Day: August 25, 2025

Heavenly Father,
Your infinite love for us has chosen a blessed angel in heaven
and appointed him our guide during this earthly pilgrimage.
Accept our thanks for so great a blessing.
Grant that we may experience the assistance
of our holy protector in all our necessities.
And you, holy, loving angel and guide,
watch over us with all the tenderness of your angelic heart.
Keep us always on the way that leads to heaven,
and cease not to pray for us
until we have …

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 26 August 2025 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 2:1-8 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our reception among you was not without effect. Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we drew courage through our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle. Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives, nor did it work through deception. But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed–God is witness– nor did we seek praise from men, either from you or from others, although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.From the Gospel according to Matthew 23:23-26 Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”Pick up the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew and see how many times Jesus says: “hypocrites, hypocrites, hypocrites”, and thus reveals what hypocrisy is. Hypocrites are people who pretend, flatter and deceive because they live with a mask over their faces and do not have the courage to face the truth. For this reason, they are not capable of truly loving: a hypocrite does not know how to love. They limit themselves to living out of egoism and do not have the strength to show their hearts transparently. (…) We should never forget the Lord’s words: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Mt 5:37). Brothers and sisters, today, let us think about the hy-poc-ri-sy that (…) Jesus condemns: hy-poc-ri-sy. And let us not be afraid to be truthful, to speak the truth, to hear the truth, to conform ourselves to the truth. In this way, we will be able to love. A hypocrite does not know how to love. To act other than truthfully means jeopardizing the unity of the Church, that unity for which the Lord himself prayed. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 25 August 2021)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
2:1-8

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
that our reception among you was not without effect.
Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi,
we drew courage through our God
to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–
nor did we seek praise from men,
either from you or from others,
although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ.
Rather, we were gentle among you,
as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
23:23-26

Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.”

Pick up the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew and see how many times Jesus says: “hypocrites, hypocrites, hypocrites”, and thus reveals what hypocrisy is. Hypocrites are people who pretend, flatter and deceive because they live with a mask over their faces and do not have the courage to face the truth. For this reason, they are not capable of truly loving: a hypocrite does not know how to love. They limit themselves to living out of egoism and do not have the strength to show their hearts transparently. (…) We should never forget the Lord’s words: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Mt 5:37). Brothers and sisters, today, let us think about the hy-poc-ri-sy that (…) Jesus condemns: hy-poc-ri-sy. And let us not be afraid to be truthful, to speak the truth, to hear the truth, to conform ourselves to the truth. In this way, we will be able to love. A hypocrite does not know how to love. To act other than truthfully means jeopardizing the unity of the Church, that unity for which the Lord himself prayed. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 25 August 2021)

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The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back toContinue reading “2025 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases”

The post 2025 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Pope’s tailor highlights dignity of work

Pope’s tailor highlights dignity of work – The election of a new pope this past spring has inspired numerous pieces of journalism about our Church. Looking beyond the pieces relating to politics and Church governance, one can find fascinating stories about people whose lives are uniquely intertwined with this moment in history. One such piece is Solène Tadié’s recent story for the National Catholic Register about Raniero Mancinelli, who has been tailor to four popes: St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and now Leo XIV. “They each had their own style, their own way,” Mancinelli told Tadié. “But I saw in all of them the same

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Where does the United States stand on life issues? 

A young pro-lifer holds a sign that says “No human is a mistake” at the Colorado March for Life in Denver on Friday, April 11, 2025. / Credit: Kate Quiñones/CNA

CNA Staff, Aug 25, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

When it comes to unborn life, only 19 states in the U.S. protect unborn children from abortion during the first trimester of their lives. As far as assisted suicide goes, in 10 states as well as the District of Columbia, it is legal. And in about half of U.S. states, the death penalty is legal.

CNA is unveiling three new interactive maps to show where each state in the U.S. stands on life issues. The maps will be updated as new information on each issue becomes available.

Here’s an analysis of the maps and of the laws around life issues across the United States as of August 2025.

Abortion

After the overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortion legislation returned to the states. But in 2024, Americans had more than 1 million abortions, according to the latest data.

Twelve states now protect life throughout pregnancy with some exceptions. Soon after Roe was overturned in 2022, Texas prohibited almost all abortions, leading the charge alongside a few other states whose pro-life trigger laws went into effect.

Seven states protect unborn children within the first trimester, usually at the times when the child’s heartbeat can be detected, which is about five to six weeks. Ohio led the charge for heartbeat legislation — laws that protect unborn children once a heartbeat can be detected. Florida also passed a heartbeat law in 2023 under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Nebraska passed a pro-life constitutional amendment protecting life after 12 weeks.

In 18 states, laws protect life after 18-24 weeks. Most of these states protect life only after “fetal viability,” the time when a baby can survive outside the womb with medical support. Viability is usually estimated to be between 22 and 23 weeks by most doctors, but it continues to advance thanks to improving technology. For instance, a baby born last year celebrated his first birthday after being born at 21 weeks.

Abortion is legal up to birth in nine states and Washington, D.C. Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont have no protections for unborn children at any stage of development. In most of these states, taxpayer dollars fund abortion.

Several states have passed ballot measures in recent years declaring a “right to abortion” or “reproductive freedom” under the state constitution. These states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, and New York. In states with a right to abortion, the constitutional amendments leave room to expand already existing laws. While California currently allows abortion up to viability and up to birth in cases of the mother’s life or health, pro-life advocates warn that the constitutional right to abortion could lead to an expansion of abortion in the state.

Four states have ongoing litigation over abortion laws, including in Missouri, where courts are determining how the state’s constitutional right to abortion will be enforced. In 2024, Montana also approved a constitutional right to abortion in 2024 that is currently being challenged in court. Abortion laws in North Dakota and Wyoming are also in flux.

Assisted suicide

Assisted suicide — sometimes also called physician-assisted suicide — is when a doctor or medical professional provides a patient with drugs to end his or her own life. It is to be differentiated from euthanasia, which is the direct killing of a patient by a medical professional.

The term euthanasia includes voluntary euthanasia, a practice legal in some parts of the world when the patient requests to die; involuntary euthanasia is when a person is murdered against his or her wishes, and “nonvoluntary” euthanasia is when the person is not capable of giving consent. 

Assisted suicide is legal in some U.S. states and around the world, while voluntary euthanasia is legal in a limited number of countries including Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal. In Belgium and the Netherlands, minors can be euthanized if they request it.

In Canada, patients with any serious illness, disease, or disability may be eligible for what is known as medical aid in dying (MAID), even when their condition is not terminal or fatal. In 2027 Canada plans to allow MAID for those with mental health conditions; Belgium, Luxembourg, and Colombia already allow for this.

While most U.S. states have laws against assisted suicide, a growing number of state legislatures have attempted to legalize it.

Thirty-eight states in the U.S. have laws against assisted suicide. Some states specify that assisted suicide is illegal, while other state codes say they do not “authorize” assisted suicide.

Other states maintain laws that were enacted before assisted suicide was popularized in the late 1990s. Often, these states ban the practice of “assisting suicide.”

Some states have established newer legislation against the practice in recent decades including Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.

The state of West Virginia has taken the lead in opposing assisted suicide. In 2024, the state became the first to approve a constitutional amendment banning assisted suicide.

In 10 states and in Washington, D.C., assisted suicide is legal. Oregon was the first state to legalize assisted suicide in 1997.

In another two states — Montana and New York — legislation that could legalize the practice is still pending. New York’s legislation awaits the signature of the state governor, while pro-life voices such as Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan are outspoken against the bill.

Death penalty

The United States is split on the death penalty, which is also known as capital punishment. Twenty-three states have the death penalty, while 23 states have abolished it. In the remaining four states, executions have been temporarily paused via executive action, but the death penalty has not been abolished.

Of the states that have abolished the death penalty, Michigan took the lead, becoming the first state to abolish the death penalty in 1847. Alaska and Hawaii — both newer states — have never had the death penalty.

Five states (Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah) allow the death penalty via firing squad as an alternative to lethal injection.

The federal death penalty can be used for certain federal crimes in all 50 states as well as U.S. territories.

A total of 16 federal executions have occurred since the modern federal death penalty was instituted in 1988. The federal death penalty was found unconstitutional in the Supreme Court’s decision Furman v. Georgia in 1972 but was later reinstated for certain offenses and then expanded by the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994. In 2024, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 men, leaving three men on death row.

Where does the Catholic Church stand on life issues?

On abortion: The Catholic Church opposes direct abortions in all cases, teaching that human life must be protected at all stages. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception” (CCC, 2270).

“Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion,” the catechism says. “This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable” (CCC, 2271).

Notably, the Church does not teach that the life of the child must be preferred to the life of the mother but rather instructs doctors “to make every effort to save the lives of both, of the mother and the child.”

On assisted suicide: The Catholic Church condemns both assisted suicide and euthanasia, instead encouraging palliative care

The Church advocates for a “special respect” for anyone with a disability or serious condition (CCC, 2276). Any action or lack of action that intentionally “causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator,” the catechism reads (CCC, 2277).

On the death penalty: In 2018, the Vatican developed the Church’s teaching on the death penalty, with Pope Francis updating the Catechism of the Catholic Church to reflect that the death penalty is “inadmissible” in the contemporary landscape. 

St. John Paul II’s previous teaching in the catechism permitted the death penalty in “very rare” cases, saying that “cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender ‘today … are very rare, if not practically nonexistent” (CCC, 2267, pre-2018). 

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CNA explains: Who is Jimmy Lai?

2025 Bradley Prize recipient Jimmy Lai. / Credit: Courtesy of the Bradley Foundation

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 25, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Catholic self-made entrepreneur and media tycoon Jimmy Lai built an empire on free speech and truthful journalism — but today he sits behind bars as one of China’s most high-profile political prisoners.

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, known as Jimmy Lai, was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1947 during the Chinese Civil War. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over, Lai’s mother was sent to a labor camp, leaving him and his siblings on their own during his early life.

When he was 12, Lai stowed away on a boat to Hong Kong, escaping mainland China with hopes of a better life. Arriving penniless, he found work in a garment factory, where he eventually rose to a managerial position.

In Hong Kong, Lai saw a need for quality and affordable clothing. He built a chain of clothing stores called Giordano that were very profitable, bringing wealth that funded the launch of Lai’s media conglomerate Next Digital. The company became Hong Kong’s largest listed media company, which released a popular weekly publication, Next Magazine.

Following the magazine’s success, Lai founded Apple Daily in 1995. The tabloid paper was known for its pro-democracy stance and critical reporting on China and the Hong Kong government.

Between his success in the fashion industry and the popularity of his media company, Lai’s story became one of rags to riches. In 2008, he was titled a “Forbes billionaire,” valued at an estimated $1.2 billion. Despite his wealth, the husband and father prioritized family, faith, and the principles of democracy and a free society.

Becoming a pro-democracy activist

Through his media outlets and other advocacy work, Lai became an outspoken critic of the CCP. His free-speech activism led to his first arrest on Aug. 10, 2020, during a raid of his newspaper’s offices under a then-new national security law. 

The law, passed by the communist-controlled government, sharply restricted free speech in Hong Kong to end what the CCP considered subversion. It took effect July 1, 2020, when it was imposed after bypassing the Hong Kong Legislature. 

After his arrest, Lai was originally released on bail while awaiting trial. He had the opportunity to leave Hong Kong with his family since he is a British citizen, but he decided to stay, committed to his mission and faith.

Lai converted to the Catholic faith in 1997. He had attended church alongside his Catholic wife, Teresa, for years prior to his conversion. Eventually he was called to the faith and was baptized by Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. 

After deciding to stay in Hong Kong, Lai said: “If I go away, I not only give up my destiny, I give up God, I give up my religion, I give up what I believe in.”

“I am what I am. I am what I believe. I cannot change it. And if I can’t change it, I have to accept my fate with praise.”

Lai was arrested again in December 2020 on fraud charges and was denied bail. Over the next few years, Lai continued to receive extended sentences for charges including unauthorized assemblies, protesting, other fraud charges, and participating in the 2020 Tiananmen Square vigil, a service commemorating those who died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

Lai’s ongoing trial

Initially set to begin in 2022, the national security trial was delayed until Dec. 18, 2023. The trial continued to be postponed and Lai was denied bail despite a number of appeals. When the trial finally began, Lai pleaded “not guilty” to charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious material.

The prosecution was estimated to last 80 days but ran until June 11, 2024, when it was further pushed to Nov. 20, 2024. The case has had interruptions that the government has claimed were due to “health concerns” and “inclement weather.”

As he waits in prison, Lai has committed himself to religious reading and prayer, even creating religious drawings, mostly pictures of the crucifixion of Christ. The 77-year-old has been in solitary confinement for more than four years where he is denied the Eucharist and is subject to inhumane conditions. 

A Hong Kong court heard final arguments Aug. 18, but it is unclear when a verdict will be delivered. Lai’s legal team has previously said it anticipates a guilty charge as he’s being tried under a law that “essentially criminalizes dissent.” Therefore, the hope is that enough international support will help prompt a release. 

Catholic bishops across the globe have been outspoken calling for Lai’s freedom, along with a number of political leaders. This August, President Donald Trump vowed to do “everything” he can to save Lai from unjust imprisonment. Lai’s family has been dedicated to spreading Lai’s story and fighting for his release.

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