SATURDAY, JUNE 3

SENATE PASSES DEBT CEILING BILL  The Senate voted Thursday evening to pass the debt ceiling legislation, clearing the way for President Joe Biden to sign it into law. The Senate vote to pass the debt ceiling bill was 63-36. The Senate also voted on 11 amendments on Thursday night, none of which passed.  READ

RNC ANNOUNCES FIRST PRIMARY DEBATE  The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Friday announced the details of the first Republican primary debate, set to take place in less than three months on Wednesday, August 23, in Milwaukee. According to a press release detailing the event, a second debate will take place the following day if too many candidates qualify for this single debate.  READ

PENCE CLEARED IN CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE  Former Vice President Mike Pence will face no criminal charges in relation to the discovery of classified documents at his Indiana home earlier this year. The Department of Justice had its own national security division formally inform Pence’s attorney Thursday it had closed the case and based on the “results” of that probe, no charges will be filed, NBC News reported.  READ

DHS SCRUTINIZED FOR FUNDING RADICAL PROGRAM  Rep. Andy Biggs, R-AZ, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week confronting the agency for targeting conservative Americans. Biggs wrote that DHS must answer for bankrolling a university program that has explicitly lumped the Republican Party, as well as Christian and conservative groups, into the same category as Nazis. READ

DHS UPS MIGRANT NUMBERS VIA APP  The Biden administration is expanding the number of migrants it is allowing into the U.S. via the controversial CBP One app to nearly 40,000 a month as officials continue to tackle an ongoing crisis at the border. The Department of Homeland Security announced that it is increasing the number of appointments that migrants can make to be admitted at ports of entry to 1,250 a day. It had previously been allowing 1,000 appointments a day.  READ

MUSK BOOSTS FILM AGAINST ‘TRANS’ AGENDA  After publicly disagreeing with Twitter employees who tried to suppress it, Elon Musk shared the documentary “What is a Woman?” with his 140 million followers. “Every parent should watch this,” he tweeted. He also “pinned” that tweet, meaning it is the first post users see when they visit Musk’s social media account. He added later that “a child is not capable of consent, which is why we have laws protecting minors.”  READ

MUSK JOINS CRITICS OF TARGET  Musk took a shot at Target after JP Morgan downgraded its stock amid a boycott led by parents outraged over the megastore’s decisions to hire a Satanic “transgender” designer to sell sexually-themed children’s clothes. “Won’t be long before there are class-action lawsuits by shareholders against the company and board of directors for destruction of shareholder value,” Musk tweeted.  READ

MLB PITCHER TALKS ABOUT ANTI-CATHOLIC HATE  Major League Baseball pitcher Trevor Williams of the Nationals talked with the Catholic publication The Pillar about the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” and the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I will be the first one to tell you I’m still a sinner and I still need grace, and I still need the sacraments and I still need the Mass,” Williams said. “But, you know, when my religion is being mocked ... that’s when it’s time to step up.”  READ

CREDENTIALISM CRUMBLING  Despite research showing many students retain little of what they learn in college, employers “pretend” a college degree is a must for young people who want to get hired. “Starting with former governor Larry Hogan in Maryland, state governments are no longer pretending,” the editors of the National Review report. “Pennsylvania, Alaska, Utah, Colorado, New Jersey, and North Carolina have already joined Maryland in abolishing degree requirements for many state-government jobs. Virginia is doing the same starting July 1.”  READ

DICTATORSHIP SEIZES CATHOLIC SCHOOL  The Nicaraguan dictatorship took over a Catholic school in the early hours of May 29 and will probably soon deport three foreign nuns belonging to the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Louise de Marillac in the Holy Spirit, which administers the school. According to local media outlet Mosaico, the regime’s police took over the facilities of the St. Louise de Marillac Technical Institute, where about 100 students are enrolled. READ

EDIFY  God’s plan for sexuality is not a form of discrimination, but a path to fulfillment and happiness. But do you know how to explain that to others? Watch this video with Fr. Philip Bochanski to learn how we can walk with our loved ones who experience same sex attractions while not denying the truth of the faith.  WATCH

TIME AFTER PENTECOST  Did you know that the time after Easter used to be called, not Ordinary Time, but the Time After Pentecost? Sarah Damm explains how this name offers unique insight into its meaning, and offers practical suggestions for how to live in the Spirit (pun intended) of the season.  READ

CONSIDER PRAYING THE HOURS  What is the Prayer of the Church? The Mass? No, the “prayer of the whole Church” is the Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office. It’s the second highest form of prayer after the Mass, higher even than the Rosary. Many think that the “Hours” are just for priests and religious, but this is a misunderstanding. Here’s a great article that will give you the scoop on this form of prayer, and help take away some of the intimidation.  READ

CAMPING MEALS  Now that Memorial Day weekend has officially kicked off the camping season, it’s time to polish your camp chef skillz. Yes, making meals in the “wild” can sound so inconvenient as to serve as a dealbreaker for such a vacation, but there are some great tricks of the trade. Here are recipes that will help you feed a whole group with ease and minimal equipment.  READ

WHEN THE CHURCH DISAPPOINTS  It’s easy to be shaken, discouraged, and disenchanted by scandals in the Church. Even if you are not a direct victim or perpetrator of these grievous sins, we are all deeply affected as the one Body of Christ. So here are three tips from St. Dominic, who lived during a great crisis in the Church, for dealing with the disappointment.  READ

GATHERING TO PRAY AT CA CAPITOL TODAY  An interfaith group of Christians is planning a prayer vigil outside the California State Capitol while lawmakers honor the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" (SPI) inside. SPI is a radical anti-Catholic hate group. The prayer vigil will take place on the steps of the Capitol on Monday at 2:00 PM. The California Family Council and California Catholic Conference are hosting the event with Catholic and evangelical leaders, including Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto.  READ

LOOPCAST  Bishops step up to the plate against the Dodgers, and players weigh in on the major league fiasco. Plus, what you should know about the debt ceiling situation, and ways to reclaim June for Christ. All that and more on this edition of LOOPcast!  WATCH

CATHOLIC 101  Self-pity is quite the companion. She “understands” you. She “comforts” you. She knows the “real” story. When we pity ourselves, we think we are responding rightly to an injustice. But, if it is so noble that we feel the correct response to injustice, then why does self-pity leave us unsatisfied?  READ

SAINT OF THE DAY  The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, celebrates the Body of Christ both in the Eucharist and in the Church. This feast calls Christians to remember the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ that is experienced during every Mass, as well as the unity of the Church as they come together to celebrate the Eucharist as one body of Christ.  READ

SATURDAY’S PSALM  “The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.” (Psalm 19:8)  READ

SATURDAY’S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ

SUNDAY’S PSALM  “Glory and praise for ever!” (Daniel 3:52).  READ

SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ

ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  It should have been France, but it wasn’t! Apparently, King Louis XIV had been asked by Our Lord Himself to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart, but Louis XIV and his successors all ignored this request. The French monarchy then fell into misfortune. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart on June 17, 1789, the Jacobins started the French Revolution. The French king would be executed, and the Church would suffer dearly. Years later, Gabriel Garcia Moreno of Ecuador, embarked on a two-year visit to Europe to study the effects of the 1848 revolution. When he returned home to Ecuador, he became upset at its anti-clericalism. When he became leader of Ecuador, he had the legislature consecrate Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When he came to power, Ecuador’s treasury was empty and the country had an enormous debt. But Garcia Moreno turned the country’s fortunes around and the country prospered. After Moreno was assassinated, Pope Pius XI ordered a solemn Mass of Requiem to be celebrated in Rome and erected a statue in his memory as well.

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ARTWORK  Christ the Savior with the Eucharist, Juan Juanes, c. 1545-1550. SHARE

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