his students' intense interest in college basketball's March Madness tournament (rather than school), Hoekstra invented his own teaching curriculum, called Teach With Tournaments, to transform U.S. history content into a similar competitive, student-driven tournament.

WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden predicted Friday the evolution in thinking that will permit gays to soon serve openly in the military eventually will bring about a national consensus for same-sex marriage.