SATURDAY, JANUARY 18

TRUMP INAUGURATION TO TAKE PLACE INDOORS DUE TO COLD  President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony will take place indoors in the Capitol Rotunda, a shift prompted by forecasts of dangerously low temperatures in Washington, D.C. Trump announced the decision yesterday, citing concerns for the safety of attendees.  READ

BIDEN CLAIMS EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT IS NOW LAW  Outgoing President Joe Biden on Friday baselessly declared that the controversial and unratified Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has become the “law of the land.” Pro-life critics have decried the ERA, which mandates “equality of rights” between the sexes, as a means to advance a pro-abortion agenda.  READ

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TIKTOK BAN In a unanimous Friday ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan law signed by outgoing President Joe Biden last year that would ban the short-form video-sharing app TikTok unless its owner, Chinese company ByteDance, divests of it by Sunday. ByteDance has known ties to the communist government of China.  READ

TRUMP APPOINTS ‘AMBASSADORS TO HOLLYWOOD’ Trump announced this week that he is appointing conservative movie stars Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight as “ambassadors” to the “great but very troubled” Hollywood. Trump tasked the three men with “bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”  READ

LAW FIRM ASKS TRUMP TO PARDON IMPRISONED PRO-LIFERS  The Thomas More Society this week submitted a formal request asking Trump to pardon 21 pro-life advocates who were prosecuted, convicted, or imprisoned by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ). Trump has indicated on several occasions that he intends to pardon the pro-life citizens.  READ

NEW MEXICO COURT RULING A PRO-LIFE WIN  A pro-life attorney said he was “thrilled” with a ruling issued January 9 by the New Mexico Supreme Court that invalidates his clients’ local ordinances outlawing abortion. Why? Because the same ruling acknowledged the validity of the Comstock Act, an 1873 federal statute that prohibits “knowingly” using the mail system to send any “article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion.”   READ

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JD VANCE TACKLES HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AT BORDER In a recent interview, Vice President-elect JD Vance gave a strong defense of the incoming Trump administration’s plans to reclaim the nation’s border. “It is not compassion to allow the drug cartels to traffic small children,” Vance said. “It is not compassionate to allow the worst people in the world to send minor children, some of them victims of sex trafficking, into our country.”  READ

LOOPcast We say goodbye to Biden, who may be starting a career as an ominous soothsayer… Israel and Hamas have a ceasefire, while in the confirmation hearings accusations and questions fly. Trump sends ambassadors to the foreign nation of Hollywood, and, in the ultimate bait-and-switch, China is worried about the American takeover of RedNote. All this and more on the LOOPcast!  WATCH

REFINE Ready to detox your life? Refine is here to help! As awareness grows about the hidden toxins in nearly everything we come in contact with – from chemicals in cleaning products to additives in processed foods – more people are taking action to protect their physical, mental, and social well-being. Learn what you can do to build your nontoxic and fulfilling lifestyle here!  LEARN MORE

GAME DAY SNACK  As the playoffs ramp up and we get closer to Super Bowl Sunday, it’s prime season for game day snacks. Here’s a great recipe for potato wedges with ranch. It turns out way better than homemade fries and has tons more flavor.  READ

25 FACTS ABOUT THE JUBILEE YEAR It’s the Jubilee Year of Hope, but what does that entail? First of all, what is a Jubilee? Is it something that happens in Rome, or does it happen everywhere? Are there events, or is it just a theme? Should I be incorporating it into my life or spirituality? All your questions are answered here.  READ

SURVIVING THE INFERNO  In the chaos of evacuation during the Eaton fire, one woman rushed out of her house without her wedding ring. Though her home was reduced to rubble, she returned anyway to search for her ring. Against all odds, it was found intact. Here’s what it meant for her and her family, not merely as a precious item, but as a symbol of what survived the inferno.  READ

NO HARD FEELINGS Human beings can hold a grudge with unbelievable strength, usually because our sense of dignity, pride, or justice is at stake. But lack of forgiveness is a poison that destroys and then spreads and then destroys some more. Here’s what the Americana band The Avett Brothers, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Easter Exultet say about forgiveness and mercy.  READ

CATHOLIC 101  Spending time in Adoration is one of the best ways we can worship Our Lord. Many people have no idea how to make a spiritually rich holy hour. Mother Angelica once said: “The main point of this Holy Hour is for you to luxuriate in God’s presence. To forget all your problems and frustrations, and to just become aware of the awesome presence of God.” READ

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Charles of Sezze (1613-1670) joined the Franciscan Order as a lay brother, working humbly as a gardener, porter, beggar, and cook. He aided victims of the plague and insisted on giving alms to all the poor who visited his monastery. People sought him out for spiritual advice, and he was called to the bedside of Pope Clement IX to give the pope a blessing. READ

SATURDAY'S PSALM  “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.” (John 6:63)  READ

SATURDAY'S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ

SUNDAY’S PSALM  “Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.” (Psalm 96:3)  READ

SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ

ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  Zucchetto

BEAUTY  From Canterbury to Milan, check out 25 of the most stunning cathedrals in the world while scrolling through this X thread! VIEW AND SHARE