Monday, November 5, 2018

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection November 5, 2018

Your daily Gospel reflection...

Monday, November 5, 2018

Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 14:12-14

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us this extraordinary command to consider the weakest and most vulnerable in our society: "When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." This is one of his central concerns throughout the Gospels. Aliens, strangers, foreigners, widows, orphans, the poor—if these weak people are ignored, God will become angry.

God’s passion not only runs right through the biblical tradition, but it comes roaring up into the social teaching of the Catholic Church: "If you have two coats in your closet, one belongs to you; the other belongs to the man who has no coat."

Let us not forget the poor and marginalized today.

Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 485

Reading 1 Phil 2:1-4

Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also everyone for those of others.

Gospel Lk 14:12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay yo

1Shame on us for playing God

Designer babies aren’t futuristic. They’re already here.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612258/are-we-designing-inequality-into-our-genes/?utm_medium=tr_social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=tr_subscription.paid.acquisition&utm_content=keyweetraffic&kwp_0=1021676&kwp_4=3387545&kwp_1=1422188&fbclid=IwAR3VcoL_EIccIkqix3HzFhztT5NVUE5MWLcv7fnd0QQg_5imSUB1-OIGIe4

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Shallow: How Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper made the defining song of 2018 | Film | The Guardian

Shallow: How Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper made the defining song of 2018 | Film | The Guardian: The hit from the soundtrack to A Star Is Born has captured the zeitgeist – because it speaks to those to whom life has not always been fair

“It is just a building.” | Fr. Z's Blog

Catholic bishops promised sex-abuse reform, but gave themselves a pass - The Boston Globe

Catholic bishops promised sex-abuse reform, but gave themselves a pass - The Boston Globe: KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bishop Robert Finn wasn’t going anywhere.

At Harvard, the legacy of longtime admissions dean on trial - The Boston Globe

At Harvard, the legacy of longtime admissions dean on trial - The Boston Globe: William Fitzsimmons has run the Harvard undergraduate admissions operation for 32 years. He is the personification of the modern philosophy that determines which lucky 2,000 students each year receive acceptance letters.

The Unusual Story Behind Russia’s Most Famous Painting of Christ – Ivan Kramskoy’s ‘Christ in the Desert’

https://russia-insider.com/en/culture/unusual-story-behind-russias-most-famous-painting-christ-ivan-kramskoys-christ-desert?ct=t(Russia_Insider_Daily_Headlines11_21_2014)&mc_cid=9efc6e66f1&mc_eid=64cda056c5

Against Catchphrase Theology

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2018/11/04/against-catchphrase-theology/

Big Bang theory renamed to give credit to Catholic astronomer

https://aleteia.org/2018/10/30/big-bang-theory-renamed-to-give-credit-to-catholic-astronomer/?utm_campaign=NL_en&utm_source=weekly_newsletter&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=NL_en

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Love lures us on | National Catholic Reporter

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Love lures us on | National Catholic Reporter: When I ministered in Peru, I had the privilege of knowing a model disciple named Luzmila. She was a prayer leader, catechist, organizer, goad and the self-appointed development director in charge of c...

Our Critically Disappearing National Consensus - The Catholic Thing

Our Critically Disappearing National Consensus - The Catholic Thing: David Carlin wonders if there's anything Americans of all types can agree on. Ceaseless and passionate commercial activity, perhaps? But that's not enough.

U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism. Now They Don’t Know How to Stop It. - The New York Times

U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism. Now They Don’t Know How to Stop It. - The New York Times: For two decades, domestic counterterrorism strategy has ignored the rising danger of far-right extremism. In the atmosphere of willful indifference, a virulent movement has grown and metastasized.

The immigrant caravan is a wave of hope for America | National Catholic Reporter

The immigrant caravan is a wave of hope for America | National Catholic Reporter: When the caravan of migrants from Honduras reaches the US-Mexico border, it will test the truth of our American values and the credibility of our Catholic social justice teachings. The caravan started...

Trump emoluments case ruling opens way to financial records | US news | The Guardian

Trump emoluments case ruling opens way to financial records | US news | The Guardian: Tax returns could be unearthed in Washington hotel suit as DC attorney general salutes ‘major win in historic case’

Stephen Hawking: Great scientist, lousy theologian, says Bishop Barron

Stephen Hawking: Great scientist, lousy theologian, says Bishop Barron: Stephen Hawking was a great theoretical physicist and cosmologist, perhaps the most important since Einstein. It is only right that his remains have been interred alongside those of Isaac Newton in…

Our Critically Disappearing National Consensus - The Catholic Thing

It Will Be the Best of Futures, and the Worst of Futures

It Will Be the Best of Futures, and the Worst of Futures: The votes that will be cast on Election Day might be the most important votes cast in a long while, but they’re unlikely to change our lives as dramatically as two great tsunamis that are hurtling …

Catholic bishops promised sex-abuse reform, but gave themselves a pass - The Boston Globe

Catholic bishops promised sex-abuse reform, but gave themselves a pass - The Boston Globe: KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bishop Robert Finn wasn’t going anywhere.

Catholic bishops promised sex-abuse reform, but gave themselves a pass - The Boston Globe

Catholic bishops promised sex-abuse reform, but gave themselves a pass - The Boston Globe: KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bishop Robert Finn wasn’t going anywhere.

The Plague of Helicopter Parents - Dynamic Catholic

The Plague of Helicopter Parents - Dynamic Catholic: .find_space{padding: 20px 0px; display: flex;} .dreams {font-size: 30px; line-height: 38px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;} “The one to whom nothing was refused, whose tears were always wiped away by an...

Spiritual Reflection

https://dynamiccatholic.com/newsletter/november-2018?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=november%20newsletter&utm_content=1103%20your%20story%20read%20more%20link&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTmpJMFlUTTVOekE0T1RreCIsInQiOiJmaFwvdEE5MnFaT0o2djVZWWlXZnJaWVFiRDVjSWpuY0FDMVBQaG5ERjJQKzFQTUo1d0xMcHY4U0QwXC9WWGRhMjJPaEFyNFBac1VERlRpSm9NRXlBQ2JzZEVYUWErUW9ybXBvWVhkYnBMaEF1QVdSV0MyWTFNSkxna1FTWGNmVlVCIn0%3D#four

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection November 3, 2018

Your daily Gospel reflection...

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 14:1, 7-11

Friends, our Gospel today is the famous passage from Luke’s Gospel dealing with honor at a banquet. Jesus has been invited to the home of a prominent person, one of the "leading Pharisees," and he notices how people jockey carefully for position, status, prominence.

Who will notice me? Who can I impress? And Jesus puts his finger on the most desperate scenario for an egotist. Trying as hard as he can to be noticed, he gets noticed but for all the wrong reasons! His egotistic games backfire dreadfully, as everyone sees him reduced to embarrassment. So what’s the solution? Stop playing the game. Take the lowest place on purpose. Opt out.

Another strategy is suggested at the end of the parable. It’s also a strategy of noncooperation with evil. I’ll have a dinner for people, but only so that they can pay me back with another dinner. So opt out! Don’t play. Invite people to a party who have no capacity whatsoever to invite you in return. "Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you."

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 484

Reading 1 Phil 1:18b-26

Brothers and sisters:
As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,
for I know that this will result in deliverance for me
through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
My eager expectation and hope
is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,
but that with all boldness, now as always,
Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
And this I know with confidence,
that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you
for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me
when I come to you again.

Gospel Lk 14:1, 7-11

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
'Give your place to this man,'
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
'My friend, move up to a higher position.'
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Friday, November 2, 2018

Did American public schools help give rise to Trump? - SFChronicle.com

Did American public schools help give rise to Trump? - SFChronicle.com: Through more than a half-century, American schools have been blamed for almost every major national problem, from the Russians’ success in beating us into space with Sputnik in 1957 to the nation’s perceived failure to match the apparent economic successes of the Germans and the Japanese in the 1980s. If the schools didn’t shape up, according to Adm. Hyman Rickover, the “father” of the atomic submarine, the Russians would win the Cold War; if they didn’t shape up, according to an influential national report called “A Nation at Risk,” issued in 1983, the Germans and the Japanese would beat our economic brains out. “We have, in effect,” the report ominously warned, “been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament.

Emaciated girl who symbolised Yemen's famine dies aged seven

Emaciated girl who symbolised Yemen's famine dies aged seven: The New York Times portrait of Amal Hussain fighting for her life on a hospital bed drew the world's attention to the human cost of the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

The Smoke of Satan: an excerpt from the introduction | Catholic Culture

The Smoke of Satan: an excerpt from the introduction | Catholic Culture: The following, an excerpt from the opening chapter of my new book, The Smoke of Satan, will give readers an idea of what the book holds in store.

In Jerusalem, just outside the walled Old City, stands the church of St. Peter in Gallicantu: St. Peter as the Cock Crows. Catholic churches are

Pope Francis calls faithful married love 'revolutionary'

Pope Francis calls faithful married love 'revolutionary': Faithful married love, in which a husband loves his wife like Christ loves the Church, is “revolutionary,” Pope Francis said Wednesday.

Pope's cemetery visit for All Soul's makes pro-life statement

Pope's cemetery visit for All Soul's makes pro-life statement: Today Pope Francis visits Laurentino cemetery on Rome’s southern outskirts, which in 2012 opened a "Garden of Angels,” over 700 square yards dedicated to the burial of children who were never born -- either because of miscarriages or due to medical procedures, including abortion.

All Souls Day and the Shock of Death | Word on Fire

New report: strong link between homosexuality and clerical abuse – #sodoclericalism | Fr. Z's Blog

Delaware DOJ opens review of files of clergy, other personnel in diocese | National Catholic Reporter

Delaware DOJ opens review of files of clergy, other personnel in diocese | National Catholic Reporter: The Delaware Department of Justice announced Nov. 1 it has opened an investigation into potential criminal conduct by priests or other church personnel of the Wilmington Diocese, according to a statem...

The Biblical Basis for the Priesthood

The Biblical Basis for the Priesthood: There is much evidence in the Bible of a Christian priesthood.

Jamal Khashoggi Died for Nothing, by Philip Giraldi - The Unz Review

“The Last Days”: Meaning in Hebrew, Biblical Thought | Dave Armstrong

“The Last Days”: Meaning in Hebrew, Biblical Thought | Dave Armstrong: Certain sayings of Jesus have been subject to much misunderstanding & even misinterpretation. "Last days" in Hebrew thought is not as simple as it may seem.

‘Blessed are they who mourn’: Homily for November 1, 2018, All Saints Day | Deacon Greg Kandra

‘Blessed are they who mourn’: Homily for November 1, 2018, All Saints Day | Deacon Greg Kandra: “Blessed are they who mourn.” How striking it is to hear these words right now. When Jesus delivers these Beatitudes, some of the first people he proclaims to be blessed are those who are grieving. With all that has been happening in the news this week, I couldn’t help but think: There are many “blesseds” in

President Donald J. Trump Is Reimposing All Sanctions Lifted Under the Unacceptable Iran Deal

President Donald J. Trump Is Reimposing All Sanctions Lifted Under the Unacceptable Iran Deal: President Donald J. Trump is reimposing the toughest sanctions ever on Iran, targeting many of the corrupt regime’s critical sectors.

The New Global Tinderbox, by Michael T. Klare - The Unz Review

The New Global Tinderbox, by Michael T. Klare - The Unz Review: It’s Not Your Mother’s Cold War

Russia, India And Iran To Cooperate On New Trade Route Alternative To Suez Canal | Zero Hedge

Russia, India And Iran To Cooperate On New Trade Route Alternative To Suez Canal | Zero Hedge: The alternative route will shorten shipment times between India and Russia...by 40%!

Animosity, attacks against LGBT Catholics create 'toxic atmosphere' | National Catholic Reporter

Animosity, attacks against LGBT Catholics create 'toxic atmosphere' | National Catholic Reporter: In the more than quarter-century that Francis DeBernardo has been involved in LGBT ministry, only twice have protesters shown up to his organization's events for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender ...

US bishops are not rushing to Francis-led agenda | National Catholic Reporter

US bishops are not rushing to Francis-led agenda | National Catholic Reporter: "And the winner is …" At the Oscars and Emmys, these words are uttered as a star fumbles with an envelope before announcing which nominee won the coveted trophy. At meetings of the U.S. bishops' con...

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection November 2, 2018

Friday, November 2, 2018

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

John 6:37-40

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about raising us on the last day. Our faith is that God will clothe the soul in a new and higher body, what Paul calls a "spiritual body." Here we might rely on the musings of John Polkinghorne, the Christian physicist, who appreciates the soul as the "form" or pattern of the person. God remembers this "form," and then reconstitutes it at a higher level during the resurrection, much as the pattern of an article or a photograph could be preserved in a computer’s memory and then reproduced in a new way.

Listen again to the words of Jesus in our Gospel today: "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me.…" As you pray for the souls of your beloved dead, take comfort in those words. They will be raised again.

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)
Lectionary: 668

Reading 1 Wis 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

or Rom 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.

Gospel Jn 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day."

Mass Migration: Mortal Threat to Red State America | Patrick J. Buchanan - Official Website

Report: Netanyahu asked Trump to stick with Saudi crown prince after Khashoggi murder - Middle East News - Haaretz.com

Silicon Valley's China Paradox

Can China-U.S. Relations Step Back From the Edge? - Bloomberg

Elizabeth Warren Challenges Trump's Protectionist Tariffs for Not Being Protectionist Enough - Hit & Run : Reason.com

Elizabeth Warren Challenges Trump's Protectionist Tariffs for Not Being Protectionist Enough - Hit & Run : Reason.com: Warren is criticizing a fundamentally unfair process, but only because she wants the outcomes to be slightly different.

Pentagon Socialism – LobeLog

Pentagon Socialism – LobeLog: by William Hartung Given his erratic behavior, from daily Twitter eruptions to upping his tally of lies by the hour, it’s hard to think of Donald Trump as a man with a plan. But in at least one are…

What Lord of the Rings Says About NeverTrump Conservatives - The Atlantic

What Lord of the Rings Says About NeverTrump Conservatives - The Atlantic: When power is corrupt, there is no way to escape its toxic influence.

Pentagon Socialism – LobeLog

GOP hawks to Trump: You're going soft on Iran - POLITICO

GOP hawks to Trump: You're going soft on Iran - POLITICO: The president says he's waging a 'maximum pressure' campaign, but a group of prominent Republican senators is pushing him to overrule his Treasury secretary and punish Iranian banks.

Rouhani tells Iranians to brace for hard times under U.S. sanctions | Reuters

Rouhani tells Iranians to brace for hard times under U.S. sanctions | Reuters: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned Iranians they face hard times when new U.S. sanctions take effect on Sunday but said the government would do its best to alleviate them.

Watch the film the Israel lobby didn't want you to see | The Electronic Intifada

Watch the film the Israel lobby didn't want you to see | The Electronic Intifada: Censored Al Jazeera film is now online.

Transmitted below is a link to an ELECTRONIC INTIFADA article
which includes embedded links to the first two of the four
episodes of the AL JAZEERA investigative report on the
activities of the Israel Lobby in the United States, a report
which was originally intended to be broadcast after AL
JAZEERA's investigative report on the activities of the Israel
Lobby in the United Kingdom but which, due to intense
pressures brought to bear on the government of Qatar, has
never been broadcast by AL JAZEERA.

https://electronicintifada.net/content/watch-film-israel-lobby-didnt-want-you-see/25876

Did you know R.I.P. is a Latin prayer? --Aleteia

Did you know R.I.P. is a Latin prayer? --Aleteia: The abbreviation frequently found on gravestones has an ancient history tied to Catholic funeral ceremonies.

How is All Souls' Day celebrated around the world?--Aleteia

How is All Souls' Day celebrated around the world?--Aleteia: What is All Souls' Day? These culture-rich celebrations around the world are as unique as they are beautiful.

The saints tell us what Purgatory is actually like

The saints tell us what Purgatory is actually like: In her official teaching, the Church doesn’t say much about what Purgatory is actually like, but from the writings of saints and theologians, there’s much we can learn. 1- It’s a place of intense s…

How Mark Zuckerberg Became Too Big to Fail - The New York Times

Freedom on the Net 2018: The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism | Freedom House

Freedom on the Net 2018: The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism | Freedom House: The internet is growing less free around the world, and democracy itself is withering under its influence.

This Catholic has lost her patience with the church - The Boston Globe

This Catholic has lost her patience with the church - The Boston Globe: Helen Drinan, who once worked for the Archdiocese of Boston, questions whether the church is structurally set up to handle sexual misconduct allegations.

How the War in Yemen Became a Bloody Stalemate — and the Worst Humanitarian Crisis in the World - The New York Times

Gunned Down For Believing In Christ: The Mainstream Media Is Silent As The Persecution Of Christians Escalates

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/gunned-down-for-believing-in-christ-the-mainstream-media-is-silent-as-the-persecution-of-christians-escalates

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection November 1, 2018 Solemnity of All Saints

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Solemnity of All Saints

Matthew 5:1-12A

Friends, our Gospel for today is one of the most beautiful and important in the New Testament: the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, the eight Beatitudes. Why is it so important? Because it is the Son of God telling us how to be happy. It is the one who can’t be wrong telling us how to achieve that which each of us most basically wants. What could be more compelling?

At the heart of Jesus’ program are these Beatitudes: "Blessed are the merciful" and "Blessed are the peacemakers." These name the very heart of the spiritual program, for they name the ways that we participate most directly in the divine life.

One of the most important words to describe God in the Old Testament is chesed (tender mercy). The New Testament version of this is found in the first letter of John: God is agape (love). Everything else we say about God should be seen as an aspect of this chesed and this agape. Chesed is compassion; agape is willing the good of the other. Therefore, if you want to be happy, desire to be like God. Do it and you’ll be happy.

Solemnity of All Saints
Lectionary: 667

Reading 1 Rv 7:2-4, 9-14

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

Gospel Mt 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

Economic Distress Did Drive Trump’s Win | naked capitalism

Economic Distress Did Drive Trump’s Win | naked capitalism: Contrary to the dominant media narrative, social issues like racism and sexism on their own can’t explain Trump’s success.

GE credit rating cut by Moody’s as power unit’s woes deepen - The Boston Globe

GE credit rating cut by Moody’s as power unit’s woes deepen - The Boston Globe: General Electric Co.’s credit rating was cut by Moody’s Investors Service, a day after the manufacturer said the outlook was deteriorating at its marquee power division.

Holy See Calls for Action to Halt Small Arms Trade - ZENIT - English

Holy See Calls for Action to Halt Small Arms Trade - ZENIT - English: Multilateral Effort Needed to Halt Violence

Pope on All Saints Day: 'The Saints Love & Understand Us; They Want Us to Be Happy Like Them, Knowing What the True Good Is' - ZENIT - English

Tomgram: William Hartung, The Pentagon's Plan to Dominate the Economy | TomDispatch

Tomgram: William Hartung, The Pentagon's Plan to Dominate the Economy | TomDispatch: null

Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States - ASSESSING-AND-STRENGTHENING-THE-MANUFACTURING-AND DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL-BASE-AND-SUPPLY-CHAIN-RESILIENCY.PDF

Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States - ASSESSING-AND-STRENGTHENING-THE-MANUFACTURING-AND DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL-BASE-AND-SUPPLY-CHAIN-RESILIENCY.PDF

What's Behind the Abuses and Cover-ups? - Homiletic & Pastoral Review

What's Behind the Abuses and Cover-ups? - Homiletic & Pastoral Review: It goes without saying that it is a terrible challenge to one's trust and to one's faith to realize that priests, bishops, cardinals, and heads of

PetersNet : Article Answering Scandal With Personal Holiness

PetersNet : Article

Answering Scandal With Personal Holiness

"Some people are predicting that the Church in this area is in for a rough time, and maybe she is, but the Church will survive, because the Lord will make sure it survives. One of the greatest comeback lines in history happened just about 200 years ago. The French emperor Napoleon was swallowing up countries in Europe with his armies bent on total world domination. He then said to Cardinal Consalvi, "I will destroy your Church." "Je detruirai votre eglise!" The Cardinal said, "No you won't." Napoleon, all 5'2" of him said, "Mais oui, je detruirai votre eglise!" The Cardinal said with confidence, "No you won't. If bad popes, immoral priests and thousands of sinners in the Church haven't succeeded in doing so from the inside, how do you think you're going to do it?" He was pointing to a crucial truth. Christ will never allow his Church to fail. He promised that the gates of hell wouldn't prevail against his Church, that the barque of Peter, the Church sailing through time to its eternal port in heaven, will never capsize, not because those in the boat won't do everything sinfully possible to turn it over, but because Christ, who is in the boat, will never allow it to happen. Christ is still in the boat and he'll never leave it. The magnitude of this scandal might be such that you may find it difficult to trust priests in the same way you have in the past. That may be so, and that might not be completely a bad thing. But never lose trust in Him! It's His Church. Even if some of those he chose have betrayed him, he will call others who will be faithful, who will serve you with the love with which you deserve to be served, just like after Judas' death, the eleven apostles convened and allowed the Lord to choose someone to take Judas' place, and they chose the man who ended up becoming St. Matthias, who proclaimed the Gospel faithfully until his martyrdom.

This is a time in which all of us need to focus ever more on holiness. We're called to be saints and how much our society here needs to see this beautiful, radiant face of the Church. You're part of the solution, a crucial part of the solution. And as you come forward today to receive from this priest's anointed hands the sacred Body of your Lord, ask Him to fill you with a real desire for sanctity, a real desire to show off His true face. One of the reasons why I'm here in front of you as a priest today is because while I younger, I was underimpressed with some of the priests I knew. I would watch them celebrate Mass and almost without any reverence whatsoever drop the Body of the Lord onto the paten, as if they were handling something with little value rather than the Creator and Savior of all, rather than MY Creator and Savior. I remember saying to the Lord, reiterating my desire to be a priest, "Lord, please let me become a priest, so I can treat you like you deserve!" It gave me a great fire to serve the Lord. Maybe this scandal can allow you to do the same thing. This scandal can be something that can lead you down to the path of spiritual suicide, or it can be something that can inspire you to say, finally, "I want to become a saint, so that the Church can show your true face, O Lord, to the world, so that others might find in you the love and the salvation that I have found." Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He's still in the boat. Just as out of Judas' betrayal, he converted that into the greatest good in world history, our salvation through his Cross, death and Resurrection, so out of this he may bring, and wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the 21st century, with each of us - and that includes YOU - playing a starring role. Now's the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now's the time for saints. How do you respond?"

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Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 485

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 484

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)
Lectionary: 668

Solemnity of All Saints
Lectionary: 667