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Beloved, I love Christmas and all the wondrous Bible verses of hope! Just before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ despair was an epidemic and hopelessness super abounding! For those who trusted in the Lord in such oppressive days, their hope was a burning fire within their hearts that kept them fresh and vibrate! Anna and Simeon and the Wise men of old were great witnesses of hope in such dark days (Matt. 2:12; Luke 2:25-40)! Anna and Simeon and the Wise men of old were great witnesses of hope in such dark days! Today is no different! Our...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” Matthew 11:11–12The two sentences in the passage above can be challenging to comprehend, but the insights of Church Fathers and saints offer us a deeper understanding. In the first sentence, Jesus declares John the Baptist to be the greatest of those born...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(12/11/25)[Prayer]The Scriptures in Handel’s “Messiah”Psalm 2:44 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.Holy Bible, The King James Version________________________

11 December 2025 Thursday of the 2nd week of Advent Basilica di San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, rebuilt by Pope Damasus IReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 41:13-20I, the Holy One of Israel, am your redeemerI, the Lord, your God,I am holding you by the right hand;I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,I will help you.’Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm,Israel, puny mite.I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks –the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.See, I turn you into a threshing-sled,new, with doubled teeth;you shall thresh and crush the mountains,and...

A rising number of New Yorkers are reportedly converting to the Catholic Church, with the spike in converts coming as the U.S. bishops say increasing numbers of men and women are coming into the faith in this country. The New York Post found that multiple New York City Catholic churches have year-over-year double or even triple the number of adults signing up to become Catholic through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). At one parish, St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, interest in OCIA tripled since last year, with about 130 people signing up, according to the paper....

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Matth. 18:20)

As the Trump administration is reportedly preparing to deploy 100 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to Minnesota, home to an estimated 87,000 people with Somali ties, Lutheran church leaders are pushing back against federal immigration enforcement actions with evangelism. Last Tuesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said ICE agents are being deployed to the Twin Cities to specifically target the Somali community, which has faced allegations of rampant fraud involving the state’s benefit system after federal prosecutors charged dozens of individuals with stealing over $300 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota-based nonprofit....

In an age of moral confusion and cultural uncertainty, people are drawn to those who actually believe what they say—who live as if their core convictions are real and unshakable. This may explain the quiet shift unfolding in England. For the first time in centuries, the Catholic Church surpasses CoE in active attendance. Among young people, Catholics outnumber Anglicans. In London, the shift is even more pronounced. The tide is turning—and it’s not turning toward trendy liturgies or progressive theology but toward clarity, continuity, and conviction. Every Anglican worldwide, and every Episcopalian in the U.S., knows that even after 500...

Quick SummaryThe world's five remaining Communist countries are intensifying control over Christian churches.China mandates church registration and financial audits, enforcing strict operational restrictions.Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam impose similar regulations, limiting religious activities and foreign funding.Governments in the world’s five remaining Communist countries are intensifying control over Christian churches, according to an analysis by a persecution watchdog, which says churches are facing growing legal, financial and operational restrictions under regimes in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam.Authorities in China require churches to register with the state and operate under a system called Sinicization, which mandates that sermons and...

A video clip from Kirk Cameron caused a firestorm over the weekend on social media in which he stated that he no longer believes that hell is a place of eternal conscious torment. He has embraced an alternative view called annihilationism or conditional mortality.Does the Bible teach that hell is indeed a literal place of eternal conscious torment?The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus clearly teaches some truths about the reality of hell.Luke 16:19–31 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid...

Safe to say, traditional Catholics repelled by the liberal views of the late Pope Francis are not finding much relief under its new pontiff. In October, Pope Leo took yet another sharp-tongued and sarcastic aim at President Donald Trump for ejecting illegal immigrants from America, likening it to abortion and implying he is a hypocrite. "Someone who says I am against abortion but in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don't know if that's pro life," the Bishop of Rome pondered out loud to media from his luxe Castel Gandolfo digs in Italy. Castel...

[Catholic Caucus] New ‘pornographic’ texts by Cardinal Fernández discovered‘Cardinal Fernández's problem also explains the contempt with which he gratuitously treated the Blessed Virgin Mary, denying her two titles used by saints and popes,' observed El Wanderer.More erotic filth by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) — formerly the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — has been reported by the Argentine Catholic website El Wanderer, which described the newly unearthed material as “not only pornographic but also detestable.”The “disgusting” erotic texts are in line with the DDF head’s previously known...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV’s first great test: unity, contradiction, and the College of CardinalsLess than twenty-four hours after formally closing the Holy Year itinerary he inherited from Pope Francis, Leo XIV will host a meeting that will be pivotal for his reign.The extraordinary consistory of cardinals scheduled for January 7 and 8 will be the first since August 2022. Francis held only three such meetings during his reign, but he also created the significant majority of the College and expanded the Church’s global reach by creating cardinals as far afield as Tonga and Mongolia.The huge geographical distances between cardinals meant...

[Catholic Caucus] Pro-LGBT German bishop says the Catholic Church does not ‘stand for an abstract truth’In a recent homily, Bishop Peter Kohlgraf rejected claims he is ‘not Catholic’ while arguing the faith should embrace the ‘opinion of others’ and move beyond ‘abstract truth.’German Bishop Peter Kohlgraf has responded to an allegation that he and other German bishops are “not Catholic” in light of their support for ideologies which oppose traditional Church teachings, and implied that the Catholic faith is not about truth.The bishop of Mainz delivered a homily on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, arguing that being Catholic must...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30Each of us needs to hear these gentle and inviting words more than we realize. On the surface, many people project an image of happiness, as if they have it all together. Social media profiles often present the happy, successful, fun, and impressive aspects of a...

Wake up O Israel!! Wake up O America!!! Wake up O Earth!!! A Savior was born!!!! Almighty God has sent a SAVIOR, mighty to save and deliver ALL who trust in Him from sin and ETERNAL death (John 3:16-17, 36, Rom 7:24-25, Rev. 20:11-15)! Oh my beloved, how many people do you think in the land of Israel 2000 years ago were TRULY looking for Almighty God’s Savior of the Holy Scriptures prior to His incarnation (birth) (Psalm 40:6-8, Isa. 53, John 1:10-11, 14, Heb. 10:5-14)? Sadly near to none... because (then and today) people (Sadducees, Pharisees, Israelites, conservatives, liberals,...

The One who is ETERNALLY MORE precious than gold! Is that true for you this Christmas my friend this Christmas season? 1. The Treasure of the Magi (Matt. 2:1-12; 6:21; 1 Cor. 1:18-31; Col. 2:2-3) Our hearts within us Are longing for more than gold: Treasures and riches Which only Messiah holds. His presence we seek, Humbly and meek. Through many days and nights, We travel on to Him; His star leads the way, And our hearts brightly burn within. And finally we see: The young Christ and King. This One, this child: The King of Israel; And gifts we...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(12/10/25)[Prayer]The Scriptures in Handel’s “Messiah”Psalm 2:33 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.Holy Bible, The King James Version________________________

10 December 2025Wednesday of the 2nd week of Advent High altar of the martyrdom basilica of Santa Eulalia in Mérida (Badajoz, Spain)Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 40:25-31The Lord strengthens the powerless‘To whom could you liken meand who could be my equal?’ says the Holy One.Lift your eyes and look.Who made these starsif not he who drills them like an army,calling each one by name?So mighty is his power, so great his strength,that not one fails to answer.How can you say, Jacob,how can you insist, Israel,‘My destiny is hidden from the Lord,my rights are ignored by my...

“‘The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away’” (Matthew 13:20–21). Shallow acceptance of the gospel can be encouraged by shallow evangelism that promises blessings of salvation but ignores the costs of discipleship. If people just “make a decision” for Jesus Christ without accepting all His claims on their lives, they can become insulated from genuine salvation. When...