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Kristen Van Uden: How atheism developed and took root…
“This book really shows us that atheism and communism were not natural disasters that were just bound to happen, but rather they were ideological revolutions that were carefully calculated,” said… “This book really shows us that atheism and communism were not natural disasters that were just bound to happen, but rather they were ideological revolutions that were carefully calculated,” said Kristen Van Uden, referring to “The Gods of Atheism,” a 1971 book by Fr. Vincent Miceli, S.J., recently republished by Sophia Institute Press. Van Uden is the author spokesperson at Sophia Institute Press and also “studies the persecution of Catholics under communist regimes,” a subject on which she is writing a book. Van Uden is editor of, and a writ...
Food insecurity at the time of Christ…
When traveling in the Middle East, I especially enjoy the typical Mediterranean diet: fresh, local, and meat-free, consisting of vegetables (fresh or cured), fruit, dairy products, legumes, olives, breads, etc. This would have been the standard fare in Jesus’ time as well, though minus a few essentials of today: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, apples, pears, bananas etc. Meat was rare and in 1st-century Palestine would only have been eaten by the wealthy and most likely would have been goat; beef and lamb would have been reserved for holidays. Fish, on the other hand, might have been consumed more commonly than thought. Some historians even claim that at the time certain hardy species were farmed (like tilapia, “St. Peter’s fish”, commonly farmed in Israel today). Chickens were scarce be...
Vatican’s Synod on Synodality Organizers Say Synod is ‘Fruit’ of Second Vatican Council…
The CDF document noted that in the history of the Church, synods and councils were nearly interchangeable terms for formal ecclesiastical assemblies. VATICAN CITY — In a message marking the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, the organizers of the Synod on Synodality called the Synod of Bishops a “fruit” of the council. Quoting Pope Francis, the synod’s general secretariat on Monday said the synod was “indeed one of [the Council’s] most precious legacies.” “The purpose of the synod was and remains to prolong, in the life and mission of the Church, the spirit of the Second Vatican Council,” the message said. “The concept of ‘synodality’ is found throughout the council, even though this term (only recently coined) is not found expressly in the documents of the ecumenical assembly....
How to give God perfect thanks…
One of the great human inadequacies is our inability to give proper and adequate thanks to God. Perhaps the biggest problem is that we don’t even realize the vast majority of what He does for us; it is hidden from our eyes. A further problem is that in our fallen condition we seem to be wired to magnify our problems and minimize or discount the enormous blessings of each moment. God sustains every fiber of our being and every atom of creation. God’s blessings are countless and yet we get angry if our iPhone malfunctions or if a few of His myriad blessings are withdrawn. An old gospel song says it well: I’ve got so much to thank God for; So many wonderful blessings and so many open doors. A brand new mercy along with each new day. That’s why I praise You and for this I give You praise...
Do you know what the Western Christian equivalent to the Jesus Prayer is? The Hail Mary. That is our Jesus Prayer…..
As life continues full, I’m not yet able to resume writing here – which I miss! But I just had to say something about yesterday’s feast day honoring Our Lady of the Rosary. The other week in one of my classes, we were covering the history of the Jesus Prayer in the Eastern Christian world. The Jesus prayer – some variation of “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” – grew out of a monastic tradition of “arrow prayers,” i.e. short passages from Scripture that would used in repetition to laser-focus mind and heart in petitioning for divine aid. In the East, it was the Jesus Prayer that towered over all other arrow prayers, especially because it placed in the center of the arrow the all-powerful Name of Jesus, in whom is the whole of God’s rich mercy poured out for us sinners. The i...
Watch: This talking fetus scene in ‘Blonde’ has created another media storm about abortion…
Ask any pastor about times when Americans tend to take stock of their religious commitments and it’s likely you will hear something like the following. For most people, but especially for those who are married or/or have children, there are obvious gateways from one stage of life to another and, frequently, there are religious teachings and rites that go with them. Think birth, baptism, marriage, children, aging and, finally, death. In many lives, there are moments of conversion or doubt, as well as life-threatening illnesses and tragedies. Divorce? Broken relationships with children? Yes, more symbolic gates. Clergy know they will have to help women and men deal with these gates. I have always argued, in discussions with editors, that these gateways are often linked to important trends an...
New ‘Source & Summit’ Missal and sacred music materials seek to elevate the beauty and reverence of Mass …
Over the last decade, the Church has struggled to draw people closer to the celebration of the liturgy — and especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Lack of attendance at Mass among younger Catholics, a lack of belief in the Real Presence, and congregations minimized by COVID-19 (and the resulting strictures on public gatherings) have all been contributing factors in this struggle. But Adam Bartlett, CEO and founder of the liturgical publisher and tech company Source & Summit, hopes to provide the resources necessary to help renew and refocus the beauty and simplicity of the liturgy at Catholic parishes, campus ministries and other faith communities in the Church. And, as Bartlett sees it, Source & Summit couldn’t have come at a better time to help the Church meet the chal...
Why don’t popes ever win the Nobel Peace Prize?
HAYS, Kansas – Once again a Nobel Peace Prize was announced Friday, and once again a pope didn’t win. This year’s honor went to human rights’ campaigners in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, in what’s widely been seen as an implicit condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and both his war in Ukraine and his anti-democratic tendencies at home. Russia’s Memorial organization, Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties and Belarus’s Ales Bialiatski will share the prize money of 10 million Swedish krona, roughly $900,000, and will receive the award in a Dec. 9 ceremony in Oslo, Norway. While four U.S. presidents have won (Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama), along with several prime ministers and statesmen from other countries, no pope has been honored since the in...
Pope Francis Canonizes Two New Saints — Sts. Artemide Zatti and Giovanni Battista Scalabrini…
The Catholic Church gained two new saints on Sunday, as Pope Francis canonized St. Artemide Zatti and St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini. The two saints were both born in Italy in the 19th century and ministered to others amid the massive emigration of hundreds of thousands of Italians each year at the turn of the 20th century. Scalabrini is known for founding a missionary order that ministered to immigrants, while Zatti was himself an immigrant, leaving Italy for Argentina with his family in 1897 at the age of 16. In an outdoor Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 9, the crowd chanted the Litany of the Saints as the Pope prepared to solemnly declare the two saints. With his pastoral staff in hand, Pope Francis proclaimed in Latin: “For the honor of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of...
Why deli sandwiches taste better than yours…
Why Deli Sandwiches Taste Better Than Yours | EatingWell Skip to content Top Navigation Close this dialog window Explore EatingWell Profile Menu Follow Us Close this dialog window Share & More Close Sign in Close this dialog window View image Why Deli Sandwiches Taste Better Than Yours this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity
These historic Chinese Catholic posters are fascinating…
Chinese Catholic Posters October 7, 2022 by Amy Welborn I started making this part of a “Random” post – but then went down a rabbit hole, so here we are. It gets it own post. I entered the rabbit hole here – via this Propagandopolis – a Twitter feed, but also a website that sells poster reproductions of old-school propogancda of all kinds – a thread on Chinese Catholic images. Which then led me to this website of historic Christian Chinese posters. Phew. If you want to focus on Catholic images, just click here or enter “Catholic” in the search box. Between 1927 and 1951 millions of Christian posters entered the Chinese market. Printed by the thousands onto the cheapest paper, most were used in street preaching and teaching. Others were hung in tearooms and shop windows, or put up with star...
This Sunday, are we the Church of ungrateful lepers?
Jesus does more than heal 10 lepers in the Gospel this Sunday, the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. He teaches us to be grateful for his healing touch in our lives and, according to St. Augustine, explains how to heal division and dissent. Both are lessons every Catholic needs to learn today. Jesus is continuing his resolute journey to Jerusalem when he hears distant voices crying out. Luke tells us 10 lepers “stood at a distance” and shouted, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us.” Jesus healed them from a distance too. The Gospel says, “When he saw them, he said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priest.” They did, and were healed on the way. Leprosy has been all but eradicated today, but the focus on leprosy in Scripture is still relevant, according to Pope Benedict XVI. Leprosy was uncleanness...
