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Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, MartyrsJesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’” Luke 7:31–32The simile Jesus uses in this teaching—“We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep”—portrays a generation that is spiritually unresponsive and resistant...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Our Lady of SorrowsJesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:33–35It is no liturgical coincidence that the day after we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we honor Our Lady of Sorrows. This close...

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...

Was America founded as a Christian nation?

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?...

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...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles.” Luke 6:43–44The interior life in Catholic spiritual theology refers to the hidden workings of God’s grace within the soul—silently yet powerfully transforming us from within so that what lies deep in the heart becomes manifest in our exterior actions. Our interior life is the foundation of who we are; our exterior...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” Luke 6:39As we continue reading from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, we encounter what is arguably the shortest parable in all of Scripture—just two brief rhetorical questions: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” Though concise, these lines present a powerful metaphor. Jesus places this parable within a broader moral discourse that warns against rash judgment and exhorts us to mercy. Just before today’s Gospel, He commands,...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.” Luke 6:27–30Love, do good, bless, and pray. These four commands form the heart of...

Spanning throughout the U.S. and within the midst of the country's medical education and residency programs, a silent ideological cleansing is occurring. For centuries, the Hippocratic Oath has existed as medicine's north star of morality, an unwavering promise to preserve human life. Today, that honored commitment has become a career-ending liability. Taking on the guise of standardized bioethics, accreditation boards and residency matching programs have begun systematically filtering out doctors who don't fit the mold -- largely those who are Christian due to their pro-life tendencies -- all before they take their first step into an operating room. What once...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” Luke 6:20–23Normally, we do not consider poverty, hunger, grief, or being denounced...

All four missing family members aboard a small plane that crashed off the Bahamas were found dead on Tuesday. The pilot, Mario Lamar, 80, his wife, Lili Lamar, 79 and their two adult grandchildren, Sofia Sosa and Christian Sosa, were en route to Miami when the plane crashed near Great Harbour Cay. All four bodies were recovered on Tuesday, according to the family. According to The Los Angeles Times, The plane was a twin-engine PA-34 Piper five-seater. The plane crash is currently under investigation. AP reported: All four family members aboard a small plane that went missing off the Bahamas...

Daily Readings from the USCCBFeast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20–21The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls exactly nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and is one of only three liturgical feasts commemorating a birth, alongside those of...

After its historic victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has dropped from 44.4 % of the vote to 43.8% after mail-in ballots were counted, with all other parties gaining abnormally from mail-in ballots. Attorney Dirk Schmitz called this a sign of "systematic manipulation". German elections have been thought to be fairly secure, with mainly in-person same-day voting, photo ID requirements, and a Supreme Court ban on digital voting machines, as I explained to Ben Harnwell on The War Room. German Supreme Court ruled paper-ballots only because electronic voting is effectively unverifiable @CollinFrMcMahon @ben_harnwell pic.twitter.com/BHbVQdvt55...

Daily Readings from the USCCBOn a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Luke 6:6–8Even on the surface, the thinking and actions of the Pharisees are absurd. They had become blinded by their jealousy...

Daily Readings from the USCCBTwenty-third Sunday in Ordinary TimeJesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.” Matthew 18:15When someone sins against us, especially in a grievous way, anger and condemnation can quickly arise as strong temptations. Our natural sense of justice often takes over, and we may find ourselves rationalizing a response rooted in judgment rather than compassion. In today’s Gospel, however, Jesus offers the much better path—to seek reconciliation, not division. The ultimate goal...

Dr. John BergsmaI don’t like personal conflict. I try to avoid it as much as possible. Probably most Americans do. I’m not sure what it’s like in other cultures, although I’ve heard of others where open social confrontation is more common. This Sunday’s readings deal with situations in which Christians have a duty to confront one another. They don’t make for comfortable reading in a culture that puts a high value on keeping the peace and minding one’s own business. The First Reading is the great “Watchman” passage from the prophet Ezekiel: Reading 1: Ezekiel 33:7-9Thus says the LORD: You,...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhile Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Luke 6:1–2Though Jesus’ public ministry was still in its early stages, confrontations with the religious leaders had already become frequent. This episode marks the fourth recorded instance of such tension. In the previous days, the Pharisees had accused Jesus of blasphemy for forgiving the paralytic before healing him, of scandal for eating with tax collectors...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” Luke 5:33–35Though most of the scribes and Pharisees rejected the ministry of John the Baptist, here they attempt to use his discipline of fasting as a weapon...

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced that the 40-year-old is accused of posting videos calling for the president’s assassination, then targeting the family of Trump’s personal attorney by publishing a home address and phone numbers and leaving voicemails that justice would “come to your door.” Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, of Los Angeles has been indicted by a grand jury on federal charges for threatening to kill President Trump, cyberstalking, and making harassing interstate calls. Southworth is charged with posting videos calling for President Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/HSoVmWx36c — F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 3, 2026 Essayli said in...