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April 25, 2018 Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist Reading 1 1 Pt 5:5b-14 Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humilityin your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proudbut bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that he may exalt you in due time.Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and vigilant.Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lionlooking for someone to devour.Resist him, steadfast in faith,knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the worldundergo the same sufferings.The God of all gracewho called you to...

Red Double of the Second Class THE CYCLE OF holy Mother Church brings before us today the Lion who, together with the Man, the Ox, and the Eagle, stands before the throne of God. It was on this day that Mark ascended from earth to heaven, radiant with his triple aureole of Evangelist, Apostle and Martyr. As the preaching made to Israel had its four great representatives—Isaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel, and Daniel—so, likewise, would God have the New Covenant to be embodies in the four Gospels, which were to make known to the world the life and teachings of his...

White   ℣. In resurrectione tua Christe, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. THE SON OF GOD is soon to ascend to his Father. He has said to his Apostles: Going, teach all nations: preach the Gospel to every creature. Thus, then, the Nations are not to receive the Word from the lips of Jesus, but through his Ministers. The glory and happiness of being instructed directly by the Man-God were for none but the Israelites, and even for them for only three short...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP/VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

f you’re one of the few people who don’t know who Alfie Evans is, here’s some quick backstory: Alfie is a 23-month-old boy in the UK who had developmental problems in his first year. His parents, Tom and Kate Evans, said that among other things, he was experiencing “seizure-like movements”. They took him to see doctors, but they claim they were told he was simply “lazy and a late developer.” Then in December of 2016, Alfie came down with a chest infection that caused more seizures, and ultimately put him into a coma, leading to him being placed on Life...

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9). Christ’s atonement made it possible for man to be at peace with God. After World War II the United Nations was created to promote world peace. But since its inception in 1945 there has not been a single day of global peace. That's a sad commentary on man's inability to make peace. In fact, someone once quipped that Washington D.C. has so many peace monuments because they build one after every war! It hasn't always been that way. Prior to the Fall of man peace reigned...

“How do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12). Without the truth of bodily resurrection, the Christian faith would not make sense. Even though Paul and the other apostles made the resurrection of Christ and His followers from the dead a central part of the gospel message, some new Gentile converts (the Corinthians especially) had difficulty accepting the idea of bodily resurrection. That struggle resulted mainly from the effects of Greek dualism, which viewed the spiritual as inherently good and the physical as inherently bad. Under that belief, a physical resurrection was...

God frees, ideas and ideologies do not: they make prisoners. From this axiom, clearly expressed in the Gospel of John and his reference to the doctors of the law, Pope Francis unfolds his homily during this morning mass in Casa Santa Marta before the C9 Cardinals, who until tomorrow will be attending their twenty-fourth meeting. Once again, the Pontiff warns against the risk of “rigidity”, which leads to placing oneself at the center and thus remain untouched before the works of the Holy Spirit and insensitive to new things.   The doctors of the law, in fact, were incapable of...

To Her Majesty in Parliament: We the undersigned humbly petition Your Majesty for protection of life and liberty of your 23-months-old subject Alfie Evans. The judges in Your Majesty’s Courts have given orders: * to kill Alfie on an appointed hour at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool by withdrawing his life support; * for the day and hour of that killing to be kept secret from the public to avoid any protest or hinderance; and * for Alfie to be detained in Alder Hey until his death - any attempt to release him to be resisted by force, and punished...

Update April 24, 4:20 PM: This story has been updated to include Alder Hey hospital's statement that it is going ahead with Alfie's "end of life care plan."   LIVERPOOL, April 24, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – UK toddler Alfie Evans is being starved to death by the hospital looking after him, the boy’s father Tom confirmed. The 23-month-old is now approaching 24 hours since being removed from his ventilator. Tom says his son is still fighting, but he needs food.  Photos of Alfie Evans taken after his ventilation was removed at 9:17 on April 23, 2018. Alfie's Army / Facebook READ: World...

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the...

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24) The verse refers to money, but in light of today's debate about the unaccountable devotion many Christian leaders have for President Trump it is not a stretch to apply it to their relationship with him. Last week at Wheaton College in Illinois a number of Christian pastors and leaders gathered to discuss the future of "evangelicalism" in the Trump era. Some who were not there claimed it was a forum...

Someone asks "I have friends who are gay and planning a wedding. They know my beliefs on homosexuality — that it is not God's creative design. I'm expecting to receive a wedding invite anytime. What should I do?" Tim writes: These are tough questions — at first glance. What do I mean? One could agonize over such a question, but I believe the follower of Christ would recognize that he or she has one loyalty — to Jesus Christ. That means doing what the Bible says. I could refer to that text about not being unequally yoked — meaning a...

On the Worthy Reception of Holy Communion (Part Two) Msgr. Charles Pope • April 23, 2018 • In yesterday’s post we considered the term “closed communion,” the practice of offering Holy Communion only to those who hold to the full doctrine of the Church. This practice emphasizes that communion of mind and heart to all the Holy Catholic Church teaches to be revealed by God is included in the “Amen” that affirms the true presence.Today we will discuss the need to approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion free from serious and unrepentant sin. Let’s consider some texts showing that...

1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 But...

Navy Upholds Inclusion of Bible on POW/MIA Table Following Complaint ICC Note: As previously reported, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) issued a complaint regarding the presence of a Bible on a traditional POW/MIA display at a Naval hospital. However, the United States Navy recently upheld the inclusion of the Bible on the display as it was found to pass “regulatory and constitutional muster.” The leader of the MRFF, Mikey Weinstein, has since shared his determination to continue fighting the matter.04/21/2018 United States (Christian News Network) – The U.S. Navy has upheld the inclusion of the Bible on a “missing...

Proverb 24 (NKJV)Do Not Envy Evil Men 01 Do not be envious of evil men, 00 Nor desire to be with them; 02 For their heart devises violence, 00 And their lips talk of troublemaking. 03 Through wisdom a house is built, 00 And by understanding it is established; 04 By knowledge the rooms are filled 00 With all precious and pleasant riches. 05 A wise man is strong, 00 Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 06 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, 00 And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. 07...

The Bible has much to say about the heart. In Scripture, the heart refers not so much to an organ that pumps blood throughout the body as it does to the core of the soul, the deepest seat of human affections. It is out of the heart that the issues of life flow. Jesus saw a close connection between the location of our treasures and the drive of our hearts. Find a man’s treasure map and you have found the highway of his heart. In this fallen condition, the heart is seen as the root of our problem. We are...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Shared Meal 
 (Old Testament) Leviticus 23 The Festival of Trumpets 23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.’” (End of Scripture Passage) The Feast ofTRUMPETS, (Also called ROSH HASHANA) is the beginning of the civil year, and signified the calling Israel to judgment. It was a sacred assembly and a day of rest commemorated...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for PRESIDENT TRUMP and VICE PRESIDENT PENCE and for AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about...