In 2017, April was officially declared “Second Chance Month,” a time set aside for criminal justice reform advocates and policymakers to rethink approaches and best practices surrounding mass incarceration and the criminal justice system. Most practically, this month begs the question: What does society really hope to gain from our prison system?

As we turn our attention toward the 1.2 million incarcerated men and women in this country, I am reminded of the 200,000 individuals currently serving life sentences, many of whom are being given a second chance in an unconventional way, men like Chris Bernaiche.

Currently, Chris Bernaiche is serving two life sentences for a double homicide he committed more than two decades ago. However, Chris no longer recognizes the man guilty of the crimes he once committed. In the early days of his prison stint, Chris describes himself as “angry and violent,” resulting in two years of solitary confinement. But after embracing a new-found faith in Christ, Chris transformed his life through education by signing up to take college classes while serving time in prison.

After a transformative few years investing in his own education, Chris now serves as an academic tutor, mentors men enrolled in his prison’s auto mechanic shop, plays the guitar at the prison’s chapel service, and, this May, will receive his bachelor’s degree with honors through the Calvin Prison Initiative.

“I don’t even recognize the guy who committed those crimes more than 20 years ago,” Chris shared. “I’m not that guy anymore.”

Continued below.

I have often said that there is no real meaning to the word “mature adult’ for me. We are a mixture of being centered, scattered, loving, hateful faithful, and being faithless. How we deal with this merry-go-round that we call life tests us to respond in one way or another. To be childlike before God, to be trustful, or to break down in the many ways we can do, and well, become childish.

Over the last two weeks, I have had one such experience that tested me on many levels. In the beginning it was a simple feeling of not feeling well, but not knowing where it was coming from. I had no fever, nor any pain, nor any other symptoms suggesting that I was getting sick. I did experience that one of my teeth hurt, and thought of an abscess but quickly forgot it since the pain went away quickly.

Well as my discomfort got worse, I decided to go to my dentist. The day before I went to Dr. Manning, and he took my blood to see how I was doing. My blood work came back the next day, loopy, some important things were out of wack.

In the end, I got the tooth out without too much trouble. However, because of my lack of discernment the infection, which caused my blood work to be off, started causing some complications. Luckily, I got the tooth out in time and did not have to go to the hospital. I guess it was more serious than I thought.

I lost a lot of weight, but did not, perhaps because I was not feeling well, did not understand that the weight I lost was water weight, and because I was not eating became severely dehydrated. My skin began to itch, and my nights were a total nightmare. I finally saw Sister Beatrice and she got me to work on hydration, and when I told her about how itching my skin was, she got me on Cevera Cream which was a God send. Again, because I was feeling so bad, my mind was not clicking along at the usual speeds, and did not make proper connections. I could have figured this out myself.

When talking, I sounded like I was a 100 years old, and my hands looked the same age. I was walking around in a daze, still struggling to eat. To say my dream life sparked up is an understatement. I started drinking Gatorade which was a great help. Also, ensure, but a little more difficult to drink, but very helpful. Started to force myself to eat, so slowly getting better. Still, frustrated at how long it ‘seems’ to be taking.

Being sick like that is not unusual, nor is my stupidity in not listening to my body better. I have learned about the importance of drinking water or some liquid no matter what. I have to be hit over the head sometimes.

In my soul, heart, and interior life, I can say I was scared and confused and found myself struggling to pray the simplest prayers or sit in God’s presence. I still prayed and used the rosary to say slowly simple prayers, this seemed to help. Just slow, no rush, being in the moment.

I rediscovered our cloister Garden, which is an amazing place. For over 53 years I have never tired of being in the garden but am not in the habit of spending time there. I have discovered it is a good place to sit, feel the wind, listen to the birds, and breathe.

I have found out some important things about myself. I do not suffer well, and my faith can be easily shaken, yet by grace only, I was prodded to pray and understand that this will end soon. It makes me wonder how I will respond to the final mile. I suppose how I respond to life ‘now’, will have something to say about that. As I said I did not do very well.

I have also discovered that I do not know myself like I arrogantly thought I did. I am OK with that, accepting one’s humanity is not always easy, but it is a necessary step on our journey toward God. -Br.MD

Another user on this forum, @Christsfreeservant , posted the Parable of the Talents, so today we will be taking another dive into this important passage from Luke 19. The passage tells us not to be idle with our gifts or talents, but actively pursue ways to be good stewards of the Christian community.

NEW DELHI — A group belonging to a Sikh warrior order last week attacked a pastor and another Christian with swords and knives in northern India’s Punjab state for leading church worship in their village.

Four Nihang Sikhs, who as members of the traditional warrior group are permitted to carry such weapons, attacked Pastor Gurjeet Singh, alias Gurjeet Rinku, and his younger brother, Gurdeep Singh, on April 18 in Sultanwind village, Amritsar District, a relative said.

The assailants first told Gurdeep Singh, and later Pastor Singh, “We have warned you earlier as well to not conduct church and not convert people, but you have not paid heed,” according to Daljit Kaur, the pastor’s wife and an eyewitness.

Continued below.

Report: Claflin University administrator was shot in the head, drove himself to hospital​

"According to an incident report from the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, Leroy A. Durant, Ph.D., was driving home from a program at the university when he was shot in the head.

Durant told police he was driving on Belleville Road when he heard a loud noise while passing Mingo Street. He then started to feel lightheaded and dizzy. He said he drove himself to MUSC in Orangeburg when he noticed blood coming from his head.

The incident also stated the bullet was through and through but did not pierce Durant’s skull.

University officials said in a press release Durant was treated for his injuries and was later released."


^^^ The above is quoted from the article.

I posted this because, well quite frankly it's a miracle.

Do you know how rare it is to have a through and through bullet to the head that doesn't pierce the skull?

The bullet skated around the mans head along his skull, under the hair and skin and such, and came out the other side.

Certainly it had to have been a lower caliber bullet or something, science and stuff.. lol.. but it's still just amazing.

I thought some good news was in order. We die when God says, and not a minute before...

The professor was treated and released. Didn't even need to stay overnight... I stand in awe of God.

Ex-*orn star Brittni De La Mora, who became a Christian after her life was radically changed by Jesus, took to X this week to warn Kanye West not to start a *ornography studio that he plans to call “Yeezy *orn.”

On Tuesday, De La Mora shared how she was shocked and “heartbroken” over recent headlines detailing how the Grammy Award-winning rapper, who changed his name to Ye, is planning to start his own *orn website working with adult film industry producer Mike Moz — who is the ex-husband of *orn star and stripper Stormy Daniels.

“No, not this news, Kanye. I can’t believe what I just read. The news says that Kanye is going to start an adult website, and he is working with Mike Moz, who I actually know personally because I was in the adult film industry for seven years of my life. He worked for LA direct models, which is a whole other layer of things that I am happy to share with you in a full-length video on my YouTube channel,” said De La Mora in an April 23 X post.


Continued below.

Peace in Christ.

We are to keep the “daily” sacrifice of our Lord Jesus ….always bearing about in our mortal body the dying of the Lord Jesus. We are to die to the sin daily.

By the keeping of the “daily”, the life (the age-lasting life aka “eternal life”) of Jesus shall be made manifest (shine outwardly) in our mortal body….our mortal flesh. This is the good news of our mortal salvation which is not currently being preached by false prophets who are preaching "another gospel".

The age-lasting life shall keep us mortally standing here in this earth to the end of this age.

2Co 4:10-11 KJV
(10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(11) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

We shall not mortally perish away from this earth but shall continue to mortally live here in our current bodies until the end of this age (having the age-lasting life) where at the “last trump” our mortal bodies shall put on immortality at the “redemption” of the purchased possession…our mortal body.

We ...who shall NOT SLEEP (mortally perish away)...shall have then completely circumvented death entirely in Christ Jesus who gives us that victory over death and the grave because of His death and resurrection. We who shall not perish (not sleep)...shall be changed when this mortal (subject to death...but not having died) shall put on immortality (where death shall no longer be possible at all).

1Co 15:51-53 KJV
(51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
(53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

But Satan and his ministers have been actively taking away the keeping of the “daily” sacrifice out of the lives of those who are being deceived by them into serving the sin (instead of dying to the sin) thereby they mortally perish.

They are preventing the life of Jesus (the age-lasting life) from being made manifest in this earth. They are not preaching the gospel of Truth but instead are preaching “another gospel”.

We are in a “war” as Satan makes war with the church of God. We must contend for the faith as the true gospel...the testimony.... of our Lord Jesus Christ is not being preached by the ministers of Satan.

Rev 12:17 KJV
(17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Satan has come up with his own religious system and his own “son” whom he has called “jesus” the Christ (but is instead an “antichrist”) and his own earthly-minded “ministers” of that false Christ.

The false prophets come to us in the name of Jesus and proclaim that the “jesus” that they are preaching is THE true Christ…but instead the “jesus” that they preach is an “antichrist”. They seduce you with empty words into choosing their “jesus” the “antichrist” instead of THE Jesus who is the true Christ.

Mat 24:4-5
(4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
(5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am (THE) Christ; and shall deceive many.

Their “gospel” that they preach is that Jesus SHALL COME in the future (He delays His coming).

They are not looking for the life of Jesus to be made manifest NOW in our mortal flesh (which keeps our mortal bodies standing here for the duration of this present evil age). They are not preaching this gospel of our mortal salvation which is for the here-and-now.

John highlights this preaching (you have heard that antichrist SHALL COME) which we have all heard being preached currently in every church of man by contrasting the fact that there are already (EVEN NOW) MANY antichrists.

Many other “jesuses” are being preached and they all say the same thing: he (their jesus...their "prince") shall come someday in the future. They are not preaching the good news of our mortal salvation which is NOW. Salvation is NOW….not later. They seek to change the time of our salvation…and their deceived listeners mortally perish while they await for their "prince" to come.

1Jn 2:18 KJV
(18) Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

Jesus Christ IS COMING now in the flesh….in our mortal flesh…as His life shall be manifest in this current mortal body which gives us “eternal life”…an age-lasting life.

The deceivers though are not preaching this. They preach “another gospel”.

They are preaching that their “jesus”…their “prince” …SHALL COME someday in the future.

The deceiver is preaching instead the words of the “antichrist” and not the true words of THE Christ. The false prophet is working together with the antichrist spirit/breath whom Satan has set up to deceive many into becoming slaves of the sin which leads to their mortal deaths.

Their deceived listeners mortally perish while waiting for their “jesus” to come. We must contend for THE faith of the gospel of truth.

2Jn 1:7 KJV
(7) For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The manifest life of Jesus is actively being cut off from this earth by them….the people of the prince that “SHALL COME”. The false prophets are those people of their “prince” that they are preaching SHALL COME….which is “another gospel”. They destroy us (our mortal bodies) by doing so.

Dan 9:26-27 KJV
(26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

They…false prophets…. come to us and proclaim “peace” when there is no peace. Their “covenant” of peace is confirmed with many in these last days as they are being received by many. They want you to receive their “prince”…their “jesus” the “antichrist”.

In doing so, the keeping of the “daily” sacrifice is ceased in the deceived. The “oblation” (which means “gift”) ceases also. The “gift” or “oblation” is “eternal life”….an age-lasting life to be had in this mortal body by the keeping of His daily sacrifice.

Dan 9:26
(27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The wages of THE sin is the death….the death of the mortal body.

But the “gift”…the “oblation”…of God is “eternal life”…the age-lasting life to be had NOW in this mortal body through Jesus Christ our Lord as we keep His “daily” sacrifice in our mortal bodies by ALWAYS dying to the sin so that His life shall be made manifest.

Rom 6:23 KJV
(23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Satan and his ministers are causing the keeping of the “daily” to cease …and so the “gift” or “oblation” of an age-lasting life also ceases. They instead cause their worshippers to become slaves to the sin so that they mortally perish.

The false prophets PRESENCE (not “coming”) is in accordance with the working/power of Satan. They perform signs (such as literal water baptism which is such a powerful sign which can even deceive the elect if possible) and lying wonders (wonderous good words and beautiful speeches) to deceive them that PERISH….perishing away in their mortal bodies.

The mystery of iniquity is ALREADY at work. This is a NOW thing in the churches of earthly-minded men where all of them are mortally perishing without the hearing of the gospel of truth so that they might be saved.

2Th 2:9-10
(9) Even him, whose coming (PRESENCE) is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
(10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

The ministers of Satan exercise all the power of the first beast (“another jesus”). They preach via the spirit/breath of their “jesus” the “antichrist” instead of the true Jesus who is THE Christ.

They come up out of the earth….they are earthly-minded as they only serve for their own earthly necessities (what to eat, what to drink, what to wear).

They have the form of godliness (having 2 horns like a lamb) but they deny its power by their preaching. They are not preaching the power of the cross which shall keep us mortally standing here in this earth for the duration of this current age. They are enemies of the cross instead.

Rev 13:11-13 KJV
(11) And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

They cause those who dwell on the “earth”…that is, those who are not always focusing on the things above (peace, love, kindness, patience, etc) ….to worship their “another jesus” who is the first beast (wild beast) and not the Lamb slain.

The first beast had the “deadly wound” healed…that is, the keeping of the “daily” sacrifice has ceased.

(12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

We are to keep the sacrifice of the “Lamb slain” and not let the deadly wound be healed.

If we through the Spirit do “mortify” (kill, slay) the deeds of the body (dying daily to the sin), we shall live….have an age-lasting life. Do not let that “deadly wound” be healed…ceasing to mortify with the sword of the Spirit those deeds… by living after the flesh.

Rom 8:12-13
(12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
(13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (SLAY) the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Their “jesus” is the wild beast that has the deadly wound healed as the keeping of the daily sacrifice of the Lamb has ceased.

Our true Jesus the Lord is the “Lamb” that is slain (not having the wound healed) whom we are to serve always by the keeping of His daily sacrifice. This keeps us STANDING with Him....standing with the "Lamb as it had been slain".

Rev 5:6 KJV
(6) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Brand says many returning to Christianity as world crumbles

Actor and comedian Russell Brand announced Friday that he is going to be baptized this weekend, the culmination of his months-long public wrestling with the tenets of Christianity.

"This Sunday, I'm taking the plunge," Brand, 48, said in a video he posted to X. "I'm getting baptized."

Brand said he had heard baptism explained to him as "an opportunity to die and be reborn; an opportunity to leave the past behind and be reborn in Christ's name like it says in Galatians — that you can live as an enlightened and awakened person."

He also referenced what he suggested were non-Christian reflections on the same theme of embracing death for the sake of life, quoting Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the Buddha.

"All of these things seem so inviting and beautiful," he said.

Brand also suggested that increasing numbers are turning back to Christianity as the empty value system of modernity disintegrates and leaves them wanting more.

Continued below.

For years, teachers have been limited in teaching students about the Creation of the universe. That included staying away from Intelligent Design, considered taboo due to its ties to the Bible. One West Virginia high school student felt that was unfair and helped draft a bill allowing West Virginia teachers to cover "scientific theory," which includes intelligent design.

Sixteen-year-old West Virginia high school student Haden Hodge was just 14 when he decided to help his teachers increase the scientific theories they could include in lessons on how the world came to be. While the so-called Big Bang and evolution made the list, the theory that perhaps God supernaturally created the universe and humanity did not.

"So I think a lot of it was fear. They were just afraid if a student asked a question like that and they answered it truthfully, then they were afraid of anything that could happen to them with their jobs or in their personal life or anything like that," Haden told us. "And like I said, with that science teacher, he was afraid to even have conversations like that and I thought, 'This needs to change. He needs to feel like he can talk about this without any fear of losing his job,'" Haden said.

Continued below.

Parents and students protested outside of a North Philadelphia school district Tuesday one week after a trans-identifying male student brutally beat a female student in the head during lunch.

Demonstrators are demanding a stronger response from North Penn School District after the incident that left many students at Pennbrook Middle School shaken.

"This was handled wrong from start to finish," one protestor told NBC Philadelphia. "Calling it a 'fight.' This wasn't a fight. This was an attack that could have been prevented."

Emily, a 13-year-old Pennbrook Middle School student, stood before her school board tearfully describing that she had pleaded with school administrators last Wednesday, hours before the violent incident, asking them to step in because she and another 12-year-old student were on a "hit list."

According to ReduxxMag, which shared Emily's testimony, the trans-identifying male student named "Melanie" had violent tendencies and school administrators had to solo-escort him into school every day and they were "warned repeatedly about the boy's violent tendencies, but appear to have never intervened."

The young girl testified that she spoke with guidance counselor Colleen Fattori five hours before the incident but to no avail.

Continued below.

A pro-life Democrat running for president aired an ad on national television Wednesday exposing NBC’s “Today” show viewers to the horrors of late-term abortion.

Terrisa Bukovinac, president and founder of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, confirmed Wednesday via X that her ad — a presidential campaign including deeply disturbing footage of late-term aborted infants — aired during the NBC morning program, potentially reaching more than seven million people.

Bukovinac, a self-avowed atheist, debuted the commercial in December of last year. In the ad, the progressive presidential candidate declared she “recovered the remains of these five babies” at a late-term abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. Her remarks come as graphic images of the fetal remains flash across the screen.

“These are the faces of a genocide supported by Joe Biden and my own Democratic Party,” she says in the ad, as viewers see images of the president and Vice President Kamala Harris. She adds, “We can provide for the working class and resist this extremism,” urging voters to “never vote for a pro-choice Democrat again.”

Continued below.

1 Timothy 1:
5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart,
from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,
7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither
what they say nor the things which they affirm.
8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person,
but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners,
for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers
and murderers of mothers, for man slayers,
10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers,
and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

Romans 7:
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ,
that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead,
that we should bear fruit to God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law
were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.
6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by,
so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

One Law, with two passions aroused in opposition.
Delight in the inward man, sinful passions in the flesh.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh,
God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

What shall we say then concerning the righteous requirements of the Law?
A sincere faith, a pure heart, and a clear conscience, of which much can be said.

Hello folks. This is a short study on Matthew 6:5-6, from the sermon that Jesus gave to his disciples. Prayer is not a performance, it is a sacred action between you and God.

Theological discussions between Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Churches need fresh voices, Los Angeles bishop says.

The road to Christian unity is full of stumbling blocks, and a new Vatican document on blessings has presented its own share of challenges. But a Coptic Orthodox bishop from Los Angeles believes a new way forward can be found.


Bishop Kyrillos, co-chairman of an international theological dialogue between the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Churches, said that it would be helpful to supplement the “official” dialogue with unofficial consultations, primarily with scholars.

Kyrillos and Cardinal Kurt Koch co-chair the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.


The Oriental Orthodox are a “family” of Churches that have not been in communion with the rest of the Church since a disagreement arose over the 5th-century Council of Chalcedon. In addition to the Coptic Church, they include the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahido Church.

There is a separate theological dialogue between the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, such as the Greek, Ukrainian, and Russian Orthodox Churches.

Continued below.

Ethiopia’s faith can be said to predate the arrival of Christianity in Europe – even if just by a few years.

Right in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia has a history deeply intertwined with Christianity. As one of the oldest Christian nations in the world, Ethiopia claims faith that can be said to predate the arrival of Christianity in Europe – even if just by a few years. This deep-rooted tradition has fostered a unique variety of Christian spirituality that remains vibrant and very much alive today.

The story of the Ethiopian eunuch told in the book of Acts (Acts 8, 26-40) offers a glimpse into the early seeds of Ethiopian Christianity. The text claims that “a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure” met the missionary Philip on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Philip explained the Gospel message and the eunuch, filled with joy, converted and was baptized. This encounter is believed to have sparked the spread of Christianity in Ethiopia.

In hisAdversus Haereses,St. Irenaeus claims the eunuch “was sent into the regions of Ethiopia, to preach what he had himself believed, that there was one God preached by the prophets, but that the Son of this (God) had already made (His) appearance in human flesh, and had been led as a sheep to the slaughter; and all the other statements which the prophets made regarding Him.”


Christianity was soon adopted as the Ethiopian official religion.

Continued below.

The number of babies born in the United States fell by 2 percent in 2023, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drop signals a return to the downward trend in birthrates seen before the pandemic, with numbers hitting historic lows.

The decline follows relative stability in the birthrate from 2021 to 2022 after a modest 1 percent rise from 2020 to 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic raged.

Hamilton also noted that the data show the fourth consecutive increase in the yearly rate of caesarean deliveries since 2020. [to 32.4%] That is a worrying trend because of the high risk of complications associated with caesarean versus vaginal births.

Julia Strasser, director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health and an assistant research professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, said that although experts have not pinpointed a single cause for this decline, factors such as student loan debt, high housing costs and economic uncertainty are thought to influence younger generations’ decisions to delay or forgo having children.

Strasser added that recent court rulings on birth control, fertility treatments and women’s reproductive health also could have an effect on birthrates.

--

From the CDC link, the total fertility rate was 1.62 births per woman. Replacement rate would be a little over 2 per woman.

According to Matthew 7:13, most people are headed for destruction. That's not me saying this. Matthew 7:13 is saying this. But what does that mean exactly? What are the details surrounding this destruction? And how can we avoid the destruction via the narrow gate?

The Narrow Way
Matthew 7:13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Matthew 7:14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Enter what by the narrow gate? You are trying to enter the kingdom of heaven on Earth. When Jesus finally arrives he is going to establish the kingdom of heaven on Earth. Shortly before he arrives there will be great destruction via the harvests (nuclear wars) and the fake Jesus (false prophet.)

What are the minimum requirements to have a shot at entering the kingdom of heaven?

1. You have to be alive with no mark at the arrival of Jesus;
2. Or die for refusing the mark.

Notice that in any case you have to be alive when the fake Jesus arrives. That means your focus should be on avoiding death. If you are taken out by a harvest or fooled by the fake Jesus, then you are not getting in. This is the fate of most people.

The wide gate is the do nothing gate. You just sit around and wait to get taken out by a harvest. There is no attempt to get out of the way. This is the fate of the majority of people.

The narrow gate is the do something gate. This path is very difficult because it requires you to leave your home in order to avoid the harvests. If there are rumors that your land is a target for nuclear attack then you have to leave and get far away.

The narrow gate is the adventure trip that could take you around the world. Will even 1 in 1000 attempt this trip?

Maybe now you understand why those two verses in Matthew 7 are so vague. Nobody is going to believe the details. According to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, even if someone rose from the dead, they could not convince you.

Below I provide more detail.

Let's see about those nasty harvests.

The Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The wheat is expected to get out of the way, or it will get caught up with the weeds.

Matthew 13:28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
Matthew 13:29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

Notice in Matthew 13:28-29 that the weeds (tares) cannot be gathered up without risk to the wheat. That risk remains today as fields are burned. But now the wheat is expected to get out of the way.

Matthew 7:13 says most people are going to be wiped out. How is that going to happen?

Matthew 25 (parable of the talents) explains what happens to Christians who are too lazy to get out of the way of the harvests. Mr. 1-Talent Christian gets tossed into hell for being lazy. He went through the do nothing gate (the wide gate) and got caught up in a harvest.

I don't understand Matthew 25 so that absolves me, you say. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. Hell for Mr. 1-Talent is merely the effects of nuclear radiation. It produces so much pain that there will be screaming/weeping and gnashing of the teeth. This will last from 3 days to 3 weeks.

After Jesus finally arrives, the few remaining (charred and beaten up) wheat kernels are gathered up. Not many survived the harvests and the fake Jesus who made everyone take the mark of the beast.

Take a look at the harvest in Isaiah 17:

Isaiah 17:1 “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.
Isaiah 17:5 It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms ...
Isaiah 17:11 In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish;
But the harvest will be a heap of ruins; In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.

In Isaiah 17 it's likely that Israel nukes Damascus, Syria. This is a harvest. If Christians are in Damascus, Syria then they are getting nuked along with everyone else. They are expected to get out of the way.

The retaliation for Isaiah 17 comes in Isaiah 18. If Isaiah 17 is a harvest, then so is Isaiah 18. Here, a powerful friend of Israel will be getting wiped out. Isaiah 18:3 tells the entire world to stop and pay attention to the events of Isaiah 17, because retaliation is coming.

Isaiah 18:4 This is what the Lord says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
Isaiah 18:5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

Get out of the way.

The harvests are at the national level. So specific individuals are not targeted. Hence, a rich man would be anyone who lives in a rich country. This would be the West and friends - the rich lands. The rich lands are targeted for harvest.

Matthew 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (God.)

The rich (people in the rich lands) aren't getting in because they will be wiped out in the harvests. If you flee from one rich land to another rich land, then you will still be at risk. This is the pit mentioned in Isaiah 24:17-18. The snare would be the fake Jesus.

Too bad nobody will listen. Look at this short section from Luke:

The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
Luke 16:27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
Luke 16:29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
Luke 16:30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

The rich man is in hell. He wants to warn his brothers not to come to that place. But they are not going to listen. In this case, "they" means you.

In real life, the rich man had just experienced a harvest (nuclear war). He is in the process of dying from nuclear radiation and is in extreme pain. He will be dead soon. Lazarus (the poor man) is in the kingdom of heaven which is on Earth.

How does one go about avoiding the harvests?

Watch for the return of Jesus, so you can be ready for the harvests:

The Importance of Watching
Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
Luke 21:35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Now you see that the return of Jesus is near and the harvests are threatening. It's time to pick gates. The poor lands are not directly targeted for harvest. They are the safer option. But you literally have to move to a poor land. And that is not going to happen. Hence, the whole camel, eye of needle thing in Matthew 19:24.

Matthew 25 seems to give us the big picture surrounding the return of Jesus. The harvests are covered in the parable of the talents and the fake Jesus is covered in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable Of The Talents | Christian Forums
Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable Of The Talents

Hey Foolish Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13: Did you hit your head or something? | Christian Forums
Hey Foolish Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13: Did you hit your head or something?

If a harvest is nearing your country, then leave on an adventure trip. Move down to South America. Possible countries include Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.

If you just don't feel like taking an adventure trip, then there will be consequences. Your death will be extremely painful, and it will be unfavorable to Jesus.

What radiation does to the human body | HBO's Chernobyl - YouTube
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What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 9:24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Luke 9:25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory,
and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:23-27 is talking about the time surrounding the return of Jesus and the establishment of the kingdom of heaven (God) on Earth. You will have to deny yourself (Luke 9:23). And you may have to accept death by refusing the mark (Luke 9:24.) You will need to avoid the harvests of destruction (Luke 9:25.) Finally, you will need to stand before Jesus upon his arrival (Luke 9:27.)

Choose the do something gate over the do nothing gate.

St. Zita wasn't the biggest fan of cleaning, but she'll pray to God for extra help to get through those times when your energy is at an all-time low.

St. Zita was a 13th-century saint most best known for her connection to domestic service.

Even a brief Google search will find a number of “St. Zita Cleaning Services,” showing how her patronage has endured through to modern times.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “At the age of 12 she entered the service of the Fatinelli family of Lucca. Her piety and the exactitude with which she discharged her domestic duties, in which she regarded herself as serving God rather than man, even supplying the deficiencies of her fellow servants, far from gaining for her their love and esteem and that of her employers rather brought upon her every manner of ill-treatment of both the former and, through their accusations, of the latter.”


An article on EWTN further expands on this part of her life, “She considered her work as an employment assigned her by God, and as part of her penance; and obeyed her master and mistress in all things as being placed over her by God. She always rose several hours before the rest of the family and employed in prayer a considerable part of the time which others gave to sleep.”

Furthermore, “Notwithstanding her extreme attention to her exterior employments, she acquired a wonderful facility of joining with them almost continual mental prayer and of keeping her soul constantly attentive to the divine presence.”

Imagining she was cleaning the house for God​

Continued below.

When should we be silent, and when should we leave our comfort zones and say something? St. Gregory the Great has some wise and useful advice for us.

My preferred method of keeping the peace is silence. I’m horrified by public protests and confrontations. I resolutely refuse discussing controversial topics, and back away from black-or-white statements. I’ve convinced myself that I prefer nuance and subtlety, but really I’m just excusing my silence. Because what if someone doesn’t like what I say? What if someone thinks I’m unreasonable?

There is prudence in staying silent at times, but never speaking up about anything at all isn’t prudence — it’s fear.

There are plenty of injustices out there –- take your pick of any number of items currently in the news — and perhaps it’s time to make our voice heard on some of them. At a more personal level, it’s important from time to time that our friends, neighbors, and co-workers hear from us, even about small matter that are bothering us, something that doesn’t seem quite right, an issue that needs discussing. Hard conversations are a necessary part of life.

Seeking wisdom​

Continued below.

While getting a good night's sleep is essential, there are other ways to ensure you're full of energy.

Most of us have various points in our lives when we feel a little wiped out. This can be for a multitude of reasons, but sometimes having a good sleep is just not enough to rejuvenate our minds and bodies.

According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, there are other forms of rest that are just as important to be able to operate effectively. And if you look at the list below, one of them in particular happens to be very easy for Catholics to achieve!

Physical rest​

There’s nothing better than climbing into bed after a long day. Physical rest is essential because it gives your body time to repair and recharge. Your body needs downtime to replenish energy levels, repair tissues, and keep your muscles happy. It’s like hitting the reset button for your body.

Mental rest​

Continued below.

The number of baptisms in South Korea increased by 24% in a year, according to statistics published Wednesday by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea.


A total of 51,307 people were baptized in the East Asian country in 2023, compared to 41,384 in 2022.

Although the year-on-year rise is sharp, annual baptisms remain well below pre-pandemic levels, when there were more than 80,000 baptisms a year.

Continued below.

Pope Francis will attend the G7 summit in June to speak about the ethics of artificial intelligence, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Friday.

The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations summit is being held in the southern Italian region of Puglia from June 13–15 and will bring together leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Meloni, who will chair the summit, said in a video message on April 26 that Pope Francis had accepted her invitation to attend a session of the summit on the topic of artificial intelligence.

“This is the first time in history that a pontiff will participate in the work of a G7,” Meloni said.

Continued below.

Pope Francis had a full slate of events Sunday during his day-trip to Venice, a trip that tied together a message of unity and fraternity with the artistic patrimony of a city that has been a privileged place of encounter across the centuries.

“Faith in Jesus, the bond with him, does not imprison our freedom. On the contrary, it opens us to receive the sap of God’s love, which multiplies our joy, takes care of us like a skilled vintner and brings forth shoots even when the soil of our life becomes arid,” the pope said to over 10,000 pilgrims gathered in the St. Mark’s Square.

Framing his homily during the Mass on the theme of unity, one of the central points articulated throughout several audiences spread across the morning, Pope Francis reminded Christians: “Remaining united to Christ, we can bring the fruits of the Gospel into the reality we inhabit.”

Continued below.

Pope Francis opened his one-day visit to Venice on Sunday morning with a meeting with female inmates where he reaffirmed the importance of fraternity and human dignity, noting that prison can be a place of new beginnings.

“A stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” the pope said to the female inmates gathered in the intimate courtyard of the Women's Prison on the Island of Giudecca.

Pope Francis left the Vatican by helicopter at approximately 6:30 in the morning, arriving in the Floating City by 8 a.m. The pope’s visit, albeit short, holds a deep meaning as Francis is the first pontiff to visit the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition, which is marking its 60th iteration. As part of the exhibition the Holy See has erected a pavilion at the women's prison titled “With my eyes.” The pope also spoke with artists while he visited the pavilion.

Continued below.

By A. W. Tozer
This article appeared in The Alliance Witness May 15, 1963, just two days after the death of Dr. Tozer. In a sense it was his valedictory, for it expressed the concern of his heart.