by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“The Thanksgiving holiday that is upon us, while religious in theme, has a secular origin. Two presidents, Washington and Lincoln, are most responsible for its existence on our national calendar in late November ….”
“Scripture says, if #God is not the Architect, in vain do the builders labor.
Let’s #pray to do God’s Will.
In the upcoming #election, let’s pray to do God’s Will with how each of us casts a vote, as well as with our other democracy-related activities, such as conversations, bumper stickers, yard signs, online posts, volunteering activities and so forth. …”
“The plight of our brothers and sisters who work hard but struggle to make ends meet calls us all to reflect in a special way this Labor Day. Today, we read in St. Luke’s Gospel how Jesus, upon returning home to Nazareth, read from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue declaring, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has Anointed Me to bring glad tidings to the poor.”1 Sadly, in our times too many people are excluded, marginalized, and politically and economically disenfranchised. The struggle of working people, of the poor, as Pope Francis reminds us, is not first a “social or political question. No! It is the Gospel, pure and simple.”2 There has been some notable progress in our economy in recent years, but it is also apparent that it is not where it should be for many, and we can all play a productive role in making sure it is a system that upholds the dignity of all people. …”
“… we have grave concerns about the confirmation process which is being grossly distorted by efforts to subject judicial nominees to a litmus test of support for Roe [v. Wade], as though nominees who oppose the purposeful taking of innocent human life are somehow unfit for judicial office in the United States. By any measure, support for Roe is an impoverished standard for assessing judicial ability. For forty-five years, Roe has sparked more informed criticism and public resistance than any other court decision of the late 20th century …. * * * There is no doubt that the Catholic Church stands out for its commitment to the right to life from conception until natural death. … [with] profound consequences not only for abortion, but for many other areas of life, including the death penalty, the application of scientific research to human subjects, the right to adequate health care, and the role of the state in promoting the common good. Our civil society will be all the poorer if Senators, as a matter of practice, reject well-qualified judicial nominees whose consciences have been formed in this ethic. …”
“… ‘By any measure,’ the Cardinal says, ‘support for Roe is an impoverished standard for assessing judicial ability. …”
“Some 100,000 Irish pro-life advocates took to the streets across the country on Saturday to oppose legalizing abortion in the Republic of Ireland. …”
“… We are called to follow Christ as missionary disciples by seeking the truth, serving others, and living our faith in all that we do. …”
“… PopeFrancis will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Vatican on the morning of May 24th. The U.S. leader will also meet with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and … Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See foreign minister.”
Trump’s visit to the Vatican reportedly will be part of a trip featuring a NATO meeting in Belgium, a G7 summit in Sicily and visits to Italy, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“… As Pope Francis has reminded us, another name for love is mercy. The saying “hate the sin but love the sinner,” from a letter by St. Augustine, is at the core of how Jesus transformed sinners by loving them. …”
“War begins in a person’s heart, for this reason we are all responsible for caring for peace. This was #PopeFrancis’ message during his morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.”