Good Monday morning. The world kept moving overnight. Here's what happened, and what your faith has to say about it.
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Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo: May weapons fall silent in Iran
At Sunday's Angelus before 15,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo called for prayer that 'the roar of bombs might cease, that weapons might fall silent, and that a space for dialogue might open' as Iran strikes targets across the region. His personal appeal directly addresses the escalating Middle East conflict unfolding this week.
Angelus Address | Response to World Events
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Luke 4:24-30
"Jesus came to Nazara and spoke to the people in the synagogue: ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. ‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman."
| Rosary Mystery of the Day | |
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Today's Mysteries |
Monday: 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
"Catholics believe you can lose your salvation, but the Bible says 'once saved, always saved.' If God truly saves you, nothing can take that away."
The Catholic Response
The idea of "once saved, always saved" doesn't appear in Scripture. In fact, Paul himself says, "I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). Jesus warns in Matthew 24:13 that "the one who perseveres to the end will be saved," which makes no sense if falling away is impossible. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a real gift of grace that must be freely received and can be freely rejected through mortal sin (CCC 1861), because love that cannot be refused is not love at all.
CCC 1861 | 1 Corinthians 9:27 | Matthew 24:13 | Hebrews 6:4-6 | CCC 162
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Test Your Faith IQ |
Scripture |
In today's first reading, Naaman the Syrian almost didn't get healed because he was offended by Elisha's instructions. What did Elisha tell him to do?
- A) Fast for seven days and pray at the temple
- B) Wash seven times in the Jordan River
- C) Offer a sacrifice of seven lambs on Mount Carmel
- D) Walk around Elisha's house seven times
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
 Photo: NPR
NPR
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader and escalated attacks on Israel and Gulf states, sending oil prices near $120 a barrel.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Isaiah 31:1 |
"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who depend upon horses; who put their trust in chariots because of their number, and in horsemen because of their combined power, but look not to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the LORD!"
Just War Doctrine (CCC 2307-2317)
A new supreme leader launching attacks on day one tells you everything about where he places his trust. The Catechism insists that war is only legitimate as a last resort to stop an aggressor, never as a coronation ritual (CCC 2309). When leaders build their authority on violence, the cost is always paid by the widows and orphans Isaiah kept warning us about.
Reflect → Where in your own life do you reach for force or control when you should be reaching for patience?
 Photo: Fox News
Fox News
Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. received a technical foul for kicking toward an opponent's groin during a rivalry game against Michigan.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Proverbs 29:11 |
"Fools give vent to all their anger; but the wise, biding their time, control it."
The Virtue of Temperance (CCC 1809)
Talent without temperance is a loaded weapon with no safety. The Catechism calls temperance the virtue that "moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods" (CCC 1809), and that includes the pleasure of retaliation.
Reflect → When was the last time your anger made you look smaller instead of stronger?
 Photo: Fox News
Fox News
The Miami Dolphins officially moved on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as NFL free agency begins.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Jeremiah 29:11 |
"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope."
Providence of God (CCC 302-314)
Today's Gospel shows Jesus rejected in his hometown, then pivoting to bring healing where it was actually wanted. God's providence doesn't promise you'll stay where you're comfortable; it promises that being moved on can be the start of the mission you were actually built for (CCC 313).
Reflect → Is there a closed door in your life that you're still pounding on instead of looking for the one God opened?
 Photo: Good News Network
Good News Network
Oregon is purchasing the privately held Abiqua Falls property so this beloved waterfall can become permanently accessible public land.
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FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Psalm 24:1 |
"The earth is the LORD's and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it on the seas, established it over the rivers."
Universal Destination of Goods (CCC 2402-2406)
Catholic Social Teaching holds that private property is real and good, but it exists under a "social mortgage": the goods of creation are meant to serve everyone (CCC 2403). A waterfall becoming public land is a small, beautiful echo of the principle that beauty belongs to all of us because it first belongs to God.
Reflect → What beautiful thing in your life are you hoarding that was meant to be shared?
 Photo: Positive.News
Positive.News
Romania's deposit return scheme for bottles and cans has dramatically eliminated litter and transformed the country's recycling culture.
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FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Genesis 2:15 |
"The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it."
Laudato Si' (Pope Francis, 2015)
Pope Francis wrote that "the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all" (Laudato Si' 23), and that small daily actions build a culture of care. Romania proves him right: one simple policy, millions of people saying yes, and suddenly a whole country looks different.
Reflect → What's one small, repeatable habit you could start this week to better care for the world God handed you?
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Saint of the Day |
March 9 |
St. Frances of Rome
Frances spent 40 years as a married Roman noblewoman, raising children, managing a household, and nursing plague victims. She reportedly said, "A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar, to find him in her housekeeping." She is also the patron saint of automobile drivers, even though she died in 1440, because legend says an angel lit the road before her when she traveled at night.
Her feast is March 9, and her life as a woman who found God outside the expected holy places mirrors today's Gospel, where Jesus reminds Nazareth that God's grace goes to the outsiders first.
Trivia Answer
B . Elisha told Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:10). Naaman was furious because he expected something dramatic and thought the rivers back home were better. His servants had to talk him into it. It's a powerful biblical lesson: God's healing often comes through humble, ordinary means.
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