Faith-focused search for Catholics

18+ min ago (1923+ words) Liturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II). Catching up for Friday, check the date 26. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. BASIL. (in Esai. 6.) The heavenly spirits visit us, not as it seems fit to them, but as the occasion conduces to our advantage, for they are ever looking upon the glory and fulness of the Divine Wisdom; hence it follows, The angel Gabriel was sent. GLOSS. (interlin.) But the place is also added whither he is sent, as it follows, To a city, Nazareth. For it was told that He would come a Nazarite, (i. e. the holy of the holy.) BEDE. (in Homil. de fest Annunt.) It was…...

1+ hour, 21+ min ago (748+ words) 13 December was the darkest day " with the least sunlight " of the old Julian calendar." " In the Gregorian calendar (which corrected the "drift" in the Julian calendar), the shortest day, the Winter Solstice, is 20/22 December." This year 21 December. Today in the Gregorian calendar used by the Catholic Church is the feast of St. Lucy, whose name from the Latin lux, for "light", reminds us who dwell in the still darkening northern hemisphere that our days will soon be getting longer again. Lucy will usually be depicted in art with a lantern, or with a crown of candles, or " most commonly " with her own eyes on a platter. Some accounts have Lucy slain by having her throat thrust through with sword. Other accounts say that to protect her virginity she disfigured herself by cutting her own eyes out and sending them to…...

1+ hour, 37+ min ago (53+ words) Her name is Caroline, and is about 11-12 years old She was taken to the emergency room yesterday, because her hand is turning blue, indicating some kind of circulatory problem. She was released, but I am requesting prayer for God's intervention in her life and in the life of her fraternal twin......

1+ hour, 44+ min ago (623+ words) Now after Jesus ascension, has He been fully glorified to His former state before coming to the stable? Before Mary? Fully omnipresent, fully omnipotent and fully omniscient? Isaiah 9:6, Does Jesus know all there is, beyond a million years, the time of His return? Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed. - /account/dismiss-notice?notice_id=118 CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its…...

1+ hour, 53+ min ago (836+ words) This is a chapter from my book, "Sleuthing The Scriptures". I wrote the book in late 2022. It's Christmas time again, so I am offering it to me fellow freepers. I pray you enjoy it. When you think of the first story of Christmas, it's usually about Mary and Joseph looking down at their new born son in a manger, surrounded by barn animals and maybe a shepherd or two looking on. Angels singing praises of joy to the Lord Most High, and maybe even the star that is guiding the wise men from Babylon to the destination of the Jews Messiah. We live at a time when children are born in sanitized hospital rooms with the best of care, before and after the mother gives birth. When we hear of stories of women giving birth at home, or alongside the…...

1+ hour, 54+ min ago (1348+ words) By Dr. John Bergsma 1. Our First Reading is Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10: The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Isaiah seems to be prophesying the agricultural fertility of the southern Judean desert. Yet when I was last in Israel this past June, the Negev (southern desert) was just as dry as it was in Isaiah's day. So was the prophet wrong? This leads us to understand that Isaiah's prophecy here is cryptic. The "desert" and "parched land" are the hearts and souls of God's people, who have become resistant to his word, like the soil along the…...

3+ hour, 46+ min ago (644+ words) Read about the healings, conversions, material assistance and apparitions that were granted through the intercession of the beloved saint. "A SHOWER OF ROSES THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MIRACLES OF ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX 196 pages, $17.95 (paperback) Camille Burette, the archivist and author of A Shower of Roses, has sifted through the 14,000 materials detailing the spiritual miracles that St. Th'r'se performed through her intercession with Jesus to include the most poignant among them in this volume. The miracles are archived in the Carmel of Lisieux, where the saint lived and died as a Carmelite nun." Each chapter covers a different aspect of the types of miracles, such as healings, conversions, material assistance and apparitions, that were granted through the intercession of the beloved saint. Many French and German soldiers during World War I were protected by the Carmelite or were wounded but had…...

3+ hour, 56+ min ago (360+ words) Prayer as I Age Moses urges us to pray with the same ardor of Jesus, to intercede for the world, and to remember that despite all its frailties, it still belongs to God. Everyone belongs to God. The worst sinners, the most wicked people, the most corrupt leaders, are children of God... Prayer as I Age Moses urges us to pray with the same ardor of Jesus, to intercede for the world, and to remember that despite all its frailties, it still belongs to God. Everyone belongs to God. The worst sinners, the most wicked people, the most corrupt leaders, are children of God, and Jesus feels this and intercedes for everyone. And the world lives and flourishes to the blessing of the righteous, to the prayer for mercy. Prayer as I Age Moses urges us to pray with the…...

4+ hour, 28+ min ago (126+ words) But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) Bible Verse of the Weekend: Dec. 13-14, 2025 Published 4:37 am Saturday, December 13, 2025 But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) Free evening shuttle launches in downtown Tyler City of Tyler librarian position is vacant Tyler mayoral candidates Hene, Nix, Wynne address priorities during Smith County Republican Club panel Shops at The Hill showcases Chapel Hill High School student talent through Christmas marketplace...

4+ hour, 33+ min ago (408+ words) December 13, 2025 Catholic News Agency News Briefs 0 Print Rome Newsroom, Dec 13, 2025 / 09:00 am A Swedish youth choir marked the feast of St. Lucy by singing at a Mass at the Vatican on Thursday, Dec. 11. Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet " The Nordic Music High School " in Stockholm performed traditional Swedish "Lucia songs" during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter's Basilica ahead of the Italian saint's Dec. 13 feast day. "It was just really amazing" singing in St. Peter's Basilica, choir member Alfio Tota told EWTN News after the Dec. 11 Mass. "It's so enormous " And the acoustics are very interesting." The student recalled that though Sweden is a very secular country, the tradition of St. Lucia, as they call her, is quite strong. "I think everyone feels quite a lot of joy and nostalgia in singing" the St. Lucy hymns, he said. Choir member Fabienne Glader…...