Free Republic

“He said to them, ‘What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ Then He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand!’ He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other” (Matthew 12:11–13). One of the tragedies of Hinduism in India is its distorted disregard for human welfare. You should not...

A dean at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. came to the defense of a junior research fellow whose sermon last Sunday about Jesus Christ having a "trans body" reportedly left outraged congregants "in tears." Dr. Michael Banner, the dean of Trinity College, said Joshua Heath raised "legitimate" speculation in his Evensong sermon, during which the researcher claimed from the pulpit of Trinity College chapel that non-erotic portrayals of Jesus' penis in historical paintings "urge a welcoming rather than hostile response towards the raised voices of trans people," according to The Daily Telegraph. "In Christ's simultaneously masculine and feminine...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, 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)Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

Often we overlook much prophetic truth when we read and study God’s Word. The Bible is without limits in its rich wisdom available to be mined. The Creator’s purpose in giving His Word to the human race is to provide direction for living in the most abundant way possible. Jesus Christ is that Word. The last book of the Bible—Revelation—is the unveiling of Jesus in all His power, glory and majesty. Prophecy—telling of the future—resides at the heart of that Word. The promises issued from the holy pages guarantee eternal life for each person ever to be born who genuinely...

Since the mid-term elections, TV and social media pundits are saying, “Biden, Pelosi, Trump, and McConnell are too old. We need fresh blood, someone with new ideas to solve our problems. It is time for someone else to lead, someone that can appeal to young voters, a uniter, not a divider.” The interesting thing about this is that Bible prophecy teachers have long said there will be an outcry for “a man with a plan” at the end of the age. We can be sure he (the Antichrist) is coming, and it is even likely that he is alive and...

[Catholic Caucus] The US Bishops Promote a Protégé to the Rapist Theodore McCarrickRichmond Bishop Barry Knestout will head up of all things the bishops’ child protection committee.It is impossible to overstate the tone-deafness of America’s Catholic bishops in recent years. They seem determined to give the Catholic Church a black eye. The Theodore McCarrick scandal — he was a prominent cardinal in Washington, D.C., who preyed on boys, seminarians, and priests in plain sight for decades — marks one of the lowest points in the history of the Church. In light of that, wouldn’t the bishops want to avoid any...

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~ “GO AWAY, LORD; I AM A SINFUL MAN!” ֎ Featuring 29 Paintings, 1 Mosaic and 8 Windows ֎ L U K E CHAPTER 5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little...

(Daily readings from the USCCB)Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:37–39Are you awake? Spiritually speaking? As we begin the liturgical season of Advent, we are given the future coming...

The first weeks of Advent focus more on the Lord’s second coming in glory than on His first coming at Bethlehem. The gospel clearly states that we must always be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, the Son of Man will come. “Ready” is the key word, but how should we be ready? The second reading from today’s Mass (Romans 13:11-14) gives us a basic recipe for readiness. We can distinguish five fundamental instructions in Paul’s recipe.Wake up – The text says, … you know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from...

“As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Proverbs 27:21-22).

“…The rehabilitation of the Ancient (Latin) Mass must absolutely not be understood as a concession to the Society of St. Pius X, but as a way for the whole Church to be one with herself inwardly, with her own past; that what was previously holy to her (Latin Mass) is not somehow wrong now…” Last Testament: In His Own Words by Pope Benedict XVI

“‘But if you had known what this means, “I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath’” (Matthew 12:7–8). God has not hesitated to set aside His laws for the sake of mercy toward sinners. Otherwise none of them would be saved or even born, because He would have destroyed them right after they sinned. God’s plan was not to condemn all sinners but to save from its penalty those who believe in His Son. And if a righteous and just God displays that kind...

What’s it like to be a 'traditionalist' Catholic in Germany?As the "synodal way" shapes Catholicism in Germany, 'The Pillar' talked with Germany's "traditionalist" Catholics.If you are ever browsing at a newsstand in a big German train station, look out for a magazine called Dominus Vobiscum.The cover is likely to feature a photograph of a Mass, or perhaps a statue of a saint, or a page from a medieval manuscript.Beneath the image will be a line explaining that the magazine is produced by Pro Missa Tridentina, a lay association dedicated to “the Classical Roman Rite in the Catholic Church.”The magazine is...

Luke 21:34-36 Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus directs us to be vigilant about his coming again. But his words also warn us to prepare for the day of our coming before him in death. On that day, our world will end. How are we going to deal with that day? Most of our interests, pursuits, and entertainments are designed to stave off this question. And this is why so many of the spiritual masters emphasize the importance of forcing ourselves to address this matter. St. Benedict tells his monks to hold their own death before their mind’s eye every day....

The Problem With the US Bishops Christopher Manion points to a few historical problems with the US Bishops (and the USCC bureaucracy as a whole)....Today, [the Bishops'] agenda features a vast array of government programs and policies as the authoritative teaching of “the Church,” while they fall silent on the magisterial teachings of Humanae Vitae on contraception, Romans 1:26-27 on sodomy, and Matthew 19:3-6 on marriage and divorce....That 'vast array of government programs and policies' is translated "Distributive Justice." That's the claim, anyway: that the 'distributive justice' portion of 'social justice' is served by Federal programs. (You'll recall that 'distributive...

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in...

I wrote a book that will be published next week. All but one of the chapters will be on various theological topics except for one. This story is an embellished story I wrote about the trip Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem, over 2000 years ago to be counted and pay their Roman tax. When you think of the first story of Christmas, it’s usually about Mary and Joseph looking down at their new born son in a manger, surrounded by barn animals and maybe a shepherd or two looking on. Angels singing praises of joy to the Lord Most...

Pope tells theologians to consult ‘non-Catholics,’ avoid ‘going backward’ in TraditionThe Pontiff once again criticized Catholics attached to the traditional form of the Church's life.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis has warned an influential, Vatican-based theological commission against “going backward” in “Tradition,” instead urging them to promote the Gospel by consulting non-Catholic “experts.”The 85-year-old Pontiff made the comments Thursday to the International Theological Commission, a body of theologians set up by Pope Paul VI in 1969 to advise the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).Francis first highlighted how the Commission was to fulfil its task “in...

27 November 2022 1st Sunday of Advent Parish Church of Saint Virgil, Rattenberg, Austria Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(I).First readingIsaiah 2:1-5 ©The Lord gathers all nations together into the eternal peace of God's kingdomThe vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.In the days to comethe mountain of the Temple of the Lordshall tower above the mountainsand be lifted higher than the hills.All the nations will stream to it,peoples without number will come to it; and they will say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God...

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~ JESUS PREACHES IN NAZARETH'S SYNAGOGUE ֎ Featuring 18 Paintings and 5 Photographs ֎ L U K E CHAPTER 3 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to...