Podcasts about Holy Father

Patrick tackles the heated debate over renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, weighing whether this signals realignment or empty bravado, while threading through the risks faced by religious minorities as government classifications shift and anti-Catholic voices grow bolder among power brokers. One moment snaps into focus on the rise of Christian nationalism and the uneasy possibility of theocracy-influenced policy; the next, Patrick pivots to the digital anxieties fracturing generations as technology encroaches on how people gather and worship. Listeners drop raw testimony about confession and faith, lending the episode its unpredictable charge. Patrick reads and responds to emails questioning the way he says “The Department of War” (00:53) Jamie – Regarding the Dept. of War list, is it a bigger concern that Catholics one day will be taken off that list of recognized religions? (05:39) Patrick reads and responds to a Mormon military officer’s post about the Dept. of War’s updated list of recognized religions (18:55) Patrick in Atlanta - The liberal inroads have been made in the military and degraded the morale and morality of the institution. The reset on the name of it is according to structure change and organizational change. (23:51) Ann - Will the Archdiocese of Military Services be protected and will Mass continue for the Catholics overseas? (28:32) Bear attacks in Japan (33:36) Patrick responds to an email about young people not liking A.I. (39:20) Jennifer (email) - I almost became a Sedevecantist. Be careful who you listen to and notice who's making money off telling lies about Holy Mother Church and our Holy Father. (46:03) Amy (email) - I have been on cloud 9 since my valid confession

Title: “Let No One Deceive You” Part 3 Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 FCF: We often struggle fearing the deception that is to come. Prop: Because all who did not receive the love of the truth will be deceived, we must let no one deceive us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we'll read yet again the text starting in verse 3 and going to verse 12. Today I'll be reading from the Legacy Standard Bible but you can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. You'll notice on the screen that this is part 3 of this sermon. If you have not heard parts 1 and 2, I would encourage you to catch up on the teaching Paul has given regarding the man of lawlessness. The previous two sermons are foundational in understanding what is going on here and how we are to think about the end times. However, the sermon today, although relying on some of the conclusions we've made in the last two sermons, is by far the most standalone of the three. The message today is terrifying. It is gut wrenching. Because it speaks of a time when God is truly done with giving mercy to people who have rejected Him. And although God has done similar things in the past – it has never happened like this and only once on this scale. It is also terrifying because it remains in a context which emphasizes that many of the people who are being discussed here who have rejected God, are those who at one point believed in Him. But as terrifying as this message is – there is hope and comfort in holding fast to saving faith. Let's read once more. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Gracious, Merciful, and Holy Father, You have endured the wickedness of men for thousands of years. You are longsuffering, extending mercy to all and allowing men to profane Your name and reject Your Son while You continue to bless them and give them common grace. But one day You will remove Your Restrainer and allow the man of lawlessness to come forth. One day Your mercies will end. One day Your common grace to wicked men will cease. And one day You will judge the world. I pray that even now You would be merciful and gracious to those in this room. Speak now words of comfort to Your people through this text…but Gracious God, send Your Spirit to open the eyes of the blind here and speak words of terror to those who are perishing. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] ”It is the creed of every sound evangelical church that those who do go back to perdition were persons who never really believed in Jesus.” A.A. Bonar “None sink so far into hell as those that come nearest heaven because they fall from the greatest height.” William Gurnall [Slide 3] “To forsake Christ for the world is to leave a treasure for a trifle…eternity for a moment, reality for a shadow, all things for nothing.” William Jenkyn “To see a ship sink in the harbor of profession is more grievous than if it had perished in the open sea of profaneness.” William Secker [Slide 4] “The essence of apostasy is changing sides from that of the crucified to that of the crucifier.” John Stott “Scripture does not need to be denied for apostasy to begin: all that is needed is that scripture takes second place in our calculations.” Iain H. Murray Let these words prepare your heart for the preaching of God's Word today. I.) The Man of Lawlessness will be powered by Satan to deceive all the perishing, so we must not let ourselves be deceived. (9-10) a. [Slide 5] 9 - whose coming is in accord with the working of Satan, i. The LSB has put hash marks into the previous verse to set it off from what follows in verse 9. ii. This is incredibly helpful because for we western English readers, this would be quite jarring, since we would assume the “coming” he is talking about now is still the coming of Christ. iii. What we don't see that would make this even more jarring, is that in the Greek the word for “coming” is… parousia. Advent. iv. However, Christ will not come in accord with the working of Satan. v. Paul is going back now to the topic of the man of lawlessness. And Paul intentionally points to the mockery of Satan here by using the same word he has used repeatedly to refer to the return of Christ. Only this time he refers to the coming of the man of lawlessness. vi. That the man of lawlessness comes in accord with the working of Satan, clarifies and affirms that the man of lawlessness is indeed a man. vii. Much like Judas Iscariot was a man who was possessed by Satan Himself, so also this man of lawlessness is a man that will come in accord with the working of Satan. viii. This is probably an idiomatic way to say that this man too will be possessed by Satan. ix. Now just like the scriptures always see Judas as culpable for his own actions… he was not a victim… so also this man of lawlessness is not a victim either. x. This man will do and say things that are so egregious and so infamous that he could not be a mere man. xi. And this man will go along with it, willingly obeying his father the devil. xii. Again, this points to the mockery of Satan. xiii. Jesus did and said things that indicated that He was no mere man too, all in willing obedience to His heavenly Father. But this Anti-Christ figure will have an advent that is similar but will do the opposite. xiv. But that isn't the end to the similarities. b. [Slide 6] with all power and signs and false wonders, i. Part of the working of Satan happening for this man is that he is coming with all Satan's power and influence. ii. He will be able to perform signs and wonders, all of which will be false. iii. How do we determine if a sign or wonder is false? iv. Scripture gives two criteria 1. [Slide 7] In Deuteronomy 18:20-22 Yahweh clearly says that if a prophesy does not come to pass, then they know that what the prophet said was not from Him and that prophet has spoken presumptuously and should be put to death. 2. [Slide 8-9] Let's go to Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and read this together. Because what if the signs and wonders do come true? What if they are effective? a. Notice what God says… b. If a prophet performs signs and wonders that come to pass but they advocate worshipping other gods, they should not listen to that prophet. Why? c. Because Yahweh sent (take note of that. Yahweh sent) that prophet to the people to test their love for Yahweh. d. Then God reinforms them of the command. They should walk after Yahweh, fear Him, obey His commands, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. e. But the prophet should be put to death for His attempt to mislead God's people. v. [Slide 11] The wonders and signs the man of lawlessness commits won't be false because they won't be powerful, effective, or come to pass. They will be false because they will be used to encourage people to worship him instead of Yahweh. Or to worship him as Yahweh or Jesus Himself. vi. We know how our Lord Jesus is coming next. He is coming on the clouds. He will gather us to Himself. That is how we will see Him next. In the air. vii. EVERY ESCHATALOGICAL FRAMEWORK AGREES! viii. Remember that my friends. Remember God's people. We will see Him next in the AIR. ix. No matter what signs or wonders a man does on earth… He isn't Christ if we don't meet Him in the air. He isn't Christ if we must go to Him. The Real Jesus will bring us to Himself. We will be CAUGHT UP. c. [Slide 12] 10 - and with all the deception of unrighteousness i. Another key factor that is hinted at in Deuteronomy 13 was that a person bringing signs and wonders that advocates for the breaking or distorting of God's laws – cannot be sent from God. ii. Jesus Himself said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. How can the real Jesus appear and lead people to conclude that living unrighteous lifestyles is… fine? iii. That disobeying the law of God… is fine? iv. Did Jesus do this at His first advent? v. He fulfilled the law, but He never rejected it or broke it. Nor did He ever advocate His followers do so. vi. As loving as He was to sinners and as much as He healed people what did He say? “Go and sin no more!” vii. He said, “Your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees.” viii. He said, “You must be holy as my heavenly Father is holy.” ix. When Jesus walks this earth again… x. HE WILL NOT TREAT SIN WITH KID GLOVES. xi. In Isaiah 11, where Paul pulled the reference to Christ consuming the man of lawlessness with His breath, in that same context it says that in that day “they will do no evil nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain. “ xii. The man of lawlessness though, will be a man who advocates a reversal of God's laws. Perhaps emphasizing love and peace over righteousness and blamelessness. xiii. Indeed, his only law is that all must worship… him. xiv. But what Paul says next is absolutely essential for a proper understanding of this time. d. [Slide 13] for those who perish, i. Notice that the power, the lies, the signs, these are all aimed at a specific group. ii. The perishing. iii. The bible gives us warnings and we must absolutely heed them. But just because the warnings exist doesn't mean that there is a chance that God's promises won't be fulfilled. iv. God has promised that He will seal all His people until the day of redemption. v. Just because the bible gives warnings of falling away and believing a lie doesn't somehow make God's promises null and void. vi. Instead, we must look for a way to make both truths of scripture stand with all their strength without contradiction. vii. And the church has, for thousands of years, understood that it is by hearing the word of God that we receive faith. Not just faith to believe on Christ but faith to believe all that God has said. viii. God's word is effective to produce change in the hearts of God's people. His Word will not return void or empty. ix. Warning passages accomplish their purpose to cause true believers to be alert and vigilant. x. This is the means God uses to prevent them from falling away and succumbing to a lie so powerful that if it were possible the elect would be deceived. xi. Paul makes it clear, that the man of lawlessness will be able to deceive ONLY those who are perishing. Why? xii. Because true believers, believers that have genuine faith, will heed these warnings, continue to reject sin and pursue Righteousness, and continue to believe God. xiii. Paul writes this as a comfort to a church whom he is convinced is counted worthy of God's Kingdom, whom he is convinced received the gospel in power. He is not uncertain about their identity as children of God. Therefore, this comment is designed to give them comfort. The perishing are the ones who will be deceived. xiv. So, they must not let themselves be deceived. xv. But why are they perishing? e. [Slide 14] because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. i. The wording here is actually quite important. 1. The expression we might expect is that these people who are perishing would be those who did not believe the gospel. Or perhaps that they did not believe the truth. Or that they did not receive the truth. 2. But that isn't what saves a person and eliminates their possibility of being deceived by this Satanic Superman. 3. Christ Himself said that in the last day there would be many who said to Him, “Have we not prophesied in your name, and performed miracles and cast out demons in your name, but I will say to them depart from me lawbreakers, I never knew you.” 4. Paul says that people who did not receive THE LOVE of the truth are those who are perishing. 5. Only those who cherish the truth will be saved. 6. What does it mean to cherish the truth? We'll get to that, because a little later Paul is going to give us the opposite of this. Just hang tight for now. ii. So, the deception of the man of lawlessness will reach all the perishing because they didn't receive the love of the truth. What does that mean? iii. Right now, the gospel call goes out to all men. All men are given at least natural revelation that there is a Creator God who must be worshipped and obeyed. And all men are called to repent and believe the gospel. iv. But one day that general call will stop. v. At some point – when this man of lawlessness steps on the scene, the general call of the gospel to all men will no longer be available. vi. That isn't to say no more will come to saving faith in Christ at this time… vii. God may still effectually call people to Himself. viii. But those who are perishing, those whom God has not elected, will believe the lies of the man of lawlessness. f. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: Paul has presented who the man of lawlessness is and the blasphemies he will commit. He has discussed when he will come and how he will end. Now, Paul reveals how he will deceive and who will believe him. The perishing, whether they have professed Christ or not, all those who have not received the love of the truth will believe the power, signs, and wonders of the man of lawlessness, and will be deceived into unrighteousness. God's general call to all men to repent and believe the gospel will ultimately go extinct as all the perishing are given over to the lies of this man. If we are truly elect of God, and we have received the love of the truth, we will not succumb to these lies. But how do we know we are elect and have received the love of the truth? We do not let ourselves be deceived. We hold fast to what we have been taught. We trust God no matter what our senses say. [Slide 16 (blank)] Transition: Perhaps you wrestled with that statement regarding the gospel call. Perhaps you were uncomfortable thinking that there will be a time when God is going to stop calling all men to believe the gospel and will only call those who are elect. Well, if you struggled with that. Buckle up. It is about to get very uncomfortable. Paul will now reveal how it will be so that all the perishing believe the lies of the man of lawlessness. II.) In order to judge them, God will actively reprobate the perishing, so we must not let ourselves be deceived. (11-12) a. [Slide 17] 11 - And for this reason, God sends upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, i. For this reason – meaning because the perishing have not received the love of the truth. ii. God is not forcing them to not receive the love of the truth – but as a response to them not receiving it… God will act. iii. Why do I say that the general call of the gospel will cease? iv. Because God will send a different message. He has already sent the gospel call to all men. v. But He has not sent out another message to all men yet. vi. All the lies and deceit and questioning of God's truth today is all generated by the lies of demons and by evil men. vii. But one day they will not be the only voices spreading misinformation. viii. One day, God Himself will send an influence that deceives the perishing. ix. Ok. Stop right there. We all know that God cannot sin. Specifically, we know that God cannot lie. So how can we interpret this differently so God isn't lying. x. Well does this text actually say that God will lie? xi. It doesn't. xii. It says that God will send a deluding influence. The Greek word for “influence” here suggests it is strong and inescapable. xiii. Notice that it does not say “allow” either. The Greek word here, translated “send” cannot mean that God simply is “allowing or permitting” this influence to occur. The Greek word means to cause to go somewhere. xiv. God will cause a deluding influence to go to the perishing. xv. God isn't lying, He is sending someone or something to lie to the perishing. xvi. Why? xvii. So that they will believe what is false. xviii. The general call of the gospel ceases because God sends something to make sure they believe something else. xix. Why would God do this? b. [Slide 18] 12 - in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness. i. God wants to make sure that every single person who is perishing, is justly judged. 1. This phrase here is the explanation of what it means to NOT receive the love of the truth. It means to not believe the truth but to take pleasure in unrighteousness. 2. These are not, however, two items. They are one. 3. The New Testament often defines genuine belief as belief unto obedience. To have saving faith is to love righteousness. So, if we see someone taking pleasure in unrighteousness, they cannot believe the truth, no matter what they say they believe. ii. But attentive bible students might wonder why God needs to send a deluding influence at all. iii. If God did nothing, wouldn't they still be judged? iv. [Slide 19] The answer is yes. 1. The doctrine of election is a doctrine of God's intervention. a. In order for anyone to be saved, God must intervene. b. No matter what kind of Christian you are, you must believe that God saves us and must intervene to do this. c. Otherwise, you are a Pelagian and a heretic. d. God's elect are those whom God has chosen, according to the counsel of His will and based on nothing of us, to intervene for and rescue from our sin. e. The others that God has not elected will not inherit salvation, but not because God has intervened to keep them from salvation. Rather they will not inherit salvation because God has chosen to NOT intervene for them. f. God judges them according to THEIR deeds which are evil. 2. In short, all men are deserving of judgment and wrath because of their sin. God intervenes for some by electing them to salvation. v. So, what is different here? vi. God is no longer passive. He intervenes… but in order to assure that the perishing are judged for their rejection of the gospel and their unrighteousness. vii. This is what we would call the doctrine of reprobation. God closes and seals the door actively rather than passively. The outcome is the same, but God's activity in the matter is markedly different and it signals an end to God's mercy and common grace toward the perishing. viii. And the really interesting thing is, although we've only seen God do this on this scale once in the global flood, it was not accompanied by God sending a lie. But we do have smaller cases of this happening. 1. [Slide 20] In I Kings 22, King Ahab had long heard the prophesies of Micaiah. God's prophet. Yet Ahab continued to refuse the counsel of the Lord. He continued to ignore and dismiss what God said. a. God determined that Ahab's time… was up. That it was time for him to be judged. b. To ensure that Ahab would earn His judgement to the fullest, God met in a heavenly council. He and angelic beings took council and God determined the course of action. c. He determined that a spirit must go and deceive Ahab. In that setting a spirit stepped forward and volunteered to be a lying spirit to the prophets of other gods and encourage them to tell King Ahab that he should attack a city because he would be victorious. A lie. d. Of course, God's prophet told Ahab that he would fail and even relayed the story of this heavenly council. e. But Ahab continued to choose to believe these false prophesies rather than believe God's prophet. f. Would Ahab had suddenly changed his mind and listened to Micaiah had God not done this? No. He wouldn't have. g. But that is not what the story is about. h. It isn't about Ahab's rejection of God… it is about God's rejection of Ahab. i. And that is what makes the story so harrowing. j. Ahab rejecting God, is just par for the course. k. But God rejecting a King of Israel to the point that He sends a lying spirit to convince Him to continue to DISOBEY Him? That is what is terrifying. 2. [Slide 21] In 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 we see the same thing. a. We see God being fed up with Israel's disobedience under David's rule. b. The text of Samuel says that God incited David to take a census, and 1 Chronicles says that Satan enticed David to take a census. c. So, which is it? d. The devil is God's devil remember? e. God used Satan to accomplish His will. Which was to incite David to disobey so that God could judge Israel. f. Would they have earned His judgment without His intervention? g. YES!!! h. Again, this says more about God than about man. i. God's mercy does come to an end. At some point, God says, enough. ix. [Slide 22] And that is what is terrifying here friends. x. Wicked people loving their sin and rejecting God's truth? That has happened since Cain killed Abel. That isn't new or scary. xi. God sending a delusion to make sure ALL THE PERISHING reject Him? That is God rejecting, forever, those who are not His people. And that my friends… has never happened before. xii. There will be a day when God says… “I'm done with wicked mankind.” xiii. And it will coincide with a day when another says… “I'm God, I accept you as you are, come and worship me.” xiv. And everyone who hasn't received the love of the truth… will believe and worship that Satan empowered man. c. [Slide 23] Summary of the Point: For their comfort, Paul shows the Thessalonians that one day those who are persecuting them will be given over to the worship of the man of lawlessness. One day they will be judged. Paul's thought isn't quite complete. He will continue through the rest of the chapter to encourage them with positive news for them. But it is important that they know the end of the wicked. In order to judge them, God will give over those who did not receive the love of the truth to a reprobate mind so that He may judge them. They will believe and worship the beast and succumb to the pleasure of unrighteousness. So, what are the Thessalonians to do? Keep believing what they were taught. Hold fast and stand firm in the truth and do not let themselves be deceived. Why? Because with this man of lawlessness will come a great apostasy too. They must hear the warning of this passage and not let themselves be deceived, for only those who are truly elect will do so. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and directs our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 24] In his correction of the lie that the Thessalonians have allowed themselves to believe, Paul has reminded them of all that he had taught them concerning the man of lawlessness. And in these concluding thoughts about him, Paul reveals his influence and who will be deceived by him. There is no doubt that Paul does this to draw a contrast between the Thessalonians and those who will be deceived. He will make that even more apparent with next week's text. But the fact remains, that when the man of lawlessness steps on the scene, he will be empowered by Satan to convince all those who did not receive the love of the truth, that he should be worshipped as Yahweh. God is not passive in this, but rather than intervening to prevent this, God's mercy has reached an end, and God will send along with him a deluding influence to convince all the perishing to believe his lies. God will give them over to reprobation so that He may judge them for their love of unrighteousness. Paul's opening application to the Thessalonians remains the application. Don't allow yourself to be deceived. First must come the apostasy and the man of lawlessness and the deception of the perishing. Then and only then will the Day of the Lord come and the Lord return to gather His people to Himself. Don't believe anything but what we have already taught you. Otherwise, they too will succumb to the lies of this man and the deluding influence of God. But what does this mean for us? How can we be sure that we don't let ourselves be deceived? 1.) [Slide 25] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the perishing are those who do not receive the love of the truth. a. Notice once again Paul's wording here. b. They do not receive the love of the truth. c. But wait a second, doesn't the bible simply talk about belief, faith being the way God unites us to Christ? d. It does. e. Isn't this a contradiction? f. Not at all. g. Just as we use the same word to talk about different aspects of the same thing, words like the cup which could mean 8 fluid ounces or just a drinking receptacle, so also the bible uses words differently depending on context. All doesn't always mean all. Call doesn't always mean the same thing. And as John the apostle demonstrates in his gospel, believe doesn't always mean the same thing. h. Here Paul is defining the kind of faith that saves. The kind of faith that unites us to Christ. It is not a faith that merely receives the facts. It is not a faith that merely respects the authority of the name of Jesus. i. The kind of faith that is saving… is a faith that receives the truth… and loves it. j. If salvation is a gift, we've all received gifts that we love. We have also all received gifts that we… do not love. k. We are warned in the gospels, that of the four soils of our hearts, three of them receive the gospel message. But only one produces fruit and is, therefore, useful to the farmer. l. The test of true and genuine saving faith is not in whether or not you believe in God or in Jesus… it is whether or not you love and cherish the truth of the gospel in your daily life. Is it precious to you to reflect on how you were once a sinner, doomed to hell, and Christ died to set you free? It is precious to you that Christ gave you His righteousness so that you could be declared righteous before God's judgment? Is it precious to you that the Lord sends His Spirit to all who are His and He enables us to live in obedience to Christ in an ever-growing way? Is it precious to you that Christ has united you to an assembly of people locally and universally who hold you accountable and encourage you? Is it precious to you to look hopefully toward Christ's coming as you live holy lives in preparation for His Kingdom? m. This is why when Paul later characterizes those who will be deceived, he says both that they did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness. n. In order to be saved by faith – it has to be a God-given kind of faith. What kind is that? One that propels you to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness… first. o. Only those who love the truth… will deny the lie. 2.) [Slide 26] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the man of lawlessness will deceive the perishing. a. Everyone else. b. No matter what you say you believe. No matter how much time you've spent coming to church, reading your bible, or praying. c. Everyone who does not love the truth and take pleasure in righteousness. Everyone who does not seek God's Kingdom first and His righteousness. d. Everyone else… will worship the man of lawlessness as God and submit to His rule over their lives. e. Fearing that they will lose their jobs, their possessions, their land, their homes, their wealth, they will take his mark and worship him as God. f. And mark my words… a good percentage of them will be those who have claimed to believe on Jesus. Many of them will have said the sinner's prayer. Many of them will have gone to church and come from a Christian family. 3.) [Slide 27] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that in the last days God will give over the perishing to a deluding influence. a. See it doesn't all come down to this man of lawlessness' cunning or his power. b. Paul doesn't give him all that credit. And Paul doesn't want to mislead the Thessalonian church. c. This man of lawlessness will be a Satanic Super Man… but if God wished to oppose Him, this man would not deceive even one. d. The fact of the matter is that when this man steps on the scene, when the restrainer is removed, God will actively send an influence, probably Satan himself, to deceive every single person who has not received the love of the truth. e. He will do this not because they have not already earned their judgment. But because He is done with evil mankind. He is ready to remake the world. His Kingdom is coming in full. f. Why will this man be so successful? The short answer? Because God wants him to be. g. But… 4.) [Slide 28] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that the elect will succumb to the deluding influence. a. In spite of the strength of the lie, based on this text, based on what Paul will say next, and based on the other promises in scripture – we must not conclude that God will allow any of His elect to be deceived by this deluding influence. b. Jesus said that in those days, IF POSSIBLE, the elect might be deceived. Jesus' wording leaves no room for misinterpretation. It isn't possible. c. The question then that must be asked, is how does God preserve us? 5.) [Slide 29] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The Perseverance of the saints is primarily about God preserving us. a. The statement, “Once saved always saved.” Is technically true but oftentimes it communicates something that the bible flatly rejects. Even in this text. b. Just because you have professed Christ doesn't mean that you are saved. And just because you are saved, doesn't mean that you don't need to persevere. c. This doctrine must be primarily about God. d. God gives to all His elect a faith that endures. So much so that if we see our faith fail, it is not because we have lost it or because we did not persevere. It is because we were not given saving faith. We were a soil that received the message of the gospel but it did not produce fruit. e. The apostle John says of people who walked away from the faith, “that left us because they were not of us.” Not, “they left us because they are no longer of us.” f. God is the primary agent in preserving His people and enabling them to persevere… g. But… that doesn't mean we are passive. 6.) [Slide 30] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must not let ourselves be deceived. a. We are not passive in our own perseverance. b. Instead, God's true children will take warning passages such as these and, with fear and trembling, they will cling all the tighter to the gospel of Christ and the pursuit of holiness and righteousness, without which none will see God. c. God's true children will see the coming of this man of lawlessness, his empowering by the Devil, and God's active role here, and they will run back to what the scriptures teach and reject the lies even when all their senses tell them it is truth. And even when it will cost them everything. d. We must hold fast and stand firm in what we believe. e. So when we combine the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints with our role in persevering we realize that though we are certainly not passive in persevering… we are also… Praise the Lord… NOT ALONE. 7.) [Slide 31] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that Jesus accepts us as we are. Believing this is a symptom of not receiving the love of the truth. a. There is a teaching alive and well today that insists that Jesus accepts us as we are. b. Now what could be meant by that teaching is that there is no prerequisite to repenting of sin and trusting Christ. c. Meaning you don't have to be perfect in order to believe on Jesus. You don't have to have stopped sinning in order to become a Christ follower. You don't have to join a church, get a tattoo, be circumcised or any other prerequisite. d. If that is what is meant – then this is true. e. However, oftentimes this message ends up being – Jesus accepts you no matter what lifestyle you choose to keep living. Jesus will never ask you to be someone you aren't. Jesus just wants to love you for who you are. f. This… is a lie. g. Jesus died because of who you were. Jesus died because you fall short. You miss the mark. You are not good enough. That is why Jesus died. To pay for your shortcomings and to make you like Him. To change you. He died to make you a NEW CREATURE. Old has died… and new is taking its place. h. Jesus says in order to be His disciple you must crucify yourself… daily… and follow Him. i. He told the rich young ruler to sell everything he had and give it to the poor and follow Him. j. Christ's message is clear. k. Turn from your sin, follow Him and sin… no… more. l. There is no such thing as a Christian who loves his sin and Jesus too. m. There is no such thing as a Christian who dislikes God's law. n. There is no such thing as a Christian who loves this world. o. They simply… do not exist. p. They may call themselves Christians… but in the last day… they will be deceived, take the mark and worship the Anti-Christ, so that God may justly judge them. q. Jesus is so not satisfied with who you are, that He submitted to death to change you to be like Him. r. If you disagree – its time to really listen hard… 8.) [Slide 32] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” In the last days, many that profess Christ today will take the mark of the beast and worship him as God. a. The tension in the scripture is clear. b. Although God by grace alone unites His people to Christ's sacrifice through giving them faith in His Son, the kind of faith that God ALWAYS gives, is a faith that changes the person to whom it is given. c. When God gives faith, it is like when someone gets hit by a bus. d. Their life is going to be different from that day forward. It will change… because it must. e. The soil of the heart is prepared by the Lord to receive His truth and produce fruit. f. All other soils may look like they have received the truth… but things choke or scorch them to death. g. There will be many in that day who have prayed a prayer and accepted a cheap grace that forgives sin and asks nothing of them. A grace that has less to do with you being a citizen of God's royal family and more to do with keeping you from going to hell. h. But the same grace that keeps you from hell, makes you into a citizen of His family and conforms you to His standard. It's a package deal. You don't get one without the other. i. So how do you avoid being yet another dupe? How do you avoid standing at the judgment seat of Christ wondering why the books containing your works did not prove you were His? j. You must be born again. You must have your heart prepared by God to receive the love of the truth. k. How do you know God has done that for you? l. Well – is He stirring you now? Do you feel the Spirit of God pulling on you now? That is a pretty good sign that your heart is ready to receive the love of the truth. m. So, turn from sin. Turn from your pleasure in unrighteousness. Turn from worshipping and pursuing things on earth. Money, relationships, careers, possessions, lusts, passions… n. Turn from your desires, your pursuits, your will o. Lose your identity so that you can be absorbed into Christ's. p. Trust Him and love Him and what He has done for you. Love Him so much that He becomes your first priority. q. Submit to His rule over your life as your one and only King. r. Trust Him and love Him enough to leave all other things you trust and love behind. s. Then… and only then… will you start to see the Lord change you into His own possession. t. If that is you today… don't wait to tell someone. u. Don't walk out the door and think -I'll just tell them later. I'll just call them later. No. v. If you need to follow Christ. If you are done following you. Tell someone you know is a Christian here. We would like to rejoice with you and help you in the next steps. [Slide 33 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father Augustine of Hippo In a vast wilderness full of snares and dangers, look! At your enabling I have cut off many of them, thrusting them out of my heart. And yet so many of these things buzz on all sides about my daily life. Do I dare say that nothing of this sort catches my attention, or causes even the slightest interest? True, I do not spend time in the worst kinds of entertainment, I do not dabble in astrology or the occult. I detest all those sacrilegious mysteries. And I owe you my humble and singlehearted service, O Lord my God. Yet the enemy, with tricks and suggestions, looks for a way in. So I beg you, by our King, even if I am far away from consenting to the enemy, may it ever be farther and farther away. You enable me, and will enable me, to follow you willingly, doing what you want me to do. We ask this for ourselves in Jesus' name, Amen. Benediction: Now may He who raises the poor from the dust, The needy from the ash heap; And makes them sit with nobles And inherit a seat of honor. Bear you through troubled days, To you who trust in God's unchanging love. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.

Full Text of Readings Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr Lectionary: 357 The Saint of the day is Saint Boniface Saint Boniface's Story Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome. How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is borne out by the conditions Saint Boniface found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances their very ordinations were questionable. These are the conditions that Saint Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful. In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops' elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control. During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Saint Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education. Reflection Saint Boniface bears out the Christian rule: To follow Christ is to follow the way of the cross. For Boniface, it was not only physical suffering or death, but the painful, thankless, bewildering task of Church reform. Missionary glory is often thought of in terms of bringing new persons to Christ. It seems—but is not—less glorious to heal the household of the faith.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

We continue to sift through Pope Leo's 'Magnifica Humanitas' with Professor Paolo Carozza of Notre Dame's Law School. Also serving as chair of the Meta Oversight Board, Carozza explained why he thinks the encyclical is "a profound and prophetic document," and why there is a need now to "develop a new politics" for the "whole persons and for all persons," as the Holy Father wrote. As we look ahead to the beatification of soon-to-be-Blessed Fulton Sheen, Msgr. Jason Gray joins, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, to share insights about his life of virtue, and all the step-by-step documentation that is collected and vetted when preparing a cause for sainthood, including details about the many possible miracles that are being explored. With big news from the Vatican this week. Msgr. Roger Landry shares his moments with Pope Leo, and reacts to the big news of Montse Alvarado being appointed to the position of Prefect of Dicastery for Communication, the first laywoman to ever hold that position.

This past week, as I said at the beginning of Mass, has been quite a week for me. It was extraordinary.  I had the opportunity to sit in the Synod Hall  as the Holy Father gave his new encyclical, Magnificat Humanitas, to the world. I am still unpacking the magnitude  of the event in my life,  but there are some things that really stood out for me. 

Wisdom studies, implicit learning, arsenokoitai and more on Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders.

Hour 3 for 5/29/26 Drew, Fr. Rocky, and Preston Allex discuss the Holy Father's new encyclical on A.I. (1:00). Then, Drew welcomes (now-Father) Scott-Vincent Borba to discuss his life as a multimillionaire cosmetics founder (25:01) to Catholic priest (39:18). Links: Pope Leo's Encyclical Relevant Radio's Encyclical Overview

With the release of Pope Leo's highly anticipated encyclical on artificial intelligence, Dr. Fernanda Psihas, considers the document under the lens of the feminine genius as we look to the Blessed Mother for guidance to be 'weavers of hope' as the Holy Father urges us all to do. As a scientist and physicist, she found Pope Leo's words to be very unifying especially when bridging the gap between science and faith. As the Holy Father also emphasized the importance of speech and how that shapes the culture, we talk with Rob Greving about the 'Apostolate of Courtesy' and why we must work to bring back manners in this digital age where saying hello has become a novelty. Greving points to the wisdom of St. Francis de Sales, who says "our everyday lives of getting dressed, getting the kids out," is a "good opportunity for acquiring the true and solid virtues . . . a continual martyrdom." Msgr. Roger Landry also prepares our hearts for Holy Trinity Sunday, saying it's the most important lesson of the Catholic faith, "because it's who God is." Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!

Hour 1 for 5/26/26 Drew, Fr. Rocky, and Preston Allex discuss AI and the Holy Father's new encyclical. Topics AI hallucination (15:58), manipulation (19:49), and water shortage (27:50). Then, Ambassador Joseph Cella covers the latest in Iran (38:22). Link: Pope's New Encyclical Overview of Encyclical on Relevant Radio

In this lesson, "Holy Father," we confront how our experiences and natural reasoning often distort our view of God and discover the revolutionary Biblical truth that the God of the universe invites us into an intimate, loving relationship as our perfect Heavenly Father.

2 Corinthians 12:5-10….I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.When we look at our lives, they are full of victories and full of setbacks. In these verses, Paul clarifies the true source of strength. God's strength. He also speaks of ‘a thorn in the flesh', placed there to keep him from being conceited. It's interesting to reframe the challenges in our life, failures in our life, and seeing even those play a divine purpose in our lives. What area of your life feels weak right now? What is the difficulty in your life right now?"When I am weak, then I am strong."This message is countercultural to our society which preaches self-reliance. Can you admit your weakness to God right now?Ask for him to give you not only the strength to make it through but also the awareness that in your weakness, He is strong, Turning all things for your good and His gloryLet's pray: “Holy Father, thank you for your power that shines in my weakness. I confess my failings, I confess my weakness, and I acknowledge those areas of struggle and hardship in the very areas where are you are shining brightest through me.”

Gospel Reading: John 17:1-13At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made."I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF ACERRA (Naples) POPE LEO XIV MEETS WITH THE BISHOPS OF CAMPANIA, CLERGY AND RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF VICTIMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION. (The content of this podcast is copyrighted by the Dicastery for Communication which, according to its statute, is entrusted to manage and protect the sound recordings of the Roman Pontiff, ensuring that their pastoral character and intellectual property's rights are protected when used by third parties. The content of this podcast is made available only for personal and private use and cannot be exploited for commercial purposes, without prior written authorization by the Dicastery for Communication. For further information, please contact the International Relation Office at relazioni.internazionali@spc.va)

Today’s Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Gospel – John 17:11b-19 – Lifting up His Eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in Your Name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are One. When I was with them I protected them in Your Name that You gave Me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You. I speak this in the world so that they may share My joy completely. I gave them Your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world but that You keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate Myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” Memorial of Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest Saint Bernardine, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day

Original Post Date: May 15, 2024 === Gospel John 17:11b-19 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” Reflection There are many ways to understand the message of Jesus, but the one that is expressed here is really important. It is Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth, reality, what life is really for and what it's about and how we're supposed to live in it and change it. We have been set apart, consecrated with the power to hold and to teach and to be in the truth. That's our destiny, and that's the work of God within us. Closing Prayer Father, so much of what you teach, we first have to believe in before we understand it. Give us the wisdom to stay with you, even though we're not sure what you're asking of us. Give us perseverance, curiosity, imagination so we can find and live in the truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Niebrugge is back with us to break open teachings from St. Josemaría Escrivá! Today Adam and Brian discuss fidelity and love to the Church, the Holy Father, your local Bishop, and your Pastor. Adam reflects on the day's Gospel reading.  Download the Covenant Network app today! Pray the Visual Rosary at VisualRosary.org For more information on Covenant Network, visit OurCatholicRadio.org

Read Online“Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.”  John 17:11In the ancient world, a name was not only a means of identification but also an expression of the authority and power that the person possessed. For instance, when a king or ruler issued a decree, it was done “in the name” of the king, meaning with his full authority and power behind it.In the Bible, the “name” of God is much more than a simple designation or label; it signifies the full revelation of God's identity, character, and power. The concept of God's name is deeply tied to His nature and His actions in the world. His name represents who God is and His relationship with His people.In the Old Testament, God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and instructed him to go to Pharaoh to bring His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. Moses inquired, “But... if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is His name?' what do I tell them?” God replied to Moses: “I am who I am.” Then He added: “This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:13–14).God's mysterious name—“I AM WHO I AM” or simply “I AM”—is also His identity. It expresses God's eternal existence and His self-sufficiency. He is the one who exists by His own nature, without beginning or end, having sovereignty over all creation.In John's Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself with the divine name numerous times: “I am he;” “I am the Bread of Life;” “I am the Light of the World;” “Before Abraham was, I AM;” “I am the Gate;” “I am the Good Shepherd;” “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life;” “I am the True Vine;” and “I told you that I AM.” Therefore, when Jesus prayed to the Father, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me…,” His prayer was authoritative, by which the Father's will is implemented, because Jesus is I AM, and in that name, He prays.Jesus' prayer was “that they may be one just as we are one.” This prayer should give us great hope. To “be one” with God, just as the Father and Son are one, reveals that we are called to share in God's very life, to be united to Him in a way that goes beyond intellectual agreement or friendship. We are invited into God's unity, taking our identity in Him, sharing in His very essence and life. We become members of Christ's Body, the Church, acting in Him, with Him, and through Him. This is why Jesus said three times during the Last Supper that whatever we ask the Father in His name, He will give us.In 2 Peter 1:4, we read that God's power has enabled us to escape corruption and evil desire and has bestowed upon us “precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature.” This foundational Scripture has led many Church Fathers to speak of our high calling to “divinization.” As Saint Athanasius of Alexandria famously said, “For He was made man that we might be made God; and He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality” (On the Incarnation, 54:3).Reflect today on the high calling you have received. You are invited to share in God's life, to take your identity in Him, to live and act in God's divine name, exercising His authority and manifesting His sacrificial love. This is only possible when we are united to Christ as He is united to the Father. We become one with God, by His will, with His authority and grace. What high dignity we have received to act in His name and with His authority! Have hope in the ability to be drawn into this high calling, taking on this new identity, so that Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper becomes a reality in your life. My divine Lord, the great I AM, You have existed from all eternity as the one and eternal God. You invite me to share in Your life by uniting me with You in Christ through His humanity. I accept this high calling and pray, as You prayed during the Last Supper, that I may be one with You—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and live and act in Your Name. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Adobe Stock Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

John 17:1-11   Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

On this episode, you are in for a treat as Pastor Keeyon interviews his long-time friend, Antonio Byrd. Antonio walks us through his faith journey and highlights how important it is for us to bask in the unconditional love of Christ. That same love that enoucarges us to be one as we read in our scripture reading. John 17:1-11, CEB Jesus prays1When Jesus finished saying these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that the Son can glorify you. 2 You gave him authority over everyone so that he could give eternal life to everyone you gave him. 3 This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. 4 I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I shared with you before the world was created.6 “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from this world. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 This is because I gave them the words that you gave me, and they received them. They truly understood that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.9 “I'm praying for them. I'm not praying for the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours. 10 Everything that is mine is yours and everything that is yours is mine; I have been glorified in them. 11 I'm no longer in the world, but they are in the world, even as I'm coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them in your name, the name you gave me, that they will be one just as we are one.

Seventh Sunday of Easter The First Lesson Acts 1:6-14 When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. The Psalm Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 Exsurgat Deus 1 Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; * let those who hate him flee before him. 2 Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away; * as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. 3 But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; * let them also be merry and joyful. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his Name; exalt him who rides upon the heavens; * YAHWEH is his Name, rejoice before him! 5 Father of orphans, defender of widows, * God in his holy habitation! 6 God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom; * but the rebels shall live in dry places. 7 O God, when you went forth before your people, * when you marched through the wilderness, 8 The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain, at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, * at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; * you refreshed the land when it was weary. 10 Your people found their home in it; * in your goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor. 33 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; * sing praises to the Lord. 34 He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; * he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice. 35 Ascribe power to God; * his majesty is over Israel; his strength is in the skies. 36 How wonderful is God in his holy places! * the God of Israel giving strength and power to his people! Blessed be God! The Epistle 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. The Gospel John 17:1-11 Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one."

Ecce Doxa Pastor Cogan John 17:1-11After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. Katelyn and I saw The Devil Wears Prada 2 this weekend. I hadn't seen the first one, you don't really need to. In the film, I couldn't help but notice how glory was on full display: fame, beauty, influence, excellence. Even when the movie tries to offer an alternative, Andy, the main character, can't leave the lure of it all. Either we come from glory and do everything we can to hold onto it, or we are bound for glory and will do everything we can to get there.That's a story we tell about ourselves too: as individuals, communities, businesses, churches. Glory defined as success, relative wealth, stability, and growth. We might get off track for a moment, but with enough effort we believe we can get right back on the glory road. Most of us believe or once believed, that we are destined for great things. More blessings are just around the corner. And if not, then we have been slighted, short changed, or somehow cheated. Glory gets a bad rap in Lutheran circles, and for good reason. Yet we can't escape it. In just five verses from John, Jesus speaks of glory five times. The first thing he asks of God is, “Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you.” Peter says the Spirit of glory rests upon us. Throughout the New Testament, glory appears everywhere in crowns, white robes, and thrones.Perhaps glory isn't the problem after all. Perhaps we are simply confused about what glory actually is. The story of an artist and her art can help us see this differently. Cecilia Gimenez lived a struggling life. She was a widow in the small town of Borja, Spain. Her two sons, Jesús and Jose, were both born crippled. Jesús had muscular dystrophy and died at 20. Jose had cerebral palsy and needed his mother's full-time care. Cecilia worked at a bar to bring in extra money.To comfort herself, she volunteered at her church, the beautiful Sanctuary of the Pitiful Heart. She loved that church dearly. She was married there. Her boys received first communion there. But the centuries-old church didn't have much money, so parishioners helped however they could. Cecilia was a painter, and she painted where and when she could.One day in August of 2012, the 81-year-old painter noticed the sorry state of the church's fresco, Ecce Homo. Over time, salt and moisture from the aquifer beneath the church had deteriorated the painting until it looked like this. Without express permission, Cecilia decided to restore it herself. She had touched up the painting before, and the priest knew about that, but nothing quite like this. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Mostly a painter of flowers, she had little experience with portraits. So she began with the tunic. Easy enough. Then came Jesus' face, which proved far more difficult. She stopped, took a two-week holiday, and intended to return later to finish the work. But there was one slight problem: while she was away, the local art center discovered the restoration attempt. They informed the artist's family. Together they raised a ruckus, and soon Cecilia's unfinished work was all over the internet. And the internet did what only the internet can do: drag a stranger through the virtual mud without knowing the full story. Memes were everywhere. The painting was dubbed Ecce Mono, or Monkey Christ. Art critics and strangers alike said awful things about her. Soon the media chased her through the streets. Utterly humiliated, she cried at home and refused to eat, losing 13 pounds in just days. Finally, overcome with despair, she was refined to her bed.Such suffering when all she wanted was to serve God the best way she knew how. And she was ridiculed for it.Maybe you know something about that. Maybe you've tried to help someone you love only to have your motives questioned. Maybe you poured yourself into your children and still wonder if you got it all wrong. Maybe you volunteered, gave your time and talents, only to feel unnoticed or criticized. Maybe you tried to do the faithful thing, the loving thing, and instead of gratitude or joy, it brought exhaustion, conflict, embarrassment, or pain.We expect our striving to be met with acceptance, maybe even glory. Yet so often it leaves us wounded instead. Oddly enough, according to Jesus, glory does not look like influence, success, or self-assertion. It looks like the cross. Jesus says, “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” And that work was a life poured out in love for others. A cruciform glory, as one pastor calls is. Glory revealed not in grasping for power, but in service. Not in demanding our own way, but in sacrifice for another. Not in avoiding vulnerability, but entering into it out of love.That kind of life often involves suffering, because it's so opposite of the ways of this world. But suffering itself is not the glory. Love is. The glory is Christ revealed through mercy, service, sacrifice, and steadfastness. And somehow God brings resurrection out of places the world expects only humiliation or defeat.Just ask Cecilia. Shortly after being bedridden, flowers and a card arrived with some kind words. More followed. Then the visitors came to Borja, not to torture her, but to see the painting for themselves. Over 50,000 people came. Still today 15 to 20 thousand come annually. The church started charging three euros to enter. They set up a shop and sold Ecce Homo t-shirts, mugs, pencils, magnets, even wine. The money funded not only the church, but the nearby hospital for elderly folks who couldn't afford care. Cecilia received money too, but when she felt she didn't need any more she gave it to muscular-dystrophy charities in honor of her son Jesús. Perhaps most miraculous, the perception that Cecilia wasn't an artist changed. The family of the original artist decided not to restore the fresco, but keep Cecilia's work. People and art critics began to take that work seriously, finding its simplicity moving, the work of a devoted believer who loved her church and simply wanted to offer something beautiful.And maybe that was the glory all along. Not the mockery she endured online or in person. Not the fame that followed. But the quiet, cruciform beauty of someone who served without seeking recognition. A widow caring for her disabled sons. An elderly woman painting church walls because she loved her congregation. A believer trying, however imperfectly, to honor Christ.And somehow, out of that humble, some say botched, offering, God brought unexpected new life: care for the elderly, support for muscular dystrophy charities, renewed community, and a different kind of beauty for people to behold. Cecilia died this past Christmas at 94. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, the promise of glory is the promise that because of Christ, we will please God.I am certain God said to her, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Glory is not found in wealth, fame, success, or a 1.5 trillion dollar military budget. Nor is it found merely in art and beauty themselves. Rather, glory is revealed in love poured out for another. Or, at least, that's what I keep telling myself as Katelyn and I prepare to welcome baby number two any day now. I know the sleepless nights, the poopy diapers, and the immense overstimulation headed my way will not look, feel, smell, or sound glorious. But somehow, even there, Christ and his glory are revealed through it all. Because it is love poured out for another.And I believe the same is true for you and whatever your struggle, whatever your sacrifice, whatever service you are enduring and offering in your own life. Glory is not the opposite of any of that. Rather, in Christ and by his cross, God keeps bringing new life, mercy, and even glory out of what the rest of the world only sees as failure, exhaustion, or defeat. In that way, we are all bound for glory. Thanks be to God. Amen.

He [Jesus] lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed. I have manifested Your Name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your Name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are One.” (John 17:1b-11)

As we mark 1 year of a Leonine papacy, Katie Prejean McGrady joins to reflect on the accessibility of Pope Leo XIV and what it was like to MC an event with the Holy Father and 5 teens who asked about mental health, prayer life, and AI. We also look ahead to his upcoming encyclical and the lens of joy he might bring to the topic of humanity while delving into the dangers of artificial intelligence. Leah Libresco Sargeant discusses the latest baby news with #4 on the way for the Vance's and why the family plan is always subject to change. She also touches on the Supporting Newborn Parents Act and why it's a big win for growing families. Msgr. Roger Landry points our hearts to the Ascension as we look to the Gospel this Sunday. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!

 1 These things Jesus spoke, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee.Haec locutus est Jesus : et sublevatis oculis in caelum, dixit : Pater, venit hora : clarifica Filium tuum, ut Filius tuus clarificet te : 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he may give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.sicut dedisti ei potestatem omnis carnis, ut omne, quod dedisti ei, det eis vitam aeternam. 3 Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.Haec est autem vita aeterna : ut cognoscant te, solum Deum verum, et quem misisti Jesum Christum. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.Ego te clarificavi super terram : opus consummavi, quod dedisti mihi ut faciam : 5 And now glorify thou me, O Father, with thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with thee.et nunc clarifica me tu, Pater, apud temetipsum, claritate quam habui, prius quam mundus esset, apud te. 6 I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were, and to me thou gavest them; and they have kept thy word.Manifestavi nomen tuum hominibus, quos dedisti mihi de mundo : tui erant, et mihi eos dedisti : et sermonem tuum servaverunt. 7 Now they have known, that all things which thou hast given me, are from thee:Nunc cognoverunt quia omnia quae dedisti mihi, abs te sunt : 8 Because the words which thou gavest me, I have given to them; and they have received them, and have known in very deed that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.quia verba quae dedisti mihi, dedi eis : et ipsi acceperunt, et cognoverunt vere quia a te exivi, et crediderunt quia tu me misisti. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me: because they are thine:Ego pro eis rogo; non pro mundo rogo, sed pro his quos dedisti mihi : quia tui sunt : 10 And all my things are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.et mea omnia tua sunt, et tua mea sunt : et clarificatus sum in eis. 11 And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou has given me; that they may be one, as we also are.Et jam non sum in mundo, et hi in mundo sunt, et ego ad te venio. Pater sancte, serva eos in nomine tuo, quos dedisti mihi : ut sint unum, sicut et nos.Our Lord Jesus Christ has manifested the Name of His Father to man: that they may know Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.

Father Tom McCarthy joins Patrick to discuss the First Year with Pope Leo (2:35) Where was Father McCarthy when Pope Leo was Elected? (5:51) what makes Pope Leo ideal for the role as the Holy Father? Restlessness of saint Augustine. Pope Leo’s role as a leader before being pope. (19:00) Rosa - I am so blessed. I'm 85 years old. I want to say we have a man of God. He tells the truth and that's what we all need to set us free. Loving kind. (20:32) Break 1 Clay - Wonderful we have an American Pope. I met Fr. Tom. I'm a convert to the faith. (24:49) Sandy - I admire the fact that he made it clear that he's not a political leader, he's a religious leader seeking peace at all costs. (32:32) Joseph - My experience...I'm a diesel mechanic. We had a tv in the shop at the time. Waiting for the shop. Saw smoke when it happened. Amazing thing was when he came out is that it's an American Pope. Everyone was joyous and happy. Not all of my co-workers are catholic and it was good to see this. (38:35) Break 2 Pope Leo’s message of peace. (45:06) Daniella - My husband and I are from Peru. We'd like to say he's a good man. We don't know him in person, but saw his mission in Peru. We're 3rd order Augustinians. Moved to California now. We lived in Lima (46:31) Pope Leo at the bank shows his humility.

Through studying the names of God, we understand our God is a personal God. In the past 9 devotionals, we've seen 10 names and we now know so much more about our God. As YHWH, God has revealed himself to be so near that he's our very breath. As Adonai, God reveals that he is our Master, and therefore responsible for our care and our protection. As Elohim, God reveals he is our Creator who continues to create and make us a new creation even today. As El Shaddai, God reveals he is the Almighty one whose hand is in everything. As Yahweh Rapha, he tells us we can count on him to be the LORD who meets us in the bitterest of places in life and heal us. As Yahweh Mekaddishkem, God makes us forever good enough by calling us his own, making us holy and then teaching us to rest in him. God has revealed himself as a Shepherd, caring for his sheep. Through Jesus, God is revealed as Abba, Papa. Then Jesus goes on to call him Holy Father and Righteous Father. We now have 10 names for God, each that reveal his character, his power and his heart towards us. Have you been using these names in your conversations with him? Have you been calling on him by specific name according to how you need him to show up for you? He promises to respond. Now, we go even deeper. Beyond these 10 names, we read of dozens of other names given to God by people in the Bible who have had a personal encounter with him. The names they give God define how they've met him and what he has done for them. And my friend, if God did something for them, he can do something for you. What he did then, he can do today. We're in relationship with the same God of the Bible. In Malachi 3:6, God says, “I am the LORD, and I do not change.” God showed up for people personally in the stories in your Bible, and he can and will show up for you personally now. Remember that as we study the names of God given by other people in scripture – he's revealing what he did for them personally and what he can do for even YOU personally. He is the same God and he hasn't changed. He has a personal encounter waiting for you too. One person in scripture who had a very personal encounter with God is Hagar. Yes, a woman. In these times, a woman was a second-class citizen. She didn't have rights. She didn't have her own life. She was completely dependent on the man of the family to care for her. And for a woman, if there was no man to care for her, she was in a truly desperate situation. Hagar didn't have a man, she was only used by a man. (Perhaps you can relate.) But Hagar wasn't only used by a man, she was used by everyone in her entire life to get what they wanted. She was a totally unimportant character in everyone else's story. Have you ever felt that way? Like you're not important enough for your own dreams, your own desires, or your own story. Like you're stuck in the story of someone else and you're always just along for the ride. Like the life you live isn't your own. Like you're forever forgotten – forever overlooked – forever unimportant. That was Hagar – that was her life and that was her story. In Genesis 16, Hagar was the slave of a woman named Sarah. Sarah was the wife of Abraham. They were a couple who had been unable to have children, and now in their old age, they had lost all hope for the family they so badly wanted. That's wasn't Hagar's fault or Hagar's problem – but she became their solution. Hagar's boss lady, Sarah, decided she would use Hagar to give her the baby she had always wanted. Sarah sent her husband Abraham to sleep with Hagar, and so she became pregnant. It wasn't love. It was ownership. Sarah owned Hagar, and Hagar's body was used to get what she wanted. This wasn't Hagar's choice. It wasn't her dream. It wasn't her plan. But it became her life as she was used in someone's else's story. While Hagar is pregnant, Sarah begins to treat her so harshly that Hagar finally runs away. Now remember, where they are is surrounded by nothing but wilderness. Running away was a sure death sentence. There was no water, no food, and no help beyond the borders of their city. But Hagar was so desperate for something different that she runs. And there, in the wilderness, the Lord sent an angel to find her, care for her, and redirect her back home. And it was there, for the first time in Hagar's entire life that she felt personally seen. There, she gives God the name El Ro’i. Genesis 16:13, “You are El Ro'i”. In Hebrew El is “God”, and Ro'i is “who sees me”. El Ro'i – The God who sees me. El Ro'i meets us in the moments we didn't plan, the plans we didn't want, and the reality we didn't think God could be in. And right there, when life has been unfair, when the story isn't the one you wanted, God says, “I SEE YOU, MY GIRL.” To everyone else, Hagar was unimportant and discarded. To everyone else she was someone to be used for their own gain. But to God, she was worth pursuing, worth rescuing, worth restoring, and worth giving hope for the future. For the one absolutely no one else valued, El Ro'i, the God who sees, personally saw her and declared she mattered. You know where God sees you clearest – in the places you never wanted to be. In the places where you are trying to run away. In the places where you hurt and feel lost. God's eye is on YOU. (Remember he leaves the 99 to find the 1 who is lost and struggling – YES HE SEES YOU IN THAT STRUGGLE). Here in this place in the wilderness, where Hagar is running away, pregnant, alone, mistreated and hopeless, God meets her. If that's the place you're in, this is the perfect place to be found by El Ro'i! You see, he's not the God who waits for you to figure it all out and get it together – he's the God who meets you in the mess and calls you back to his plans for your future. Yes, the Shepherd who brings the lost sheep back home again. The Lord says to Hagar, “Return home and I will give you more descendants than you can count.” He's not only comforting her in her pain, but he's giving her direction and promise. He's giving her an identity where she's never had one before. When God sees you, that's what happens – you get direction to your destiny! I may not know where it is you feel overlooked, but I know we all feel that way at times. We work so hard and no one notices. Our efforts aren't applauded or appreciated. The good things sometimes seem to happen for everyone else – and where does that leave us. Oh let me tell you where that leaves you – that leaves you SEARCHED OUT AND SEEN BY EL RO'I!!!! And you have no idea how important that really is. Girl, if I see you, that won't change your life. I might be able to encourage you for a moment, give you a hug, or make you smile, but that's temporary – if God sees you, your whole life changes. And may I remind you, HE SEES YOU! He sees what they did to you. He sees how you were left out. He sees how you were used. He sees how it wasn't fair to you. He sees how that made you feel. He sees how that made you question your worth. God sees you when you're running and he calls you to QUIT RUNNING NOW. Honey, you can't outrun the God who sees you. The angel of the Lord says to Hagar, “Where have you come from and where are you going?” Did he ask because he didn't know? Of course not. He asked because Hagar needed to stop running and realize while she knew what she was running from (her mean boss lady Sarah and this life she didn't want) – she had no idea what she was running to. The question is helping her see she's running without thinking, without a future and without hope. God is helping her see the path she is on isn't leading anywhere good. Lord, if any of your girls listening today are running – stop them. For real, stop them right now in their tracks. You see them where they are at this moment – meet them there and stop them. Help them to see the path they're on and where it's leading. Help them to stop running and surrender to you. You are the God who meets us when we're running and calls us back to the future you have for us. Call her back now, El Ro'i. God told Hagar to go back. Yes, go back where life was hard but where there was purpose. Listen now – what is God telling you to do now? Will you listen for him? Will you stop running? Will you obey? Here in the wilderness, God appeared to Hagar. The wilderness where nothing else was there for her – God was there for her. This was the place of his appearance. If you're in your wilderness, will you ask God for his appearance? He may not radically change your situation, but he will change you – that's always bigger and better. Hagar returned home where she had that baby and then she saw God's bigger plans unfold for her future. She went home knowing one thing for sure – El Ro'i, the God who sees her, had a future for her! If you feel stuck in a story that's not your own – call on El Ro'i. If you feel unseen, unwanted, unappreciated or unworthy – call on El Ro'i. If you've been running away without direction of where to go – call on El Ro'i. If you're in a wilderness season of life, struggling and suffering – call on El Ro'i. God wants to meet you in what you've been running from. How would this change if you really knew that God sees you here? What would you do if you knew God has a promise for your future? Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Jesus not only tells us to call God our Father, Abba, Papa and we see Jesus personally calling God by this name.  God is his Father.  Jesus is deeply connected with God – they are one and they always have been – while at the same time he is the Son and God is the Father.  They're as close as they can possibly be.  They have the same mind, the same will, the same love, the same power.  Jesus is 100% familiar with God in every way … however, he doesn't lose his awe of God just because he has this closeness. Yes, Jesus teaches us to be close to God. Yes, he teaches us to trust him as our Papa God and we as his beloved children … but Jesus also teaches us how to be in absolute AWE of God still.  He shows us his awe of the Father in two specific descriptive names:  Holy Father and Righteous Father. Jesus calls God ‘Holy Father’ in John 17:11, “Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you.  Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.”  Jesus is praying these words right before he is betrayed, arrested and led to the cross.  And understand, he is praying these words for you and I.  He's calling on the name of Holy Father, that we would be protected by the power of his name – that is HOLY FATHER. Do you know the power of this name?  Holy Father. This is actually the only place in scripture where Jesus directly combines these two words when addressing God. • Holy = completely set apart, pure, transcendent • Father = relational, close, personal We tend to lean towards one of these – either God is completely set apart, distant and intimidating to us, or he is so personally close that he's become familiar and expected.  Jesus shows us how to hold both in awe, reverence and confidence.  God is both perfectly holy and perfectly relational at the same time. Last night I watched a documentary on Hulk Hogan.  I'm a bit of a documentary junkie.  I love the behind the scenes look at real lives that we often miss.  Hulk was this larger than life character with a handle bar mustache and bleach blonde hair known for ripping his shirt off.  But at home, he didn't rip his shirt off.  At home, he was a husband and dad named Terry and he played in the floor with his children.  He was both, but the true man was only seen behind closed doors.  The rest of the world only knew the character making a scene in the ring.  He was one or the other, but he couldn't be both at the same time.  So, it caused a split in his life and a loss of his true self. But the Holy Father is not split.  He is the same behind the scenes and on the scene.  He is forever both completely set apart and completely up close and personal.  He is beyond understanding and personally understanding at the same time.  He is Holy and he is Father – and not just for Jesus, but for us too. At the time of Jesus praying this prayer in the book of John, everyone knew holiness was associated with distance.  There was a system in the temple and only priests could approach God's holy presence.  If you did it wrong, you died.  Holiness meant you couldn’t casually approach God.  But then on the other hand, ‘Father' implies direct access through relationship and belonging.  Jesus is normalizing closeness with a HOLY FATHER, and he's literally praying you and I can have that closeness too. Will you allow God to be both for you, both Holy and Father?  Will you grow close in relationship with the Father while remaining in reverent awe of his holiness?  He isn't one or the other – he is both, always, forever, and fully. Jesus prays, “Protect them by the power of your name.”  What was that name Jesus just spoke?  Holy Father.  This is where your personal protection comes from.  God's holiness means absolutely nothing impure can stand against him.  No evil will prevail.  His holiness protects you from every scheme and attack of the enemy.  And God's fatherhood means he actively cares for and defends you as his daughter. You've heard of the threat of the Mama Bear coming out to protect her children – Well, that's nothing compared to the Holy Father! Nobody messes with the children of the Holy Father!  Do you know him as your Holy Father?  Do you know the power of that name? If God is only Father – you lose reverence.  If God is only Holy – you lose relationship.  If God is both Holy and Father, you experience transformation in holy relationship with him. Now, Jesus continues to pray and he shifts from the name Holy Father which focuses on God's nature, and now he calls him the name Righteous Father, which is a focus on God's character in action.  John 17:25, “O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I do.”  This name is about how God acts.  If you know God as your Father, and you know how your Father acts, then you know how you can count on him to show up for you personally.  Righteous Father. The word ‘righteous' appears in greek as ‘dikaios', which means just, morally right, fair and faithful to what is true.  With this name, Jesus is remembering in prayer that God ALWAYS does what is right.  God ALWAYS keeps his promises. Wow, do you remember that in your prayers?  God, you are my Righteous Father.  I know you always do what is right.  I know you always keep your promises.  You do not fail.  Ever.  I can fully trust you, your ways, and your timing. My friend, just in case life has been touching you hard lately, I whisper this truth to your soul – you truly can trust every decision God makes.  He is the Righteous Father, and he is 100% right! You won't always understand it, but you can trust it.  He works in ways you cannot see to accomplish things you cannot comprehend, in a dimension you have not yet experienced – but you will.  That deminsion is eternity, and it's where God is working everything together for good, yes everything, and yes real good.  One day you will take your first breath in the dimension of eternity and you will see it all for yourself.  Every single decision God ever made was divine perfection. And notice this, Jesus doesn't say “Righteous Judge”, he says Righteous Father.  God's righteousness doesn't make him lose his love relationship for his children.  He's the one who judges justly and he is also the one who loves you wildly.  He holds the law, but he also holds unstoppable love!  God doesn't choose between being loving and being right – He is perfectly both. Even if everyone else in this world misjudges you, God understands you perfectly.  He knows you because he made you.  He wanted you, so he formed you and breathed life into you.  The Righteous Father is RIGHT ABOUT YOU and he rightly loves you. Your Father is Righteous.  This means wrong will not win, the broken will be made whole, and complete restoration is coming.  Righteous Father is making all things right.  Really, really, really right. Prayer Prompts: • Holy Father, where have I grown too causal with your presence?  How are you calling me to live differently because I belong to you? • Righteous Father, where do I need to trust your justice?  Where do I need to align my life with what you say is right? Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Are you fighting a war you can't see? As Jesus closes His high priestly prayer in John 17:9-26, He isn't just preparing the eleven disciples for the darkest night of their lives—He's preparing us for eternity. Think about this: 2,000 years ago, the King of Kings had you in mind. He was interceding for you then, and the amazing thing is, He's still at the right hand of the Father interceding for you right now. In this message, we tackle hard questions about spiritual survival: What are you actually being protected from? We often blame Satan for a dead car battery or a printer that won't work (though let's be honest, the printer never works). But is that really the "evil one" Jesus is talking about? Are you living in a "spiritual cave"? It's tempting to want to hide from the world—no internet, no news, no neighbors—to stay holy. But Jesus didn't pray to take you out of the world. He sent you into it. Is your religion just "lukewarm"? C.S. Lewis once wrote that a "moderated religion" is as good for the enemy as no religion at all. Are you just doing enough to appease your conscience, or is your faith impacting your lifestyle? Why are "people" the greatest test of your faith? It's easy to walk with Jesus until you have to deal with the person texting at the stop sign or the neighbor who drives you crazy. But did you know that community—the very thing that frustrates us—is what God uses to sanctify us? "If God has given us breath, He has given us a purpose." If you still have breath in your lungs today, you have a reason to serve Him. Join us as we look at what it means to be protected by the name of the Holy Father and how walking in His truth leads us to a joy that is truly complete. Scripture Reference: John 17:9-26 Theme: Protection, Oneness, and Purpose. Connect With Us: FaithBridgeNH.org/discover If this message spoke to you, let us know. How are you serving God's purpose in your "grocery store and grass-cutting" everyday life? #John17 #HighPriestlyPrayer #ProtectedByGod #ChristianLiving #GospelOfJohn

In this episode of Personally Speaking, Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by journalist, writer and editor Christopher Altieri. Christopher is the Managing Editor of “Crux Now” and his latest book is “Leo XIV: The New Pope and Catholic Reform”. He speaks about the papacy of Leo XIV and the main issues facing the Holy Father as he leads the Church in the middle of the 21st century.Support the show

Pope Leo XIV gives a striking answer on what makes a good Christian politician. Meanwhile, the Holy Father reflects on his Africa trip as a ‘chance to make their voices heard.' And, the Pentagon says the Iran war has cost $25 billion at a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Bishop Parkes shares vision of the clergy moves in the diocese, the prayerful thought process about it as it impacts the needs of the parishes.  He also speaks on the legacy of Monsignor Frank Mouch, the 50th anniversary of St. Catherine of Siena parish, the Holy Father's visit to Africa, and a visit to the North American Seminary. 

He was a disciple of St Theodosius of the Kiev Caves (commemorated May 3), and became abbot of the Monastery of the Caves. After many years of faithful service he fell victim to the intrigues of a monk against him, lost his abbacy and was even driven from the monastery. In God's time the holy monk was vindicated and made Bishop of Vladimir. There he guided the Church for many years, reposing peacefully in old age in 1094.

Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link!Pope Leo XIV just shut the door on the German bishops' push to formally bless same-sex couples — and the four-word line everyone is repeating tonight is "We do not agree." Leo's response, aimed squarely at Cardinal Reinhard Marx and the German Synodal Way, didn't stop there. He reframed the entire conversation away from sexual morality and toward "justice, equality, the freedom of men and women, and religious freedom." We're going live tonight to read the full statement in context, unpack what it actually means, and get into the bigger questions it raises about the state of the Church.Plus — biblical scholar Sam Shamoun joins the stream to clarify scriptural passages on the Antichrist, the Great Apostasy, and how the early Church Fathers actually interpreted these prophecies. You don't want to miss this one.

 During Sunday Mass, Bishop Rodriguez called Trump's recent attacks on the pope "disrespectful and violent," stating, "The Diocese of Palm Beach stands firm with our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and strongly rejects the disrespectful and violent attacks that Donald J. Trump has directed against the Holy Father."Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Full Text of Readings Fourth Sunday of Easter Lectionary: 49 The Saint of the day is Saint Pedro de San José Betancur Saint Pedro de San José Betancur's Story Central America claimed its first saint with the canonization of Pedro de San José Betancur. Known as the “Saint Francis of the Americas,” Pedro de Betancur is the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala. Saint Pedro de San José Betancur very much wanted to become a priest, but God had other plans for the young man born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Pedro was a shepherd until age 24, when he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Thavana, he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he got to Guatemala City the following year. When he arrived, he was so destitute that he joined the breadline that the Franciscans had established. Soon, Saint Pedro de San José Betancur enrolled in the local Jesuit college in hopes of studying for the priesthood. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could not master the material; he withdrew from school. In 1655, he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later, he opened a hospital for the convalescent poor; a shelter for the homeless, and a school for the poor soon followed. Not wanting to neglect the rich of Guatemala City, Pedro began walking through their part of town ringing a bell and inviting them to repent. Other men came to share in Pedro's work. Out of this group came the Bethlehemite Congregation, which won papal approval after Pedro's death. A Bethlehemite sisters' community, similarly founded after Pedro's death, was inspired by his life of prayer and compassion. He is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbors. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries. Saint Pedro de San José Betancur died in 1667, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in Guatemala City on July 30, 2002. Calling the new saint an “outstanding example” of Christian mercy, the Holy Father noted that Saint Pedro practiced mercy “heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.” Speaking to the estimated 500,000 Guatemalans in attendance, the Holy Father spoke of the social ills that plague the country today and of the need for change. “Let us think of the children and young people who are homeless or deprived of an education; of abandoned women with their many needs; of the hordes of social outcasts who live in the cities; of the victims of organized crime, of prostitution or of drugs; of the sick who are neglected and the elderly who live in loneliness,” he said in his homily during the three-hour liturgy. The liturgical feast of Saint Pedro de San José Betancur is celebrated on April 25. Reflection As humans, we often pride ourselves on our ability to reason. We believe we can always find an explanation for everything. But as Pedro's life shows, other skills may be an even more crucial element of our humanity than a clever mind: compassion, imagination, love. Unable to master studies for the priesthood despite his ardent efforts, Pedro responded to the needs of homeless and sick people; he provided education to the poor and salvation to the rich. He became holy—as fully human as any of us can ever be.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

He was born in Sykeon in Galatia in Asia Minor. (The Great Horologion says that he was born out of wedlock; the Prologue that his mother, Maria, was a rich widow; in either case, he was reared by his mother alone). At the age of ten, Theodore took up a life of strict asceticism, devoting himself to prayer, fasting and vigils. His mother planned for him to enter the military; but St George appeared to her in a dream, telling her that Theodore was to serve the King of Heaven rather than any earthly king. After this, Saint George appeared to Theodore many times, sometimes instructing him, sometimes saving him from danger. After a trip to the Holy Land, Theodore became a monk in Galatia — we should say "officially became a monk," since he had been living as a monk from the age of ten. Once he had taken monastic vows, Theodore redoubled his ascetical labors, which exceeded those of any other monk of his time: for his asceticism, he was sometimes called the "Iron-eater." Around 584 was ordained Bishop of Anastasiopolis in Galatia, much against his will. He served his flock faithfully for ten years, then begged to be relieved of his episcopal duties so that he might return to his beloved monastic life. Even during his lifetime, he was famed for his miracles and his authority to cast out demons. He departed this life in peace in 613.

Kimberly Bird of Live Action joins for a monthly update. Shrines and Wonders looks at the Wolf of Gubbio. Joan Lewis check in from Rome and talks on the Holy Father's visit to Angola. T's Two Sense talks about the unique gifts we use for God's plan...Lauren Muzyka talks with Teresa about Sidewalk Advocates for Life and how they've saved 25,000 babies in 12 years of their ministry.

Today we began reading Ecclesiastes – it says it was written by “the preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem [1 v.1]. We know this is Solomon and his first words are, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”What does vanity mean?  The lexicon says the Hebrew word means, transitory, emptiness.   Solomon is reviewing, apparently in his old age, all that he has accomplished in his life, he is overwhelmed by the feeling that in the final analysis it was all just “vanity” – he had accomplished nothing lasting.He reflects, “all things are full of weariness” [v.8], observing, “my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge” [v.16] but he saw it as “a striving after wind”. [v.17]. Tomorrow we will read his words, “then I considered all that my hands had done and all the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity” [2 v.11]We wonder to what extent today we will (or already are) look back on a lifetime of striving to make and then spend money – and see it in the end as simply “vanity”?   Also, those who fill so much of their ‘spare' time with tweeting and twittering and relaxation with TV and DVDs for entertainment will see the ultimate emptiness of time spent in this way?In contrast we saw today in John's Gospel the intensity of thought and meaning in the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. As it reaches its climax his mind is centred on his disciples, “Holy Father keep them in your name … that they may be one, even as we are one.” [17 v.11]  Unity of mind, how wonderful!Jesus continues, “they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” [v. 17-19].God's word is “truth,” it alone reveals the ultimate meaning of life and takes us – in thought – beyond “this world”.. Sanctify means to “be set apart” from the world so that  the main focus of our minds – is on God and his ways and what is really true – in an everlasting sense.  It is a truth we then take into our hearts and it becomes part of us.Finally, how meaningful are the words of Jesus to Pilate, “You say that I am a king.  For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” [18 v.37]. Sceptically Pilate asks, “What is truth?” [v.38]. Let us not be sceptical but read and “listen” to what we read and aim to fully possess “the wisdom from above” (James 3 v.17) so that our lives are “sanctified in truth.”

"From Thrace, his worldly name being Anastasios, he was a slave to some Turks, and they compelled him to embrace Islam in Smyrna. As a penitent, he was tonsured at the monastery of Esphigmenou on the Holy Mountain. Tormented by his conscience, he desired to wash his sins in his own blood, so he went to Smyrna, where he showed a Cross and an icon of Christ's Resurrection to the Turks. He was beheaded on April 19th, 1819, at the age of nineteen. He appeared to his spiritual father, Germanos, after his death." (Prologue)

TCA chaplain Msgr. Roger Landry joins Ashley McGuire to discuss the recent rhetoric from President Trump attacking Pope Leo, and the need for prayer in this divisive moment. He also talks about the Pope's Apostolic journey to Africa while the Holy Father walks in the footsteps of St. Augustine. Madeleine Kearns joins in discussing her recent piece in the Free Press assessing this trend where self-identified Catholic influencers twist Church teaching to justify antisemitism, slander and other 'sins of speech.' Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!

On this episode of Walk Humbly, Bishop Burbidge offers thoughtful commentary on recent national conversation, including insight shared by Cardinals on CBS News 60 Minutes, addressing immigration and the war in Iran. He also speaks clearly and firmly in response to recent social media attacks from President Trump directed at the Holy Father and the Church.   As we observe Child Abuse Prevention Month, Bishop Burbidge underscores our sacred responsibility to protect the dignity and innocence of every child, and how the diocese is remaining firmly committed to this responsibility.   The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is coming to our diocese! Save the date for a Holy Hour at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexandria on Friday, June 5 and returns Sunday, June 7 on the Feast of Corpus Christi where Bishop Burbidge will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at Saint William of York in Stafford.   Finally, hear Bishop Burbidge answers a heartfelt listener question:   When someone drifts away from their faith, what's a good first step to returning?  Find the latest media galleries, including coverage of the annual Chrism Mass, on arlingtondiocese.org.   Walk Humbly welcomes listener questions for Bishop Burbidge. Call or text (703) 778-9100 anytime with your question. Connect with Walk Humbly and Bishop Burbidge by texting WALKHUMBLY to 84576 for occasional alerts and updates. 

When can Catholics rightly criticize the Pope — and when does that cross a line? In this clip from The Ben Shapiro Show, Ben Shapiro and Trent Horn discuss papal infallibility, prudential judgments, and the difference between disagreeing respectfully and dismissing the Holy Father outright. They also get into media bias, selective outrage from both left and right, Pope Francis, Pope Leo, and how Catholics should think about papal comments on politics, war, and public policy.

Patrick shares emails in response to the last couple of episodes of the show (00:35) Kathy - Is it right for the priest to peak around the screen in Confession? (09:20) Jay - The Catholic population has been declining. It seems like the Holy Father has a flawed set of priorities with his visits. Do you have any thoughts about this and why he would visit Muslim countries instead of Europe? (15:59) George - I disagree with you about the Pope and his alignment with globalists and democrats (24:04) Eliazer - I hope we can approach both the President and the Pope with the right perspective. As Catholics, the Pope represents us and he is doing what he needs to do. Also, the President is our president. I see both as important. (30:17) Vinnie - Nobody ever got to heaven by bad mouthing the Pope (39:16) Mary - In response to guy who disagrees with you, best thing we can do is fast and pray and change sin in our life. (43:13) Anna - My daughter is doing a paper on the Secretariat on Atheism in the Vatican in the 1930s. Was there an alliance with the fascists and the Vatican? Do you know anything about this? (48:50)

Check out this great show from April 18, 2023 Bible Study: (1:59) Acts 4:32-37 Father explains the governmental structure in Acts Jn 3:7b-15 What does it mean to be born from above? Letters (22:030 Judas & Fulton Sheen's theory (24:29) Who was Thomas' twin? (29:29) Jesus dying for many vs all Word of the Day: Wind & Spirit (32:40) Callers (35:46) Was the Holy Spirit with Mary all the time? (38:38) When they stoned Stephen, why didn't they ask Pilate to approve, like when Jesus was killed? (41:12) The Church is not in touch of reality, and I'm becoming Catholic, but I need to go through an annulment and the paperwork and other interviews are hard to do? (46:24) Divine Mercy Sunday, if you go to confession and communion and pray for Holy Father, remission of all sins? (48:02) Good Friday at Church, shouldn't there be more quiet? I was hearing the choir practicing?

Pope Leo responds to Trump's criticism: “I have no fear.” Meanwhile, U.S. bishops are “disheartened” by Trump's attack on Pope Leo. And, the Holy Father arrives in Algeria in a historic first papal visit.

John 17:6-13,“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”John 17 is one of the most amazing chapters in the Bible because the entire chapter is a prayer of Jesus — and it's a prayer he prays for us. We know this because of what Jesus says in verse 20. He says to his Father:“I do not ask for these only [that's the eleven disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word [that's us, his church].”By the grace of God, we believe in Jesus through the gospel that has been passed down to us in the apostolic word (that's the New Testament!). So when Jesus prayed in John 17 — yes, the eleven disciples were right by his side and he prayed for them — but he also had us in mind.Which means: what Jesus prayed in John 17 he prays for us — and notice I'm saying “prays for us” in the present tense.For this to make sense, I think we need to understand something important about prayer itself. In Revelation 5, when the four living creatures and twenty-four elders bow down in worship to Jesus, John makes a curious statement about prayer. He says that each of these worshipers are holding “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”It's a minor detail on one hand, but it's also a clue that the prayers of God's people are collected. I think it tells us something about prayer that we can know by experience: it's that our prayers don't ever expire, but they accumulate.The more we pray, over time, those prayers shape us into a certain kind of person. The prayers themselves can change, in maturity and clarity, but basically we all become the kind of person who prays the way we do.Maybe a better way to say it is that our prayers stay with us. When we pray about something, we don't ever just ‘check the box' and move on — because prayer is not ‘one and done' sort of thing. The way we pray, even in private, gets represented by us everywhere we go. Everywhere we go, we go as persons who are praying a certain way.And we even talk this way as a church. A lot of times we'll say something like “Yeah, I'm praying about that” or “I'm praying for you” — we use the present tense. We understand that our prayers stay with us. That's true of us … and that's true of Jesus, like right now.I want you to know that the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17 is still operative. It's not a mere record of the way he prayed once upon a time. It's not left behind in the dust of history. But this is a prayer that reflects the heart of Jesus this morning. Jesus carries this prayer with him, and he wants all of this for us now like he wanted it when he first prayed it. We know the word of God is living and active! — I want you to know this prayer in the word of God is living and active!I want you to know that Jesus is praying this for you today!There are three things he's praying that I want to show you.1. Jesus is praying for us to be kept. I'm not sure what you think when you hear the word “kept” but it's got a rich biblical meaning. And it's really an image. For God to “keep you” means he holds onto you and cares for you. He doesn't let you go and he provides for what you need. That's what we hear in Psalm 121 when the psalmist says: The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. (Verses 5–7)Or it's like when God says of his servant in Isaiah 42, verse 6:“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you …” That's an image. He's saying: I'm looking out for you. I'm protecting you. I'm gonna get you where I'm leading you. In the New Testament, we see this in places like 1 Peter 1:5, “by God's power [we] are being guarded [or kept] through faith …” Or Jude 24, which we sing sometimes, “Now to him who is able to keep you … be glory!”Theologically, this idea of being kept is about endurance. It is part of a doctrine known as the “perseverance of the saints.” That doctrine teaches that those whom God truly saves he faithfully preserves. If you are in Christ, you will make it! That's the doctrine, and we see it in action in this prayer. Doctrine in ActionNotice first how Jesus describes who he's talking about. Jesus calls believers those whom the Father has given him. We can see that right away in verse 6. Jesus says, “I have manifested your name [Father] to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me …”Jesus says that's who he's praying for. Verse 9:“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”This is a big deal. Jesus is doubling-down on a distinction: there is the world here, and then there are those out of the world that the Father claims as his own and gives them to the Son.Where Are You?Here's an important question: How do you know where you are? Are you of the world? Or has the Father given you to Jesus out of the world?That's a good question. I was thinking about this the other day. I was on the road, sitting at red light, and there were seven cars at the intersection turning left in front of me, and I decided I would just look at the face of each person as they drove by. I think people are fascinating. So I'm looking at each person, and they're all different; they're all going somewhere; they all got stories, and I thought: “I wonder which of these people have been given to Jesus?” That one? That one? That one?Here's the thing: you can't really tell by just looking at people, but I know the answer: The ones who are given to Jesus are the ones who believe in him. That's what it means to keep Jesus's word in verse 6. Or, in verse 8, to “know in truth” who Jesus is. We're asking the wrong question if we're asking: “Have I been given to Jesus or not?”The question is: “Do you believe him?” If you believe in Jesus, you are given to Jesus, and if you are given to Jesus, you are kept by Jesus. Because he's praying for that. Right now. This means, for Christians in the room, we are gonna make it! We need to remind each other of this more often, especially in the face of hostility. Church, we will endure. We will make it through. Jesus is praying for us to be kept. 2. Jesus is praying for us to glorify him. This is a very simple sentence in verse 10, but I'd love for you to see it. Everybody help me out and find verse 10. Chapter 17, verse 10.“All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.”This is the first time Jesus has ever said this. Now he's talked about his glory before, at some key places in the Gospel. He opens verse 1 of this prayer asking the Father to glorify the Son so that the Son may glorify the Father. We saw that last week. Jesus is saying:Father, make me shine, so that you shine!Magnify me so that people see you! And Jesus is referring to the cross and resurrection. That is the most vivid revelation of God's heart! It's what the entire ministry of Jesus was been building toward — when Jesus was lifted up as our sacrifice and then raised from dead to defeat sin and death! Jesus is glorified in his cross and resurrection! He's told us that. But verse 10 is the first time Jesus has ever said that he's glorified in his disciples. It's a remarkable statement. Now Mediated Glory!Last week, Pastor David Mathis walked through “the story of Jesus's glory.” He showed us that Jesus has: Pre-world glory, Incarnate glory, Crucified glory, and Resurrected glory.Today, we add one more: Mediated glory. Now, like today — after his resurrection or because of his resurrection — Jesus shines through the work he does in his disciples. Including us.Because he's not here anymore, remember? But we are. That's what he says in verse 11 — Jesus is now in heaven with the Father, but we are here, with his Spirit. And that means that now we have become the living theater of his glory in this world. Jesus is now seen and heard, and known and loved, through the nature and witness of his church.That is how he is glorified in us. We might have the impression that to glorify Jesus means we must accomplish some grandiose thing; we might think we must do something super radical that gets people's attention — but that's not the case at all.We glorify Jesus, first, simply by the reality of who we are as believers. We trust him. We are born again to a living hope.I told you last week, church, we are living miracles. Our very being — and our being together — is because of the work of Jesus Christ. He is glorified in us by our existence.And then, also, he is glorified in us when we bear witness to him — when we join his mission to make his glory known. This part is astounding. …We get to really and truly display Jesus to others. We get to acknowledge him by our lifestyles, and give him in our relationships. We get to point to him and tell of him. Our Eager Expectation and HopeChristian, look: Jesus can be glorified in you through what you do. Isn't that amazing? You can make your Savior shine! You can show him, in all kinds of ways — starting with the meditations of your heart … to the words of your mouth, from serving your family well … to sharing the gospel with the lost, from small acts of faith … to costly acts of love, from resisting temptation … to enduring hostility with a smile on your face — we can do things that glorify Jesus. And don't you want to? Just for the wondrous fact that Jesus is happy about it. That he truly shines.I believe that if we could see the smile of Jesus upon us, we could do anything. I pray as a church that our ambition would become like the apostle Paul's, who said in Philippians 1:20, “it is my eager expectation and hope that … Christ be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”That's it. Whatever it takes! Jesus be glorified in us — and Jesus is praying that! Jesus is praying for us to glorify him. 3. Jesus is praying for us to have his joy.Take a look at verse 12. Jesus prays:“While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”Jesus says again here what we've already seen — he keeps his own. He guards his people. Judas, however, ‘went out from them because he was never truly of them' (1 John 2:19). It was foretold in the Scripture. Jesus was not surprised by this. It was no failure on his part.He has been faithful to the mission the Father gave him, and he says again in verse 13 what he's been saying this whole time: I'm coming home. Another Purpose StatementJesus is going back to his Father, and we're staying here — and he wants something for us here.In fact, Jesus makes another purpose statement about the Farewell Discourse.Notice in verse 13 he says, “these things I speak in the world that they may have…” — it's a purpose statement.The “these things” includes this prayer he's praying, but he's thinking about everything he's been teaching. Jesus is praying that everything he's been teaching will accomplish a purpose. I want you to tell me what it is. Everybody look at verse 13, Jesus says: “these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy.” He already told us he wanted us to have his peace, now he tells us he wants us to have his joy!Now you gotta go back to those people who asked you about the Farewell Discourse a couple of weeks ago, and you gotta tell them that Jesus wants us to have peace and joy! That's what he says. He wants his joy fulfilled in us.He said the same thing in Chapter 15, verse 11. He said there:“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” He wants our joy to get filled up with his joy. The Joy of JesusWe can say for sure here that Jesus is not talking about generic joy. He says “my joy.” So what does that mean?What is the joy of Jesus that he wants us to have?The joy of Jesus that he wants us to have is joy in the glory of the Trinity. It's joy in the love that the Father has for the Son, and the Son for the Father, and Spirit who is the very presence of that joy. The joy of Jesus is truly joy in God himself — it is non-derivative, infinite, independent, and inexhaustible. That's why it's so good. It's what we could call “big picture joy” — and I mean that in the most profound way you could ever imagine it. Biggest possible picture joy.Which means: it's a joy that has the ability to look beyond the immediate. It can look beyond even pain and suffering. Now this is really important: I'm not saying that this joy ignores pain and suffering. It does not pretend those things don't exist. They do. This joy can say: “Father, it if be possible, let the cup pass from me!” (Matthew 26:39).This joy can say: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)This joy can say: Father, this hurts. I don't want it. Make it stop. Bring me through it. This joy doesn't ignore pain and suffering, but it's able to see to the other side. “For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Big picture joy — the joy of Jesus — is a joy in front of us so glorious that it reaches back into our lives now and makes us make it. We're gonna make it because of this joy — and if I keep going, I'm describing the ministry of the Holy Spirit. But let me say this: Jesus wants you to have his joy — He prays for you to be kept. He prays for you to glorify him. He prays for you to have his joy.The InvitationAnd this morning, I would like for us to close with an invitation: Would you open your heart to the joy of Jesus?I mean this, first, for non-Christians: If you're here and you've never put your faith in Jesus, you are currently without this joy. You do not have Christ, but I'm inviting you to have him. Right now, you can pray: Jesus, I'm done walking down this path I've been on, save me. Trust in Jesus Christ. And for all the Christians in the room, for Cities Church: don't we want more of the joy of Jesus? For many of us, the burdens have piled up. We're weighed down. Life is heavy. We need that big picture joy! We need the joy of Jesus — and I'm inviting you: open your heart to him again. Ask for a fresh filling of his joy this morning. And you can do that at this Table. The TableAt this Table we remember the death of Jesus for us! He welcomes us again into his fellowship, into his joy. If you are a Christian, this is for you. Receive his bread and cup today and may the Lord Jesus restore to you the joy of his salvation. He's praying for you.

He is also called 'Mark the Athenian' because he was born in Athens. When his parents died, he pondered the transience of all earthly things, gave his goods to the poor, and embarked on a plank in the sea, asking God to lead him wherever He desired. By God's providence, Mark was cast up on the shores of Libya, where he settled as a hermit on a mountain called Trache. (Some say it was in Ethiopia, but this seems less likely.) There he lived for ninety-five years, never seeing another human being.   Saint Serapion visited him before his death and recorded his life. Serapion asked Mark if there were any Christians whose faith was so great that they could say to a mountain 'Get up and cast yourself into the sea,' and it would be so. Immediately the mountain on which they stood began to move like a wave, but Mark raised his hand and stilled it.   On his deathbed, St Mark prayed for the salvation of all men and gave up his soul to God. Saint Serapion saw an angel carrying Mark's soul, and a hand extended from heaven to receive it. Saint Mark was about 130 years old when he reposed.

We know on this day that Jesus died for us – but it was so much more than that. He was beaten. He was whipped. He had a crown of thorns forced into his head. He had nails hammered through his hands. And he hung there on the cross until his final breath. But it was so much more than just that. I think that's what I've missed for all these years – the depth of what Jesus REALLY did for me. It was more than the cross. 35 years ago on Easter Sunday, I knelt at an alter in a little country church in Ava, Missouri and I accepted what Jesus did for me on the cross. But now, 35 years later leading up to this Easter Sunday, I believe I'm truly beginning to understand and receive ALL that Jesus did for me beyond just the cross. There's just so much more! Countless others in these days died on crosses as capital punishment. It wasn't death on a cross that changed the world. In fact, on this very day, criminals hung on their own crosses on each side of Jesus. They died that day just like Jesus. It was more than the cross, more than the nails, more than the crown – so much more. Before the cross was the garden. The garden where Jesus made his decision to be our substitute. This is where the battle took place and where Jesus surrendered to his unimaginable punishment for his perfect life. On the final night of Jesus' life, he took his friends to a garden with him. He said, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” They're in a garden, surrounded by beauty, all alone, and yet Jesus is saying his soul is crushed with grief. Why? Because he knew what was coming next. While his friends continually fell asleep on him, he prayed in that garden and he said, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” The cup of suffering was so much more than death on a cross – it was the absolute weight of every sin in the world. This was what was being put on Jesus, crushing him with grief in the garden. Isaiah 53:6, “The Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” The spiritual weight of every sin, every shame, every rebellion of humanity, placed on Jesus, crushing his soul. This is where the real battle was happening – before the cross, it was the garden. Remember the garden is where humanity failed, where Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan and sin entered the world. Now, in this garden, full circle, Jesus was willing to make it right again. But not just Adam and Eve's sin, mine and yours too. Every lie I've ever told, every secret shame I've carried, every rebellious act, every hurtful thing I've said, every hateful, corrupted, twisted, wrong thing I've ever done – that was laid on Jesus in the garden on that final night. My cup of deserved punishment was taken for me. With sin comes guilt and shame. Have you ever been weighed down by guilt? Knowing you were wrong is heavy. Shame can create an unbearable darkness. Imagine for a moment the secretly kept worst thing you've ever done being revealed publicly – how would that make you feel? Well, that's what was piled on Jesus. Your guilt. Your shame. And mine. The perfect Jesus was crushed by the weight of these burdens. And there in the garden as he prayed, willing to accept every once of sin upon himself, Luke 22:44 says, “He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” Jesus sweat blood. This is a medical condition caused under extreme mental anguish. When a person is under such extreme pressure, extreme agony, extreme stress, extreme crushing, the blood vessels around the sweat glands can constrict to the point of rupture, and blood comes out of the skin through the sweat glands. This is what Jesus was enduring in the garden. In a garden of olive trees where his friends were sleeping, Jesus was in absolute agony. Before the cross, there was a choice. Jesus was making the choice here – Not what he wanted, but what God wanted. Jesus surrendered there to the crushing weight of it all, sweating blood in the most extreme anguish. He began to drink the cup he never wanted and certainly never deserved, the cup of judgment, the consequence of sin for all humanity. The pounds of my sin were included. The weight of my guilt and shame were literally there on Jesus in that garden. And so was yours. Every ounce of what should have been placed on you was placed on Jesus, there in the garden. Have you ever experienced true dread? Maybe you've dreaded going to the dentist or the gynecologist. Or maybe you've dreaded facing the consequences for your wrong doing. Maybe you've dreaded going through childbirth knowing the pain you must endure. Or you've dreaded a surgery fearing what might happen. Imagine if you were facing a prison sentence, you would feel dread. Knowing it's truly going to be bad – really bad. And when you really dread something, you want a way out of it. You wish you could change it. You rehearse it in your mind. You feel anxious about it. Jesus felt dread in the garden on the night before the cross. He knew exactly what was happening. He knew the weight of sin that would crush him. One by one, he was fully aware of every detail of every sin. Mine and yours. Shame. Guilt. Regret. Burden. He knew his Holy Father could not be in the presence of this sin, so he would be separated from the Father. Darkness was coming. Jesus is the light of the world, and that light would experience utter darkness. Oh how he must have dreaded what was to come. Feel that for a moment. Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done, not mine.” That was for you. That was for me. This is what saved us. The decision made before the cross. The decision made in the garden. The decision that crushed the soul of our Jesus. The decision that caused such extreme anguish that he sweat blood. The dread that was faced with the decision to endure it all. Here in the garden is where Jesus fully surrendered. Here in the garden is where Jesus chose the cross. Here is the garden is where Jesus chose you. On this day we remember as Good Friday before Easter, Jesus would carry the weight of every burden, guilt and shame and stand in our place. He would accept the required penalty for sin – the judgment and separation from God, all so that we could receive forgiveness and relationship with God. As Jesus hung on the cross at noon, the midday skies fell dark. For 3 hours there was complete darkness all across the land. This is when Jesus says in Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Understand, what's happening here is separation from God. Jesus is entering the darkness of your sin, your guilt, your shame, your rebellion, for you. The full weight of every sin of humanity was placed on Jesus and the justice of God toward sin was being satisfied. Isaiah 53:10, “It was the Lord's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. His life is made an offering for sin.” This doesn't mean God took pleasure in the pain of Jesus, it means the painful plan of redemption was being fulfilled. Oh my sister, if you fully understood the price that has been paid for your life, you would live so differently. The more I understand it, the more different my life looks. Jesus is hanging in the darkness of the cross and for the first time ever, he has no sense of the Father's presence. He has no comfort and no relief. He was literally experiencing Hell. That's what Hell is – the absence of God. The absence of his presence. The absence of his comfort. The absence of his relief. The absence of his light. Jesus is hanging there on the cross going through Hell so we wouldn't have to. You and I have never experienced anything like this. Every step of our lives, God has been with us. We have no idea what it truly feels like to be without God. His comfort has been with us every day of our lives. His relief has always been ours. But Jesus experienced it for us so we would never have to. We would never have to go through Hell – never experience life without God. The full consequence of sin is a total separation from God and this is what Jesus is choosing in the garden and experiencing on the cross. Not because he sinned – but because he was carrying ours. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Your sin was placed on the perfect Jesus – Yes yours. The sin you committed yesterday and the sin you'll commit tomorrow. It was all placed on Jesus so that his righteousness could be made available to you. What an exchange that was made for YOU. Jesus chose it in the garden and fulfilled it on the cross. A divine exchange was made for you. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. He felt the very human emotion of dread. He didn't want that cup of wrath, but he knew it was required to save you from that wrath. He stood in your place, drinking the cup you deserved, bearing the crushing weight of your sins on his sinless and perfect body because God said you were worth saving, and Jesus agreed with outstretched arms. Have you accepted the divine exchange made for you on that cross? It's so much more than what we've made it to be today. It's our one and only way to redemption, forgiveness, relationship, and a right standing with our Creator. The weight isn't yours to carry, my friend – Jesus chose to carry that for you in the garden. The divine exchange took your guilt and shame and offers you perfect righteousness. And get this, all you have to do is accept it! When you accept what Jesus did for you in the garden and on the cross, then you have a promise. A promise of so much more! 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Very little is known of him. He took up the monastic life while still very young, and gave himself without reserve to the ascetical struggle, so much so that in the virtues of humility and obedience it was said that he exceeded 'not only the brethren, but all men.' In time, he became abbot of a monastery. During the iconoclast heresy, he stood unswervingly for the holy icons. Both in his own lifetime and after his death he was endowed with the gift of wonderworking. He reposed in peace sometime in the ninth century.

Fr. Mike unpacks the signs of the kingdom of God that Christ performed while on Earth. These signs of the kingdom are a way for us to see that Jesus is not just “another prophet” but is, in fact, the Son of God. Fr. Mike reminds us that these miracles and signs can strengthen the faith, but they can also be opportunities for “offense.” We also examine the authority that Christ entrusts to St. Peter, and his unique role within the college of apostles, just like the unique role the Holy Father has within the Church today. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 547-553. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.