“The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so truthfully.
For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point"
Pope Leo XIV
5 men will be ordained to the Catholic priesthood in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 30, including one who is a convert to the faith.
Image: Diocese of Little Rock
Pope Leo meets with Catholic Charities USA.
In his address, the Pope recognized that personal and institutional difficulties often confront those who seek to care for the poor.
These include "demonstrating to others that this type of service is an integral part of authentic Christian living", the Pope said.
Catholic Charities USA is “by no means immune from these challenges", Pope Leo said.
“Yet," he emphasized, "it is precisely when we are confronted with such obstacles that we must learn to hear Jesus’ voice saying to us once more, ‘I am with you always!’”
God could have created a perfect world. He could have arranged things so as to prevent us from falling into the pit by our sinful, despicable actions. He’s all powerful, after all. This would have been so easy for God. But that’s not how He decided...
https://t.co/K8caXIRbkq
Friends, all during the Easter season, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, and this Sunday, we hear part of Peter’s oration on Pentecost morning. His bold proclamation is, in a way, the mother of all sermons; it is the essence of authentic Christian preaching. Peter, filled with the excitement of the Gospel, names the problem of sin, declares Jesus as Lord and Christ, and cuts his listeners to the heart. Then there comes naturally a question in response: “What are we to do?”:
https://t.co/HiO97A2pv3
When you've tried everything and nothing has worked, Catholics have long turned to one saint in particular.
St. Jude Thaddeus was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. He doesn't appear much in the Gospels, but what we do know is that after the Resurrection, he gave everything to spreading the faith. He preached in difficult regions, likely including areas in the Middle East and Persia, often alongside the Apostle Simon. Many people came to believe through his work, and the early Church grew in places where the name of Jesus had never been heard.
He died a martyr.
He didn't walk away from the Gospel when it cost him.
He stayed faithful to the end.
There is an old tradition connected to St. Jude that many Catholics find meaningful.
According to this tradition, a king named Abgar of Edessa was seriously ill and reached out to Jesus, asking for healing. The story says Jesus pressed His face to a cloth, leaving His image on it, and that this cloth was later brought to the king by St. Jude. When Abgar received the cloth and heard the Gospel preached, he was healed. This story is considered a pious tradition, not a defined doctrine of the Church, but it has been part of Christian history for many centuries and is why St. Jude is often shown holding an image of Christ.
St. Jude is honored as the patron of desperate situations and hopeless cases.
One reason this devotion became so strong comes from a vision reported by St. Bridget of Sweden. She said that Christ told her St. Jude would be generous in helping those who called on him, in keeping with the meaning of his name, which is understood to mean something like "the loving one." Because of this, countless Catholics throughout history have prayed to St. Jude when they felt there was nowhere else to turn, and many have said their prayers were answered.
🙏 Novena to St. Jude (For Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases)
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors you as the patron of difficult cases and things almost despaired of. Pray for me. I am struggling and I need help. Intercede before God for me, that He may bring help where hope seems gone. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolation and strength of heaven in all my necessities, troubles, and sufferings, especially:
(make your request here)
May I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, Blessed St. Jude, to be grateful for this favor and to always honor you as my patron, and to encourage others to turn to you. Amen.
May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen. May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen. St. Jude, pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all eternity.
Amen.
Gospel of the Day (Mark 16,15-20)
Jesus said to the eleven: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
https://t.co/WEZxfbUKo9
One day Teresa of Avila was coming down the steps of her convent when she saw a beautiful young boy. The Child spoke to her and said: "Who are you?" Teresa answered: "I am Teresa of Jesus, who are you?"
The Child answered: "I am Jesus of Teresa!"
Pope Leo XIV to men about to be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood: “Dearest ordinands, the deeper your bond with Christ, the more radical is your belonging to common humanity. There is no opposition, no competition, between heaven and earth, in Jesus they are joined together forever.”
'This Is A Both Sides Issue,' Says Side That Shot President Trump, Assassinated Charlie Kirk, Tried To Assassinate Kavanaugh, Tried To Shoot Trump Again, Shot Steve Scalise, Firebombed Governor Shapiro, Tried To Shoot Trump A Third Time, (cont'd) https://t.co/xtK8yqxvzK
Anthony Kunnumpurath, who is being ordained to the diaconate today in the United States, is a former medical doctor who left his career to pursue the priesthood.
Today is a good day to pray for peace.
Not peace as in “a lack of conflict”, because such a thing is not possible this side of heaven.
I mean the kind of peace that comes with the recognition that Jesus is greater than any issue we face.
I mean the kind of peace that comes from trusting that whether Jesus does what we want or not, He will always act in our eternal best interest.
I mean the kind of peace that comes when we don’t spend too much of our precious, limited time in the world of the American left/right political paradigm, but instead, rest in the truth and love of God.
Let’s put our phones down today and let the partisans point fingers at each other while we open our hearts to God and our families.
#talkedtotheboss
So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
John 10:1-10
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