Today in 10 Seconds
Gospel: Ambition exposed: Jesus redefines true greatness Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Pope: Asian churches called to build bridges CBS News: Trump jokes through security chaos NPR: Maine Democrats scramble for Collins challenge Saint: Courage so bold it converts accusers
— † —
Matthew 20:20-28
"The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want. ’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom. ’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered."
| ? |
Test Your Faith IQ |
Scripture |
|
|
In today's Gospel, the mother of James and John asks Jesus for thrones. What was the traditional occupation of these two brothers before they followed Jesus?
- A) Tax collectors
- B) Carpenters
- C) Fishermen
- D) Tent makers
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
|
| Rosary Mystery of the Day | |
| † |
Today's Mysteries |
Saturday: Joyful Mysteries |
|
|
Joyful Mysteries
- 1. The Annunciation
- 2. The Visitation
- 3. The Nativity of Our Lord
- 4. The Presentation in the Temple
- 5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
|
|
|
|
The Objection
"Why do Catholics believe in salvation through faith AND works? The Bible clearly says we are saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Adding works is adding to the Gospel."
The Catholic Response
Catholics absolutely believe salvation is a free gift of grace; no one can earn heaven (CCC 2010). But the same letter to the Ephesians says we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works" (Ephesians 2:10), meaning works are not added to faith but flow from it. James 2:24 states plainly: "a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." The Catholic position is that living faith naturally produces obedience and love; a faith that produces nothing is, as James 2:17 puts it, simply dead (CCC 1815-1816).
CCC 2010 | CCC 1815-1816 | Ephesians 2:8-10 | James 2:17 | James 2:24
|
 Photo: Vatican News
VATICAN NEWS
Pope Leo XIV sends a video message to bishops gathered in Jakarta, calling the Church in Asia to be a sign of God's presence and to build bridges of charity across the continent. The papal address offers spiritual direction on the Church's mission in one of the world's most populous regions.
 Photo: CBS News
CBS News
President Trump headlined a redo of the White House Correspondents' Dinner after an armed assailant disrupted the original event in April.
| † |
FAITH & THE WORLD |
Proverbs 17:22 |
|
|
"A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones."
CCC 1676 and the virtue of Eutrapelia (Aristotle/Aquinas)
Aquinas borrowed from Aristotle the virtue of eutrapelia: the idea that humor and play are genuinely good, a necessary rest for the human soul (Summa II-II, Q.168, A.2). But he also warned that humor becomes vicious when it wounds dignity or obscures the truth, which means the quality of the joke matters as much as the laughter it gets.
Reflect → When you use humor, does it build people up or quietly tear someone down?
|
 Photo: NPR
NPR
Maine Democrats are scrambling to replace a scandal-plagued Senate candidate as they try to unseat Republican Susan Collins.
| † |
FAITH & THE WORLD |
Sirach 10:2 |
|
|
"As the people's judge, so are his officials; as the ruler of a city, so are its inhabitants."
CCC 1916 (Participation in Public Life)
The Catechism calls political participation a moral obligation, not just a civic one (CCC 1915). When candidates fall to scandal, the deeper question isn't about party strategy; it's whether communities are forming the kind of people who can lead with integrity in the first place.
Reflect → Are you praying for your local leaders by name, or only paying attention when something goes wrong?
|
 Photo: Good Good Good
Good Good Good
A roundup of positive stories this week highlights conservation wins for kangaroos, gorillas, and turtles around the world.
| † |
FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Genesis 1:31 |
|
|
"God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed,the sixth day."
Laudato Si' 33 (Pope Francis)
Pope Francis writes in Laudato Si' that "each creature has its own purpose" and none is superfluous (LS 33). When gorilla populations recover and turtle habitats are restored, we're not just doing environmentalism; we're cooperating with God's original declaration that creation is very good.
Reflect → What small, concrete thing could you do this week to care for a creature or place that can't advocate for itself?
|
|
DAILY WORD GAME
Test your Catholic vocabulary
|
|
| † |
Saint of the Day |
July 25 |
|
|
Saint James the Greater
James was the first apostle to be martyred, beheaded by King Herod Agrippa around 44 AD. According to tradition, his accuser was so moved by James's courage at his trial that the man converted on the spot and asked to be executed alongside him. His remains are said to rest in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where over 300,000 pilgrims walk the Camino each year to visit his shrine.
Today's feast celebrates James, the very son of Zebedee whose mother asked Jesus for a throne in today's Gospel; he got the cup of martyrdom instead.
|
Trivia Answer
C . James and John were fishermen working with their father Zebedee on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called them (Matthew 4:21-22). They left their nets, their boat, and their father immediately. Tent making was Paul's trade, not theirs.
|
|
