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The Vatican extinguished the lights of the dome and the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica for an hour on Saturday night in commemoration of “Earth Hour 2021.” From 8:30pm to 9:30pm the iconic basilica was darkened as a symbolic gesture against climate change, joining monuments of cities across the globe that turned off their lights as well. Vatican News reported that the act was performed “to demonstrate the serious global climate crisis.” Earth Hour is an initiative launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007 to call attention to the gravity of the “climate crisis” by symbolically abstaining from...

In China, we are seeing forced televised confessions, a mass surveillance state, the killing of Falun Gong practitioners for their organs, and what many are calling a genocide of the Uyghur people. 83 global brands, including major U.S. companies, are tied to Uyghur forced labor in China. Over in Hong Kong, 53 pro-democracy activists, lawmakers, and lawyers were arrested on Jan. 6 under the draconian national security law. Despite all this, the EU recently announced a major trade deal with China. American Thought Leaders interviews human rights activist and writer Benedict Rogers, founder of Hong Kong Watch and deputy...

>i>Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.(Luke 22:53) The ordeal of our Saviour in his trial and crucifixion are recapitulated in last days of this present evil age. It seemed as though evil had triumphed and with impunity was boasting in the defeat of all goodness.Where was God when...

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive...

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.(John 3:19-21)And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all...

There are some among them who were there until the very end with ISIS gangs. Some were forced as human shields, others volunteered. Among those who were rescued or fled, there are civilians who were with ISIS gangs until the gangs were left with just one village. They are surprised too, as are those who see them. WHO ARE THESE CIVILIANS? SDF, YPG and YPJ fighters say they consider them to be civilians. These civilians have been arriving these last few days, and most of them are women and children. They haven’t said one “bad” word about ISIS yet. But...

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:18-19)The Bible tells us that everybody who ever lived is on a path. Life is not static, it is an ongoing journey. We are all headed in some direction, and we will be tomorrow, more of whatever we are today. Step by Step we progress, no one stays the same, and everyone ends up somewhere else at the end of the journey. The path...

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.(John 3:18-21)John 9 tells...

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ( John 9:1-3)The Gospel of John contrasts the two kinds of blindness which afflict humanity. We see at the outset that the first kind of blindness comes as a result of original sin. One of the consequences of the fall of man, is...

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother...

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3)We have been discussing the biblical themes of ‘darknes’s and...

Pope Francis waves to faithful from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017. (Credit: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia.)Capuchin Father Thomas Weinandy, a former chief of staff for the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Doctrine and a current member of the Vatican's International Theological Commission, has written Pope Francis to say the pontiff is causing "chronic confusion," appointing bishops who "scandalize" the faithful, and prompting ordinary Catholics to "lose confidence in their supreme shepherd." Share: A former chief of staff for the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, and a current member of the Vatican’s International Theological...

One of my favorite scenes in Tolkien’s The Hobbit is the riddle-battle between Bilbo and the creature Gollum that took place in the dark, deep caverns beneath the Misty Mountains. (I can remember when I first read Tolkien’s classic and came upon the riddles. I tried not to read ahead to see if I could solve them myself.) Bilbo, having accidently fallen into the mysterious place, wanted the way out (which Gollum knew), and Gollum wanted to make a meal of the plump Hobbit. Thus a riddle challenge was issued and accepted. Toward the end, a frustrated Gollum presented Bilbo...

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:5)This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ( 1 John 1:5)We have been looking at the theological proposition, God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. The apostle John, in his ministry to those whose faith had been ravaged by false teachers, and gnostic spirituality, would restore to them the original faith, by presenting to them again the doctrine of the “only true God”in...

9/19/16. Yesterday’s events and the saber rattling of the enemy about the future are meant to make us afraid, but the Lord says, "Do not fear." “And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness, and it gave light by night, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.” Exodus 14:19-20. The pillar...

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Wind gusts, heavy rain and lightning have forced people to evacuate the media tents outside of the Wells Fargo Center and take shelter less than an hour before the opening gavel on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Officials say that the media tents in the vicinity of the Wells Fargo Center are not designed to fully protect people in the event of a direct lightening strike. They’re strongly recommending that people leave their tents due to lightening that becomes a concern when the strikes are within a six-mile radius of the DNC and evacuate...

"Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates all." (Shacharis prayer) Like anything written by Chazal, these words are filled with eternal significance. What do they have to do with Chanukah? Plenty. What is darkness? Is it simply the absence of light or does it have substance in itself? Darkness is associated with suffering. "In the evening one lies down weeping, but with dawn . . . a cry of joy" (Tehillim 30). In Mitzrayim, during the ninth plague, the darkness was so thick it prevented the Egyptians...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Right here in the New York Times, even today. Paul Krugman -- who hates everything conservative, hates everything Republican, and despises personally Ronald Reagan -- has a piece called, "Despair, American Style." "A couple of weeks ago President Obama mocked Republicans who are 'down on America,' and reinforced his message by doing a pretty good Grumpy Cat impression. He had a point: With job growth at rates not seen since the 1990s, with the percentage of Americans covered by health insurance hitting record highs, the doom-and-gloom predictions of his political enemies look ever more at odds with...

On Praying for a Deep Hatred and Fear of Sin and Its Darkness By: Msgr. Charles PopeWe ought to ask the Lord to inspire us with a holy hatred of sin. There is a kind of inverse relationship that we ought to seek: if we love the truth staunchly we will detest sin and lies more fully. It is impossible to love the truth vigorously without also detesting error. Similarly, as we grow in the love of God, we grow in the love of holiness, for God is holy.As our love for Him deepens, we become increasingly averse to all that...

Why is Christmas a Nighttime Event? By: Msgr. Charles PopeO Holy night! Yes, a silent night! And it came upon a midnight clear. Christmas, it would seem, is a festival of the middle of the night. Jesus is born when it is dark, dark midnight. We are sure of it. And why not?Even though we are not told the exact hour of His birth, we are sure it must have been at night. Scripture does say that the shepherds who heard the glad tidings were keeping watch over their flock “by night” (cf Luke 2:9). Further, the Magi sought him...