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Adoration of the Shepherds  [London] Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger  (Luke 2:16). Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)    Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 2:16-21   (English Standard Version, Anglicised) At that time: The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he wa...

Visitation Luca della Robbio [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,) Readings   (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales; Scotland)  Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 1:39-45  (English Standard Version, Anglicised)    In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,   and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.   And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,   and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!   And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?   For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.   And bl...

  Jesus gives the Beatitudes from  The Chosen Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Matthew 5:1-12a [or 4:12-17]  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)     Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be ...

Visitation Luca della Robbio [ Web Gallery of Art ]   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, [England & Wales], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   Luke 1:39-45  (English Standard Version Anglicised: India) In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,   and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.   And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,   and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!     And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?   For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.   And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfil...

  Pope Francis on  15 September 2021 From the  official English translation  of the Pope’s words in Italian  [emphases added  in quotations below ] : Abortion is more than a problem, abortion is a murder.  Abortion... without mincing words: whoever has an abortion, kills. Take any book on embryology, from those who study students at Faculties of Medicine and see that, in the third week of pregnancy – in the third week, and often before the mother is aware of it – the fetus already has all the organs; all, even the DNA. And wouldn't it be a person? It's a human life… period! And this human life must be respected. This principle is so clear…  To those who cannot understand it, I would ask two questions: Is it fair to kill a human life to solve a problem? Scientifically, it's a human life. Second question: Is it fair to hire a hit man to solve a problem? The first sentence above in the original Italian reads: I...

  The Good Shepherd Early Italian Christian Painter [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel     John 19:11-18     (English Standard Version, Anglicised) Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.   He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.   He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.   I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,   just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.   And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my...

The Holy Night (The Nativity) , Carlo Maratti  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Today, New Year's Day 2019, is the darkest day in the history of the independent Ireland (the Republic of Ireland) that came into being in 1922.  Starting today , it is now legal in Ireland to kill an unborn baby for any reason whatever up to 12 weeks. After that the unborn child may be killed for specific reasons related to the health of the mother or to the perceived chances of a baby being born dead or not likely to live more than 28 days after birth. It will still be a serious crime to take the life of a child after 12 weeks except within the circumstances where the law allows abortion, though not in the case of a woman ending her own pregnancy. Early abortions will be carried out mainly by General Practitioners (GPs) who are willing to do them. Doctors and other medical personnel may refuse to carry out abortions but, as far as I know, doctors will be expected to refer the mother to ...

As we observe Holy Week, we might ask ourselves a question, "Are We Politically Correct Like Pilate?"  Saint Mark’s Gospel tells us that he was certainly a biblical version of the ‘go along to get along’ crowd. When he asked the throng what to do with Jesus, he clearly demonstrated that he knew Jesus was blameless. We got further confirmation of culpability when Pilate cited the jealousy of the Chief Priests for the arrest of Jesus. In washing his hands of the entire affair, he showed his lack of conviction and profound failure to take a stand. In this final period of heightened anticipation, will examining our consciences find us similarly weak-spined? By scrutinizing our actions in relation to prominent issues of the day, we might find an answer that does little to vindicate us. Here, then, is an opportunity to search our hearts and find His Truth. 1. Are We Politically Correct About Abortion? 2. Same Sex ‘Marriage’, a Leading Politically Correct Issue 3. Leaving...

photo of Cardinal O'Connor from EWTN.com In Colorado. three people died and nine were injured after a recent shooting near a Planned Parenthood facility. Did peaceful pro-life activists contribute to the violence? No - not now, and not a generation ago, when the murders of two abortion facility employees led to calls for a temporary end to public pro-life witness. A few days after those deaths, John Cardinal O'Connor of New York preached on the feast of the Epiphany about how to respond to the culture of death. He respected his brother bishops who called for a moratorium on pro-life demonstrations, but he made a forceful case for continuing them. "I would like to believe, however, that the current outcries against the pro-life movement are a reflection of frustration rather than a concerted effort to marginalize millions of non-violent, peaceful people whose only sin is their love for every human life, the life of every baby, the life of every mother. If there is a con...