Benedict XVI has changed his mind about something, and it's important that you know about it...
Given the orchestrations of the last, controversial Synod of Bishops which met to discuss issues concerning the family, and given the hot issues raised, when the former POPE says something touching the issue of Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, we should pay attention. In essence, Benedict XVI is doing what St...
Advent isn't just pre-Christmas. It's a penitential time to prepare for our Lord's Second Coming...
Many people think of Advent merely in terms of pre-Christmas time: office parties, shopping, decorating etc. But in the Church, Advent is a penitential time, a time of preparation for both the Christmas Feast and the Second Coming of the Lord. The purple vestments signal penance. The faithful are encouraged to go to Confession, and the liturgical texts and readings emphasize readying for the coming of the Lord...
The best (and worst) airlines in the United States...
The harbours of the Sea of Galilee...
A reading list to equip yourself for one-on-one evangelization...
The Year of Faith is over. We have celebrated the great Solemnity of Christ the King, and as we enter Advent, we are ready to continue the work of the New Evangelization openly and joyfully, one-on-one, like the first Christians who are our role models. Or perhaps we are venturing out into “mission territory” for the first time...
Criminals should be treated like humans, and police officers should be allowed to behave like humans ...
Al Sharpton may be an ignorant, self-aggrandizing, rabble-rousing charlatan, but that doesn't mean he's wrong every time. This time, he's right on. Why was the policeman not prosecuted? Garner said eleven times that he could not breathe, but the police officer kept the pressure on Garner's neck, and Garner died. The medical examiner ruled it was homocide...
It's Advent, and that can mean only one thing: War is coming...
When we view a nativity scene, we generally think of a peaceful scene. Many think of the baby born to a virgin in a manger and the star which rests above. There are peaceful animals, a humble St. Joseph, and scared shepherds. But, something is missing. It is the drumbeat of war. Can't you hear it? It is the spiritual battle that rages in places we cannot see with our eyes or hear with our ears...
A reflection on the Second Sunday of Advent...
Our God is coming. The time of exile - the long separation of humankind from God due to sin - is about to end. This is the good news proclaimed in today's liturgy. Isaiah in today's First Reading promises Israel's future release and return from captivity and exile. But as today's Gospel shows, Israel's historic deliverance was meant to herald an even greater saving act by God - the coming of Jesus to set Israel and all nations free from bondage to sin...
St. Peter’s Square prepares for Christmas with a unique "twin-trunk tree" and opera...
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The Vatican’s tree, always a beauty, has just arrived in St. Peters Square. This year’s tree is different in that it’s got a “double trunk”–that is, two trunks growing together. There’s a homily in there, I’m sure: A twin-trunk tree would be a great metaphor for married love...
My son did something naughty at school, and my heart swelled with joy...
Why G.K. Chesterton believed in Santa Claus...
One of the aims of the reform of the Roman Curia is to weaken it...
According to a panel of experts, these are the best facial tissues money can buy...
Why do people in old movies talk so weird?
Celebrating the spirituals: Sober but serene on themes of judgment...
Here's the 2014 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar...
December’s most celebrated mother...
New Advent is edited by Kevin Knight (webmaster
newadvent.org)
At Advent, Christians must repent and prepare themselves for the future coming of the Lord...
Only by keeping this two-fold perspective in mind can we fully understand the lectionary readings chosen for us this Sunday. As we shall see, by meditating on the former we learn lessons about how to prepare best for the latter. John the Baptist, for example, becomes not only the one to prepare the way for the Incarnation but also a model for what it means to prepare for the Second Coming...
Are you in school? Here are 60 student discounts you should know about...
What color is the Sun? It might look yellow, but it's not really yellow...
25 things every Franciscan University student understands...
Pope Francis fires the chief of the Swiss Guard...
The man characterized as a dictator by his employees has been removed as commander of the Swiss Guard, the small army that historically protects the pope, at the request of Pope Francis. Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig, who served in the position for eight years, will leave his post Jan. 31. French media reports attributed the decision to the commander’s strictness...
Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell...
While Advent is now re-packaged as a “time to look forward to Christmas, hang the lights, dress the tree, wrap the gifts and hum along to Bing Crosby” the fact of the matter is that in this winter season we also ought to face the facts of the grim reaper. I’ve had this driven home to me strongly this year. My younger sister died on Easter Day...
How I became Catholic...
From time to time people ask me how a nice Dutch Calvinist boy like me wound up converting from Evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism. I've written and talked about this in the past, notably in a 2003 appearance on...
The murder of innocents is wrong and every human being knows it...
Human rights. Does that phrase refer to unalienable human rights that are ours by virtue of the fact that we are human beings? Or, does it refer to laws and rules that can be shifted and changed by the whim of legislative bodies or the flick of a dictator’s will? What are human rights, and where, if they exist as a separate entity...
Church giving tops $50 billion a year in the U.S.—and its future is not a collection plate...
Vatican report on U.S. sisters to be released on December 16, spokesman reveals...
Why the world's best sailors still hit reefs...
This cable-free elevator of the future moves you in any direction...
There's more to this crazy pool vortex than meets the eye...
6 book recommendations for Christmas...
If he’s remembered at all these days, it’s as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the film “Amistad;” but John Quincy Adams was arguably the most talented and consequential public servant in American history. He served in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, represented the United States diplomatically as ambassador to the Netherlands...
One word sums up the priesthood: Love...
Greed doesn’t sum up the priesthood. The average priest makes under $35,000 per year. Sexism doesn’t sum up the priesthood. Jesus ordained men, but women never had to be priests to be important in the Church. In fact, some of the most important people in Church history have been women. Abuse doesn’t sum up the priesthood...
When we think of heroes, we often think too big...
Get this entire Catholic website on CD-ROM...
The full contents of the New Advent website are available on CD-ROM. It includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — and it's only $19.99...
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