Author: S&P
When Being Affirming Isn’t Loving…
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 ...
‘The Priority Is Listening’: Avoiding the Term ‘Secrecy,’ Pope Calls Synod on Synodality Delegates to ‘Fast’ From Publicity…
ROME – Pope Francis opened his Synod on Synodality Wednesday by urging members to abstain from speaking to journalists in order to maintain what he said was the “priority of listening,” and lamented the influence of public opinion on past synod gatherings. Speaking to synod members and participants during the Oct. 4 opening session, the pope stressed the need to make room for the Holy Spirit throu...
“Night shall be thrice night over you”: The Church’s revolutions…
Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francisby john t. mcgreevyw. w. norton, 528 pages, $35 In 1489 the Roman Catholic Church felt, and was, hemmed into a corner of the world. The view from Rome was of Africa and Asia long lost to heretical churches or to Islam, and Europe divided between Catholicism and Orthodoxy (itself seen as heretical), while Ottoman power advanced...
Suiting up, making the case, and guess who’s coming to dinner…
Suiting up, making the case, and guess who’s coming to dinner Skip to content Happy Friday friends, And a happy feast of the Archangels. This weekend is the consistory at which Pope Francis will formally create the slate of new cardinals which he announced back in July. It promises to be a weekend of pomp and pageantry in Rome. However much it’s now en vogue for cardinals to play down the tr...
The College of Cardinals 2023: Global, Diverse and Unpredictable…
As Pope Francis welcomes the latest members of the College of Cardinals — including 18 new electors eligible to vote in any prospective conclave — he continues to build on the work of his predecessors by making the college more international, even as he puts his personal stamp on its membership. As of the consistory on Sept. 30, Francis’ college will have 136 cardinal-electors, meaning they ...
Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael the Archangels, Mighty in Power…
SAINTS & ART: ‘Bless the Lord, all you angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word, and heeding his voice’ (Psalm 103) A paradox of recent times has been that while a focus on the theology of the angels — angelology — has gone into eclipse in the Church, a kind of New Age “spirituality” fascination with them has spread in secular circles. The number of “angel” books in the religion section of...
Your Go-To Guide for the 3 Archangels: Handy Facts Every Catholic Should Know…
The Church celebrates the feast of the Archangels on Sept. 29. According to EWTN, “The Sacred Scriptures have revealed the proper names of only three angels, all of whom belong to the Choir of the Archangels. The names are well known to all, namely: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael.” Since these archangels are in heaven, we affectionately refer to them as saints. Here is a brief synopsis of each of the a...
We’ve Never Walked This Road Alone
“These signs of Your Presence strengthen me and prepare me for whatever difficulties I’ll encounter on the road ahead. Help me to remember that nothing in all creation can separate me from Your Love!” – Jesus Listens, September 22nd “God is going to do big things with your life,” we often hear. No doubt well meaning, but is it true? Is it big when God allows a believer to wrestle with debilitating...
“Their Thoughts Become Sharper Than Usual” and People Experience “New Dimensions of Reality” When Dying, Groundbreaking Study Reports…
Image: Mutlu Kurtbas via Getty Images ABSTRACT breaks down mind-bending scientific research, future tech, new discoveries, and major breakthroughs. Scientists have witnessed brain patterns in dying patients that may correlate to commonly reported “near-death” experiences (NDEs) such as lucid visions, out-of-body sensations, a review of one’s own life, and other “dimensions of reality,” report...
Here’s why you should put luggage in your hotel room’s bathtub, according to experts…
There’s a really gross reason you should put your luggage in the hotel bathroom. We asked the experts to explain. What’s the first thing to do when you step in a hotel room? Test out the mattress? Raid the minibar? Peep the view? Check your hotel room for intruders or other hotel safety issues? Maybe you set your brand-new luggage set on the bed and start unpacking. Or maybe you put your sui...
Pope Francis Creates 21 New Cardinals: ‘Mother Church, Who Speaks All Languages, Is One and Catholic’…
The pope also created cardinals representing Catholic communities in non-majority Christian countries: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong; and Cardinal Sebastian Francis of Penang, Malaysia. In total, 16% of all cardinal-electors are now from Asia, compared with 9% before Francis’ pontificate. Five new cardinals from Latin America...
St. Jerome Did Well to Carry That Stone…
To which saint can we, the occasionally irascible, turn? Is there anything more comforting than a notably flawed saint? I do not mean a “bad guy turned good” situation like St. Paul. His story and conversion is beautiful and proves that no one is beyond redemption. But what if you are not actively persecuting Christians? What if your vices are less dramatic but still dangerous? Who is the saint fo...
