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Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost 2022…
The Spirit himself reminds us of this, because he is the memory of God, the one who brings to our minds all that Jesus has said (cf. v. 26). The Holy Spirit is an active memory; he constantly rekindles the love of God in our hearts. We have experienced his presence in the forgiveness of our sins, in moments when we are filled with his peace, his freedom and his consolation. It is essential to cherish this spiritual memory. We always remember the things that go wrong; we listen to the voice within us that reminds us of our failures and failings, the voice that keeps saying: “Look, yet another failure, yet another disappointment. You will never succeed; you cannot do it.” This is a terrible thing to be told. Yet the Holy Spirit tells us something completely different. He reminds us: “Have yo...
Pope’s Pentecost Regina Coeli: 100 Days of War in Ukraine Is a ‘Negation of God’s Dream’…
Before the Regina Coeli, Pope Francis asked the joyful crowd — young, elderly, religious, and families from around the world — to repeat the prayer: “Come Holy Spirit, remind me of Jesus, enlighten my heart.” During his address, he urged world leaders to unite against war and work toward solutions. “And while the fury of destruction and death rampages and the conflicts rage on, fuelling an escalation that is increasingly dangerous for all, I renew my appeal to the leaders of Nations: do not lead humanity into ruin, please!” he pleaded. “Let true negotiations take place, real talks for a ceasefire and for a sustainable solution.” He added, “Let the desperate cry of the suffering people be heard — we see this every day in the media — have respect for human life and stop the macabre destructi...
On Pentecost, Pope Francis explains how to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit…
“The Holy Spirit, correcting you along the way, never leaves you lying on the ground, never. He takes you by the hand, comforts you and constantly encourages you,” he added. The pope, who has suffered from knee pain in recent months, did not preside over the Pentecost Mass. He sat in a white chair in front of the congregation to the right of the altar. Francis was assisted to the front of the altar in a wheelchair to offer the homily. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 88-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, served as the main celebrant for the Mass, as he did on Easter Vigil earlier this year. In his homily, Pope Francis underlined that feelings of “bitterness, pessimism and negativity” never come from the Holy Spirit, but come from evil, which “stokes impatience and self-pity … com...
Dozens of Worshipers, Including Children, Feared Dead in Pentecost Sunday Attack on Catholic Church in Nigeria…
IGANGAN PROVOCATIVE ONSLAUGHT ONE TOO MANY. …we have directed the Commanders of the South West Security Network, Amotekun, to convoke a joint security meeting of all Commanders in the South West with a view to commencing joint operations in the region immediately. pic.twitter.com/Kgv0oy1yiL — Arakunrin Akeredolu (@RotimiAkeredolu) June 6, 2021 “I am deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Today,” the governor said in a tweet. “The vile & satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.” A state lawmaker, Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole, told the Associated Press the attackers also detonated explosives. ...
Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee, Bishop Robert Barron’s transfer, and a bishop, and a council in Australia…
Happy Friday friends, And an especially happy Platinum Jubilee weekend to those readers lucky enough to be celebrating it. For 70 years, Elizabeth II has reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu. Or as Americans insist on calling them, “England.” I acquired my British (not “English”) citizenship when I was 17 and, being legally an adult, I had the unusual experience of swearing to bear true and faithful allegiance to Her Maj. Saving some serious reservations about her feckless, witless, and endlessly otiose offspring, this is something I have,...
A private club or open to all? The Catholic Church is both…
A woman is pictured in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in London in 2020. (CNS photo/Isabel Infantes, PA Images via Reuters) Her ideal parish church seems to be one that still includes “a worshipping space,” but also includes — inside the nave — a branch of the post office, a café, another shop and a large children’s play area of brightly colored tubes and platforms that looks to be about 12-feet high and 20-feet long. Judging from the picture of St. James Church in the West Hampstead area of London, the worship area is very small. Writing in the English magazine Prospect, Jane Shaw, a former cathedral dean now head of an Oxford college, notes that the Church of England shrinks by the day. “According to recent surveys,” she writes, “if the decrease in attendance continues at the pr...
Can you quit the Catholic Church? Can you be kicked out of the Church? Or is the old saying “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic” literally true?
In 1943, Bl. Pius XII released the encyclical Mystici Corporis, in which he articulated membership in the Catholic Church this way: Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true Faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed (22). This directly contradicts a literal interpretation of “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.” If you can separate yourself from unity or if legitimate authorities can exclude you for grave faults so that you no longer qualify as a “member” of the Church, then you can obviously cease to be Catholic. You would still carry the indelible marks on your soul of baptism and confirmation (CCC 12...
15 ways to make the most of summer grilling season…
Oyster purists will sneer at grilled oysters. But the oyster snobs are wrong. Grilled oysters aren’t an abomination. They’re a thrifty and affordable preparation enjoyed by regular folks, and they’re a delicious summer appetizer. This recipe is for a buttery, garlic-laden, cheesy, brightly acidic grilled oyster with bite. Once you shuck your oysters, you simply top with the buttery concoction, place on a hot grill, and cover for about two minutes (these don’t take long to cook up at all). Then, voila! Serve your oysters with a slice of grilled bread, and you have yourself a lavish appetizer. Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity
Once considered a maritime myth, enormous “rogue waves” can appear out of nowhere. Now scientists are developing ways to predict them before they strike…..
In 1826 Captain Jules Dumont d’Urville, a French scientist and naval officer, was caught in a turbulent storm while crossing the Indian Ocean. He watched as a wall of water rose some 100 feet above his ship, the Astrolabe. It was one of several waves more than 80 feet tall that he recorded during the wild storm. One of his crew was lost to the sea. Yet after Dumont d’Urville made it back to land, his story, backed by three witnesses, seemed so outlandish that it was dismissed as fantasy. Scientists at the time believed waves could only reach about 30 feet tall, so the handful of 19th century reports of massive waves rising in the open ocean were largely written off as maritime myths. Only later would scientists realize that the accounts were rare because many mariners who experienced these...
The easiest way to get every unpeopled kernel from your popcorn…
The above video, for instance, contains a pretty good method for ridding your microwave popcorn bag of pesky un-popped kernels. It starts with a woman telling you to refrain from touching the slit at the top of the bag, because “that slit’s there for a reason,” implying the slit was designed to help the popcorn eater rid themself of kernels. (This is the hyperbole I’m talking about. The primary “reason” for that slit to exist is to allow steam to escape during popping, but you actually can use it for kernel-removal purposes. Yes, I am aware I am being pedantic.) Advertisement My slit was too small at first.Photo: Claire Lower The procedure for removing the kernels is simple. Invert the bag, shake it, and the small un-popped pieces of corn fall through the slit, leaving the popped corn behi...
The universe is flat. Here’s what that teaches us…..
What is the shape of the Universe? If you had come along before the 1800s, it likely never would have occurred to you that the Universe itself could even have a shape. Like everyone else, you would have learned geometry starting from the rules of Euclid, where space is nothing more than a three-dimensional grid. Then you would have applied Newton’s laws of physics and presumed that things like forces between any two objects would act along the one and only straight line connecting that. But we’ve come a long way in our understanding since then, and not only can space itself be curved by the presence of matter and energy, but we can witness those effects. It didn’t have to be the case that the Universe, as a whole, would have a spatial curvature to it that’s indistinguishable from flat. But...
Warning: If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, Catholic churches will become targets. Make plans now to defend your parish…..
An informed and highly trusted source tells me: Homeland Security has officially notified the bishops there are credible threats to the safety of Catholic churches, clergy, and bishops if the Supreme Court overturns Roe. Violence has been called for beginning the night such a decision is handed down. This does not surprise me. Catholics and their allies should prepare to stand guard around their churches on that night and the nights to follow. It won’t only be Catholic churches at threat, I’m sure — conservative Evangelical churches will be too — but to their great honor, the Catholic parishes will be the most obvious targets. They were in Poland a year or so ago, when the country’s highest court approved a near-total ban on abortion: [embedded content] In January, here’s what pro-abortion...
