Jeanie Hannaman

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, LifeSiteNews - Obedience to the truth must “purify” our souls and thus guide us to upright speech and upright action. In other words, speaking in the hope of being applauded, governed by what people want to hear out of obedience to the dictatorship of current opinion, is considered to be a sort of prostitution: of words and of the soul. The “purity” to which the Apostle Peter is referring means not submitting to these standards, not seeking applause, but rather, seeking obedience to the truth.

By Msgr. Charles Pope - Of all the prophets, Jonah is perhaps the most reluctant; his struggle with sin is not hidden. We are currently reading Jonah’s story in daily Mass. In the story we see a portrait of sin and of God’s love for sinners. Psalm 139 says, beautifully, Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I descend into hell, thou art present. If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me (Ps 139: 7-10).

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture - … as I heard the words of St. Paul (2 Tim 1”7) that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” The spirit of timidity counsels us to be silent. The spirit of power impels us to speak, and the spirit of love and self-control urges us to help care for the welfare of our neighbors more than we care for our own comfort. We should speak—even if speaking makes us squirm a bit—if by speaking we can move a sinner toward repentance. Yes, we should be merciful toward others—but remember that admonishing sinners is a spiritual work of mercy.