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Back in the 90s, few voices rang louder in evangelical youth groups than Ray Boltz. Choirs sang his ballads, even parents wept at his lyrics, and GMA Dove Awards were stacked on his shelf. His song, "Thank You," captured the imagination of a generation. "The Anchor Holds" gave solace to broken men. And in 1994, he took home Inspirational Song of the Year (at the GMA Dove Awards) for "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb," a declaration of costly discipleship that echoed through sanctuaries like a modern creed. “I pledge allegiance to the Lamb With all my strength, with all...

4 September 2025Thursday of week 22 in Ordinary Time Saint Rose Church in Viterbo, Italy Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First readingColossians 1:9-14God has taken us out of the power of darknessEver since the day we heard about you, we have never failed to pray for you, and what we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will. So you will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of you, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results...

3 September 2025 Saint Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor on Wednesday of week 22 in Ordinary TimeAltar of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) with a 1772 mosaic, St. Peter's, RomeReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingColossians 1:1-8The message of the truth has reached you and is spreading all over the worldFrom Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy to the saints in Colossae, our faithful brothers in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father....

2 September 2025 Tuesday of week 22 in Ordinary TimeSaint-Just in Lyon, FranceReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First reading1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11Keep strengthening one anotherYou will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it....

The Sisters of Life have launched a new website offering support and resources for women considering abortions, women whose children have an adverse prenatal diagnosis, and women seeking healing after an abortion. The website is named the Vis Center, for the Latin word for force or power. “As women, we know that real power is unleashed when we feel listened to,” the website states. The Sisters of Life offer to spiritually and emotionally accompany women throughout their pregnancies, and connect women with resources such as legal advice, housing, and medical assistance. They also provide opportunities for healing for women who...

1 September 2025Monday of week 22 in Ordinary Time Saint Giles Catholic church, Cheadle, Staffordshire, England Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First reading1 Thessalonians 4:13-18Do not grieve about those who have died in JesusWe want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the...

Pastor David E. Taylor, the name-it-and-claim-it faith-healing and prosperity gospel heretic, was arrested yesterday after the FBI enacted coordinated raids on properties connected to his church, the Kingdom of God Global Church, including on his 29,000 square feet “parsonage” that he purchased in 2022 for $8.3M. Along with Taylor, Michelle Branon, 56, the church’s executive director, was also arrested, and the two of them were indicted on charges that they used forced labor to generate millions of dollars in donations. Taylor, who self-identifies as an “apostle”, claims that in 1997 he was “given the keys to the Kingdom of heaven...

31 August 2025 22nd Sunday in Ordinary TimeLindisfarne Priory, Holy Island, England Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First readingEcclesiasticus 3:19-21,30-31Behave humbly, and you will find favour with the LordMy son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord;for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble.There is no cure for the proud man’s malady, since an evil growth has taken root in him.The heart of...

30 August 2025 Saturday of week 21 in Ordinary Time Sanctuary of Narcisa de Jesús Martillo Morán. Nobol - Guayaquil, EquadorReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First reading1 Thessalonians 4:9-11You have learnt from God how to love one anotherAs for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another, and in fact this is what you are doing with all the brothers throughout the whole of Macedonia. However, we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make...

This is the first sermon I ever preached from a pulpit in a Church. I have a ministry to the homeless in Greenville, SC and also in the local jails. Forgive me for speaking so fast, it was supposed to be only 30 minutes, but it is 45.

29 August 2025 The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist on Friday of week 21 in Ordinary Time St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Ammansville, TXReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: C(I).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Thessalonians 4:1-8What God wants is for you all to be holyBrothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already...

“Millie! Get out of the street!” The yelling from the room next to me pulled me from my nap. “Millie! Get out of the street!” The plea sounded again, and a few more times. By now, I was almost fully awake while sitting upright in my office recliner. My wife was trying to reason with a cat—not even our cat—to get out of the middle of the street in front of our home. Over the many years, a number of our cats had met their demise in that street. So, the imploring wasn’t without a reason (although reasoning was a...

Earlier today, during the opening Mass at Annunciation Catholic school in Minneapolis, a 23 year old man shot numerous children and adults before killing himself. Among those killed was an 8 year old and a 10 year old. Three adults and fourteen children were then taken to the local trauma center, some in critical condition. What is the role of a priest and nun in such situations? Let’s consider biological parents before we look at spiritual fatherhood and motherhood. When a child is hurt, it is the job of a mother to comfort her children. However, a father is called...

28 August 2025 Saint Augustine, Bishop, Doctor on Thursday of week 21 in Ordinary TimeSt. Augustine of Hippo Church, MilwaukeeReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Thessalonians 3:7-13Now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the LordBrothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel...

Prophetess Katie Souza’s bio says she was a “career criminal most of her life,” being “convicted of a number of felonies and sent to federal prison to serve almost twelve years” before God saved her nearly twenty years ago. In reality, it should read that she’s still a career criminal, with her crimes no longer being drug possession and gun running, but rather a criminal mishandling of God’s word- certainly a theological felony- demonstrating that the grift never ended. After leaving prison, she wrote a bunch of books and founded Katie Souza Ministries. She now hosts the TV show ‘Healing...

Iceland, a nation celebrated for its natural beauty and progressive policies, has garnered international criticism for a far more sobering reality: the near-eradication of Down syndrome births through prenatal screening and abortion. Since the early 2000s, about 80–85 percent of Icelandic women choose to undergo prenatal testing, and nearly all who receive a positive result for Down syndrome end their pregnancy through abortion. Today, only one or two children with Down syndrome are born in Iceland annually—usually due to testing errors. The Icelandic Ministry of Welfare insists this is not about eradicating a genetic condition, framing the policy as a...

27 August 2025 Saint Monica on Wednesday of week 21 in Ordinary Time St. Monica Church, New York CityReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading1 Thessalonians 2:9-13We slaved night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of youLet me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, that...

Jesus told us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). He linked this command to the desire of our hearts: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21; see also verses 10–20). ...

Dr. James C. Dobson was the leading U.S. advocate for children and families of the last half century. His loss is immense, and he is mourned by millions. The accolades that ought to have been his may never come, but he never wavered, in season or out, for the well-being of the young. The name of the signature organization he founded, Focus on the Family, was perfect in its simplicity and global in its reach. It was Christian, faithful, and principled. He lived his mission to the full and he finished the race, faithful to the last. The tributes pouring...

Springfield, IL - Tomorrow, attorneys from Thomas More Society will appear in the Fourth District of the Illinois Appellate Court to defend the religious freedom of the Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA) and challenge the state’s mandate requiring all health insurance providers to include abortion coverage in their plans. When Illinois legislators passed the “Reproductive Health Act” in 2019, they reassured people of faith that religious and moral convictions would be respected, and that no individual or organization would be forced to require abortion coverage in their health care plans. On behalf of the Illinois Baptist State Association, Thomas More...