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The first readings at daily Mass this week recount the Council of Jerusalem, which scholars generally date to around 50 A.D. It was a pivotal moment in the history of the Church, because it would set forth an identity for Her that was independent of the culture of Judaism per se and would open wide the door of inculturation to the Gentiles. This surely had a significant effect on evangelization in the early Church. Catholic ecclesiology is evident in this first council in that we have a very Catholic model of how a matter of significant pastoral practice and doctrine is properly dealt with. What we see here is the same model that the Catholic Church has continued to use right up to the present day. In this and all subsequent ecumenical councils, there is a gathering of the bishops, preside...

Mohammed Baraka was sitting at home one night in Gaza City after a long day at work, and he wanted fried chicken. The 32-year-old pulled out his phone and placed an order for a chicken sandwich and rice from KFC — on Instagram. Two days later, Baraka walked 40 minutes to a hookah store to pick up his meal. By then, the food was cold, the containers looked like they’d been opened, and the Coke he’d requested was missing. Still, despite the wait and the fact that he’d spent just over $25 on a sandwich and the delivery fee, he was thrilled to get it.  The delivery had come from Ramallah, located around 50 miles northeast of Gaza in the West Bank. Previously, fried chicken had been smuggled through tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border — nearly all of which have since been destroyed. I...

Viganò’s May 7 Appeal published on VeritasLIberabitVos.info a file containing all data of the about 30,000 signees, including email addresses and private comments. The mistake was found by the anti-Catholic Katholisch.de (May 12) which belongs to the German Bishops. After Katholisch.de went public, the list was deleted. #newsUqfkoahdwb

Washington D.C., May 13, 2020 / 06:00 pm MT (CNA).- As details continue to emerge about a raft of financial scandals at the Vatican Secretariat of State, some observers have been left wondering at the apparent lack of urgency or interest in the Holy See’s response.  While vague updates have been issued about ongoing investigations, mounting political and diplomatic pressure behind the scenes could be slowing moves to bring charges against suspended staff members. Some curial officials are privately concerned that, while clerical staffers might be expected to quietly take responsibility for misconduct, lay staff facing prosecution could start talking. If they do, some fear, they might make the scandals exponentially worse, and implicate more senior figures.  Details and allegation...

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio – articles – email ) | May 12, 2020 | In Reviews I have been asked several times in recent years to clarify the Church’s position on cremation, so that Catholics can make informed decisions about whether to choose cremation or traditional burial when they bear responsibility for the decision. In one sense, this question is a good starting point for a discussion of Scott Hahn’s latest book, Hope to Die (subtitled “The Christian meaning of death and the resurrection of the body”, a collaborative effort with Emily Stimpson Chapman). Dr. Hahn is both the Fr. Michael Scanlan Professor of Biblical Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Founder and President of the St. Paul Center, and he has done as much or more than anyone else in the world...

John Scott stands in front of a large stained-glass window at historic Holy Rosary Church in Cedar, Michigan. The right half of the image shows more of the same window. (Courtesy of John Scott) Of all the great players who competed in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, John Scott was named the most valuable. This would have been quite an honor for any player, but especially for one who was not even supposed to be there. The Edmonton, Alberta-born defenseman/winger was the subject of a campaign to get someone on the all-star roster who would not normally be there. League administrators did not like the idea and attempted to prevent Scott from participating. However, the desire of fans — and Scott’s own solid play — won out. While Scott’s All-Star MVP status came as a surprise, the next four years ...

Listen to This Op-Ed Audio Recording by Audm To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. A few weeks ago, I dialed into the Eucharist for the first time, praying for spiritual communion as my priest consumed the host in front of the altar. The webcam was clear. The sound quality was top-notch. But the Mass was decidedly old-school. In the absence of a choir, my church, the Episcopal Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch in New York City, had the organist sing the traditional Mass in Gregorian chant. To follow along with the melody, our priest suggested the Liber Usualis, a book of religious chant music dating back to the 11th century. This was just one of many remote religious activities I’ve participated in recently. I have also, fo...

Fr. James Lloyd, C.S.P., at the laying of hands at Evan Cummings’ ordination Mass in May 2019. Fr. Lloyd is the the oldest-living Paulist Father, born on April 3, 1921. (Photo: https://paulist.org) The invitation arrived in early 2018, and I could not have been more grateful. Father James Lloyd, the world’s oldest living Paulist priest, was writing to announce a special event, to be held “in the magnificent Church of St. Paul the Apostle” where he was ordained. “Though I can hardly believe it,” he wrote, “I shall be 97 years old in a few days. But even more unbelievable I shall be a priest seventy years on May the First, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.” He then joked: “With unapologetic and understandable narcissism, I want to celebrate this milestone before I take off for the Ce...

By His resurrection, Jesus has brought us from death to life. He has snatched us from this present evil age (Gal 1:4) and from the death-directed desires of our body (Rom 6:12), and made us into a new and living creation (2 Cor 5:17). As such, we have exchanged the tombstones that once indicated we were dead in our sins and have become living stones in the spiritual edifice that is the Body of Christ and also the Church. In the Epistle for today’s Mass (1 Peter 2:4-9), we are summoned to this new life and told what some of its characteristics are. Let’s take a look at how we go from being tombstones to living stones by considering this text in three sections. 1. The Call of Salvation – Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, l...

Bernardo Cavallino (1616–1656), “The Vision of St. Dominic” I remain a fitful servant and student of prayer — sometimes saying the Rosary with ease, and other times, struggling to get through a decade. The saints tell us Mary brings with her graces when we recite the Rosary. In my own life, story after story reveals how, through the Blessed Mother’s intercession, people have returned to the faith, recovered from illness and found the strength necessary to bear the burdens of ordinary life. I have known miracles both sublime and mundane in answer to her intercession. I have seen her charity to me and those I love. She’s answered every call and even when the petitions have been at best, frivolous — and most especially when they’ve sounded, even to one’s own ears, desperate. Mary remains for ...

[embedded content] Lake Peigneur is located in Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico. Before 1980, it was an approximately 10-foot-deep fresh water lake with an island in the middle. Next to it, and partially under it, Diamond Crystal Salt Company maintained a salt mine, with salt being mined near the lake since 1919…