How often have I heard a sermon preached on these words of Jesus found in Matthew 16:18-20 : "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,*and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" turn from an exegesis on the text to a gentle polemic on the importance of the Papacy as an office continuing the ministry of Peter.
Press reports have indicated that the Catholic bishops of Bangladesh have launched a campaign to plant 400,000 trees across the country during the current special “Laudato Si’’ anniversary year, in commemoration of its 5th anniversary.
Several countries and organizations in the world have seized every opportunity to highlight the importance of this landmark encyclical as it saves the world from poverty and ensures a thriving world.
"Oh God, save Iraq and the Iraqis from wars, violence, persecution and all forms of viruses so that they can emerge out of these crises healthier and stronger. Amen"
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi has been quoted by the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) as saying that with the defeat of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq (IS), Iraqi Christian immigrants, 'the original children of the country' should return home. He added that he was serious about providing assistance to Christian families and solving their problems.
As the consequences of the pandemic play themselves out and an emotional culture of fear and anxiety takes the stage, people are looking for hope. Sources of hope can be found throughout the Christian message, but nervousness weighs heavy on the heart. Sometimes people need something more than a message. They need something more personal. They need a mother’s love and reassurance.
In many places the Feast of the Assumption of Mary the mother of Jesus, which is also known as the Dormition (falling asleep) by our Eastern Churches is kept on the date it falls, but in other places if Sunday follows or precedes then there is a transfer of the festival, so in England and Wales we celebrate it this year on the Sunday!
Faithful gather inside the Shrine Church of St. Charbel at the St. Maron Monastery in Annaya, Lebanon. (photo: Sarah Hunter)
As noted on Tuesday, the fortunes of the Maronites are often tied to those of Lebanon; to separate either of these symbiotic entities would do neither of them justice. But equally inaccurate is the suggestion that to be Maronite is to be Lebanese, or vice versa.
Catholics worldwide honor Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15, marking the Solemnity of the Assumption, which is one of the principal feasts of Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of the Church.
This feast commemorates the departure of Our Blessed Lady from Her earthly life and the assumption of her body and soul into Heaven by God. It is a day that marks the sublime nature of Our Mother being the Mother of the Saviour of the entire world, Lord Jesus Christ.
During his Wednesday General Audience, August 12, His Holiness Pope Francis looked ahead to the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary and asked the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede so that humanity might overcome the novel coronavirus, as the Church prepares to celebrate the feast of her Assumption, August 15.
On Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 6:09pm Lebanon turned over a new leaf in its modern history. It is a new leaf stained with blood, as well as smeared with despair, with the loss of beloved ones, and with hopelessness for a bright future.
This massive explosion of tons of ammonium nitrate left the people aghast and unable for some time to comprehend the damage inflicted on their capital or rather on their future, as the Lebanese people have all the time sought to emit to the world sublime values of brotherhood and cultured nobility.
The Holy Bible states that the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
