Free Republic

Today in God’s law we are looking at one that is somewhat most dearest to our interests. Of all the things in life we desire for ourselves it is that others might think well of us. To have a bad reputation is to ruin whatever first impression we may give when being introduced to someone for the first time. It also means that folks might give you a squinty eye when they see you out in public. This is especially the case when you don’t even know why people are treating you differently. There is no pain like finding out...

Angelyn Peralta Aguirre, a 33-year-old caregiver from the Philippines, was by the side of her 70-year-old patient, Nira last Saturday when Hamas terrorists attacked Kibbutz Kfar Gaza. Aguirre had been Nira’s caregiver for six years. In the face of such horror, Aguirre did not abandon her patient. She took her to a shelter where they both hid. “Wadiya la ra. Natatakot ak (They are already here. I am afraid),” the 33-year-old caregiver said in one voice message sent to the family chat group. More messages followed but three hours later, she went silent. “At that moment we were praying for...

"He love her true love, the wedding dress was in the closet": Neta jumped on a pomegranate to save Irann Neta Epstein and Irann Shavit, only 22 years old, were in the shelter while the terrorists broke into their home in Kfar Aza. Yael Shavit, Irann's mother tells the heartbreaking story of Neta's heroism and the story of her daughter's survival. "She hid behind his body while the terrorists barricaded themselves in the apartment." |N12| Published 13/10/23 11:45 | Updated 13/10/23 12:26

Two events of the last week witness to a significant shift in the times in which we live. The first is a sermon by megachurch Evangelical pastor Andy Stanley that seemed to concede ground to gay partnerships within the Church. The second is a worryingly ambiguous comment from Pope Francis on the possibility of blessing same-sex unions. In his Sunday sermon at North Point Community Church, Stanley responded to criticism that he had held a conference that featured gay-affirming speakers. He stated that North Point continues to teach that marriage is between a man and a woman, but that if...

There are people born with biological or chromosomal abnormalities who do not fit perfectly into the male-female categories. They are called intersex (more precisely, those affected by disorders of sexual development, representing .018% of the population). They deserve our sensitivity and compassion, but they are the exceptions who prove the rule of the gender binary. There are also people who, to the core of their being, feel that they are trapped in the wrong body, often experiencing internal conflict and pain for many years. They too deserve our sensitivity and compassion. But to call them “transgender” is to do them...

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:8–9)Our present age is one in which “love,” as we refer to it, has become so distorted as to be hardly recognizable.

Former President Trump says he would “love to debate” Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. The hypothetical head-to-head between the actress formerly known as Meghan Markle and the 45th president was floated by radio host Hugh Hewitt on his eponymous show during an interview Wednesday with Trump. Asked if he would sit down with Meghan and her husband Prince Harry “for the ratings” in what Hewitt speculated would be a widely viewed event, Trump replied, “If you want to set it up, let’s set it up.” “Let’s go do something,” Trump said. “I’d love to debate her. I would love it.”...

The Brothers Grimm wrote Snow White 200 years ago as a story of love and friendship overcoming vanity and self-regard. Hollywood today has apparently traded the “love” part for some girl-boss “leadership” content. Promising “a modern edge” to the classic, actress Rachel Zegler said, “It’s no longer 1937. ... She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.” The modern moviegoer, at this point, is forgiven a sigh or eye roll. This new Snow White will probably be pretty...

Peter Paul Rubens was born on the 28th June, 1577. “My passion comes from the heavens,” said Rubens, “not from earthly musings.” In Rubens world men could be men and women could be women. There’s desire. There’s the chase. There is fun. Now, in 2023, that human reality gets confused with crime. Our deep connection, in what we traditional adults are and can be, is too often lost. But life is beautiful. God made us to couple and to love.

“If you come into this house, love one another,” he added. “If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.”“In my existence, one a**hole can turn the whole tide down there,” Brooks continued. “My thing is, let’s create a place that you feel safe in.”Brooks also said he wanted make his bar a place where a person can “feel good” and “safe.”

Love Island has been criticised just one episode into the new summer series, with a race row already brewing. The ITV2 dating show returned to screens on Monday night for its tenth series with 10 new Islanders setting up home in the Mallorca villa. Host Maya Jama presided over the first coupling up of the series, which this year saw the public vote on who should be paired. Some viewers criticised the pairings, with one tweeting: 'The general public cannot be trusted. EVERY year they couple people up together by race.' Another tweeted: 'Soooo the public decided lets put the...

We have heard of virtual girlfriends – real people behind screens with whom you can have a virtual or online relationship. We have also heard of rent-a-girlfriend services – where you pay a real woman to pretend to be your girlfriend for a short term. But have you heard of AI-powered chatbot girlfriends? With over 1.85 million users on Snapchat, 23-year-old Caryn Marjorie has become the first influencer to be cloned into an AI. Her team of developers sifted through 2,000 hours of her now-defunct content on YouTube. The team combed through the content to meticulously design and code Caryn’s...

Pope Francis raised some eyebrows while discussing sex abusers, whom he labeled “children of God” who deserve love and “pastoral care” — as well revolting “enemies” who must be punished. The pontiff made his remarks last month during a private meeting with a group of Jesuit priests in Hungary, but they were only published Tuesday by La Civilta Cattolica, an Italian Jesuit journal. “How do we approach, how do we talk to the abusers for whom we feel revulsion? Yes, they too are children of God. But how can you love them?” Francis was quoted as saying.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has issued a “cease and desist order” to Holy Name College, a community of Franciscan Catholic priests and brothers, who have provided pastoral care to service members and veterans at Walter Reed for nearly two decades.

First Lady Jill Biden professed her love for her stepson Hunter Biden and claimed that she will support him no matter what amid a wave of GOP investigations into his allegedly corrupt business dealings. She also expressed confidence that these investigations will not hinder her husband, President Joe Biden, from launching a re-election campaign. The first lady made her remarks during a recent interview with CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz, who brought up Biden’s stepson. Saenz said, "I want to turn to another issue that has come up amongst Republicans a lot and your son Hunter has really been...

The Kingdom of Heaven is not in the carnal pleasures of this world. In the proper ordering of my passions, may I find fulfillment in charity and divine beatitude (CCC 1769). We are made in the image and likeness of an infinite God. From our finite perspectives, can we fathom the depths of a soul? What are the limits of spirit? In our finite nature, can we grasp the expanse of infinity itself? No. However, we can feel universal longings within us for peace without end. Until our souls find their peace in God, we are restless. This restlessness is...

When women are beautiful and have brains its a heady combination. In the 1921 photo in the above link (red type below the headline) mystic philosopher Simone Weil looks like she could have done very well in pre-code Hollywood to me. Another celebrated French writer was Colette. Apart from her writings, perhaps Colette's greatest claim to fame was discovering Audrey Hepburn. Colette was being pushed along the Monaco seafront in a wheel-chair when she saw Audrey wearing a one-piece black swimsuit. Colette exclaimed, “Voilà ma Gigi!” because what she saw in Hepburn was exactly what was needed for the role...

Sorry for the shameless vanity but some of you may be able to offer advice for my situation. God designed women to last longer than men, I think, because they are better at carrying on with life after loss of a spouse.My loving wife of 38 years left me almost two months ago and I still have trouble going out by myself for more than short errands. She was a wonderful, sweet and very traditional lady. She was also a solid conservative who once told me she would never, ever vote for a Democrat even if they were better qualified....

Does God heal everyone, let's examine that question. And once again you need to understand God's meaning of healing. In the gospels the words heal, healed, healing in The Strong's Concordance is #2323 and it means-to relieve(of disease)-cure, heal. Don't just look at that by the flesh. Because, if you do you will most likely miss it. God's word says in Isaiah 53:4, "Surely he hath borne our griefs(sicknesses and diseases) and carried our sorrows(pains and afflictions). He's talking about what Jesus would do when he came and sacrificed himself for us. For him to bear ours that means ours...

An elderly Missouri man died with his wife in a house fire Thursday after he refused to escape to safety without her. Dispatchers told Kenneth Zerr to flee his New Melle home that was quickly becoming consumed by flames, but he opted to stay inside to find his wife, Phyllis, the couple’s son told KSDK. “The dispatch told my father to come out of the house and my father said, ‘I’m not leaving my wife’ and stayed with her. Until the end,” Andy Zerr said as he fought back tears. Phyllis had fallen from her wheelchair onto the floor of...