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Grant had roots in both Baptist and Assemblies of God congregations, and went on to seminary to prepare for ministry. While there, he was introduced to the Church Fathers, who had a very different view of Baptism than the one he’d grown up with. Seeing that they treated it as a sacrament made him wonder if his view of Communion was also out of step with historic Christianity. After serving seven years in ministry, as both a children’s and student pastor, Grant ended up coming home to the Catholic Church.

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Mark 8:11–12The Pharisees struggled with skepticism, resistance, and trickery, reflecting the tragic reality of hearts closed to grace. They should have been the first to rejoice in the coming of the Messiah but became Jesus’ staunchest critics and persecutors. Their rejection shows how pride and hardness...

16 February 2026Monday of week 6 in Ordinary TimeAtlanta Greek Orthodox Cathedral Feast Of Saint Juliana Of NicomediaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingJames 1:1-11Your faith is put to the test so that your patience may make you completeFrom James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Greetings to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion. My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV Approves Beatification Process for Bishop who Allowed Indigenous Youths to Touch his Private PartsHis diary celebrates “blessed nudism,” recounts sleeping naked beside adolescents, and normalizes sexualized touching as “natural curiosity” — yet Leo still advances his cause.Venerable by decree, scandal by his own penOn 22 May 2025, Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree recognizing the “offering of life” of Alejandro Labaka Ugarte, Capuchin, Apostolic Vicar of Aguarico, killed in Ecuador in 1987. That authorization is exactly what moves a cause forward in the Church’s official machinery, placing the...

15 February 2026 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sanctuary of Sacred Heart in Paray Le Monial containing the relics of Saint Claude La Colombière Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingEcclesiasticus 15:16-21He never commanded anyone to be godlessIf you wish, you can keep the commandments, to behave faithfully is within your power.He has set fire and water before you; put out your hand to whichever you prefer.Man has life and death before him; whichever a man likes better will be given him.For vast is the wisdom of the Lord; he is almighty and all-seeing.His eyes are on those...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSixth Sunday in Ordinary TimeJesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” Matthew 5:17–18For many, the Old Testament can be confusing, filled with laws, rituals, and prophecies that seem difficult to connect with the New Testament. Yet, Jesus’ words remind us that the...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe “Hippie Jesus" is one of the common misunderstandings of Christ that are circulating in popular culture. People think of Jesus as a laid-back guru who traveled around Israel in this Volkswagen Vanagon, accompanied by twelve dudes in tie-died T-shirts. Jesus taught that all we need is Love, and not to be so uptight, like all those rule-bound priests and scribes. Of course, that view of Jesus is wrong. People adopt it, however, because they misunderstand the nature of Jesus’ conflict with the priests, scribes, and Pharisees that dominated Jewish religious practice in his day. Because Jesus...

14 February 2026 Saints Cyril, monk, and Methodius, Bishop on Saturday of week 5 in Ordinary Time Church of Saint Valentine in Woźniki Śląskie, PolandReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Kings 12:26-32,13:33-34The prophecy of the separation of IsraelJeroboam thought to himself, ‘As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David. If this people continues to go up to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people’s heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, BishopIn those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” Mark 8:1–3Early in Jesus’ public ministry, He made a brief trip across the Sea of Galilee to the territory of the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. Mark 7:31–32Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, His actions, while purely charitable, were often deliberate and provocative... For example, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (cf. Mark 3:1–6) and cured a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years (cf. John 5:1–18). In both cases, Jesus was accused...

13 February 2026 Friday of week 5 in Ordinary Time Basilica of Saints Vincent & Catherine de Ricci – Prato, ItalyReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Kings 11:29-32,12:19Solomon is unfaithful; the Lord moderates his wrathOne day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. Mark 7:24–25The context of today’s Gospel is significant. Jesus traveled to Tyre, in modern-day Lebanon, a Gentile city on the west coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre was an ancient and prosperous city, known for its maritime trade and wealth. As a center of commerce and culture, it played a prominent role...

12 February 2026 Thursday of week 5 in Ordinary Time St. Eulalia Parish, Coudersport, PA Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Kings 11:4-13For the sake of my servant David, I will leave you one tribeWhen Solomon grew old his wives swayed his heart to other gods; and his heart was not wholly with the Lord his God as his father David’s had been. Solomon became a follower of Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and of Milcom, the Ammonite abomination. He did what was displeasing to the Lord, and was not a wholehearted follower of the Lord,...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” Mark 7:17–19We experience varying levels of intimacy in our relationships. Some acquaintances, such as neighbors or colleagues, we only know superficially, while with a spouse, sibling, or close friend, we share a much deeper bond. Yet, even in the most intimate...

11 February 2026Wednesday of week 5 in Ordinary Time The Roman Mosaics of Pope St Paschal I at St. Praxedes, Rome Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Kings 10:1-10The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of SolomonThe fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba, she came to test him with difficult questions. She brought immense riches to Jerusalem with her, camels laden with spices, great quantities of gold, and precious stones. On coming to Solomon, she opened her mind freely to him; and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one of...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’” Mark 7:5–8Isaiah’s prophecy rings as true for us today as it did when Isaiah spoke it and when Jesus quoted it. Worship of God must come from our hearts, from the depths of our beings....

10 February 2026 Saint Scholastica, Virgin on Tuesday of week 5 in Ordinary Time St. Scholastica Church, DetroitReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Kings 8:22-23,27-30'Listen to the prayer your servant makes in this place'In the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord and, stretching out his hands towards heaven, said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, not in heaven above nor on earth beneath is there such a God as you, true to your covenant and your kindness...

Daily Readings from the USCCBAfter making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. Mark 6:53–54As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, the people “immediately recognized him.” Jesus and the Twelve had spent the previous day on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in the remote territory near Bethsaida where they planned to be alone. When they arrived there, however, the crowds were waiting for them, so Jesus preached to thousands of...

9 February 2026 Monday of week 5 in Ordinary Time Altar of Saint Apollonia in the Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Zagreb, Croatia Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Kings 8:1-7,9-13The Ark of the Covenant is brought into the TempleSolomon called the elders of Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the Citadel of David, which is Zion. All the men of Israel assembled round King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, at the time of the feast (that is, the seventh month), and the priests took...

8 February 2026 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time St. Gerolamo Emiliani Sanctuary, Lake Como, ItalyReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 58:7-10Then will your light shine like the dawnThus says the Lord:Share your bread with the hungry,and shelter the homeless poor,clothe the man you see to be nakedand do not turn from your own kin.Then will your light shine like the dawnand your wound be quickly healed over.Your integrity will go before youand the glory of the Lord behind you.Cry, and the Lord will answer;call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’If you do away with the yoke,the clenched...