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A suggestion by an Eastern Rite bishop that Catholics in the United States once again give up eating meat on Fridays throughout the year has drawn interest from more than a dozen bishops in the country. Several bishops told the Register they hope the U.S. bishops discuss the idea at their next gathering in June 2025. But an early canvas suggests a renewed practice, if it occurs, might look different from the Church’s previous rule, which forbade Catholics from eating meat on almost all Fridays of the year under pain of mortal sin. Several bishops told the Register they don’t want to go that route. “A voluntary return to an act of penance, for instance meatless Fridays, would be an opportunity for Catholics not only to demonstrate their shared commitment to care for God’s creation, but also...

Obadiah, the crux of the matter, and Bible Bees Skip to content Pillar subscribers can listen to JD read this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DR Hey everybody, Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate today the holy prophet Obadiah, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post. Obadiah, who lived in the 6th century B.C., authored the shortest text included as a book of the Old Testament, a warning to the Edomite kingdom that a betrayal of Jerusalem during Nebuchadnezzar’s siege would lead to its destruction.  The prophecy of Obadiah is fewer than 500 words. You could read the whole thing on your morning coffee break. Without too much work, you could probably memorize it, if you wanted to say that you have an entire scriptural book committed to memory (assuming you’re not this girl, Anastasia...

At any time, we have a tendency I argue to overlook something unique about our human condition. I’m referring to our ability to recognize the presence of someone (Incarnational character) and greet them with the simplest yet most profound of human gestures, a joyful smile-filled “hello.” This is what I would describe as an Incarnational gesture, i.e., a gesture in the name of Jesus Christ because our actions are meant to reflect the words and deeds of Jesus Christ our Lord, Savior, and King. Sacred Scripture provides us with several joyful “Incarnational gestures” such as Jesus’ greeting to the Apostles and disciples on the Road to Emmaus when upon celebrating the Mass the Apostle’s eyes were opened and then Jesus disappeared.[1] The greeting between Mary and Elizabeth led John the B...

Promoting synodality in the United States depends more on a conversion of heart than on the creation of new structures, the U.S. bishops emphasized at their fall assembly in Baltimore. “It’s about cultural change, not necessarily structural change or not necessarily canonical changes, but first and foremost a change in how we can relate one to another and the Body of Christ,” said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore at a Nov. 13 press conference at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meeting. The USCCB’s vice president, Archbishop Lori was one of five bishops who had been tapped by the conference to take part in last month’s Synod on Synodality session in Rome, which brought to a close a four-year process initiated by Pope Francis aimed at discerning how to make the Church mor...

Baltimore, Dr. Barber, and ‘character is conduct’ Skip to content Pillar subscribers can listen to this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DR Hey everybody, Greetings from Baltimore, where the fall plenary meeting of the U.S. bishops; conference is in full swing. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The bishops have been meeting in committees, and will begin today their public sessions, with a few things of note on the agenda. More on that in a minute. First, let me remind you that The Pillar Podcast will have a LIVE SHOW EXTRAVAGANZA in Washington, DC, on this Thursday, November 14.  We will break down the fall meeting of the USCCB, and have a lot of fun, on November 14 at 7pm at the Royal Sands Social Club.  —Next, let me tell you about Dr. Gertrude Barber — a holy woman about whom the bisho...

If you are into superhero epics — I will confess some interest in Iron Man and Captain America — then you know that the creators (small “c”) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been struggling for several years now. Many are convinced that they caught a bad case of what that Elon Musk guy calls the “woke mind virus.” Some critics point to a more specific problem — an obsession with a “strong female character” stereotype that appears to do little to woo females into multiplexes, while infuriating many young males and older superhero fans. Click here for a collection of YouTube discussions of that war. As for me, Rational Sheep readers will not be surprised that I find it interesting that all of these big-screen sermons — built on powers that transcend the ordinary material world — include...

By Jennifer Gregory Miller ( bio – articles – email ) | Oct 31, 2023 | In The Liturgical Year One of my favorite traditions during the Liturgical Year is remembering and praying for the faithful departed during November, particularly through November 1-8. While we can pray every day for those who have died, the Church gives us a special gift that can really unite us with our departed brothers and sisters and feel like we are tangibly helping them. This October 31 marks the anniversary of my father’s funeral, with in-laws also bearing the loss of other parents. And lately our news feeds are filled with the loss of many lives, due to wars, terrorism and violent acts. We can’t all go and physically help and comfort these people, but again, the Church illustrates how connected we i...

The Optimus robot may walk, but only in Jesus can we follow the narrow road to our true home. Tesla has released the prototype of Optimus (also known as the Tesla Bot). According to its website, this robot is “a general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.” Taking in the mail, doing the dishes, folding laundry and countless other tasks will now be able to be completed for you. Other promotional videos and material have referred to Optimus as a “friend” as well as a robotic task-completer. “It will basically do anything you want,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “It can be a teacher. It can babysit your kids, walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, and serve drinks. Whatever you can think of, it will d...

At one time or another many of us have expressed a desire for something or someone. Whether the desire entails a specific food, location, time to pray, or attention from another person, the need to have these desires met is part of our human condition. We are created to experience both spiritual and physical desires that when properly ordered express genuine gratitude toward God our Father. The sense of gratitude further expands in the proclamation of faith in the Son Jesus Christ who as the second person of the Trinity is the source and summit of our Christian life. The idea that our spiritual and physical desires are inherent by nature reflects the dynamic of how God envisioned our creation. Our first parents were made without the inclination to deviate from God’s love and thus experienc...

During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis stresses that exterior practices do not matter, but rather how we love one another. By Kielce Gussie 03/11/2024 Pope Francis reiterates his appeal for mediated solutions to the wars afflicting the planet and urges the faithful to contribute to helping those affected by devastating floods-in … During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis reflected on St. Mark’s Gospel passage of what the greatest commandment is. He explained that the question is not one just for biblical times but it “is essential for us too, for our life and for the journey of our faith.” In the midst of everyday life, the to-do lists and tasks, it is possible to become overwhelmed and lost, so the Pope posed the question, “where can we find the center from which all the rest radiat...