Sin, cheap grace, and John the Baptist
Editor’s note: The following homily was preached on the Second Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2022), at Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore (Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter). We have completed one-fourth of our […]
The mighty Mississippi was once named ‘River of the Immaculate Conception.’ Here’s why
A bridge over the Mississippi River near St. Louis / Checubus / Shutterstock St. Louis, Mo., Dec 4, 2022 / 08:00 am (CNA). “Immaculate” is not a word most people would use to describe the Mississippi River’s famously muddy waters. But Father Jacques Marquette was not most people. The Jesuit explorer, who came from France […]
New scientific study says these three things are the secret to waking up alert and refreshed…
Do you feel groggy until you’ve had your morning joe? Do you battle sleepiness throughout the workday? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with morning alertness, but a new study demonstrates that awaking refreshed each day is not just something a lucky few are born with. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered […]
Biden administration waives Supreme Court review in key transgender fight…
For the last six years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has pushed a controversial “transgender mandate,” which threatens religious doctors and hospitals with multimillion dollar penalties unless they perform gender transitions in violation of their conscience and medical judgment. When those doctors fought back—winning a major victory in federal appeals court in […]
Pope Francis: It’s never too late to begin again
Pope Francis gives his Angelus address on Dec. 26, 2021. / Credit: Vatican Media. Vatican City, Dec 4, 2022 / 06:15 am (CNA). St. John the Baptist reminds us that Advent is a privileged time to turn back toward God — something it is never too late to do, Pope Francis said Sunday. “And let […]
The hidden message in ancient ‘O Antiphons’ of Advent
null / Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 4, 2022 / 07:00 am (CNA). An emeritus Texas bishop is highlighting an Advent message hidden in the O Antiphons — prayers that are recited or chanted in an ancient tradition leading up to Christmas. “Composed in the sixth or seventh century, the seven […]
The Church is a prophet who is preparing the world for the Second Coming of Christ…
The Second Sunday of Advent usually features the Ministry of St. John the Baptist. He was the Prophet who fulfilled the Office of Elijah of whom it was said: See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the […]
Fiber optic cables are taking the planet’s pulse and can detect volcanoes, traffic rumbles and whale calls…..
Andreas Fichtner strips a cable of its protective sheath, exposing a glass core thinner than a hair — a fragile, 4-kilometer-long fiber that’s about to be fused to another. It’s a fiddly task better suited to a lab, but Fichtner and his colleague Sara Klaasen are doing it atop a windy, frigid ice sheet.
Pope’s Sunday Angelus: ‘Advent Is a Moment of Grace to Confess Our Sins and to Welcome God’s Pardon’…
Speaking to pilgrims gathered for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis spoke about the role of John the Baptist as recounted in the Gospel in inviting everyone to conversion, saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” John the Baptist was an austere and radical believer, the Pope said, calling people to conversion with […]
Pope Francis: It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again
Pope Francis gives his Angelus address on Dec. 26, 2021. In his speech before the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis reflected on the message of St. John the Baptist.