Amid the sounds of Arkansas’ waterfalls, women who have had abortions will someday be able to find healing at a “living wall” memorial covered in flora and fauna, where the names of unborn children will be inscribed on the hexagonal stone floor thanks to local artist Lakey Goff, who submitted the living wall design, which was selected for Arkansas’ monument for the unborn.

The memorial will be on state property, but funding must come from the people. Now Goff and other Arkansians are fundraising for the living wall.

On Saturday morning, participants gathered at sunrise at Two Rivers Park in Little Rock to kick off the first annual Living Wall 5K — a race to fundraise for the memorial.

Continued below.

Pray Jesus Christ heals & comforts & provides for all those affected by the fires at an apartment complex area in Hong Kong:

On Friday at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and a delegation of Ukrainian mothers, wives, and teenagers forcibly taken to Russia during the war. The group discussed the ongoing efforts being made to secure the return of civilians to Ukraine, particularly children.

At the forefront of the work of repatriation and recovery of Ukrainian children swept up in the country’s war with Russia is Caritas Ukraine, which has prioritized the reintegration of these children, according to Liliia Chulitska, an information expert with Caritas Ukraine.

Caritas Ukraine is made up of cooperating organizations and operates as part of the international network Caritas Internationalis, the social ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. It has been implementing humanitarian, social, and recovery programs throughout Ukraine for over 30 years, with a primary focus on humanitarian assistance in more than 15 regions of Ukraine.

Chulitska explained that when it comes to the repatriation of Ukrainian children, Caritas Ukraine cooperates with Ukraine’s Ombudsman’s Office once children are returned to Ukraine and, as a service provider, assesses the children’s needs and provides direct assistance.

Continued below.

Slovenian voters have rejected a proposed euthanasia law in a Nov. 23 referendum, blocking legislation that would have allowed terminally ill patients to end their lives. The bill, passed by the Slovenian Parliament four months earlier, was opposed by 53.43% of voters, preventing it from taking effect.

Under Slovenian law, Sunday’s vote freezes the matter for at least 12 months, after which Parliament may consider a new version of the bill.

A year earlier, a nonbinding referendum indicated public openness to regulated euthanasia, prompting the governing coalition to draft and pass the legislation in July 2025. But opposition quickly mobilized. The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and other conservative groups denounced the proposal as undermining human dignity and devaluing the lives of the most vulnerable.

The Slovenian Bishops’ Conference also publicly opposed the legislation. Citing Article 17 of the Slovenian Constitution — which states that “human life is inviolable” — the bishops urged lawmakers to strengthen systemic medical, human, and spiritual support for those in need. They called for greater investment in palliative care and related services rather than pursuing policies that permit the direct termination of life.

Continued below.

A GREAT POLITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPE LEO AND THE USCCB AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM, FOR SO MANY CATHOLICS, BISHOPS, CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND LAITY, THE CHURCH IS VIEWED THROUGH A POLITICAL LENSE AND LEAVES CHRIST AND HIS SALVATION OUT OF THE DISCUSSION!​

Don’t get me wrong, the article I link by pressing its title is a great political analysis. But please, tell me where you read anything about the Most Holy Trinity and the exclusive way God redeems the world through Jesus Christ. Where is there anything about Mariology, Sacraments, Morality, Spirituality, devotions and the like?

This is linked from Rorate Caeli:

Leo and the American Bishops - the USCCB Election and Fake News Pushed by American Liberals​

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During a sermon on Sunday (Nov. 23), former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry thanked President Trump for pardoning his crimes and thanked God for forgiving his sins. Strawberry, an eight-time All-Star who has overcome legal and substance-abuse problems, preached for 45 minutes at Sheridan Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The former outfielder, now 63, referenced the presidential pardon he received on Nov. 6. “God just completely set me free when he gave me a pardon from President Donald J. Trump,” Strawberry told congregants. “Other presidents had opportunities, but they didn’t do it.”

In 1995, Strawberry pleaded guilty to tax evasion, and in 1999, he pleaded no contest to cocaine possession and solicitation of a prostitute. After numerous parole violations, he served 11 months in a Florida prison from 2002 to 2003. Since then, Strawberry has recovered from addiction and traveled extensively to talk about his Christian faith.

Darryl Strawberry: From ‘Pit’ to Pulpit​

Continued below.

Baseball Great Darryl Strawberry: God ‘Set Me Free’ With Pardon From Trump

Former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry thanked President Trump for pardoning his crimes and thanked God for forgiving his sins.

churchleaders.com

Following a brief social media hiatus, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Conor McGregor (37) posted that he met Jesus while undergoing ibogaine treatment.

According to the Addiction Center, ibogaine is “a plant-derived compound used for its psychoactive effects. It is currently being studied for its potential in treating substance use disorders.”

“Ibogaine causes hallucinations and vivid dreams,” says the center. “It may have a positive effect on substance cravings by acting on several receptors in the brain.”

Throughout his fighting career, McGregor, who is nicknamed “Notorious,” has been known as one of the most arrogant, brash, charismatic, passionate, trash-talking fighters the sport has ever experienced.

Continued below.

If you want discipleship that actually fits normal life, not just Sunday, give thementoringproject.com a try. The lessons are short and way less cheesy than you’d expect.

Leftists are no longer content with simply pushing the LGBT agenda onto conservative religious believers. They’ve escalated their attacks on religion and God. They’re engaging in gleeful public displays of bigotry meant to anger and humiliate faithful people in their community. But MassResistance activists are letting them know that regular citizens won’t stand for it.

A Loathsome, Offensive “Church” Event​

Melrose, Massachusetts is a suburb north of Boston (population ~29,400). Catholics make up the largest faith community in the city at about 40 percent.

Almost two weeks ago, MassResistance was contacted by “Patrick,” one of our long-time supporters in Melrose and a devout Catholic. He was distraught. The far-left Unitarian Universalist church located across the street from the Melrose Public Library was putting on an unbelievably offensive and disgusting event. It was open to the public. The church was advertising it on signs, on flyers, and through social media as one of its “Thoughtful Thursday” events.

Continued below.

Sin deforms us, closes us in on ourselves and makes us unfit for communion with God.

Q. The Catholic Church teaches that hell is eternal. How is that consistent with an all-loving God who wants the best for us? If you’re an unrepentant sinner for 50, 60, 70 years or more, does that warrant spending eternity in hell without any hope of “parole?” Even after a couple hundred thousand years, wouldn't even the most hardened sort feel repentant?

A. The idea of an everlasting hell is troubling, to say the least. How can an all-loving God, who “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), allow some to be lost forever? Isn’t eternal punishment incompatible with God’s infinite mercy?

The two may at first seem incompatible, but when we look at the problem in the light of human freedom, we see they are not. God truly desires that all come to know and love him, but he has made us free to choose — and that includes the freedom to reject him. A creature unable to choose freely could not love. Although God invites us and enables us to love him, he never compels us, for coerced love is not love.

Freedom and Self-Determination​

Continued below.

My Diocese of residence, the Diocese of Charleston, is a booming diocese from the Low Country where I live, which is the coastal southern part of South Carolina, to the midlands and upstate.


Of particular note is the metro area of Greenville, South Carolina, at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is about 100 miles from Augusta, Georgia where I grew up and where I visited as a young child.

The Catholic Church in the Greenville Metro area is booming and it is a Post-Vatican II Church with the Modern Mass celebrated as Vatican II intended, not some liberal/progressive hodgepodge of neo-Arianism mishmash, kitschy and banal hymns from the 70’s and 80’s folk era.

The National Catholic Register has a great article about the Catholic Church in Greenville, which you can read HERE. Of particular note is what is happening at Greenville’s downtown Catholic Church since the early 2000’s, St. Mary Church.

The video below is their Solemn Sung Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe from this past Sunday.

It is the Modern Mass at its best:

1. Please note the Entrance Procession with the proper chant flowing directly into a marvelous metrical hymn embellished by the great choir. But note, too, how the laity are singing both the Proper Chant and then the metrical hymn!

2. Please note how crisp the Introductory Rite is, with no stupid bantering by the celebrant prior to introducing the Penitential Act. The Kyrie chanted in Greek and the Gloria in Latin, with the Collect in English. There is a great mix of Latin and vernacular in this Mass.

3. Please note the excellent lector wearing Sunday Best for a layman!

4. The Credo is spoken which seems to be the default in Modern Masses. I don’t see why one sung version of the Credo, in Latin or English can’t be used and memorized by the laity when used weekly!

5. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is Ad Orientem and has been so at this parish since the early 2000’s. Please note the number of altar boys. This parish has provided a considerable number of candidates for the priesthood in the Diocese of Charleston.

6. Please note the Communion Procession. There are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, both male and female and all in appropriate Sunday Best clothing.

Continued below.

Another "shoot ourselves in the foot" move by this administration. Imagine if you were to visit Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. "You're not Canadian, that will be an additional $100 to enter the park."

The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.

The fee change will impact 11 national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

As part of the changes, which are set to take effect Jan. 1, foreign tourists will also see their annual parks pass price jump to $250, while U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80, according to the department's statement.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/26/g-s1-99442/national-parks-fees-international-tourists

A fire that destroyed a historic Anglican church in Canada in the early hours before Sunday worship last year is now being investigated as arson. This comes as the nation grapples with a rise in church arson attacks.

St. Anne’s Church of Toronto, a congregation of the Anglican Church of Canada, was destroyed by a fire that completely engulfed the structure on June 9, 2024.

The Toronto Police Service announced Monday that authorities were now investigating the fire as a “suspected arson.”

In response to the news, the Anglican Diocese of Toronto and St. Anne’s released a joint statement expressing sadness while also thanking authorities for their work.

Bishop Kevin Robertson, a suffragan bishop of the Toronto diocese, was quoted in the statement saying that he was “devastated to hear that the fire that destroyed the congregation of St. Anne’s building on Gladstone may have been deliberately set.”

Continued below.

What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in the name of political neutrality? If you’ve been paying attention to Evangelical discourse recently, you’ve likely encountered what’s now called “Third Wayism” — a term for the modern Evangelical approach to political and cultural engagement without the baggage of moral or political absolutism.

The premise sounds reasonable enough on the surface: Occupy a middle ground between the Left vs. Right culture war, avoiding strong alignment with either major political party, platform, or group.

Proponents claim they’re simply being “winsome” and “balanced” — rising above tribalism and transcending versus trendsetting in order to proclaim a pure Gospel untainted by political entanglements.

Third Wayism often sounds like this: “Jesus is neither right nor left.” Or “Jesus wasn’t an elephant or a donkey. but the Lamb.” Or “Jesus would be too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.”

That’s true enough, but is that all that needs to be said about our cultural and political divide? What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the Evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality.

It’s a form of bait-and-switch theological liberalism that prioritizes cultural accommodation over biblical faithfulness. And while Third Way advocates claim to critique extremes on both sides, their focus disproportionately critiques conservatives while blindly ignoring radical leftist policies like sexual indoctrination in schools, transing our youth, leftist political violence, mass illegal immigration, socialism and government theft, and a host of other issues.

Continued below.

Saint Sylvester propers & commentary (EF)

Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time readings & commentary (OF)

Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time readings & commentary (OF)
Other Commemorations: St. Sylvester, Abbot; St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Priest

Daily Gospel

St. Sylvester Gozzolini

Saints of the Day

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When the Scriptures were originally written, they did not have chapters and verses. Those were added much later to help us readers navigate through the Scriptures and to be able to locate particular passages of Scripture. So, when you see a sentence begin with “therefore,” you should look back to see what it is there for, I have always been taught. So this is in reference to the saints of old who were commended for their faith in chapter 11. They did not all live perfect lives, but they all were honored for their faith at some time.

But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin. We who believe in Jesus Christ were crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as servants of righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands. So we are to lay aside the deeds of the flesh and all hindrances to our walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands, and we are to die to sin daily, for sin must no longer be our practice.

And then we can “run with endurance the race that is set before us,” i.e. we can live according to God’s calling upon each of our lives to die to sin, to obey his commands, and to follow our Lord wherever he leads us in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, all in his power and wisdom. We can live for our Lord in doing his will when, by faith in him, we put aside our former lives of living in sin so that we can now serve our Lord in obedience to his commands in being who he desires us to become.

But this is not something we can do in our own flesh of our own willpower. We can only live for our Lord as we surrender our lives to him and we depend upon his strength and wisdom to get us through every day. And if our eyes are fixed on Jesus, that means that our minds, hearts, and attitudes are centered in our Lord and in his will for our lives, and we are now following his leading in our lives, and we are no longer going our own way, doing our own thing, living for the pleasures of this sinful world.

For Jesus Christ is the author and the perfecter of our faith. Our faith is not of our human flesh, of our own willpower, and of our own thinking and reasoning. The faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in surrender to his will. So our faith will then align with God’s will and purpose for our lives, not in accord with our human flesh.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
An Original Work / November 26, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

So my 93 year old grandmother is dying too. This woman is my dad's father, is an unbeliever, and she's not a nice lady to put it mildly. Wonder where my dad got his abusive behavior from?

My dad's going to have to bring her home to live with us because she needs 24/7 care and there's no way else for her to get it without paying an astronomical fortune of money. His siblings have all abandoned her because of how nasty she is. Only he will take care of her.

Meanwhile he's going to have to rely on his siblings to sell her house in Ohio and sell her things. One sibling has already tried to get more than his fair share of the inheritance. He is also an unbeliever.

I guess, pray for an alternative care situation to be found or that she dies, or whatever else you feel like praying for. You'll probably think of something more intelligent than me. I'm not sure how I'm going to survive both working a job and dodging her all of the time.

It taught me not to fear death, that death is not the ending but will be a beginning of an eternity in paradise.

And that a gruesome end doesn't mean that God wasn't with us. God doesn't promise us a peaceful death in a hospital bed surrounded by loved ones, we could be eaten by a shark for all we know, or get into a bad car accident.

Here's an idea for this coming Thursday's Thanksgiving time.

You're around the table, either for lunch or dinner. Your guests are there, and who knows what they will want to talk about. But YOU are the host. You get to pick the "table topic." When everyone has had their share of roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and corn, before serving the dessert, have them read and share their take on "10 Bible verses" connected with "giving thanks." What do these verses tell you? How do you personally relate to these verses?

If you have 10 guests, each guest gets a verse. If there are 5 guests, each one gets 2 verses. Do the math, divide up the verses, and let that be the "Table Talk" before dessert.

1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalm 100:4; Psalm 9:1; Psalm 7:17 1 Chronicles 16:34; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:15; 4:2; James 1:17;

2 Corinthians 4:15; 1 Corinthians 15:57

Prince Albert II of Monaco has announced that he will not sign into law a bill that aims to relax the conditions for accessing abortion in the European microstate.

The monarch confirmed his rejection of the new bill — passed by the National Council by a margin of 19-2 last May — during an interview given to the Monaco-Matin newspaper on Nov. 18 on the occasion of the holiday celebrating the principality’s nationhood.

The legislative proposal aimed to authorize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 16 weeks in cases of rape, and to lower the minimum age for waiving parental consent from 18 to 15 years old.

While he said he understands “the sensitivity of this issue,” the monarch pointed out that the current legal framework “respects our identity and the place that the Catholic religion occupies in our country, while simultaneously guaranteeing safe and more humane support.”

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The Roman Catholic Church is defending marriage as a union between one man and one woman amid concerns about polygamy and polyamory, and increased acceptance of same-sex relationships.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a Doctrinal Noteon the Value of Marriage as an Exclusive Union and Mutual Belonging on Tuesday. The document, authored by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez and approved by Pope Leo XIV, comes as the Catholic Church’s African bishops are seeking to stop the spread of polygamy on the continent.

Continued below.

Is the Pope visit to Turkey might be a significant event in regards to Bible prophecy? Turkey is where the 7 churches in Revelation. Any thoughts?https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-...urkey-lebanon-first-overseas-trip-2025-11-25/

Is the Pope visit to Turkey might be a significant event in regards to Bible prophecy? Turkey is where the 7 churches in Revelation. Any thoughts?

Prayer is the key

Tenderness is the virtue that allows the love in your heart to be expressed through touch, sight, and speech.
God is love; therefore, during My time on earth, My love was revealed through the touch of My hands,
the gaze of My eyes, and the words I spoke.
—The Love Crucified Community, The Simple Path to Union with God (p. 279)

I believe that, although there are exceptions, men often feel more at ease with aggressive emotions than with tenderness. Yet there are moments when tenderness emerges—toward children who need protection, or towards the elderly. Much of my monastic journey has been about learning to accept these softer emotions. I am still on that path. At times, it is hard to endure the inner landscape of my own heart.

As a late bloomer, I learned early to keep aggression in check—losing fights was not attractive. So, I repressed it, and when repression failed, I endured it. Later, in the Navy and through weightlifting, I became more aware of my aggression, shielded by physical strength. My personality has always been non-threatening, and growing up in a large family taught me how to navigate different temperaments.

Life in the monastery deepened my self-awareness and awakened a longing for inner healing. The more I prayed, the more I sensed this need. For years, I spoke little about it, until around age forty, when the strain began to affect my health. Inner healing is slow, as anyone seeking union with God discovers. I uncovered hidden trust issues beyond my reach. The first step was awareness—recognizing how pain, anger, and mistrust could distort life and breed chaos.

To love God fully, inner healing is essential. Pain is a wake-up call; ignore it, and life becomes harder. Prayer and my relationship with Christ kept me from self-medicating, though food has always been a struggle. Learning self-love has been the hardest lesson—growing through failure, rising again. God commands us to love ourselves, and the fact that it is a command reveals its difficulty.

Breakthroughs often come in dreams or through upheaval—like heart surgery. That crisis exposed my vulnerability and changed me. My heart feels lighter now; I sense love more deeply. It took seventy-six years to reach this point.

It is all grace. My part is simple: show up, get up, don’t give up. Slowly, the Holy Spirit works. Progress is slow because, on many levels, I still wrestle with God. Prayer is the key, and trust opens the heart to Christ Jesus.
—Br. MD