“We must reconfirm the rights of children to grow up in a family with a father and a mother.” That was the message of Pope Francis during a meeting with the International Catholic Child Bureau on April 11. Additionally, he noted the right of parents to determine their children’s moral and religious education. The Holy Father was stern in his rejection of any kind of “educational experimentation” with children and young people. “They are not,” he said, “guinea pigs in... Read more
Pick up a crucifix, said Pope Francis during his General Audience during Holy Week. Kiss it and recite this simple prayer: Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. The Holy Father reminded pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square that Jesus’s Resurrection “isn’t the happy ending of a beautiful fairytale, it isn’t the happy ending of a film.” Rather, he explained, it’s the result of the loving intervention of God, who wanted to give humanity hope and salvation. In watching Jesus suffer and... Read more
Open Doors, a nondenominational group which tracks incidents of persecution against Christians worldwide, reports that there were 2,123 Christians martyred last year for their faith. These heroic men and women who willingly gave their lives for the Gospel lived in countries including Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Central African Republic. But according to Open Doors’ report, more than half of the killings occurred in Syria. Second was Nigeria, with over 600 killings, followed by Pakistan with 88.... Read more
On April 1, a Catholic monastery dedicated to Mary, Queen of Palestine, near Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, was vandalized. Anti-Christian graffiti on the monastery walls said “Jesus is a monkey, Mary is a cow.” Tires were slashed on five vehicles. Two days later, on April 3 in the Israeli town of Jish, a Maronite community near Safed in the north, the hate-filled message “Only non-Jews should be removed from our country” was painted on the walls. Forty vehicles had... Read more
On Monday, April 14, President Obama received religious leaders in the East Room of the White House for the annual White House Easter Prayer Breakfast. You can read the entire speech at the government’s website. And you should, because there’s much to take away. If I may, I’d like to grab just a few of his most poignant quotes. A bit of self-effacing humor: And I will once again resist the temptation to preach to preachers. (Laughter.) It never works... Read more
A sad report out of Syria: A nine-year-old child was killed, and 45 children and five teachers were injured, in a missile attack April 15 on the Armenian Catholic School in Damascus. Acting Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotian released a statement which was published on his Facebook page. Ashotian said: “I was saddened to learn of the missile attacks on ‘Paros’ Armenian Catholic School, which left one pupil dead and many others injured, six of whom being in... Read more
And you thought your little puppy was smart! These Chinese dogs say a heartfelt prayer before meals. And when they’re done, they bus their own dishes. Read more
As the city of Rome prepares to celebrate its 2,767th birthday on April 21, archeologists have uncovered evidence that the city may be even older than they thought. Tradition is that the city of Rome was founded on April 21, 753 B.C. by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a wolf. But on Sunday, April 13, archeologists reported that they’d unearthed evidence of a wall which had been constructed at least 200 years earlier than that. Patrizia... Read more
The Obama Administration’s “Climate Action Plan” aims to save the earth by reducing flatulence. This is the kind of story to tickle the six-year-old kid in the last row in the classroom. You know the kid: the guy who can toot on command, and who loves to create faux farts in his armpit during math tests by raising and lowering his elbow… the bane of classroom etiquette, the kid who singlehandedly raised the teacher’s blood pressure by three points last... Read more
Popular golfer Bubba Watson took away his second green jacket in three years today, winning the 2014 Master’s Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. The devoted family man hugged his wife, then picked up his young adopted son and carried him on a brisk victory walk, high-fiving fans who lined the green. Unabashed in his Christian faith, Watson describes himself on his Twitter page as “Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer.” The Christian Post reported on a 2012 interview Watson did with... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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