Podcasts about our lord

What message does Jacob Marley bring Ebenezer Scrooge from beyond the grave? Charles Dickens, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.   Welcome to this VINTAGE episode of The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.     Did you know Charles Dickens wrote several Christmas Stories similar in length to A Christmas Carol? With the Audiobook Library Card, you can download The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens and get not only the entire reading of A Christmas Carol, but also The Chimes, A Cricket on the Hearth, The Goblins and the Gravedigger, and The Life of Our Lord. Sign up during our holiday promotion, and lock in your low price of $6.99 a month, and enjoy all the Classic Tales you want all year round.   Go to audiobooklibrarycard.com or follow the link in the show notes.   I'm performing as Ebenezer Scrooge at Payson Community Theatre's production of Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol right now. Fun fact – Austin Bateman, the actor in the show who plays Young Scrooge, is a fan of the podcast. He's done a great job interpreting how a younger BJ Harrison would sound as Scrooge. My son Seven picked up on what he was doing and complimented him on it. It's a great show. If you're in the area, there are three more performances.   Today's VINTAGE episode was recorded in 2018, when my son was Scrooge in high school. I thought it was time to revisit the story. There's a reason it's a classic!     And now, A Christmas Carol, Part 1 of 4, by Charles Dickens       Follow this link to get The Audiobook Library Card for $6.99/month       Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:       Follow this link to subscribe to the Arsène Lupin Podcast:     Follow this link to follow us on Instagram:     Follow this link to follow us on Facebook:

Vigilance, that is, being mindful always of Our Lord can give us a certain special blessings and happiness. When the end times come, it will be too late to become mindful and virtuous. This is why St. Paul is adamant that we must turn our minds to the Lord immediately, never missing an opportunity to grow nearer to Him.

As we draw near to the Nativity of Our Lord we look back on the ancestry of Christ and the many foretellings and prefigurements of Christ in the Old Testament.

Read Online“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Matthew 24:42–44How does one “stay awake” as our Lord commands us? We receive this holy exhortation as we enter into a new liturgical year. In Advent, we begin at the beginning. We ponder the Incarnate Son of God dwelling as a human Child in the precious womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We anticipate the celebration of His birth into the world at Christmas. As the liturgical year progresses, we will prayerfully walk through each moment of His life, from the events of His childhood, to His public ministry, and ultimately His death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven.Our Lord's exhortation to stay awake invites us to be attentive to the ways that the Son of God's human life speaks to us, calling us to become fully united to Him so as to share in the glorious gifts of holiness in this life and eternal salvation in the next. After exhorting us to stay awake, the Son of God said, “For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Of course, we know He came into this world over 2,000 years ago in physical form. This exhortation is not only a call to ponder that event long ago; it's also an invitation and exhortation to become continuously more attentive to the effect that His historical coming has upon us today. Advent is a season that invites us to reflect on Christ's first coming in Bethlehem, His daily coming to us in grace, and His final coming at the end of time. These moments are intimately connected, as each prepares us more fully for the next.From Heaven, the Son of God continues to descend to us, inviting each of us to conceive Him in our souls by grace, to be attentive to His divine presence within us, and to nurture His divine presence so that He will grow and live within us, making us true members of His Body, the Church. Staying awake means being aware of Christ's presence in every moment and cultivating a personal relationship with Him that is alive and growing. This Advent, ask yourself: How am I nurturing my relationship with Jesus so that I am ready to meet Him whenever He comes?Jesus calls us to be prepared at every moment of every day, “for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Though this is a promise that He will return one day to judge the living and the dead at the end of time, it is also a promise that He relentlessly pursues us here and now, communicating to us by grace and inviting us to be transformed more fully, so as to love Him and manifest His love to the world around us. As we mature in our faith, God often speaks in subtler ways, inviting us to listen with the ears of our hearts. These gentle whispers of grace require us to be even more attuned to His presence, ready to respond to His call in the quiet moments of our day.Reflect today on Jesus' exhortation to be awake, vigilant, attentive, and ready to love Him in the smallest ways. To stay spiritually awake, cultivate habits that keep you attuned to God's presence: set aside time for daily prayer, receive the sacraments frequently, and be mindful of opportunities to serve others. These practices will help you remain vigilant and ready to encounter Christ at any moment. Search for Him this Advent, and never tire of loving Him in your prayer and in those around you. The Son of God continuously comes to you “at an hour you do not expect.” By building a spiritual habit of being prepared, you will meet and love Him throughout your day. My ever-present Lord, You surround me with Your grace and flood me with Your mercy day and night. Please give me a heart that is attentive and receptive to You so that I can receive all that You wish to bestow and love You and others with Your Sacred Heart. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image via Web Gallery of ArtSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read Online“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”  Luke 21:28This passage above concludes a series of teachings by Jesus on the suffering and persecution that will come in this world. But His teachings conclude with this line above, which offers great hope in anticipation of Jesus' return in glory. This passage speaks of the prophetic vision of Daniel (Daniel 7:13–14) that terrified Daniel when he saw it. He witnessed the great persecution to come, as well as the destruction of all evil that will accompany the return of the Son of Man.When you think about both the final coming of Christ as well as your own future death, what comes to mind? If you were informed by an angel that tomorrow would be that day, the day that the Son of Man would return in all His splendor and glory to bring about an end to this world and to issue forth His judgment upon it, how would you react? Would you be terrified? Overjoyed? Hopeful? Confused? Perhaps a little of each of these reactions would be present. Of this time, Jesus said that “nations would be in dismay” and that “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming into the world.” So what is your reaction to this promised day of our Lord?Those who “die of fright” are clearly those who will experience this day completely unprepared. Meeting the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Savior of the World and the Eternal Judge when you are completely unprepared should be frightful. Imagine, for example, that you were hosting a large dinner party and you got your days mixed up. The day arrived and you weren't expecting anyone until the following week, but the guests started to arrive in great numbers. Imagine your anxiety and embarrassment. Such an experience would be nothing compared to being unprepared for the judgment of Christ when we stand before Him at the time of our death and then at the Final Judgment at the end of the world.The good news is that on that day, for those who are truly prepared through a life of faith and selfless service of God's will, they are told to “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” If you do all you can to prepare for that day, then it will be a day in which you anticipate with the utmost hope and excitement. You will indeed be able to stand erect, turn your eyes to the coming Judge of All, and receive the eternal reward that He so deeply desires to bestow. But this will be your experience only if you are truly ready for that day through a life lived in complete imitation of Christ.Reflect, today, upon that final day. Imagine every person ever created standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every sin and every virtue will be made manifest on that day. The minds and hearts of all will be seen in the light as they are revealed to all by God. And those who have lived lives of fidelity will rejoice as they see God's justice and His mercy unite as His judgments are issued forth. If this day is one that frightens you, consider the reasons why. If you do not look forward to this definitive moment in time, then perhaps you need to ponder more deeply those things you need to do so as to be fully prepared. Prepare yourself today. Do not wait. Our Lord could return at any time. Do not be caught off guard. My eternal Judge, You promise to return to earth at a definitive moment in time to bring about the fullness of justice. May I always be prepared for that day through a life lived in union with You and Your holy will. I pray for that day to come quickly, dear Lord, and that all Your children will be ready to meet You when You come. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: © José Luiz Bernardes RibeiroSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

#endtimes #catholic #ourladyToday is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and it represents the end of time. That is why the Church gives us a Gospel passage of Our Lord speaking about the Last Judgment.Whenever Our Lord speaks of the Last Judgment, He wants to give us certain means by which we may identify it, while at the same time He does not want to tell us when it will happen. Rather, He wants us to always watch and be ready for His coming.Today, I would like to speak about some other general information about the Last Judgment and the End Times. We do not have this information from the Gospels but from a saint.This information comes from St. Louis de Montfort and it concerns the role of Our Lady in the End Times.We have to understand St. Louis' perspective on the Providence of God. It is that God the Trinity desired to make use of Our Lady in every aspect of the work of the Redemption and salvation of mankind.This was a free choice on the part of God because of the fact that He is almighty and does not need anyone. It is not that He needs to make use of Our Lady; it is that He wills to do so out of His goodness.Think of a situation in the home where the father is fixing a door. He is the most capable member of the family to do it and he does not need anyone's help. But he chooses to ask his daughter to help him, for her sake. He wants to spend time with her, he wants her to learn, and he wants her to be a part of the upkeep of the house.Something similar goes on with our salvation. It's like the door into Heaven was broken and could not be used any more. The heavenly Father is going to fix it. He does not need anyone to help Him to do so. But He chooses to ask one of the members of the human race, the ones who broke the door, to help Him in fixing the door.He asks Our Lady for her help and she consents. By her consent, one of the members of the human race that is being redeemed and saved participates in the work to save us.We all know what this meant for Our Lady during her lifetime. She consented to become the Mother of Our Lord. She took care of Him during His hidden life. She requested Him to perform His first miracle. She accompanied Him during His public life and was with Him at the foot of the Cross.During the first centuries of the Church, Marian devotion was present but was not very strong. As the centuries go by, Our Lady becomes more and more known. She becomes more honored. Catholics understand better the role that God gave her. They start to make more use of devotions to her, like the Office of Our Lady and the Rosary that she revealed to St. Dominic.Our Lady herself begins to reveal herself more through apparitions: her apparitions to St. Dominic, St. Simon Stock, the founders of the Servite Order—all these in the Middle Ages.Then, the more modern apparitions to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, to St. Catherine Laboure in Paris, and to the three children of Fatima.St. Louis de Montfort notices these two things and he applies them to the end times: a) God wants to make use of Our Lady in the whole of the work of our Redemption and salvation; b) God wants Our Lady to become more and more known over time.From the realization of this plan of divine Providence, he draws a conclusion: “It was through Mary that the salvation of the world was begun, and it is through Mary that it must be consummated… In the second coming of Jesus Christ, Mary has to be made known and revealed by the Holy Ghost in order that, through her, Jesus Christ may be known, loved and served… God wishes to reveal and make known Mary, the masterpiece of His hands, in these latter times” (True Devotion, par. 49-50).

Take a moment before the Thanksgiving holiday to reflect with Fr. Luke Mata on the power of gratitude! Cultivating gratitude, especially during the holiday season, helps open our hearts to the grace and love that Our Lord wants to bestow upon us.We are so grateful for your continued prayers and support! Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, pray for us!

Homily given at St. Thomas à Becket on the Solemnity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 23, 2025).

Today's gospel carries one of the secrets in having and growing one's relationship with Jesus. And that is about how God is attracted to what is sincere, humble and total. Thus, we should not be daunted by our insignificance in any area. What is important is to trust in Our Lord even with the little we have.

In this concluding session of our series, The Bible in Its Context, we dive into the encouragement of apocalyptic Scripture. To the question whether the Church will go through the tribulation, the Revelation of Jesus Christ answers with a resounding "Yes!" coupled with exhortation to "Hold fast!" and "Be faithful unto death." Our Lord conquered death. He will make final war on the Dragon and rid this world of evil and the curse. He has shown us the end and we eagerly await for him. Come, Lord Jesus!

EMAIL US: loopcast@catholicvote.orgSUPPORT LOOPCAST: www.loopcast.orgSubscribe to the LOOP today! https://catholicvote.org/getloopApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-loopcast/id1643967065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08jykZi86H7jKNFLbSesjk?si=ztBTHenFR-6VuegOlklE_w&nd=1&dlsi=bddf79da68c34744 FOLLOW LOOPCast: https://x.com/the_LOOPcast  https://www.instagram.com/the_loopcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@the_loopcast https://www.facebook.com/LOOPcastPodcast Tom: https://x.com/TPogasic Erika: https://x.com/ErikaAhern2  Josh: https://x.com/joshuamercerToday's Prayer:O God, from Whose hands cometh the peace the world cannot give, give us the light to see that peace is the work of Justice, and the concord of all nations the fruit of obedience to Thy Law and Thy Commandments. May we seek not so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love, that in pardoning we may be pardoned, and in giving we may receive. We pray for our President, for our Congress, for our homes, our people, our children, our brokenhearted, that we may be reverent in the use of freedom, just in the exercise of power, generous in the protection of weakness, merciful to those who have been our enemies. Not for our worthiness, but because of Thy tender mercy hear our prayer that we may so pass through things temporal as not to lose the things eternal, O Christ Jesus, Our Lord.Monsignor Fulton Sheen on The Catholic Hour (published 1946)All opinions expressed on LOOPcast by the participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CatholicVote.

BECOME A PATRONhttps://PhysicallySpiritual.comHarmonium Counseling - https://www.harmoniumcounseling.comCatholic Psychotherapy Association - https://catholicpsychotherapy.orgJeff's Instagram (Discalced Counselor) - https://www.instagram.com/discalced_counselor/Andrew's Substack - http://becominggift.com Catechism References from Episode“The term "passions" belongs to the Christian patrimony. Feelings or passions are emotions or movements of the sensitive appetite that incline us to act or not to act in regard to something felt or imagined to be good or evil.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1763. - https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5V.HTM“The passions are natural components of the human psyche; they form the passageway and ensure the connection between the life of the senses and the life of the mind. Our Lord called man's heart the source from which the passions spring.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1764. - https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5V.HTM“Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons; they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case. the upright will orders the movements of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1768. - https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5W.HTM“Moral perfection consists in man's being moved to the good not by his will alone, but also by his sensitive appetite, as in the words of the psalm: ‘My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.'” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1770. - https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5W.HTM“For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: ‘Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.'” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1770. - https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P6C.HTM“Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1735. - https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5N.HTM

When Our Lord performs a miracle, it is not by accident. It is intentional. This is particularly seen in the resurrections Christ performs. He is ridiculed because those present believe there is no hope, no chance for Him to accomplish the miracle that has been asked of Him. Yet we see that the faith of those depending on Him is met with Our Lord's benevolence. All that God asks is for us to let Him into our homes, into our lives, and He will be there.

But What If? 27There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, 28and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30And the second 31and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32Afterward the woman also died. 33In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife." 34And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." 39Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well." 40For they no longer dared to ask him any question. Luke 20 [ESV] Do you know how we like to say, "Yes, but…but, what if…?" Teachers put up with this all the time. God puts up with this from us all the time… …but what if?…We say this after hearing God's Word…don't we? …but…but, my relatives have come to town? Yes…your point is? Take them with you to church, or let them stay home if they won't. You be here. …but what if I have worked a real hard and long year and go on vacation to rest? The best rest is in the Lord's House. …but on holidays I need all the time I can get to prepare the feast…so we can eat on time. …So have snacks ready and eat later. ….yes, but then the game is on…. …so tape it, eat, then watch. Is it the holiday (the HOLY DAY) or the game that is being celebrated? Is it a day of excuses to sin? Come on, what else you got? You see, I can give you a counter answer to almost all of your "what if's" as any good teacher will, or simply answer that that situation you give will never happen in the real world. I can give you an answer because the Bible answers everything that is under the sun. There is nothing new. Yes, God has an answer for them all…and yes, God has heard all the possible reasons for not doing whatever He tells us to do. God says to have no other gods before Him. Other little gods, yes, as God knows we have them, but Our Lord comes first. What do I and He mean here? Go ahead and love other things, but according to the Commandments and in their proper order. God first, then family (wife, then children…husband, then children), then your neighbors, then your vocation, then your hobbies. Love, cherish and care…but not before…not above Him…not out of the order of creation—the way He made them all. Yes, but what if… What if my husband is a work-aholic? My children need me, and since he is not around much, why should I put…let him be first in my life…over them? You both need to repent. Yet each of you are still to do what God says. Despite the situation—even in the situation. What if … Yes? …but…the town does such a lousy job on the roads…and they sent my son over to Iraq and I don't think we should even be there…and look at gas prices…. Show me a coin. Whose image is on it? A president. So, render to the government—to the world—what is theirs, and to God what is His. Pay your taxes, yes, but also give to God what is due Him: YOU. Whose image is on you? Whose image has been once again placed on you? How were you formed and how were you re-formed? Adam was made in the image of God, but then took the "what if" against…and instead of…doing according to how he was made. So, the image of the devil was stamped on Adam…and Eve…and all of us. The world—I don't mean this planet, although effected, yes—but when the Bible talks about this world, it is in the image of the devil. Its ways and its wants. It—the devil—wants to also form the church into its image. He would like to form you again into his image. As a liar. A cheat. A thief. A user. An excuser—an excuser of sin. The devil wants you in the image of death—to die and stay dead. You see, he is the master of the "…but what if…" scenario. He gave Adam and Eve a crash course right in the garden. "But what if God is holding out on you…what if it is a better thing to know good and evil…and what if God really does not want you to be like Him…?" That is where this MO comes from. The devil. The devil tried to do this even to God. He tried the "what if" in heaven…what if he, the devil could replace God and run things for a change…what if that were better? Yet he failed. The Bible says that the devil and his angels that he took with him—a third—lost their former estate. Thrown out of heaven. Adam and Eve lost their former estate too—kicked out of the garden. Pain in childbirth, friction between husband and wife…and more weeds than edible plants from all that hard work. Then Brothers killing each other. It seems that the devil's "what if" was working here, on earth. It has been—working well in the sense that we all do it, but the results…well no good for us has come of it. Yet, we still wonder, "but what if it eventually will be good…" No, as we will be dead. Every one of us. Then the devil, with all his success here, thought he would get another chance at heaven. Yes, especially when the Son of God became man. He even tried to make Jesus into his image. He tempted Jesus. Then because Jesus wasn't taking the bait, he killed him. The devil failed. Using his own work against Him, Jesus was not re-imaged, but actually began the start of humanity's re-imaging. Jesus was not just reclaiming His own body, and life, but also ours…and the world—nature and the universe itself. All will have the full, undiminished, unaffected, untarnished image of God once again. Starting with Jesus the man…then continuing with a band of twelve which then became over 3,000 by the second chapter of Acts, then out into the whole world—all by baptism—Word and Water…and Spirit. Same as at the beginning of the world. The World made by God's Word, the Son, in Water and the Spirit which hovered over the deeps. Just read Genesis chapter 1. All is being remade again according to God's way…again…with Water and Word. You see, by baptism, we no longer have the image of the world. We get God's name, and wherever His name is placed, God is there—His image is there…He is there. A new creation starts there. We Get Jesus as our covering. Jesus is the exact image of God. When we see Jesus, we see God. When God sees us, He sees Jesus. We get—we have Jesus, His Spirit and His Father. We have been reborn…re-imaged…remade…regenerated in His image once again. The planet is next…out into the universe even—everything. So, God has all the "what if's"—every contingency—even ones we have not thought of or ever will—He has got them covered. What if? What if nothing! We are to act now according to how we have been remade…like Jesus…to please His Father…where there are no, "what if's" any longer. There just are none in Jesus. Never! Even if we cannot see the how, it is covered. We are covered. So, we can, then, render to God, what is God's: You. Do so. All of you and yours. Your time, your things, your spouse and children even. Your life even. He who hates his life in this world, Jesus says, will keep it. He who loves it, will lose it. What image do you like best? Stop letting them change you into their image…the way they do things! Stop letting people try and change the image of the church then! We don't vote for choice in the name of freedom. We vote to keep God's commandments. We don't change church and our services just because that is what the world likes. It wants us to reflect them—their image, but we must reflect God's. It wants the church to use marketing and packaging to tempt and lure. It wants us to dress and be like them—to lure and seduce and tempt. All this is the image of sin, death and the devil. The church and its people have the image of Christ—it must or it is not the church. God's image is of life, not the dead. He lives and we live and move and have our being in Him. He is the author and perfecter of our lives. You only live because He says so. You only have because He says so. He gives life to all those who despair of their own. Face the result of your sin—your death. Face the fact that the soul who sins dies and leaves all that he has to someone else. Face that picture. Face that image. Then turn and embrace instead the image God gave you—His. God is the only one who can change that death mask into a face that lives…that reflects Him. He sent Jesus for this very reason. Jesus is the resurrection. He is the way, the truth and the Life. All those who believe in Him, who eat of His flesh and drink of His blood have life in them. These carry His life giving being—God Himself—the very image of God, Jesus, in their very bodies. Whose image do you have? Theirs or His? Those without Jesus' reflection die… …with no if's, no but's, about it. So don't confuse yourselves, or others, with "but what if's." As if…we could stump God. As if we could find wiggle room out of what He expects. As if there are loop holes. As if there were any other way. No, None! He alone provides the way out. Jesus. He alone provides life. Jesus. Yet, He not only gives wiggle room—to live and breath freely in—He brings us to His wide open fields—where we can and will be at play…in the house of the Lord…forever. Jesus came and did this for us,

Verses 1-4 of Nehemiah 7 tells us that although the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt the houses had not yet been built. This left the city unprotected. From verses 5-65 the genealogies of the entire 42,360 returned exiles was recorded, with more than half of those verses being about the priests, the Levites and the Nethenim - indicating the importance of these to the newly reconstituted kingdom of Judah. It was essential that the credentials of a priest descended from Aaron be established for correct worship. The remaining verses record the gifts given by the people for worship.Joel 2 records the progress of the unstoppable Babylonian army. They are described as Yahweh's army, who are to execute his judgements on the "day of Yahweh". From verses 12-17 recorded an impassioned plea to return to their God. They needed to "rend their hearts, and not their clothes" (v13) for their Sovereign's loving kindness, grace and mercy have never left the One who so revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 34verses6-7. So, if their LORD found a repentant people He would bless them. Those blessings are described in verses 18-27. They would see God's people eternally blessed. From verses 28-32 we have outlined for us how Yahweh would bring that blessing through the work of the Holy Spirit outpoured at the times of the Lord Jesus Christ- the Messiah of Israel, who would bring salvation to all - Jews and Gentiles alike on the basis of faith (or belief) starting in Jerusalem (Mount Zion). Compare this chapter to Acts2verses14-41 and Romans 10verses8-17.The greetings and salutations commencing 2 Thessalonians are identical to Paul's other letters except for the pastoral epistles (1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus). In chapter 1 verses 3-4 the Apostle thanks God for the Thessalonican brothers and sisters, whose faith was growing and their love increasing. Despite persecution they were steadfast for the gospel. From verses 5-12 Paul urges for that patience to continue for it will receive the promised reward at the second coming, and kingdom, of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord when he comes with the angels will also avenge his faithful. The persecutors of the believers will then receive what they deserve. Chapter 2 tells that before the Lord will come there will be a huge forsaking of the true belief and a system of deceit, which pretends to be the truth will arise in the earth. The words translated "falling away" and "lawlessness" both in the Greek language have the numerical value of 666 (compare Revelation 13verses16-18). From the other identifying features in this chapter and those within the book of Revelation tells us that this is the Roman Catholic Church with the Pope as its head.Note that the delusion which allowed this system to develop came about because those who fell away "received not the love of the Truth" (v10). From verses 13-17 the Apostle urges them to stand firm for the faith.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

Friends of the Rosary,From the earliest days until the present, the nascent Church of Christ has been targeted by the enemies of the faith.The Church will announce, until the end of time, that the old world is passing away, that a new world of love, nonviolence, and life is emerging.The announcement that the current world is passing away and a new Kingdom of love, peace, and true life, as we read yesterday, infuriates the people of sin even more. They try to “kill the messenger”, reacting with violent and ideological resistance to the establishment of God's kingdom.An example is the twentieth century, the bloodiest on record, and the one with the most martyrs.We detach from this world that is passing away, with our eyes fixed in heaven, the world that will never end.And we proclaim the truth of the Gospel, with the rising of the Lord, knowing we will enjoy “a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute,” as Our Lord has promised to us.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠November 17, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Send us a textIn celebration of the 100th episode of New Humanists, we do an extended episode that is a retrospective, discussing the history of the Ancient Language Institute and the New Humanists podcast, has some updates on what we're up to at the moment, and a peek behind the curtain so listeners can find out what is upcoming at ALI and on the podcast. We also welcome both Colin Gorrie and Luke Ranieri to the show to discuss Ekho: The Ancient Language Streaming App.Alan Jacobs's The Year of Our Lord 1943:  https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780190864651Jacques Maritain's Education at the Crossroads: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781685953423W.H. Auden's Vocation and Society: https://www1.swarthmore.edu/library/auden/documents/vs.pdfC.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780060652944Simone Weil's The Need for Roots: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780415271028T.S. Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture: https://amzn.to/4p5ubVoKenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781402782831Introduction to Latin Poetry: https://ancientlanguage.com/intermediate-latin-ii/Introduction to Ancient Greek Poetry: https://ancientlanguage.com/ancient-greek-intro-poetry/Introduction to Old English Poetry: https://ancientlanguage.com/intermediate-old-english-ii/Colin Gorrie's Ōsweald Bera: An Introduction to Old English: https://ancientlanguage.com/vergil-press/osweald-bera/Learn Old English at ALI: https://ancientlanguage.com/register-for-old-english/Learn Old Norse (through Old English) with ALI: https://ancientlanguage.com/old-norse-through-old-english/Laura Spinney's Proto: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781639732586Colin Gorrie's interview of Laura Spinney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nVIV-qaHHYLuke Ranieri's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LukeRanieriThe Ranieri-Roberts Approach to Ancient Greek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vwb1wVzPecApuleius' The Golden Ass: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780253200365Xenophon's An Ephesian Tale: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781514295557Benjamin Kantor's The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780802878311Lucian's Assembly of the Gods: https://amzn.to/4peTcxBNew Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared for the second time to the three children of Fatima. She promised to work a miracle on October 13, so that everyone would believe. Then, she asked the children to sacrifice themselves for sinners and to pray the following prayer when doing so: “O Jesus, it is for love of you, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”These three young children were already familiar with the conception of praying and making sacrifices in order to make up for sin.God had sent an angel to them the year before, to prepare them for the apparitions of Our Lady. This guardian angel of Portugal taught the children about their mission: it was for them to do prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sin, to stop sin from being committed in the future and to repair for sin already committed in the past.Later, Our Lady came to ask for the practice of the five first Saturdays devotion. This is a devotion of reparation for the offenses committed against Our Lady's Immaculate Heart. There are five first Saturdays because there are five types of blasphemies that are committed against Our Lady.The fourth type is the “blasphemies of those who seek openly to foster in the hearts of children indifference or contempt for this Immaculate Mother.”These facts about the message of Fatima show us that Heaven takes very seriously the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady would not come down on earth, speak to the three children, and work incredible miracles for no reason.Another thing that we learn is that the work of reparation is very important. Every sin is a crime against God, an injustice. Every sin deserves a punishment to make up for the injustice.There are many sins being committed around the world all the time. God looks for souls who are willing to pay for the sins of mankind. Our Lord and Our Lady, of course, paid a great price for the sins of the world, enough to wipe them all away.However, God did not want to leave us with nothing to do in the supernatural order. Rather, God asks that we unite with the work of Our Lord and Our Lady to do something to pay for sin ourselves. He asks for the work of “reparation”, making up for sin by prayer and sacrifice.This is what the Sacred Heart asked of St. Margaret Mary and us. This is what the Immaculate Heart asked of the three children of Fatima and us.Doing this work is part of living a Catholic life.The most important sins for us to make reparation for are sins of blasphemy. St. Thomas says that blasphemy is “the disparagement of some surpassing goodness, especially that of God”.What Fr. Pagliarani and Fr. Fullerton are asking us to do is to make reparation for a sort of blasphemy against the Mother of God in the form of the document Mater Populi Fidelis of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith.This document disparages a surpassing goodness, namely, the roles of Our Lady as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces.

Big Idea: Trees thrive together… and so do you.1 Corinthians 16:15-24I. Submit for harmony.1 Corinthians 16:15-18Brothers and sisters, you know the household of Stephanas: They are the firstfruits of Achaia and have devoted themselves to serving the saints. I urge you also to submit to such people, and to everyone who works and labors with them. I am delighted to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus present, because these men have made up for your absence. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore recognize such people.II. Serve from the heart. 1 Corinthians 16:19-21The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla send you greetings warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home. All the brothers and sisters send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.III. Stand with hope.1 Corinthians 16:22-24This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.Next Steps: Believe: Today, I surrender to Jesus.Become: I will strengthen someone who is struggling this week. Be Sent: I will show Jesus's love this week.Discussion Questions: Has this book grown your faith?  If so, how?In what ways can you actively demonstrate love and support to someone far from Jesus this week?Who can you encourage to grow stronger in the Lord this week?How does Stephanas inspire you to serve our church and community?What practical steps can you take to ensure that our church community embodies unity and love?How can you prepare your heart and mind to live out the urgency of Christ's return tomorrow?Pray for the opportunity to serve someone in need this week. 

Our study continues in Mat.20:17. Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem along with His disciples.He takes this opportunity to tell the disciples once again that He would be crucified and raisedon the third day and who would be doing this to Him. Our Lord knew what was going to happen to Him. He was willing to fulfill what was written about Him, the Messiah, in the Scriptures.Next we see a good Jewish mother watching out for the future welfare of her two boys. Dr. Mitchell points out, as Jesus intimates, that there is suffering before there is glory. So it is here with our Saviour as well. Peter would later write that the O.T. prophets wrote, by the Spirit of Christ in them, of the sufferings of the Christ and the glories to follow.Here's Dr. Mitchell, Matthew 20:17-29, on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast.

Seeking God begins with a personal and deliberate choice, and it results in lifechanging responses from the Lord. In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses pursuing the Lord through fasting and prayer. He draws from the lives of Daniel and other spiritual leaders in the Bible to teach how to fast, what sacrifice and self-discipline look like, and how the Lord is willing to respond when we humble ourselves before Him. Evil is rearing its head with the rise of lawlessness in our nation, but with God's power and authority it will be overcome. Our Lord writes new destinies for us when we seek His face.

#sspx #catholic #catholicchurchWe have a special feast day today, the dedication of the archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. It is interesting that the Church makes this a second class feast, while the feast of the dedication of St. Peter's Basilica, which will take place next Tuesday, is only a third-class feast.The main reason for the special honor given to St. John Lateran is that it was the first official church of the Catholic Church. When you visit St. John Lateran in Rome, you see an inscription written on it: “the mother and head of all the churches in the world”.You know that Catholics were persecuted by the Roman Empire as soon as the Church was founded. Sts. Peter and Paul themselves were martyred in Rome.The persecutions continued for an extremely long time, for close to 300 years! Some Roman emperors were more aggressive than others in their attempt to destroy the Catholic Church but the fact is that the Catholic religion was more or less illegal for these 300 years.Imagine what it was like for the faithful during these difficult times. They knew that Our Lord was God; they knew that they belonged to the true faith. At the same time, they had a heavy price to pay for the practice of their faith.They could not use public buildings to practice their religion or build their own temples. They rather had to meet in secret, in their homes and in the catacombs. They had to be careful who they talked to. They had to be very discreet in telling people that they were Catholic.Think about how weary they must have been with this situation, when it continued decade after decade. The persecutions made it difficult to convert people to the faith, because everyone knew that the Empire did not like Catholicism. Everyone knew that they could be executed if they became a Catholic.Think of all the prayers that the Catholics of the first centuries lifted up to Heaven, to ask Our Lord to send them an emperor who would at least allow them to practice their Catholic faith in peace.Our Lord did not want to intervene right away to help these first Catholics. On the contrary, He wanted the first Catholics to be strong and sacrificial. He wanted them to have their life on the line at all times.For that reason, He waited! He waited not for 100 or 200 years, but for over 250 years. This is how we have the examples of all those martyr saints from the first centuries of the Church. This is why we have so many great saints to honor from those centuries.In due time, however, Our Lord decided that He would make His Church triumph. He decided that He would answer all of that blood that was shed and all of those prayers that were offered.He gave to the Catholics of the empire something they were always dreaming about but had never been given: an emperor who converted to the Catholic faith.

November 9, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 20:27-40Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 22:1-23; Matthew 25:1-13“Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” (Luke 20:38)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Dead men don't rise. That's what common sense will tell you. Dead is dead! That's what the Sadducees would have told you. Even though they were a Jewish sect, they did not believe in the afterlife and certainly not in the resurrection of the dead. As a matter of fact, they limited the authority of the Scriptures to the first five books of Moses; no resurrection there, so they thought. Ironically, they ask a riddle-like question about the resurrection to the one who is “the Resurrection.” Jesus takes the Sadducees right to the book of Exodus, where God declares to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Jesus masterfully demonstrated that God is the God of the living, not of the dead! It is passages like this one that Jesus had in mind when he taught his disciples on the evening of his resurrection, opening their minds to understand the Scriptures that “the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise again from the dead” (Luke 24:44-46). Jesus' resurrection made the impossible now possible; the dead do rise again to life. Jesus is “the Life” for the dead that they may live! Jesus' resurrection conquered the grave for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and for you!The tomb is still empty. Christ has been raised from the dead, and his resurrection means life for you. If Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have died” (1 Corinthians 15:20), that means there are more fruits to follow. If Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), that means there are more sons and daughters to follow. It is actually God's will that you who look to Jesus with eyes of faith shall have eternal life and be raised on the Last Day (John 16:40). Upon Jesus' answer to their question, the Jewish scholars said, “‘Teacher, you have spoken well,' and they no longer dared to ask him any questions.” Jesus has the last word, not death, not your sin, not your grave, nor your reason. Our Lord's cross declares to you that your sins are forgiven. His empty grave and resurrection proclaim to you that you, too, will one day rise and live with him forever.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Then by your resurrection you won for us reprieve – you opened heaven's kingdom to all who would believe (LSB 941:3)Author: Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.This new devotional resource by Carl Fickenscher walks you through each week's readings, revealing thematic connections and helping you better understand what is to come in worship each Sunday.

Wanna hear the FULL Episode? Sign up for the Grad Program today! Today we have a special guest; Louis Caras, a Tactical Response Small Arms & Tactics instructor who will join us to discuss a troubling situation. Why is it in the year of Our Lord, Two-thousand and Twenty-Five, that there are still so-called experts in the world of firearms who ignore the importance of traumatic medical training and gear? We have a question from an audience member that plays right into our Tech Talk segment from EOTech Inc. What is the difference between target focus and sight focus? Also, can an optic on a handgun be beneficial while moving and shooting or is it a drawback? Student of the Gun has a new partner: Blackout Coffee and you can support the show by using the link found in the show notes. Additionally, Professor Paul has a reminder that Christmas is coming up and now is the time to order an SOTG branded coffee mug for the one that you love. During our Leadership Lesson, Paul has some suggested reading which can now be consumed via audiobook.  Have you read the Morning Mindset book yet? As usual, we have our Fighting Fitness segment. Paul gives an update regarding what we will call the Nick Orr Challenge. Do not neglect your leg strength. And, is eating protein a bad thing? Paul and Jarrad consider an OpEd that seriously questions the consumption of protein. TOPICS COVERED THIS EPISODE Huge thanks to our Partners: EOTech | Spike's Tactical 4 Universal Safety Rules +1 Poster: ShopSOTG.com [0:06:35] EOTech Talk - EOTechInc.com TOPIC: Sight Focus vs Target Focus [0:32:51] Warrior of the Week - James Yeager's "Virtues of a Warrior" TOPIC: The Ultimate Armed Citizen: Using Pistols, Rifles, and Shotguns as Fighting Tools AUDIOBOOK https://amzn.to/47S8nXw [0:38:12] SOTG Homeroom - SOTG University TOPIC: What's up with gun people continuing to ignore medical? - Special Guest; Louis Caras

Today we have a special guest; Louis Caras, a Tactical Response Small Arms & Tactics instructor who will join us to discuss a troubling situation. Why is it in the year of Our Lord, Two-thousand and Twenty-Five, that there are still so-called experts in the world of firearms who ignore the importance of traumatic medical training and gear? Wanna hear the FULL Episode? Sign up for the Grad Program today!

“Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” — Psalm 100:4 Our Lord would have all His people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning His blessed person. Jesus is not content that His brethren should think meanly of Him; it is His pleasure that His espoused ones should be delighted with His beauty. We […]

In the parable of the wicked servant, Our Lord appears to give a mysterious lesson. Yet upon reflection, this parable is about the law of mercy. The mercy we show others will be measured out and shown unto us. If we desire mercy for our sins, we must bestow it upon others.

Read Online“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.”  Luke 14:16–18Do you ever excuse yourself from the will of God? Do you pass up His invitation to feast at the table of His great dinner? More than anything else, the invitation God has given us to this “great dinner” is the invitation to participate in the Holy Mass and to pray. The fact that some would regularly excuse themselves from such an invitation shows that they do not understand that to which they have been invited. Others attend physically, but interiorly they are far from the feast that they attend.In this parable, one after another of the invited guests did not come. So the man throwing the dinner sent out an invitation to “the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.” This is a reference to those Jews of Jesus' time who recognized their need for the gift of salvation. They are those who were aware of their weaknesses and sins and knew that Jesus was the answer.After the poor, crippled, blind and lame came to the feast, there was still more room. So the man sent his servants to invite those from “the highways and hedgerows” which is a reference to the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles who were not of Jewish origin.Today, this feast continues to be offered. There are many lax Catholics, however, who refuse to come. There are those who find that life is too busy for them to make time for prayer and for Mass. They are those who are so caught up in worldly pursuits that they see little personal benefit in devoting themselves to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.If you wish to be among those who attend the feast of our Lord, you must work to identify yourself with the poor, crippled, blind and lame. You must recognize your brokenness, weaknesses and sins. You must not shy away from seeing yourself this way because it is to those that Jesus sends a desperate invitation. His desperation is an all-consuming desire for us to share in His love. He wants to love and heal those in need. We are those who are in need.When we come to our Lord's Feast through prayer, fidelity to His Word, and by our participation in the Sacraments, we will notice that He wants others to join us for His feast. Therefore, we must also see ourselves as those servants who are sent forth to the highways and hedgerows where we will find those who do not follow God's will. They must be invited. Though they might not feel as though they belong, God wants them at His feast. We must do the inviting. Reflect, today, upon two things. First, reflect upon any excuse you regularly use when God invites you to pray, to deepen your faith, and to participate in the Eucharist. Do you respond immediately and with eagerness? Or do you excuse yourself more often than you want to admit? Reflect, also, upon the duty given to you by God to go forth to the most lost souls so as to invite them to God's feast. Our Lord wants everyone to know they are invited. Let Him use you to send forth His invitation. My generous Lord, You have invited me to share in the glory of Your great Feast. You invite me every day to pray, grow strong in my faith, and to share in the Holy Eucharist. May I always respond to You and never excuse myself from Your invitations. Please also use me, dear Lord, to send forth Your invitation to those most in need. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Андрей Николаевич Миронов (A.N. Mironov), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Your body, and mine, is special. No matter the look or the condition, the Apostle Paul tells us that our bodies are:THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRITThat is, within us dwells the Third Person of the Trinity, and our bodies should make the Spirit welcomed at all times. That means it is our duty to take care of that TEMPLE, our body, and not abuse it.Scripture also tells us that we are made in:THE IMAGE OF GODAnd, again, that means we should take very good care of the body we have been given, which is given to us in the image of God.That body of ours is endowed with the unbelievable organ called the HEART.It pumps life-giving blood throughout the body and to every organ therein. And that precious organ, like the body itself, must be fully respected, taken care of, nourished, and little or never abused. If it is, then the abuse it may fear the most can occur:THE HEART ATTACK.Such a debilitating attack, damaging or fatal, occurs when a coronary artery becomes partially or fully blocked, keeping blood from reaching the heart muscle. The symptoms of a heart attack can be obvious or subtle. A heart attack can often be mistaken for heart burn, stress, or even a virus. But, a heart attack, greater or lesser, occurs when some or all of the following symptoms occur:First, there can be intense chest pressure. That chest pressure can also producesevere, or in some cases mild, chest pain. That pain then travels to other parts of the body and can be felt in the arms, either or both. That pain can affect the lower jaw, and the neck, and may cause a headache. The pain of the heart attack can travel to the upper back, and again, can be severe or subtle.Other symptoms of THE HEART ATTACK can include shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and vomiting. Those symptoms can be obvious.A heart attack can produce lightheadedness or a feeling of ABOUT TO FAINT. An obvious symptom of a heart attack is body weakness and a feeling of fatigue. The heart attack, when it occurs, can have any or all of these obvious or subtle symptoms. If they occur in your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the body made in the image of God, you should pay immediate attention and recognize the dangers. These symptoms can occur suddenly or gradually, and can occur during any type of activity from rest (even sleep) to strong physical exertion, or any kind of extreme stress.A heart attack victim, or anyone rendering care, should immediately call 911. Paramedics will come to your aid. You should rest in a comfortable position and take an aspirin, so says the medical profession, but you should not drive yourself to a hospital or emergency care: wait for paramedics. You should not eat anything. You should be ready to go, assuming you can, whenever paramedics arrive. The body can suffer permanent damage if medical help is not administered as soon as possible.STROKE. Then there is stroke. A stroke occurs when there is an interruption of blood flow to the brain. That can occur when there is major artery blockage, or it can also occur when there is bleeding in the brain.Know the symptoms of stroke:There can be difficulty walking. There can be trouble seeing in one or both eyes. There can be difficulty speaking. There can be difficulty in understanding others. There can be numbness or weakness on one side of the body, such as facial drooping. There can be headaches, mild or severe. There can be dizziness or loss of balance.If any of these symptoms and conditions exist or persist, CALL 911.Then, sit or lie down. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Wait for paramedics. Do not eat or drink anything. Wait for real and professional medical help, and do your very best to secure that help as soon as possible.A relative of mine was in the very best of health. Medical physicals showed a body functioning well and without serious problems. Overnight, and almost without warning, that person suffered a severe stroke which left permanent damage to the brain, and consequently to the body. You never know! You need to pay attention to how the heart and the brain in the temple of the Holy Spirit is functioning, and any symptoms which affect the normal function of that very special brain.A friend of mine in their late 30s was in the very best health, a physical specimen, exercising virtually every day. Without warning, that friend suffered a major heart attack and died. There were symptoms, subtle symptoms, that meant a heart attack might occur, but of course at that young age and in that condition, they were ignored. As a result, death occurred.Know these symptoms and pay attention to them if and when any occur.Your body, made in the image of God, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, is one of a kind, the only one you will have. You are, in essence, a custodian, a guardian of this earthly life which God has given you to live in the body he gave you. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, was God/man, possessed of a heart like ours. His heart was full of love, as ours should be. His blood, His blessed heart, which pumped for 33 years, was shed for us. His brain gave us the greatest wisdom, teaching, and knowledge which are life's finest guides. He gave His body, His heart, and His brain, to us, for us, and left us with this thought:THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN THAT MAN (OR WOMAN) WHO LAYS DOWN HIS (OR HER) LIFE FOR HIS (OR HER) FRIEND.His heart not only beat with blood, but with supreme love. His brain was full of nothing but Godly wisdom. He gave both for us. When the Lord enters the heart, and captures the brain, how grateful we should be for His love and His wisdom. Do your best to always protect the heart and brain the Lord Almighty has given you.

We're continuing our series on the values and practices of Servants. Our Lord desires our healing and while we won't experience complete healing this side of heaven, Mother Susan Rhodes reminds us that we have a part to play here and now in asking for and receiving healing.If you like what you hear, we hope you'll join us in person if you're in the area. Learn more about us:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/servantsanglican⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.servantsanglican.org/⁠

When Allah asks us in Surah An-Nisa: “What is wrong with you?” - He is speaking to those who ignore oppression and suffering around them.In this episode, Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef (rA) reminds us of a powerful spiritual responsibility: listening to and supporting the oppressed. We explore the Quranic verses calling us to defend those who cry out “Our Lord, rescue us”, and the prophetic promise that Allah will never disgrace the one who stands with the vulnerable.You will hear reminders from the life of the Prophet ﷺ - how his protection from Allah was tied to caring for the afflicted - and the warning he gave Mu'adh (ra) about fearing the Dua of the oppressed, a Dua with no barrier between it and Allah.This episode will shift how you see activism, mercy, and the protection Allah grants those who step up.May Allah make us a source of relief, never a cause of harm. Ameen.Get inside Art of Raising Muslims: https://www.raisingmuslims.com/art

Our Lord loves us with a love that is higher than any fear and deeper than any sin.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) - Aquinas brought the development of Catholic thought and theology to a plateau, navigating the middle path between Augustine and Pelagius; Anselm and Abelard; and even Plato and Aristotle. He's called the Common Doctor because the Church has affirmed that his teaching should be taught, and held up as the standard, in every school, university, and seminary. Links Check out this YouTube clip, How the Summa Replaced the Sentences as the Standard Theology Textbook, w/ Philipp Rosemann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0od3JXnbfYY Also, check out this interview that St. Thomas' namesake - Thomas Mirus - did on the Catholic Culture Podcast with Matthew Minerd, about the education St. Thomas received and his responsibilities as a master of theology and his academic milieu: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/161-vocation-thomas-aquinas-matthew-minerd/ Three of St. Thomas' academic sermons are available as audio books on the Catholic Culture website: Beware of the False https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-beware-false/ Heaven and Earth Will Pass https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-heaven-and-earth-will-pass/ Send Out Your Spirit https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-send-out-your-spirit/ Mike Aquilina's Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Thomas Aquinas: https://lambingpress.com/products/praying-in-the-presence-of-our-lord-with-st-thomas-aquinas The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on Albert & Thomas: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/3022-X/albert-and-thomas.aspx The Penguin Classics Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/260880/selected-writings-of-thomas-aquinas-by-thomas-aquinas/ The Aquinas Institute Online Complete Works of St. Thomas Aquinas: https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I Pope Leo XIII, 1879 Papal Encyclical Aeterni Patris: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4861&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2570288 Pope Pius XI, 1923 Papal Encyclical Studiorem Ducem: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4957 Pope St. John Paul II, 1998 Papal Encyclical Fides et Ratio: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=592&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2570289 SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com For Dr. Papandrea's take on St. Anselm, Peter Abelard, and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Atonement, see Reading the Church Fathers: https://sophiainstitute.com/?product=reading-the-church-fathers Dr. Papandrea's YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/

Our Lord Jesus Christ is king by both His nature as God and also by His free decision to become one of us, to lead us out of sin to salvation. Out of devotion to Our Lord's right to rule, we have the feast of Christ the King. And in this feast we not only honor Him, but reaffirm the sacrifice on Calvary, the great gift Christ has bestowed upon us through this sacrificial act, and accept the love He freely offers.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, October 28, we celebrate the feast day of two great apostles: St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the ZealotSt. Jude Thaddeus, brother of St. James the Lesser, preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya. He suffered martyrdom in Armenia, which was then under Persian rule.He is the author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East, in particular the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics.St. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection.He is invoked as the patron of desperate, forgotten, and lost situations and causes because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them.Every image of him depicts him wearing a medallion with a profile of Jesus.Saint Jude Thaddeus is not the same person as Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Our Lord and despaired because of his great sin and lack of trust in God's mercy.St. Simon, who had been called a Zealot, is thought to have preached in Egypt and then to have joined St. Jude in Persia. Here, he was supposedly martyred by being cut in half with a saw, a tool he is often depicted with.Today, we also celebrate the Fourth Anniversary of the departure for the glory of heaven of Maria Blanca, co-founder of the Rosary Network, along with Mikel A. Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• October 28, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

#catholic #sspx #christthekingIf we look at all the of the problems in the world and in the Catholic Church today, they all really boil down to one problem. It is a first commandment problem. The first commandment is hardly being honored and practiced today.Now, it may seem that the first commandment is the easiest one of all to practice. “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.” We can understand this commandment too simplistically, thinking it just commands us not to worship false gods, not to be an idolater.In the Gospel, however, Our Lord shows us, as it were, the other side of this commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind”. Our Lord tells us that the whole of the law and prophets rests on this one law.This commandment might be referred to as a declaration of the rights of God. God is our Creator, our Redeemer, and our final end. As such, He has a right to demand our love. He has a right to make a law for every single one of us that we love Him above everything else.The biggest question for each one of us in our lives is whether or not we will respect the rights of God over us, whether we will love Him above all things or not. If we do, then we will spend all eternity with our heavenly Father in a state of perfect happiness. If we do not, we will go to Hell, because we had a first commandment problem. We could not follow that commandment.As I say, this is precisely the problem with the world and the Church today: the first commandment is not being followed. The rights of Christ the King are not being respected.Who is the idol that has been put in the place of God and is being loved more than God? The idol is man. Man today is worshipping himself.

Friends of the Rosary,Today in the Gospel (Luke 13:10-17), we see Our Lord performing a miracle on a woman who was crippled by a dark spirit for eighteen years. Christ sets her free from her infirmity."This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?”"When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated, and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him."Christ fulfills his promise by adopting us and giving us the right to be children of God.With him we suffer, and with Him we will be glorified, as he bears our burdens.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠October 27, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

When we honor the feast of Christ the King, we follow Jesus's directive to confess Him before men. Christ is like any other king, for He chose to reign over us out of love from the Cross, conquered sin, and redeemed us. And so we must ask ourselves how can we promote Christ's kingship in our everyday lives, starting with giving up our own wills, taking up our crosses, and humbly submitting ourselves to Our Lord.

"So ancient yet so new. How late have I found Thee.” The words of St. Augustine to Our Lord might also be the words of those who have found a place within the Eastern Catholic Churches.

Heart Speaks to Heart: The Love of Christ in the Eucharist Today's Homily centers on St. Paul's teaching that to truly know God's love, . . . . . . one must be rooted and grounded in it . . . not merely observing from a distance but living within it. The Homily then turns to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, whose mystical experiences of Christ's Sacred Heart revealed the depth of His love and sorrow at being loved so little in return. Through her, Jesus emphasized that devotion to His Heart is inseparable from devotion to His Eucharistic Presence. He lamented the neglect and indifference shown toward the Blessed Sacrament, even by those consecrated to Him, and called for reparation through time spent with Him in prayer and adoration. Heart Speaking to Heart From her quiet convent, this message gave rise to practices such as the First Friday devotion, Holy Hours of Reparation, and the simple yet profound habit of “visiting the Lord” in the tabernacle. The reflection concludes that true devotion to the Sacred Heart is not symbolic or sentimental, but an active, personal engagement . . . heart speaking to heart . . . in which Christ's love calls to the depths of our own hearts. Hear more within this Meditation Media. Listen to: Heart Speaks to Heart: The Love of Christ in the Eucharist ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Art Work Christ the Savior with the Eucharist: Spanish Painter: Juan de Juanes:  1545 – 1550 This oil-based painting on wood is one of three parts. This part shows Our Lord holding the Eucharist and Chalice

Over the coming months and through our study of the book of Hebrews, we aim to meditate frequently on the glory of Jesus Christ. May our souls be revived by a constant view of his glory - in this book which invites us to consider Christ Jesus, the exalted Savior of weary pilgrims like us. This week we look to Hebrews 11:23-31.Faith fears God (V. 23, 27)“The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied…” Proverbs 19:23Faith chooses Christ (V. 25-26)“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” -  CS LewisFaith Takes Risks (V. 28-31)“You had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” Hebrews 10:34“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6 / Psalm 118:6“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” 1 Corinthians 5:17“Worthy is the lamb who was slain.” Revelation 5:12Life Group Discussion Questions: lifechurchnc.com/hebrewsLife Church exists to glorify God by making disciples who treasure Christ, grow together, and live on mission. Salisbury, NCFollow us online:lifechurchnc.comFacebookInstagramYouTubeTwitter

In Acts 3 we have the healing of the crippled man, who was lame from birth and more than 40 years old (4:22). This healing has many parallels with the testy of the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5. The crippled man represents Israel and their inability to walk before their God. Peter commands the lame man to fix his gaze on them, which he does expecting alms. The crippled man receives far greater -he receives healing and discipleship. And walking, and leaping, and praising God he enters the templewith Peter and John. Remarkable words of witness follow with the testimony of Peter that there is noother name given under heaven by which salvation can come than our Lord Jesus Christ. Buddhism, Hinduism and all other isms cannot save. Our Lord was the stone rejected by men, but chosen and precious to God (Psalm 118:22). Peter outlines in verses 19-26 what they must do. The rulers sendofficers in chapter 4 to arrest Peter and John. Note that the number of disciples had now reached 5,000. They were examined by the Counsel and commanded to refrain from preaching Christ Jesus. TheApostles' response is that: "We cannot cease from doing what the Almighty has commanded us". Peter and John are threatened and released. Upon joining their fellow believers, the two Apostles together withtheir assembled brothers praise the LORD and in prayer speak of what had just happened as being a fulfilment of Psalm 2. Their Sovereign's response to their prayer is a shaking of the house they were in. God is further demonstrating His power in support of their testimony. This was given as yet anotherendorsement by their God of His guarantee to support his ecclesia's faithful testimony. The spirit of unity and community is spoken of in verses 32-37. Oh, for such a spirit among believers today!Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

Life in the Vine - Week 8October 26, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownYou are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.— John 15:14-17I call you friends…but this is my command?Perhaps we may now hazard a guess why Scripture uses Friendship so rarely as an image of the highest love.  It is already, in actual fact, too spiritual to be a good symbol of Spiritual things.— C.S. LewisAppreciative love gazes and holds its breath and is silent, rejoices that such a wonder should exist even if not for him, will not be wholly dejected by losing her, would rather have it so than never to have seen her at all.— C.S. LewisNow and forever more, we are friends of God.  We just don't always act like it.A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.— Proverbs 17:17Savior AND LordWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— Declaration of IndependenceIt is impossible for any created good to constitute man's happiness.  For happiness is the perfect good, which lulls the appetite altogether…This is to be found, not in any creature, but in God alone…God alone constitutes man's happiness.— AquinasIt would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.— C.S. LewisThis is my command: Love each other.— John 15:17When spiritual vitality is measured by sin-avoidance, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are following Jesus faithfully. But following Jesus is to be measured by love—love for God expressed in love for neighbor. This is the good, beautiful, and kind life. It took me some years to realize this. In fact, I need to be reminded of it often.— Rich VIllodasLife has no better gift to give.— C.S. Lewis

In a season of Stillness, but I'm still here. ❤️‍

It is God's will that our very first moment of existence is one of darkness, where we dwell in our mother's womb until we come out into the light. From the moment of our birth, we begin to perceive the world around us, first very poorly and then progressively clearer. At the same time, by God's design, our first contact with reality is with our mothers; we depend on her. This natural order that Our Lord designed reflects the design of the supernatural order, where from the moment of our baptism we come into true contact with our divine mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and must remain dependent upon her.

In John 20 we find Jesus risen from the dead, as discovered by the women who arrived early at his tomb. The women tell the Apostles, who remain sceptical. Peter and John ran to the sepulchre and find it empty (the younger John outrunning the older Peter). John stands at the sepulchre's entrance, taking in what he observes. But the ever impetuous and baffled Peter goes in. John sees evidence of the Lord's resurrection in the way the grave clothes were laying. Jesus' first appearance following his resurrection is to Mary Magdalene, who mistakes him for the gardener (an apt error as he is the one through whom Eden i.e. the paradise, or garden of God - will be restored). Our Lord tells her not to hinder i.e. delay him since he has not yet ascended to his Father. Read aloud verse 17 - pause and ponder. Jesus was not God - he was a grand, incomparable and glorious man (read Psalm 45: and Hebrews 2). Later that night Jesus appears to his Apostles and gives them the Holy Spirit. "Doubting" Thomas is not with them and refuses to believe their report without physically putting his fingers into the wounds in Jesus' hands and side. Eight days later our Lord provides Thomas with that proof. Verses 30-31 state the objective of the narrative written. Slowly read those verses aloud and ponder their words. Chapter 21 contains the eighth sign John outlines in the catching of the 153 great fish. It occurs in Galilee and the chapter also deals with our Lord's resolution with Peter over Peter's threefold denial of his Master. The miracle reflects the time of the Apostle's call to follow the Lord. The 153 fish certainly represent those who are saved in the gospel net. The gematria of the Hebrew expression "the sons of God" is 153 and may be the intended message. Peter is three times asked by his Lord as to whether he has a love for Jesus. Christ asks Peter whether his love for his Master exceeds that of the other Apostles. The first two times Jesus uses the Greek word " agape" and Peter responds with Greek word "phileo" - meaning to have affection, or to be a friend. Peter is grieved when on the third occasion Jesus asks whether Peter has a 'strong affection' (phileo) for Jesus. An exchange occurs between Jesus and John as our Lord prophesies the manner of Peter's death. John concludes his record by stating how vast were the Lord's acts and that what was recorded was but a small sample.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

John 19 tells of Jesus' crucifixion. The crucifixion followed the Lord's brutal treatment at the hands of Pilate's soldiers including the thrusting of a crown of thorns upon his head and the putting of a purple robe on him to mock our Master. How apt is it that in his dying he would remove the curse brought by Adam upon the earth; and his crucifying would be like the ram caught by his horns in Genesis 22. When Pilate hears the Jewish leaders' claim that Jesus is the Son of God Pilate's fear intensifies and he seeks for Jesus' release. Jesus makes it crystal clear to Pilate that Pilate is without power against Jesus and the greater sin lay with the Jewish rulers. These envious men clamour even more that Pilate must cooperate with their designs. If not Caesar would hear of it. Pilate caves in under pressure and allows Jesus to be led away for crucifixion. "We have no king but Caesar", they cry and forty years later their 'king' - Caesar - came and destroyed Jerusalem because of their blood guiltiness. The crucifixion occurs in the place of the skull - Golgotha (the location where David buried Goliath's skull, as we are told in 1 Samuel 17). Our Lord is crucified between two thieves - most likely these were Barabbas' men. In the three languages operating in Judea at the time - Aramaic, Greek and Latin - is inscribed over his cross i.e. stake "Jesus ofNazareth, king of the Jews". The Jews protest Pilate's writing: but Pilate, no doubt, glories in this small victory over the Jews and his inscription remains. The soldiers divide his clothes between them and they cast lots for his vesture in fulfilment of Psalm 22:18. The beloved women in his life eventually come near to the stake to see his death. And at this time Jesus commits his mother into the care of his beloved Apostle, John. Our Master dies with his final words being a citation from Psalm 31:5 - the quotation possibly being completed when Jesus emerges from his tomb three days later. Jesus' side is pierced by a Roman spear and out comes blood and water indicating that he has died from a broken heart. Unlike the thieves crucified with Christ not a bone of him is broken - he is the Passover Lamb of Exodus 12 and the subject of the prophecy in Psalm 34:20-22. And the Scripture in Revelation 1:7 will seem to be true when Jesus comes into his kingdom. Jesus' body is secured from Pilate by Joseph of Arimathea. Our Lord's body is placed by Joseph and Nicodemus in a new and unused garden tomb owned by the rich man, Joseph in fulfilment of Isiah 53:9.

Our Lord bids us to be vigilant, not out of fear, but because the world is not our true home. To ‘gird your loins' is no idle metaphor; it is the act of a soldier who knows the battle is real though unseen, the traveller who knows the road is long but worth every step. Christ does not ask us to be anxious, but awake. The drowsiness of comfort, the slow poison of distraction these are the true dangers. We are called to live with lamps lit and hearts ready, not because the night is long, but because the dawn is certain. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian's homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

Why do we have faith and confidence in the great sacrament of confession? We know that our sins can only be forgiven by the power of God for our sins are an offense to Him. Moreover, Our Lord has extended this power to the Church he established out of His goodness and mercy.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, October 15, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorials of St. Hedwig (1174-1243) and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690).Our Lord chose Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun in the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial, France, to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart and to establish the devotion of the Holy Hour.This was at a time when the Protestant rebellion and the heresy of Jansenism were trying to separate Catholics from the faith.Jesus appeared to Margaret Mary often, usually as the Crucified Christ, revealing His burning desire to be loved by all men.She communicated Our Lord's wish that the faithful receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.After nineteen years in the convent, St. Margaret Mary expired on October 17, 1690. Since then, many pilgrims to her tomb have sought and obtained favors.Through her apostolate of devotion to the Sacred Heart, many sinners have repented and found grace with God.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• October 16, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET