Free Republic

3 May 2026 5th Sunday of Easter St. Philip the Apostle Oshawa, OntarioReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 6:1-7They elected seven men full of the Holy SpiritAbout this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good...

2 May 2026 Saint Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor on Saturday of the 4th week of Eastertide St. Athanasius Byzantine Catholic Church, Indianapolis, INReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingActs 13:44-52Since you have rejected the word of God, we must turn to the pagansThe next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of...

1 May 2026 Friday of the 4th week of Eastertide St. James the Less Catholic Church, Columbus, OhioReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 13:26-33God has fulfilled his promise by raising Jesus from the deadPaul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, held up a hand for silence and began to speak: ‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on...

30 April 2026Thursday of the 4th week of Eastertide Pope Saint Pius V Church, in Saint Louis, MissouriReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 13:13-25God has raised up one of David's descendants, Jesus, as SaviourPaul and his friends went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem. The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats. After the lessons from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them...

29 April 2026 Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor on Wednesday of the 4th week of Eastertide Saint Catherine of Siena Church, Phoenix Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingActs 12:24-13:5'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart'The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers. Barnabas and Saul completed their task and came back from Jerusalem, bringing John Mark with them. In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been...

28 April 2026 Tuesday of the 4th week of Eastertide St. Louis De Montfort Catholic Church - Fishers (Indiana) Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 11:19-26They started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord JesusThose who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The...

27 April 2026 Monday of the 4th week of Eastertide Saint Zita of Lucca lies in rest in the church of San FredianoReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 11:1-18God can grant even the pagans the repentance that leads to lifeThe apostles and the brothers in Judaea heard that the pagans too had accepted the word of God, and when Peter came up to Jerusalem the Jews criticised him and said, ‘So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them, have you?’ Peter in reply gave them the details point by point: ‘One day, when I...

26 April 2026 4th Sunday of Easter Consecration of the new altar, San Rafael Arnaiz Parish, Madrid Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 2:14,36-41'God has made him both Lord and Christ'On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’ Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every...

25 April 2026 Saint Mark, Evangelist Feast St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church - Colwich, KansasReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: A(II).First reading1 Peter 5:5-14My son, Mark, sends you greetingsAll wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion,...

24 April 2026 Friday of the 3rd week of Eastertide St. Fidelis Church, Victoria, KS Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 9:1-20This man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before the pagansSaul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord’s disciples. He had gone to the high priest and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men or women, that he could find. Suddenly, while he was travelling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there...

For centuries, skeptics have dismissed the account of Noah's Ark as allegory--an ancient story meant to convey moral truth rather than historical reality. But today, high in the rugged terrain of eastern Mount Ararat, a growing body of evidence is once again challenging that assumption. What was once the domain of speculation is now being probed by ground-penetrating radar, soil chemistry, and emerging technology. And the results, while still debated, are difficult to ignore. At the center of renewed interest is the so-called Durupinar formation, a boat-shaped geological structure first identified in 1959. For decades, it has fascinated researchers due...

...When I was growing up, what Catholics did, Lutherans didn’t. That seemed to be the extent of what Lutherans knew about Catholics. They did these things, and because we weren’t Catholic we didn’t. Simple. The list was evident if never specific. We did not cross ourselves at the invocation or upon receiving communion. Our pastors did not wear funny suits, they did not dress in clericals, make hand signs over the communion elements, bow, or do any of those things that might be mistaken as Catholic and not Lutheran. Most of all, we didn’t have to stand in line at...

the B’nei Menashe can be found in a far corner of India,.. For generations, they have been teaching their children how their ancestors wandered to find refuge in the jungle. “We have faith in the Torah,” said Mr. Ngamthenlal, his face framed by the sidelocks worn by some Orthodox Jewish men. An aliyah, or homecoming, is finally in their sights. “We have good faith in the Israeli government. They promised that all the B'nei Menashe will go to Israel by 2030,” he said. “We all have our passports ready.” Nearly half the community has already moved to Israel, piecemeal, since...

23 April 2026 Thursday of the 3rd week of Eastertide Roman Catholic Parish of St. Adalbert in Wąwolnica, Chechia Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 8:26-40Philip baptizes a eunuchThe angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.’ So he set off on his journey. Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, and was in fact...

Yvette Flunder, the lesbian leader of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in Oakland, California, who is also the presiding prelate of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, has drawn criticism for questioning parts of the Bible she finds “problematic” and suggesting that they be removed. The frustrated 70-year-old, who is married to her same-sex partner Shirley Miller, also suggested that the Bible needs a third Testament. “This is a very dangerous thing that I’m about to say now, ... a bit dangerous. I’m of the opinion that we need a third testament because the Bible has become problematic,”...

An appeals court has ruled that the Ten Commandments can be displayed in public school classrooms throughout Texas, reversing lower court rulings against the law. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision regarding whether a Texas law that requires the display of the Decalogue is constitutional. Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee, authored the court opinion, being joined by eight other appeals court members, including Fifth Circuit Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod. Duncan wrote that the law “requires no religious exercise or observance” on the part of public school students, and thus...

22 April 2026 Wednesday of the 3rd week of EastertideChurch of St. Susanna had originally been the house of St. Gabinus, brother of the martyred Pope Caius who consecrated it and after whom it was called (Titulus Gaii).Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 8:1-8They went from place to place, preaching the Good NewsThat day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria. There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him. Saul then worked for the total...

Donald Trump’s Truth Social post against Pope Leo is unprecedented in the history of the presidency and papacy. No president has ever made such a statement, even as previous popes urged peace during wartime and opposed specific U.S. interventions. Our Aubrey Harris noted examples going back to Pope Benedict XV and World War I. Others are detailing examples from throughout the 20th century. They’ve continued into this century. In recent times, President George W. Bush felt no compulsion to publicly denounce Pope John Paul II when the sainted pontiff opposed the U.S. war in Iraq — a war that Donald...

Two years ago, dozens of FBI agents with guns drawn descended on the home of pro-life Christian activist Mark Houck in a terrifying early-morning raid. The 52-year-old father of seven was arrested in front of his horrified wife and children. Houck was charged and tried for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) after he shoved a pro-abortion volunteer escort who was harassing his young son outside an abortion clinic in Philadelphia. While the Biden administration sought up to 11 years in prison and a $350,000 fine, Houck was acquitted by a federal jury in less...

21 April 2026 Tuesday of the 3rd week of Eastertide Canterbury CathedralReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 7:51-8:1'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit'Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes: ‘You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by...