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Daily Readings from the USCCBHe took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat. Mark 5:41–43Jairus was the leader of the synagogue in Capernaum. In that position, he would have been pressured to be in opposition to Jesus. But his daughter was ill, and his daughter was more important to him...

30 June 2024 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Nonnberg Abbey, Salzburg, Austria Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First readingWisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the livingDeath was not God’s doing,he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living.To be – for this he created all;the world’s created things have health in them,in them no fatal poison can be found,and Hades holds no power on earth;for virtue is undying.Yet God did make man imperishable,he made him in the image of his own nature;it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world,as those who are...

“So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius [even] in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Daniel 6:28). True success is more a matter of character than of circumstances. By anyone’s standards Daniel was a remarkably successful man. After entering Babylon as one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s young Hebrew hostages, he quickly distinguished himself as a person of unusual character, wisdom, and devotion to his God. Within a few years Nebuchadnezzar had made him ruler over the province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men. Many years later Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, promoted him to third ruler...

Saturday 29 June 2024 Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Solemnity Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in PhiladelphiaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II).These readings are for the Vigil Mass on the evening before the feast.These readings are for the day of the feast itself.These readings are for the Vigil Mass on the evening before the feast.First readingActs 3:1-10I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus, walk!Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it happened that there was a man being carried past....

The Pope is NOT an Absolute Monarch! Catholics Must Understand the Limits of Episcopal Authority!People tend to think of the pope as the head of a large company with the ultimate power to make all the decisions and impose them on his underlings beginning with the heads of the various departments. They can express their opinions to him, but he is the ultimate authority and if they disagree they can obey anyway or "off with their heads!"That is not a proper image for the Catholic Church.The pope is not a dictator with the ultimate power to throw out bishops on...

The readings for this Sunday focus on the theme of life, and God’s desire for it. They discuss God’s relationship with, and intentions for, the natural world: topics that resonate with Pope Francis’ newly-released encyclical on the environment. 1. The first reading poses some issues that have to be discussed: Reading 1: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:17–19Saints Peter and Paul are often referred to as two of the great “Pillars of the Church.” They each played an incredibly essential role in the establishment of the early Church. And though each...

“Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language who were living in all the land: ‘May your peace abound! I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions’” (Daniel...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:1–4To do homage to another is to publicly express reverence and respect. This is what this leper did to Jesus. He “did him homage.” But the leper went even further. He also expressed his certain faith that Jesus could cure him if He wished to do so. And Jesus did desire this. Jesus stretched out His hand to touch the leper and pronounced the words,...

28 June 2024 Saint Irenaeus, Bishop, Doctor, Martyr on Friday of week 12 in Ordinary TimeMontreal, Quebec: Saint Irenaeus Church Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst reading2 Kings 25:1-12The sack of Jerusalem and the final deportationIn the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with his whole army to attack Jerusalem; he pitched camp in front of the city and threw up earthworks round it. The city lay under siege till the...

“Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.’ Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had...

[Catholic Caucus] Accept or Reject the New Mass?Just days after Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum, Italy’s Bishop Luca Brandolini—who had been a close collaborator of Archbishop Annibale Bugnini—stated, “This day is for me a day of grief. I have a lump in my throat and I do not manage to hold back my tears…Today, a reform for which so many labored, at the cost of great sacrifices…has been canceled.”Hard as it may seem to avoid laughing at the absurdity of claiming that allowing the ancient form of the Roman Mass the rather second-class and exceptional status of an “extraordinary”...

How and Why Do Traditional Priestly Institutes Fit Within Francis’s Synodal Church?By prohibiting Traditional Latin Masses other than those offered by the ex-Ecclesia Dei communities (e.g., the FSSP and ICKSP), the new document would dramatically reduce the number of Traditional Latin Masses, harming souls in various ways. On June 13, 2024, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity published a “study report” entitled The Bishop of Rome. Primacy and Synodality in the Ecumenical Dialogues and in the Responses to the Encyclical Ut unum sint, which helpfully outlines how the various pieces of Vatican II’s ecumenical movement fit together to form a...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:28–29These lines conclude the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew’s Gospel chapters 5–7. In that lengthy sermon, Jesus touches on many topics and presents us with a summary of all we need to know in our lives of faith. In these concluding lines of His sermon, the words “astonished” and “authority” should stand out. Why were the crowds astonished at Jesus’ teaching? Because His teaching was new and relied...

27 June 2024 Thursday of week 12 in Ordinary Time St Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church, Houston TXReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First reading2 Kings 24:8-17The first deportation into captivity in BabylonJehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. He did what is displeasing to the Lord, just as his father had done. At that time the troops of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came...

“Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose with the dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den. And when he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?’ Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live...

“Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, ‘Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?’ The king answered and said, ‘The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.’ Then they answered and spoke before the king, ‘Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.” Matthew 7:16–17“So by their fruits you will know them.” This is how our Gospel passage for today concludes. It offers us an exceptionally practical way by which you can discern the working of God in your own life and in the life of others. When you look at your own life, what good fruit, born for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God, do you see? Some people may find little...

[Catholic Caucus] Banning the TLM (Again): Latest DevelopmentsCredible rumors shared by Rorate Caeli about a renewed crackdown on the Roman Rite, coinciding with the third anniversary of Traditionis Custodes, have prompted an interesting debate on what sort of trick the Vatican may have up its sleeve and how, in turn, individual dioceses and Traditional Latin Mass communities will play their hand. In its letter published last week, Rorate cautioned readers that the ideologues responsible for Traditionis Custodes are “frustrated with its apparently slow results” and are now seeking a new ban that would be as “wide, final, and irreversible as...

26 June 2024 Wednesday of week 12 in Ordinary Time Our Lady of Peace: The Prelatic Church of Opus Dei - St. Josemaria Institute, RomeReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).First reading2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3The Book of the Law is found in the Temple of the LordThe high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him as follows, ‘Your servants’ he said ‘have melted down the...