Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 8:1-11 – 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?” …

By S.A. McCarthy, The American Spectator – A Catholic Priest in Iceland becomes a test case for freedom of conscience… A Catholic priest in Iceland is facing a potential prison sentence for upholding the Catholic Church’s moral teaching on homosexuality. According to EWTN News, the French-born Fr. Jakob Rolland caused a bit of an uproar when he was interviewed for a radio program and chose to defend the Church’s age-old moral teachings on marriage, sexuality, and the Blessed Sacrament.

By Craig Bannister, Media Research Center – The iconic phrase “separation of Church and State” doesn’t mean what most people think it does, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) explained Thursday at the Catholic National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C… “It’s particularly fitting, I think, on this year, that we reflect on the essential role that faith plays, and has always played, in our national life,” Johnson said, noting that 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. “It is from the very birth of our nation, that America has always been sustained by prayer,” Johnson said.

By Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Substack – One of the clearest examples is the growing pattern of hostility directed at Catholic churches across our country. For those trained in national security and political warfare, the pattern is recognizable. It reflects a form of pressure often directed at longstanding moral institutions that shape civil society independent of government authority. When such institutions come under sustained attack without meaningful response from political leadership, law enforcement, or cultural institutions, the result is not simply vandalism. It is the gradual weakening of one of the moral guardrails that helps sustain a free sovereign nation.

By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine – There was just this little problem: Crisis had wedded itself to a Republican presidential administration that launched a preemptive war against a Middle Eastern country, partly at the behest of Israel—a war based on lies, including the now-debunked claims of an imminent threat of that country’s supposed weapons of mass destruction. Here is one defense of that war from the pages of Crisis, made in March 2023 at the beginning of the invasion:

By Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing – Just now, we’re rightly preoccupied not only about the justice of the Iran war, but also about its possible spread – along with terrorism. And we try to imagine what a “successful” end might be. We can’t help but doubt what we’re told by politicians and the media. But in all this, do we lose sight of the truth that neither war nor peace is the last word for us? … Our Christian forbears didn’t need to ask this basic question because, until quite recently, bodily death was not considered the worst thing. Some things are worth dying for. Most people knew anyway from daily experience that our years on earth are sharply limited, war or not.

By Thomas Edwards, Catholic Herald – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has closed its doors to the public. The 1,700-year-old church, built under the Roman Emperor Constantine and believed to be the site where Jesus rose from the dead, has been closed for weeks, with concerns now turning to whether it will be open for Holy Week… The closure comes after Israel and the United States began military operations against Iran on February 28, initiating Operation Epic Fury, with the Iranian regime responding with military action against Israel and across the wider Middle East.

Catholic Apostolate Center – Patron Saint of Peru – St. Turibius was born in 1538 in Spain. He was the third Bishop of Lima, Peru when he was appointed in 1580. The diocese was facing many scandals when Turibius was installed, so he focused on reforming the diocese. He then spent his episcopate working to bring the traditions of the Church to the native languages of the people in Lima. He published a trilingual catechism and mandated all seminarians learn the indigenous language, both which helped spread Catholicism in Peru.

By Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop Emeritus, Pillars of Faith – In these days of great confusion, many faithful Catholics are feeling unsettled – some even shaken – by the intensity of political pressure, public accusations, and the growing hostility toward those who simply hold to the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church… Let me speak clearly, as a shepherd of souls: If you feel that the ground beneath you is shaking, it is not because the truth has changed – it is because many have unknowingly anchored themselves to things that cannot hold… Political parties cannot save us. Governments cannot define truth. And no earthly movement – no matter how powerful – can replace the Kingship of Jesus Christ.

By Peter C. Earle, The American Spectator – There is a growing, if tentative, sense that Cuba may be approaching an inflection point. Rapidly mounting economic stress owing to losing its Venezuelan oil lifeline, persistent shortages, outward migration, and quiet policy experimentation suggest that the island could rapidly begin moving, however unevenly, toward more market-oriented arrangements in the months ahead. These shifts may not resemble a clean “transition” in the textbook sense. They may come piecemeal: expanded private enterprise here, currency reform there, selective liberalization of trade or investment. ….

By Gayle Somers, Catholic Exchange – In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus turns mourning into joy when He raises Lazarus from the dead… This Gospel gives us a story about Jesus raising the dead to life, something He did on at least two other occasions (see Lk. 7:11:17, Mk. 5:21-23).  This episode, however, is profoundly different from those in three ways: (1) Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus, not a complete stranger; (2) Jesus purposely allowed His sick friend to die; and (3) the dead man was in a tomb long enough to decay.  …

By Breccan F. Thies, The Federalist – President Donald Trump’s dispute with unnamed Israeli officials appeared to come to an end as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted his country “acted alone” in its attack on the Iranian South Pars gas field. Prior to Netanyahu’s statement, anonymous Israeli officials told the press that the American government actually had advance knowledge of the Israeli attack after Trump himself said the U.S. did not know about the operation.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 7:40-53 – 40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. ….

By Fr. Brian Harrison, SThD, OnePeterFive – Prominent among recent comments on the current impasse between the SSPX and the Vatican over the Society’s planned episcopal consecrations have been those of Bishop Athanasius Schneider. His intervention here was rightly described by Eric Sammons in a recent “Crisis” podcast as coming from the heart of a true shepherd. The eloquence and sense of urgency in his words reveal a deep and charitable concern for the souls of the multitude of Christ’s flock affected by this new and perilous standoff.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – In another life, when I used to teach Apologetics at Christendom College, I would always set aside some time to discuss “motives of credibility”. What is it about Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church in particular, that motivates us to believe and act on their claims? Clearly one important factor is the credibility of the person making the claim. For example, we tend to value the testimony of someone we have always found serious, sober, well-balanced, intelligent, trustworthy and concerned with our well-being. ..