Free Republic

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…” Matthew 6:7–9Many pagans of Jesus’ time believed they could manipulate divine action by sheer persistence, lengthy incantations, or empty repetition. Jesus contrasts this with true prayer, which is about trust in the Father’s providence, not coercion. Christian prayer is...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” Matthew 6:1Authenticity draws others in. A person who lives with genuine humility and virtue naturally inspires trust. In contrast, hypocrisy—an outward display of righteousness without interior virtue, done for human approval rather than for God—breeds distrust and repels others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls His disciples not to seek human recognition, but the quiet approval of the Father. True holiness is not performed for others to see...

At the dawn of the new millennium in northern Nigeria, while a Christian man was petitioning God with his midnight prayers, his 19-year-old Muslim neighbor was calling upon Allah through prayer. Little did the Muslim youth know at the time is that his Christian neighbor, Moses Onuorah, would help him convert to Christianity on March 14, 2000. Before choosing to become a Christian, Muhammed had told Onuorah that he was tired of praying as a Muslim. But when Onuorah asked him to try church, his immediate answer was, “No. No. No. Church is an abomination, my family will kill me,...

Catholic aid workers warn that entire communities risk disappearing from the Middle East. Father Jan Zelazny, director of the Polish section of Aid to the Church in Need, met Christian communities as he traveled through Lebanon and Syria at the end of May. “In some places, only small Christian towns remain,” he said. “The Muslims left those areas. There are tunnels where Hezbollah fighters hide. The Christians stay and live in a kind of constant siege.” Many refuse to leave, fearing that departure would mean permanent exile. “They say that if they leave, they will never return,” Father Zelazny told...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father… So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43–45, 48The Law of Moses, contained in the first five books of the Old Testament, taught the importance of loving one’s neighbor: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). “Neighbor” in this context primarily...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil… Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” Matthew 5:38–39, 41The phrase “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” refers to the Mosaic Law of Retaliation (cf. Exodus 21:23–25). When Moses instituted this law, vengeance often escalated in response to an injury, leading to cycles of increasing violence. The...

Daily Readings from the USCCBEleventh Sunday in Ordinary TimeAt the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36As Jesus went “to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness” (Matthew 9:35), He was moved with deep compassion for the crowds. The Greek verb splagchnizomai is often translated as “moved with pity” or “moved with compassion.” It appears twelve times in the Gospels—eight times describing Jesus’ own compassion and four times...

By Dr. John BergsmaOne of the more memorable events of my childhood was the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, when I was 10 years old. My family watched it on TV. Even though we were Americans, political heirs of a bloody revolution that kicked the hated British and their Redcoats off the American continent roughly 200 years previously, nonetheless we, along with millions of our compatriots, were still absolutely fascinated with the pomp and trappings of the British royalty. A total of 750 million people tuned in worldwide. Even American girls grow up wanting to...

Archaeologists in Germany have confirmed the discovery of a 1,750-year-old amulet containing a silver scroll, now recognised as the oldest physical evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. The extraordinary artefact was first uncovered in 2018 during excavations of a Roman-era grave in Frankfurt and was formally announced in a press release from the City of Frankfurt am Main on 11 December. The grave, dated to between 230 and 270 AD, contained the amulet, inside which archaeologists noticed a small silver scroll. However, its fragility posed significant challenges for researchers attempting to read its contents. Initial efforts to unroll the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all… Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.” Matthew 5:33–34, 37When someone’s honesty is questioned, it is not uncommon to respond emphatically by saying, “I swear to God!” This instinct to invoke God’s name is an attempt to lend credibility to one’s words. Such a practice...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSolemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves…” Matthew 11:28–29The words gentle and power do not often appear side by side. Yet when we contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, these two seemingly opposite qualities unite perfectly within the divine mystery of Christ’s love. In Year B of the liturgical cycle, we read from John’s Gospel the...

Israeli settler terrorists torch ancient Christian town of Taybeh in the West BankChurch leaders have warned these escalating attacks threaten to end the ancient Christian presence.As part of an escalating strategy of violence against native Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jewish terrorists from illegal Israeli settlements have again attacked the ancient Christian town of Taybeh, setting its agricultural fields ablaze and seeking to burn down homes, with reports of open fire upon these civilians as well.This last fully Christian town in the West Bank has been the target of ongoing terror attacks due to the establishment of a new...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Barnabas, ApostleJesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20This statement would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. At that time, the scribes and Pharisees were well-known for their meticulous observance of the Law of Moses, attending scrupulously to even the smallest details. They prided themselves on their strict adherence and often made their “righteousness” highly visible, earning them great respect among the people as models of holiness and fidelity to the covenant....

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus 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 5:17–18Sometimes it can be challenging to reconcile the Old Testament with the New Testament. In addition to the Ten Commandments, the Old Testament is filled with countless other commandments. The Pharisees, in their attempt...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14–16Light and darkness are not opposing forces; rather, darkness is simply the absence of light. When light enters, darkness is dispelled. In a similar way, good and evil are not...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 5:1–3Like Moses, Jesus “went up the mountain” to deliver divine teaching. Rather than issuing commandments, He proclaimed invitations to partake in God’s very life. The Beatitudes do not merely set forth a moral code; they unveil the interior dispositions of those who live in communion with God’s grace, revealing a blessedness that transcends worldly notions...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of ChristJesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” John 6:51–52 It must have been shocking to Jesus’ listeners the first time He boldly proclaimed that He would give His flesh as spiritual food. Their reaction makes this clear: “How...

By Dr. John BergsmaThis weekend is another great liturgical feast, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi is one of a handful of feasts that celebrates the very gift of the Eucharist itself. It is one of my favorite feasts, because the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was instrumental in my becoming Catholic. Back in the Fall of 1999 I was reading through the Apostolic Fathers and came to this passage in Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Smyrneans (c. AD 106): “But consider...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43–44How generous are you? This is a challenging question, yet one worth considering. Does your generosity reflect God’s boundless generosity? Do you struggle with selfishness and greed, failing to live out the Gospel call to poverty, detachment, and charity? Most people likely fall short of this ideal. Acknowledging this, though difficult, is an act...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and MartyrAs Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.’ David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?” The great crowd heard this with delight. Mark 12:35–37Today’s Gospel presents us with one of Jesus’ many teachings in the Temple area just days before His Passion. Just prior...