Purgatory Now – “The practicing Catholic starts with the end-goal of heaven and more specifically the Beatific Vision, and, in working backwards, knows they must die in a state of grace in order to enjoy the blessings of both. ” Our Lady’s Greatest Delight (Catholic Exchange)
Hate Speech Charges – A woman in Norway is facing up to three years in prison on criminal hate-speech charges after saying that a man cannot become a lesbian. Norwegian actress Tonje Gjevjon faces up to 3 years in prison for saying men cannot be lesbians (New York Post)
Renovations – Hundreds of thousands were paid to a contractor instead of going to missionary and charitable projects. Paglia claims they were repaid; while others cry foul. Paglia used charity funds to renovate apartment (The Pillar)
Real Reform – “…the Eighth World Meeting of Families was a remarkable success. Its one chronic problem, in the eyes of the Philadelphia team actually doing the work, had a name: Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia.” Archbishop Paglia? Financial Reform? (The Catholic Thing)
Oligarchs and Rulers – “Two main components comprise the foreign policy and military world: policy and operations.” The Plight of Ordinary Ukrainians with Negotiations in Deep Freeze (CNS News)
Ditching Christianity – “It’s less about hot-button topics like abortion and gay marriage and more about the Cold War and the internet.” A mass exodus from Christianity is underway in America. Here’s why. (Grid)
Heroic Virtues – “Recognizing that Matteo Ricci “lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree,” Pope Francis has officially put the famous 16th-century Italian Jesuit missionary to China on the path to sainthood.” Pope Francis puts Matteo Ricci on path to sainthood (America Magazine)
Conservative Clergy, Liberal Laity – “Almost half of young clergy in a survey disapprove of the liberalizing Pope Francis.” U.S. Catholic Priests Are Increasingly Conservative as Faithful Grow More Liberal (Wall Street Journal)
100,000 Have Died – “Recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen carelessly revealed the devastating cost of the Ukraine war.” Is This Winning? (The American Conservative)
Release These Guys – “Pope Francis has asked world leaders to release prisoners, as a ‘gesture of clemency,’ as we approach the Christmas season.” The gap between papal rhetoric and action (Catholic Culture)
A Point of Scandal – “An alleged victim of Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik has detailed the sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse she said she suffered as a religious sister.” ‘Descent into Hell’: An alleged Rupnik victim speaks out (The Pillar)
Limits of Medicine or Divine Intervention? – “The Marian shrine is famous to the faithful, but less well known is the Lourdes office of medical observations. ” France’s Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes: Where 70 medical miracles have been recognized by church officials (CBS News)
Travelling Holy Family – “Instead of the well-known ‘Elf on the Shelf’ activity, I wanted to invite parents reading this post to try something different this Advent by introducing ‘Travelling Mary and St. Joseph’ to their home.” Travelling Mary and St. Joseph: A Catholic Alternative to Elf on the Shelf (Archdiocese of Toronto)
Sports and Faith – “Do you allow sports to compete with God for the number one spot in your life? Do you celebrate receiving Jesus in the Eucharist much more enthusiastically than you celebrate your team scoring a touchdown?” Sports host takes his Catholic faith to the airwaves (The B.C. Catholic)
A Diocesan College – “At one time, it might have seemed unnecessary to attempt to define Catholicity for a Catholic institution of higher education. It was Catholic by its very nature . . . ” Our Rich History: The Catholic identity of a Diocesan College — a historical perspective (Northern Kentucky Tribune)
Do Good, Avoid Evil – “The manualists, as they were called, distinguished themselves from those writing about pursuing the good. Those authors wrote about growing in ‘perfection’ or the ascetical life.” A brief history of the Catholic Church’s teaching on mercy and sin (America Magazine)
The Joy of Life – “A rumor is making the rounds in Rome that Pope Francis is preparing to issue an encyclical or some other form of teaching document on contraception.” A New Encyclical on Contraception? (The Catholic Thing)
(*The posting of any particular news item or essay is not an endorsement of the content and perspective of said news item or essay.)
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