Good Saturday morning. The world kept moving overnight. Here's what happened, and what your faith has to say about it.
✝ Easter Saturday
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Pope Leo XIV
Response to World Events
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Mark 16:9-15
"Having risen in the morning on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him."
| Rosary Mystery of the Day | |
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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
"Catholics worship Mary. You pray to her, build statues of her, and treat her like she's God. That's idolatry."
The Catholic Response
Catholics honor Mary; we do not worship her. Worship (latria) is given to God alone, while Mary receives hyperdulia, a special honor because she is the Mother of God, not because she is divine (CCC 971). Scripture itself models this: Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cries out 'Blessed are you among women' (Luke 1:42), and Mary prophesies 'all generations will call me blessed' (Luke 1:48). Honoring the mother honors the Son, just as praising a masterpiece honors the artist. The early Church Father Irenaeus (c. 180 AD) called Mary the 'New Eve' whose obedience undid the disobedience of the first Eve, a tradition that predates any accusation of idolatry by centuries.
CCC 971 | CCC 2132 | Luke 1:42-48 | Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.22.4
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Test Your Faith IQ |
Scripture |
In today's first reading (Acts 4:13), the Sanhedrin is surprised by Peter and John's boldness because they were 'uneducated laymen.' What Greek word does Luke use for 'uneducated,' which is also the root of our English word for a common person who isn't an expert?
- A) Agrammatos (illiterate)
- B) Idiotes (layperson/amateur)
- C) Apsychos (spiritless)
- D) Anoetos (foolish)
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
 Photo: ABC News
ABC News
The Artemis II crew splashed down safely after a 10-day, 695,081-mile journey around the moon, marking a historic milestone in lunar exploration.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Psalm 8:4-5 |
"What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor."
CCC 2293, Science and Technology at the Service of the Human Person
The Catechism insists that scientific exploration is good precisely because it flows from God's command to steward creation (CCC 2293). These astronauts traveled nearly 700,000 miles and came home to the same ocean Genesis says God separated on the second day; the farther we go, the smaller and more sacred this pale blue dot looks.
Reflect → When was the last time wonder at creation actually drove you to your knees?
 Photo: ABC News
ABC News
A 9-year-old boy was rescued in eastern France after being locked in his father's utility van for a year and a half, severely malnourished and unable to walk.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Matthew 18:5-6 |
"And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck."
CCC 2389, Offenses Against the Dignity of Children
The Church teaches that children bear the image of God in a uniquely vulnerable way, and that harming them is among the gravest sins because it attacks someone who cannot defend themselves (CCC 2389). This story is not just a crime report; it is a spiritual emergency that demands we ask who we are failing to see right now.
Reflect → Is there a child in your neighborhood, parish, or family who might be invisible to the adults around them?
 Photo: CBS News
CBS News
Michael Jordan, the basketball legend, sits down to discuss his newest venture into NASCAR ownership, showing his relentless drive to compete in new arenas.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 |
"Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way."
Laborem Exercens, The Dignity of Human Work (John Paul II, 1981)
John Paul II wrote that work is not just a means to profit but a way human beings participate in God's ongoing creation (Laborem Exercens, 6). Jordan's restless move from basketball to NASCAR reveals something deeper than ambition: a desire to keep building, which echoes the creative impulse God planted in us from the beginning.
Reflect → Are you working just to earn, or is your work still a way you express who God made you to be?
 Photo: Good Good Good
Good Good Good
A weekly roundup of uplifting stories including wildlife conservation wins, community connection, and church-led initiatives making a difference.
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FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Philippians 4:8 |
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
CCC 339, The Goodness of Creation
The Catechism teaches that each creature possesses its own goodness and reflects, in its own way, a ray of God's infinite wisdom (CCC 339). Rhinos surviving, neighbors connecting, churches rebuilding: Paul's command to dwell on what is lovely is not naive optimism but a spiritual discipline that trains us to see the world the way God already does.
Reflect → What good thing happened this week that you almost scrolled past without thanking God for?
 Photo: Good News Network
Good News Network
A celebration of positive moments in history tied to April 11, including birthday tributes to athletes and cultural milestones worth remembering.
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FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
James 1:17 |
"All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change."
CCC 1804, The Human Virtues as Gifts
Every talent, from a footballer's vision to a scientist's breakthrough, is a gift that traces back to the same generous Father (CCC 1804). Celebrating human excellence is not idol worship; it is recognizing the fingerprints of God on the people around us.
Reflect → Whose God-given talent has blessed your life this year, and have you told them?
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DAILY WORD GAME
Test your Catholic vocabulary
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Saint of the Day |
April 11 |
Saint Stanislaus of Kraków
Stanislaus was the Bishop of Kraków who publicly excommunicated King Bolesław II of Poland for kidnapping a nobleman's wife. The king responded by personally hacking Stanislaus to death at the altar during Mass. Legend says his dismembered body miraculously reassembled itself, and Poland adopted him as a symbol of national unity that no tyrant can permanently destroy.
His feast is April 11, and his refusal to stay silent before power mirrors Peter and John's boldness before the Sanhedrin in today's first reading from Acts.
Trivia Answer
B . Luke pairs 'agrammatos' (unlettered) with 'idiotes,' which meant a private citizen or non-specialist. Our English word 'idiot' comes from this Greek term, which originally just meant someone without formal credentials. The Sanhedrin's shock was that uncredentialed fishermen argued like philosophers.
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