(LifeSiteNews) — This year has been one of unintended revelation for me, as it has been for the staff, supporters, and readers of LifeSiteNews. In the summer, we saw a palace coup which failed to reputationally assassinate John Henry Westen. This unpleasantness also seems to have been an attempt on the life of LifeSite itself. A beastly business whose fallout resulted in my presence onstage at a hastily reconvened Rome Life Forum. I have a wife, and so am used to being used. I was in the army reserve, and so am used to dressing up and doing my duty. Marshalled by a woman from LifeSiteNews on very good terms with my wife, I was posted to Rome as Master of Ceremonies. From the speaker’s point of view, the MC is a sort of well-dressed brute who cuts you off just as you are revving up for the second hour of your speech. To the audience, the MC is the swine who deprives you of the microphone when you decide to deliver a speech of your own in place of a question. To me, this was a duty – that of balancing the interests of everyone present. I came to Rome to do this duty as best I could and hoped not to blunder into some accidental disgrace. The scene was set, and I was in it long enough to be bemused by the lack of rotten tomato feedback. Looking back, perhaps this was because the real action took place offstage, with a plot twist that revealed the majesty and awesome wonder at the center of Christmastime. Rome is full of majestic buildings and the Scala Sancta is housed in one which is relatively modest. John Henry led us out on a rosary tour which took us there. I was not prepared for what happened that day. I daresay no one could be. When in Rome you get used to swanning in and out of impressive doors – such as the Holy Door of the Apostolic Palace – and so I drifted over the threshold with an eye on the signs saying, “No photos.” An attendant shushed us as we shuffled toward the wooden steps, which have been laid over the stone staircase removed here from Jerusalem. Christ walked up this staircase to Pontius Pilate. Blood spots revealed by glass portholes show the route he took back down. As you edge closer, something shifts. It is time and the Presence – in the present. Of course God is always here – everywhere – but it can be quite discomfiting to be suddenly aware of Him. The stage and the scenery vanish in that instant. There is Him, and He is everything. We know this, of course, but it is quite something to realize that God was a man, and He was once where you are, right now. The momentum of the moment arrested time. Here I was following the footsteps of Christ Himself. You go up the Holy Stairs on your knees, which is not only a sign of reverence but the best way to deal with the weight that hits you. This is a place like no other. It has a door and walls, is painted beautifully, and is chock full of pilgrims and tourists. Yet here time stops around the still point: He who makes sense of all mankind, before and after Him. It was as if a bell jar had descended over the murmur of prayers and the hiss and thrum of traffic outside. There was nothing here but Everything, and at the center of all was silence. Peace in this predicament is disturbing: this is the route Christ took to His condemnation by man. This is the path God chose to redeem men like me, offering His only Son to pay with His bloody Passion for our sins. All time is present in Christ, and all times indicate Him. For most, Christmas is the time above all in which Christ is present in our lives. To follow Christ’s path as best we can is to find Him again and again, closer each time, until you wonder you might feel His breath at your ear. I understood that I had never before realized what it meant that Christ was a man, was and is God, and walked among us. I have read the Word and I go to Mass, I read about the teachings of the Church and try to understand its luminous metaphysics. None of this prepared me for the simple, sudden shock. He is real. He is. The experience I struggle to describe is awe. I have seen so many portraits of the crucifixion of our Lord, but on that staircase the portrait and the subject combined in a profound understanding beyond words. I do not really know what to make of it, if I am honest, but I know that it has changed me in a way that will not change back. This year I saw what I thought I had seen before, and found something I believed but never knew was really there. It is the Word made flesh, the stunning and sometimes terrible fact that God came to earth in order to save us from ourselves. I am glad there were no photos allowed as I expect my mouth made a gaping “O” to mark this eureka moment. It can be bemusing to find you have approached God by accident, and not only for what this makes of all your best intentions. In my case the happy shock that Christ was one of us for a time was surprising because it was a surprise. Despite all I thought I knew, I did not really know Him as I now do. I realize this Christmas that to seek the presence of God is to beseech Him for an answer, and the answer is the gift that says I am, and I am with you, now and forever.

By Morning Star NewsThursday, December 25, 2025Reuters/Danish SiddiquiNEW DELHI — A Hindu extremist mob in northern India assaulted two Christian couples and an attorney for several hours, accusing them of forced conversion. In Haryana state’s Titoli village, 5 miles from the city of Rohtak, the mob forced one of the Christians, a pastor, to set fire to a heap of Bibles while the Hindu extremists recorded videos that immediately went viral, resulting in 32 complaints to the police. Pastor Jehovah Das, 65, and Vinod Masih, 42, along with their wives, had been invited to a Christian family’s home in the village to pray and bless the arrival of their second child on Nov. 7, sources said.About 10 to 12 members of the Arya Samaj (Noble Society), a Hindu reform movement, learned of the Christians’ visit. They phoned several of their associates and gathered a mob of about 50 people that barged into the house.“They began to beat us with slaps, punches, elbows, kicked us with their legs and held us hostage,” Masih told Morning Star News, adding that they beat the Christians from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.The Hindu extremists, whose number had then reached 80, searched their car, pulled out all Bibles and tracts and cast them onto the ground into a heap. They shot videos that showed the two couples, disoriented and in shock, forced to repeat that they intended “conversion” in the village and that they would never return.The mob kicked the Bibles and spoke disrespectfully about Christ, Masih said.Pastor Das was forced to write a letter of apology that the video shows in his hand. A member of the mob then took a bottle of flammable liquid from the hands of a boy standing with the mob and forced three of the Christians to sprinkle it on the Bibles and literature. After forcing Pastor Das to set the Bibles on fire, the mob then shouted praises to the Hindu god Rama.The mob dragged the Christians to their car and locked them inside.“We were locked in our car for two hours. We were not allowed food, water or to relieve ourselves during this time,” said Masih.While held hostage, Masih’s wife, Reena, called attorney Satish Arya for help. Arya, who once belonged to the Arya Samaj sect, has been a practicing Christian for five years. He quickly drove 10 kilometers (6 miles) to reach Titoli village.“While on my way to the village, I called the police helpline and informed them about the hostage situation and requested that any inquiry against the Christians be taken up in the police station, and that they should not let the mob take the law into their own hands,” Arya told Morning Star News. “Police assured me that they will arrive soon.”When Arya reached the village, he saw that the Christians were gathered at one area and about 20 to 25 Hindu women were assaulting the two Christian women.“They were slapping the Christian women, pulling their hair, punching them. The scene was terrible,” said Arya. “The Hindu men were assaulting the Christian men likewise.”Arya stood at some distance waiting for the police, but they did not arrive, he said. The mob called police, and responding officers soon arrived, he added.One of the Hindu extremists noticed Arya and the words, “Jai Masih Ki [Praise the Lord]” written on his car’s back window, and about 12 of them approached and asked about his background. They quickly learned that he was a Christian.Arya told them that he was an attorney and insisted that they take the Christians to the police station and let officers, rather than the mob, question them.“I objected to their act of holding the Christians hostage for four hours and questioned their inhumane behavior,” Arya said.Wearing his black court robe, he was dragged to the site where the other Christians were being beaten and assaulted.“They tore my black gown, my shirt and my innerwear,” he said. “They stripped my upper body and continued to beat me for 25 minutes, and that too in the presence of the police.”The mob proposed that they put all five Christians in a car and set them on fire within, and Arya told them the law would not spare them for such a horrendous act.A man from among the Hindu mob somehow managed to set Arya free, and the attorney left and called his wife, asking her to bring him a fresh set of clothes.Officers responding to Arya’s initial helpline call finally arrived, detained the Christians and took them to the police station, sources said. After Arya went to a doctor and received first aid, he then went to the police station.“By the time I reached the police station, the Christians were pressured to give a written statement that they did not want to press charges against the mob and promised that they would not enter that village in the future,” he said.Arya wanted to take legal action, but when he held a meeting with the host family in Titoli village, he learned Hindu residents had threatened to drive them from the area if they sided with the Christians.“This family, though in faith for almost 18 years, came under pressure from the Hindu extremists,” Masih told Morning Star News.The following day, about 80 Haryana pastors met with Arya and registered a police complaint against the assailants. They also submitted a written complaint on Nov. 10 with the Superintendent of Police, demanding strict action against the perpetrators. Though the administration assured full cooperation and necessary action in the matter, no arrests were made and no action taken.Arya gave statements to local media outlets, disclosing the hostage-taking and assault. Police summoned the Christians to the station and pressured them to reach a compromise with the assailants on Nov. 23, pre-empting any arrests of either party.“The police came under obligation to act and called together the village council and the perpetrators,” Arya said. “The village head apologized for their action in writing, kissed the Bible and placed it on his head.”Christians submitted 32 complaints at different police stations for hurting religious feelings after the video of the burning Bibles went viral.Both couples were severely traumatized. Pastor Das left the district to reside with his children in Bangalore (officially Bengaluru), Karnataka state.The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, up from 31st in 2013 before Modi came to power.This article was originally published at Morning Star News

(LifeSiteNews) — As people around the world prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas morning, our minds are drawn back to the first Christmas and the miraculous story of Jesus’ birth in a stable. As magical as it sounds, with the star of Bethlehem overhead and shepherds and Wise Men coming to adore the newborn, the first Christmas is more a story of Mary and Joseph’s total abandonment and trust in God rather than a perfect fairy tale. This theme begins at Christ’s conception, when Mary told the angel, “Be it done unto me according to God’s word.” While Mary understood the gravity of her “yes,” she could never have imagined what God had in store for her Child. Nevertheless, Mary risked everything when she told Joseph that she was expecting a baby. In much the same way, Joseph placed blind trust in God’s providence when he determined to care for Mary and her Child. Even Jesus’ birth required total trust in God. While most couples are able to plan their birth in advance, along with necessary medical and practical provisions, any plans made by the couple were discarded when they learned that they must travel to Bethlehem at the same time as Jesus was due to be born. Doubtless the couple worried that Jesus would be born along the way to Bethlehem and they would not make it to the city. Likewise, when they were told there was no room at the inn, they must have wondered if they would find shelter at all. However, even in the foreign town of Bethlehem, God provided for the Holy Family, leading them to the stable where Christ was born and laid to rest in the manger among the animals. Shortly after, Joseph again blindly followed the angel’s directions and fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod’s massacre of male children under two years old. Doubtless Joseph questioned how he would provide for his family in a pagan and foreign country, but nevertheless he trusted in God’s providence. In much the same way, Christians journey through life as through a dark tunnel which is illumined by the light of Christ. However, Christ does not light the entire path, but rather each step, forcing us to place our trust in His providence. Often we can feel discouraged when trying to navigate a world overcome by sin and intent on destroying the Christian family. However, we should take comfort in the fact that we do not have to know every step of our journey to heaven. Nor do we need to confront every evil in the world, but rather to follow Mary and Joseph’s example and carry out our duty of the moment. While it may seem significant at the time, its effect on the world could have eternal consequences. Mary and Joseph could not have imagined that their acceptance of Jesus would lead to His crucifixion and the redemption of humanity. Even more hidden was how Christ’s establishment of the Catholic Church would transform the world. Just as the Holy Family was unaware of God’s plan for them, likewise we must not expect to know every turn that our life will take, but rather place our trust in God. Indeed, perhaps if we could see everything that God has in store for us, we would find it overwhelming. However, God, in His knowledge, only gives us the trials which we can face in that moment. So as we navigate our way through the snares of the world, let us remember Mary and Joseph’s abandonment and trust in God which led to the birth of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the world.

(LifeSiteNews) — One night as I began composing this year’s Christmas message, I reflected upon the day, upon the past year with gratitude for God’s presence, yet my heart was heavy amid the ups and downs of a world in crisis. I felt like a man walking under a dark cloud of sorrow and oppression. As a Catholic journalist, this happens often while covering deeply troubling events in the world and the Church.   The 11th movement in Part One of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah began running across my mind and I sang along: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).  At that moment I knew what I would write about this Christmas: Christmas itself, where we worship the Lord for the gift too marvelous for words. This year I share with you my Christmas meditation and pray that it blesses you. The mystery of the Incarnation The Incarnation is a mystery. Mystery, in the Church, does not mean a conundrum to be solved nor an impenetrable enigma.  “Mystery” is the term the Church uses to designate the depths of God’s heart in who He is and how He saves us. We apprehend these truths through revelation as the Holy Spirit enlightens us through grace.  St. Thomas Aquinas writes that everything Christ did in His life is for our instruction, revealed through “the mysteries” of His life: His coming, His earthly life, His departure, and His impending return (Summa Theologica Part III, Question 34).  The mystery of the Incarnation is that the Word of God, who contains the whole of the Father’s Wisdom, assumed human flesh as the Son of God, revealing in space and time the Image of God in all of His splendor. The humility of the Incarnation In the Incarnation we see Christ’s humanity in light of His divinity. I am awed by God’s love in this wondrous manifestation of His humility. “The Son of God was made the Son of Man, making the sons of men sons of God” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 11).  Gregory of Nazianzen writes of this meekness through contrasting Christ’s divinity with His humanity. Jesus Christ was: miraculously begotten of God in a virgin, yet born of a woman; recognized by John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb while the Savior was still in Mary’s womb; cast off His burial cloth at His resurrection yet was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger; was glorified and exalted by angels even as He lay in the manger; came from David’s royal house as the fairest of all – later transfigured bright as lightning, more luminous than the sun – but came as an infant with no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance to make us desire Him (Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration 29:20; see Isaiah 53:2). Jesus the Light As this meditation filled my heart, I walked outside and gazed at the winter sky. This time of year the moon shines brightly, but one star shines brighter than others.  I realized that this moon is the same moon that was shining in that night of nights when the light of God appeared.  On that night certain men were drawn to the scene through God’s grace, for “no one comes to me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44). Faith in the prophets’ promises drew their hearts to that sight as they joined the Virgin’s lullaby.  Wise men came to seek the wisest of all in the child who imaged Wisdom Himself.  Shepherds sought the shepherd of their souls. They worshipped this child laid on hay in a feeding trough who would one day feed their souls as the Bread of Life. They worshipped and gave thanks to this hope of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it The moon that shone through the darkness of my sight and my soul is the same moon that shined on the Incarnation. It stands as a reminder that the Savior will return in His glory.  Yes, the Light of God shines upon this world. And tonight’s chance to hear Him is the same chance that was given on that first night of the New Creation.  At His return, His throne will shine for all to see: Jesus the Light has come!  Every movement of God toward man is one of love emanating from He who is love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that we might have eternal life. It is not words that come to us; God Himself comes to us in His fullness.  Wisdom filled Mary’s soul through her “yes,” and the Light of the World issued forth.  In this same way, the Light of the World issues forth from us when we love the Lord and proclaim His name, His presence within us effulgent and splendorous. Christ’s light has destroyed the night of darkness. The profound mystery of the Incarnation transcends space and time; Christ dwells within us.  When our hearts grow weary as we walk through the darkness, let us turn to the great light of Christ and wonder at His mercy and love. This is the faith we proclaim as we move toward our end desire, glorification in heaven where we worship the King of Kings, Christ Jesus our Lord.

(LifeSiteNews) — What concrete impact on the human experience did the Incarnation of the Son of God have on humanity? We may sometimes be tempted to believe that what is recorded in Sacred Scripture is a collection of nice stories to help us deal with the challenges of daily life in a healthier way, providing some level of psychological support or the like. But are these stories true, and how might we demonstrate a fundamental change in the world due to the birth of a helpless child in a Bethlehem cave who impacted history to the degree that He split it in two: the period of time prior to His birth, and the succeeding centuries after which we all date our calendars. Having previously worked as a high school teacher at a Catholic classical education academy, I had the honor and pleasure of sharing with my students foundational texts in Western civilization, and this included Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. A pagan Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century B.C., many of Aristotle’s texts were rediscovered in the 13th century and served as a foundation for the theology of the greatest Catholic theologian in history, St. Thomas Aquinas. In his Summa Theologiæ, the saint merely refers to Aristotle as “the Philosopher” and quotes him over 2,000 times. Eventually, these concepts of Greek wisdom became adopted as a tool for the Catholic Church in articulating the nature of man, the harmony between faith and reason, including a certain demonstrable knowledge of God based on reason, and the means of the human person achieving happiness through a virtuous life. The experience of pouring through these ancient texts with my students was one of amazement as we unpacked “the Philosopher’s” articulation of the nature of the human soul, of the virtues, particularly what we call the primary natural virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. We also focused on Aristotle’s description of how the human intellect and will train the passions and emotions to properly order them toward that which is good and virtuous as a means of building character within ourselves, leading to happiness. Of course, individuals do not always choose virtuous actions but can instead foster vices which lead to what Aristotle calls incontinent or vicious (self-indulgent) moral states of character. In reviewing these concepts with my students we marveled at how a pagan Greek philosopher, living centuries before Christ, was able to grasp and articulate with such precision so many aspects of truth which are continually confirmed as such by the life experience of the individual. As with St. Thomas Aquinas, repeatedly my students experienced the writings of Aristotle ringing true in their hearts and souls, until we reached one passage which seemed problematic. In Book III, Chapter 5 of the Nicomachean Ethics, the Philosopher is explaining how individuals have it in their power to make deliberate repeated choices as a means of building virtue, or, on the contrary, of forging a character of vice through repeated acts of injustice or incontinence. With regard to the latter scenario, where a person makes repeated deliberate choices building a vicious character which is driven by the lower passions and appetites, a point arrives, Aristotle teaches, where such a person can never change. Using the analogy of one throwing and releasing a stone, Aristotle explains that once the rock is released from the hand, it cannot be retrieved, and in like manner this individual’s deliberate acts of injustice or incontinence have forged a vicious character which will remain as a permanent burden: Just as when you have let a stone go it is too late to recover it; but yet it was in your power to throw it, since the moving principle was in you. So, too, to the unjust and to the self-indulgent man it was open at the beginning not to become men of this kind, and so they are unjust and self-indulgent voluntarily; but now that they have become so it is not possible for them not to be so. At this point I would ask my students if, like everything else we had studied from Aristotle, they agreed that this also was true. Of course, unanimously, they would reject this description saying it is not true as even the worst of us in humanity always have the possibility of changing for the better. Such change for the better is their clear experience and, thus, they concluded that Aristotle was obviously wrong on this point. I would then ask how he could possibly be precisely right on so much and wrong to such a great degree on this aspect of the human experience for which they unanimously felt absolutely certain. Eventually they arrived at the conclusion that Aristotle could only represent the state of humanity prior to the Incarnation of the Son of God in the Person of Jesus Christ, where now we may even take for granted His grace which may continually serve to transform our lives when we make even modest efforts to receive it. And thus, from this one ancient source we are given a glimpse of the state of humanity prior to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. For these reasons, the Catechism of the Catholic Church confirms that grace sufficient for all of humanity to not only be forgiven for their sins but transformed interiorly from a life of vice to one of virtue, in service to God, has been merited by the Passion of Jesus Christ. This grace ordinarily available in the sacraments of the Church, renews the interior man, purifies his heart of sin, heals and frees him from enslavement to sin, giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. “Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation,” the Catechism reads. “He enlightens and strengthens us to live as ‘children of light’ through ‘all that is good and right and true’” (1695). So, this Christmas, when we may hear the Gospel of Matthew’s representation of the Nativity, and the angel’s command to St. Joseph in a dream to name the son born of his wife Mary “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (1:21), we can perhaps better appreciate the enormous impact of this central event in world history and the infinite gifts it has bestowed upon each one of us.

(LifeSiteNews) — Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the scene of the Nativity is its expression of Christ’s desire to give Himself to us as divine food. I remember being astonished to learn, not until after Catholic school, that mangers are where animals fed, and that Christ intentionally chose this resting place to foreshadow the Eucharist.  Simply put, Christ was laid in a manger – a word derived from the Old French “mangier,” meaning “to eat” – to show that He wanted to be our own food in the Eucharist!  To emphasize that He wished to be our “daily bread” after becoming Incarnate, Christ chose to be born in Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread.”   I was already gravitating toward writing on this subject for Christmas, and the importance of receiving the Eucharist often, when a friend of mine wrote to me out of the blue pointing out that Jesus Christ told us in the Our Father to receive Holy Communion daily.  We all know that we pray “Give us this day our daily bread” in the Our Father. But, while people perhaps more often think of this as meaning, “give us what we need to physically survive” – which it does – it has a deeper and even more important meaning. “If bread = Eucharist, and it does, according to the missal, then Jesus told us to be daily communicants,” my friend pointed out. There it is – we could not have a more authoritative counsel to seek daily Holy Communion than from our Lord Himself!  We can receive this first as a consoling confirmation from our Lord of His immense love for us. A love so profound, He comes to us, totally vulnerable, under the appearance of a wafer of bread in order to be physically united with us, even daily, despite our sinfulness. This fact, once processed, becomes an anchor of our peace and joy. Jesus wants to be that close to me! He wants to be my closest friend and confidant. He wants to sustain me and nourish me, in every way. And He wants to bless me with abundant graces to strengthen my soul in virtue, to grow closer to Him every day, so that eventually my will and soul will be entirely united with Him.  If we are lacking in the desire to receive Him daily, it may be because we have let our worldly concerns overshadow God in our life. Just taking the action of going to Mass and receiving Our Lord, and in doing so overcoming an attachment to some other activity that we would otherwise be engaged in, can help scrub the barnacles of the world from our soul and reawaken our thirst for God. When we prioritize God and subordinate everything else to Him, our heart will begin to follow. Being united with Him in Holy Communion and spending time with Him thereafter becomes the greatest joy of our life, beyond words.  Now, some of you Latin Mass-goers may be thinking: “But I have no daily Latin Mass nearby.” You may not want to go to a Novus Ordo Mass, or you may think it is impermissible to go. If you have a choice between the two, it is clear that the Traditional Latin Mass is preferable, since it is more reverent to God, it gives emphatic witness to the Mass’ essence as the Sacrifice of Christ, it properly forms the dispositions of the soul, and it procures more graces. But is it true that we should avoid the Novus Ordo entirely even if we have no other options?  The powerful sign that this should not be our approach is the ongoing phenomenon of Eucharistic miracles, which overwhelmingly take place at Novus Ordo Masses. Our Lord is reminding us that this is still the Sacrifice of the Mass, that His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is present, to be adored and received by those attending. It is true that belief in the Real Presence is much less prevalent at Novus Ordo Masses than at Latin Masses. Perhaps this is in part why Christ physically manifests the reality of His True Presence there. But we may also reasonably conclude that He would not manifest Himself in Eucharistic miracles at Novus Ordo Masses if they were in and of themselves an offense to God! Priests of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) – which I hold in the highest esteem and firmly believe preserves the fullness of the Catholic faith – will sometimes argue, as Father Paul Franks has, that the new Mass signals an “implicit denial of the Catholic faith.” This is a very slippery, and ultimately untenable claim. We may justifiably question the motives and intentions of those responsible for the new Mass, but the new Mass cannot be avoided when there are no TLM alternatives merely because of the intentions of its creators. If its creators intended to obscure the truths of the faith, obscure the Mass’ sacrificial nature, and decrease reverence toward God, then they are indeed guilty of an offense toward Him.  But the new Mass, in and of itself, must be assessed for what it is, objectively. And objectively speaking, it is the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrifice of Christ to God the Father, which is of infinite precious value. And in fact, it explicitly gives witness to its nature as sacrifice. As an example of this: The Orate Fratres is virtually the same. In the new Mass, the priest prays. “Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father. And the faithful respond: “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good and the good of all His holy Church.” The new Mass also, notably, does not inherently contain anything blasphemous, sacrilegious, or heretical (although a priest may make it so, and that is another question). That is, it is still a Catholic Mass which does not dishonor God in and of itself. I have not yet been able to find an SSPX priest who can point to any “red line” drawn in the Novus Ordo that renders it an offense to God. In other words, they cannot explain what precisely needs to be added or taken away from it in order to render it permissible to attend. This is not even to say the Novus Ordo should not be replaced by the Traditional Latin Mass entirely. I believe the Church urgently needs a full return to the TLM. This is only to say that a lack of traditional Masses in our area should not prevent us from attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and receiving our Lord in the Eucharist.  There are ample stories of people, including those I know personally, who even overcame serious sins by attending the Novus Ordo Mass and receiving the Eucharist there as often as possible. As St. Ignatius of Loyola said: One of the most admirable effects of Holy Communion is to preserve the soul from sin, and to help those who fall through weakness to rise again. It is much more profitable, then, to approach this divine Sacrament with love, respect, and confidence, than to remain away through an excess of fear and scrupulosity. At the end of our life, when its true value will come into focus, we will regret ever having missed the chance to receive our Lord in the Eucharist. It is so important, Christ showed as soon as He was born that He wishes to be our daily Bread. So let’s seize every opportunity for Holy Communion we have from this moment forward. He awaits us with abundant treasures to bestow on our soul. 

(LifeSiteNews) — It has been just under two years since my sister died unexpectedly from a medical emergency. As you might imagine, life for our family looks slightly different now – especially around Christmastime. Her absence is felt most sharply during this season when her joy and bubbly personality shined through the most. My sister was what you might call a Christmas fanatic. By that, I mean she possessed an almost inexhaustible enthusiasm for the holidays, coupled with an unmatched generosity that defines it. Among other things, she couldn’t help herself when it came to buying gifts. Whether you were her sibling, cousin, neighbor, or an old friend she met in college 20 years ago, my sister had the uncanny ability to buy – or often times make – the perfect gift for you. Once you were her friend, she made sure to remind you of it. Christmas wasn’t complete for her unless she found some way – no matter how small – to make everyone she knew feel remembered. One of the most meaningful Christmas gifts she ever gave me was a handmade rosary. I did not know she was planning to make it, nor did I expect it. Just one month earlier, during our family’s Thanksgiving get together, she casually asked me what my two favorite colors were. I didn’t give it much thought and flippantly replied, “Orange and blue.” She just replied “okay, good to know” and changed the subject. I never thought she would do anything with that information. Lo and behold, on Christmas Day in 2024, she handed me a rosary that she had made herself, strung together with orange and blue beads. It was a simple, personal, and deeply intentional gift. My sister was the most creative person in our family, and her artistic spirit shone through in that gift. But more than creativity, that rosary reflected her generosity. She was always thinking of others, and was always attentive to how she could bring joy into someone else’s life. She knew I took my faith seriously and that it would mean a lot to me to receive something like that. My sister also loved to decorate. Aside from the candy canes and tinsel she put up around the house, the Christmas tree at my parents’ home always went up far too early and came down far too late in the new year thanks to her. She would spend hours arranging the lights, positioning ornaments, and ensuring everything felt just right. She even created ornaments herself for me and my family members. Each one was unique and made with love, which was a reflection of who she was. And then there were the movies. During Christmastime, my sister always had something playing on the television, for better or worse. Whether it was A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, or one of her other seasonal favorites, she made sure every year to watch all of them. She did this, mind you, curled up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate topped off with whipped cream and sprinkles in her hand. A bowl of buttery popcorn was within arms length, too, as was the crackling of burning wood in the fireplace. This Christmas will be the second one without my sister. As time passes, different thoughts and emotions emerge. It’s easy given the daily grind of life and the natural inclination to “move on” and forget to pause and remember those who have gone before us. Too often, we neglect not only to think about our loved ones who have died, but also – and more importantly – to pray for them. Yet there are things I will never forget about my sister. Her love for Christmas, her generosity, her creativity, and her joy-filled outlook on life are some of the things my memory will never let go of. In remembering her, I am reminded that Christmas is not merely about decorations, gifts, or movies. It is about love freely given, joy shared without reservation, and the quiet ways we choose to care for and show our appreciation for one another. In that sense, my sister still teaches me something at Christmastime and perhaps always will. To learn more about my sister, click here.

By Billy HallowellThursday, December 25, 2025Getty Images Should Christians speak about candidates and politics from the pulpit? That's the topic of today's "The Inside Story."Billy Hallowell sits down with Dr. Richard Land, executive editor of The Christian Post. Dr. Land provides a history of the Johnson Amendment, why many churches have opted not to speak about politics, and what the proper balance on the issue might look like. Listen to the episode:“The Inside Story” takes you behind the headlines of the biggest faith, culture, and political headlines of the week. In 15 minutes or less, Christian Post staff writers and editors will help you navigate and understand what’s driving each story, the issues at play — and why it all matters. Listen to more Christian podcasts today on the Edifi app — and be sure to subscribe to The Inside Story on your favorite platforms:

VIENNA (LifeSiteNews) — Where I’m from, we believe in the Christ child, not some old bearded man invented by Coca Cola! You may hear this sentence (or a variation of it) from Austrian or German Catholics who are proud of their Christmas traditions and want to take a shot at American traditions. Well, as you may know, Coca-Cola did not actually invent the modern version of Santa Claus (more of that later), but it’s true that in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, especially in the Catholic parts, we believe the Christkind (Christ child) is the one putting the presents under the Christmas tree. When I was growing up, it was typical for my dad to take my brother and me out for a short trip on the afternoon of December 24. In the meantime, my mother would prepare the Christmas tree and the presents, so that when we came back, my parents could tell us that the Christkind had been there. In Austria and other German-speaking countries, we receive our presents on the eve of Christmas. This is because, in the Catholic Church, feast days traditionally begin on the vigil, i.e., the evening preceding the feast day. The Christkind is a mythical figure that is usually invisible and hidden. However, when depicted, he is usually shown as an angel with a white dress and blonde, curly hair. Sure, Christ was not an angel, but you know how it goes, these traditions take funny turns sometimes. Ironically, the tradition of the Christkind dates back to none other than Martin Luther, who sought to counter the veneration of saints. Before the Protestant Reformation, the main day for presents was December 6, the feast of St. Nicholas. Naturally, Luther wanted to focus on Christ instead of the 4th-century saint, and therefore moved the main occasion for presents to Christmas. Today, we still celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day in Austria. The Nikolo (St. Nicholas) visits schools dressed in red robes and rocking a long white beard (much like Santa Claus). Children usually receive small gifts, chocolate, and nuts. But only if they were nice that year, otherwise, the Krampus will get them! (Just Google “Perchtenlauf”… but be warned, it’s very scary.) However, the main occasion for presents has been shifted to Christmas Eve, and ironically, the Christkind remains a tradition in Catholic regions to this day, while much of Protestant Europe and the U.S. adopted some version of Santa Claus or Father Christmas later on. To get back to where we started, the modern-day Santa Claus was not “invented” by Coca-Cola and actually does go back to St. Nicholas of Myra, although he underwent many transformations along the way. The Dutch brought their tradition of Sinterklaas (Santa Claus, loosely based on St. Nicholas) to New Amsterdam (now New York). In the 19th century, Santa Claus was transformed through popular literature into a secular figure, depicted as an old, round man with red robes and a white beard. The Coca-Cola commercials of the 1930s then made the depiction famous around the world. So, in a strange way, perhaps Santa Claus is a more Catholic figure than the Christkind? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Merry Christmas!

By Christian Daily InternationalThursday, December 25, 2025Gate ZeroVideo game publisher Templar Media has acquired Norway-based development studio Bible X, securing the future of “Gate Zero,” a forthcoming Bible-based, time-travel video game aimed at a global audience of younger players.Announced in a Dec. 17 press release, the acquisition brings Bible X — founded in 2020 under the nonprofit Christian media organization BCC Media — under the umbrella of the Atlanta-based publisher. Templar Media said the deal ensures long-term ownership of the "Gate Zero" intellectual property while providing expanded resources for development, marketing and distribution, including confirmed plans to launch the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with a particular focus on reaching Generations Z and Alpha. “'Gate Zero' is a historical, semi-open world action-adventure with sci-fi elements, set in a dystopian future where a ruthless global regime is the sole arbiter of truth,” according to Templar Media.“From the moment we saw 'Gate Zero,' we knew it had enormous potential as a high-quality game that was being created for a massive, yet underserved gaming audience,” added John Gibson, CEO and founder of Templar Media. “With this acquisition, we can now apply the full experience, support and resources of Templar Media into creating the incredible ‘Entertainment First’ experience that gamers worldwide have been asking for.”Read: Innovative Bible video game ‘Gate Zero’ raises $271K on Kickstarter in less than 79 hoursGibson, a games industry veteran, saw the acquisition as a cornerstone investment for the new publisher. The business deal complements the company’s “entertainment first” philosophy. “Templar Media gives us the stability and strategic support to fulfill our original vision and expand on it,” said Arve Solli, studio head of Bible X based in Moss, a city near Oslo, Norway. “Our goal from the very beginning of the project has been to take players on a fun and engaging journey back in time, allowing them to experience firsthand the events of the Bible during one of the most pivotal and significant moments in history. Now, we have even greater tools and resources to bring this vision to life in an even more powerful, immersive, and high-quality way. "As proven by the commercial success of TV and movies like 'The Chosen' and 'The King of Kings,' there’s a massive audience seeking top-tier content that explores their values. With 'Gate Zero,' we plan to meet that demand with a full-featured, story-rich video game that allows the player to explore the history and stories found in the Bible, in a grounded and historically accurate way."The development of Bible X is part of a wider rise in popularity and engagement by players with Christian and Gospel genres in the video games space, according to Templar Media.Solli has been working in Christian media and production since 2011. His involvement has seen him create content for children, and he has been working for that target audience for years as a producer and director, mostly for BCC Media.In late 2019, he began working on an interactive Bible study tool complementing an international youth camp planned for 5,000 young people, creating an imaginative virtual tour inside the temple in Jerusalem. However, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the project, and Solli and his team had to rethink the whole concept and came up with the idea of creating a video game.All the young people in the youth club were invited to play the prototype of the new video game. They were divided into 900 groups of four to seven people, and played the game together.“They were [virtually] ‘living’ in Jerusalem, celebrating Easter and learning all the stories, and interacting for two months before [physically] returning to the camp two years later,” Solli previously told Christian Daily International. The first prototype of the game was completed in 2022.  Solli said the project plan had two purposes. First, to present the prototype at a mass Christian youth camp in post-pandemic Norway, involving youngsters from around the world. They had a tradition of doing a Bible study project together. “The first prototype was meant to be that Bible study project,” Solli explained, “for then in groups but also interactive all over the world, competing inside the game and building up towards their youth camp in 2022. The other purpose was to confirm the assumption that a Christian Bible-based video game would be a really good idea.”The manner of gauging interest was achieved by analyzing the interaction between the youngsters and the game with developers: “studying those results, and we also went specifically to the U.S. and interviewed youth ministries in several different churches with differing denominations to gather insight and validate our reasons for making this game. "Our goal is that if you read the Bible, you can play the game. It’s basically playing the Bible so it’s for all denominations.”Further development and changes were made to enhance gameplay, storyline, and graphics. The game's quality subsequently improved. The first iteration was for groups playing, but an updated version caters to single players with an additional cellphone or tablet application facility to enable more players to join in the game.The game's storyline is 100% Bible-based, according to Solli, and participants play as “Max,” a teenager from the future, within a narrative created by the Bible X team. Solli compared the tone of "Gate Zero" to George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984. Set in 2072, the game's storyline says a governing power called “DeForce” controls every aspect of life to serve its own self-beliefs. As Max, the game player is not convinced and sets out to learn the truth of history, thanks to his grandmother Charlotte with her Bible. Cousin Hector, with a time scanner, helps and Max becomes something of a “cyber archaeologist,” according to Solli, who wants to “bring back the history of the world.” “They travel back in time to confirm and find evidence of that world, so they can rediscover the history of it, and by that people can learn about Jesus.”This article was originally published at Christian Daily International Christian Daily International provides biblical, factual and personal news, stories and perspectives from every region, focusing on religious freedom, holistic mission and other issues relevant for the global Church today.

Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, head of the Evangelical Community in Egypt, said the country’s evangelical churches reject any association with Christian Zionism and affirm their commitment to justice and peace. (Screenshot from unrelated video.) Youtube Screenshot / Sat7 Egypt’s evangelical leadership has issued a public clarification distancing the country’s 1.5 million evangelicals from Christian Zionism, responding to a recent Egyptian television report that linked global evangelical support for Israel with churches in Egypt amid the war in Gaza, which entered a fragile ceasefire in October. Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, head of Egypt’s evangelical community, told Christian Daily International (CDI) that the country’s 19 evangelical denominations unanimously reject the use of the Bible to justify the war on Palestinians, stressing that Egyptian evangelicals do not share the politically motivated ideology often associated with Christian Zionism in the United States. Zaki acknowledged that worldwide, dispensationalism includes a branch known as Christian Zionism, which blends religion and politics. “It is important to emphasize that all evangelical denominations in Egypt, regardless of their theological orientation, do not adopt or believe in this branch of Christian Zionism,” he said. The statement followed a media report by Egyptian anchor Hind El-Dawy on Al-Qahera W Al-Nas, which detailed mass campaigns by Christian Zionists in the United States supporting Israel amid its war in Gaza. Commenting on the TV report, Zaki told CDI, “The report blurred the lines between evangelicals in Egypt and those in the United States, which prompted us to issue this clarification.” He added that the statement reflects a clear position of Egyptian evangelicals: “All denominations that adhere to either Covenantal or Dispensational Theology do not embrace the concept of Christian Zionism but rather reject it entirely.” Khalaf Barakat Fahmy, president of the Baptist Evangelical Assembly in Egypt, said the clarification was “necessary” to prevent political or ideological exploitation of the Evangelical Church’s name. “The statement was not a luxury or an unnecessary step, but rather a church and national necessity,” he said, noting the heightened sensitivity of public opinion in light of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the past two years. Fahmy added that supporters viewed the statement as “a responsible and balanced stance that preserved the image of the Church and its moral and national witness,” while some critics saw it as “weak or unnecessary, arguing that the Evangelical Church in Egypt does not need to justify its patriotism, historically known for its support of the Egyptian people and the cause of justice and peace.” He emphasized that the statement wisely avoided theological debates, noting that Christian Zionism is fundamentally “a political movement” that emerged in a Western context, supporting the modern state of Israel through literal interpretations of biblical passages. “In Egypt, the Evangelical community encompasses a wide spectrum of denominations, which may differ in eschatological interpretations—such as the Millennial Kingdom or the nature of Christ’s return—but they all agree on the core of the Christian faith and on rejecting injustice, violence, and killing, whatever its source,” Fahmy said. Below is the full text of the statement issued in Cairo on Dec. 20, 2025: Statement from the Presidency of the Evangelical Community in Egypt The Evangelical community in Egypt, in all its denominations, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, affirms that its ministry in Egypt is a national one, spanning nearly two centuries, through its churches and national institutions, in service to humanity and society. The Evangelical community also affirms its categorical rejection of any association between itself and what is called Christian Zionism. The Evangelical community reaffirms its commitment to defending the legitimate rights of all peoples and advocating for a just and lasting peace, founded on justice and the preservation of human dignity. We pray that peace will be achieved in Palestine, our region and the entire world. Rev. Dr. Andrea ZakiHead of the Evangelical Community in Egypt

Children engaged in a Christmas story. Thimar LSESD (Supplied) This Christmas, partners of THIMAR LSESD around the Middle East are celebrating Christmas amid varying circumstances and challenges. Some are celebrating this holiday freely with church services, gift exchanges, carols, and family gatherings. Others are celebrating more quietly, festivities subdued by conflict and crises. As with previous Christmases, we are coming alongside our partners this year to help with Christmas celebrations in their communities. Through this initiative, our church discipleship ministry, Salt & Light, is supporting more than four dozen churches and ministries with Christmas events in Lebanon and Syria, providing them with gifts for thousands of children.   The true story of Christmas continues to bring hope and light to communities longing for peace with God and neighbor.   As we support our partners in celebrations, we also want to highlight the ways they are remembering the birth of Christ. Amid the unique challenges and circumstances they face, we see how the true story of Christmas continues to bring hope and light to communities longing for peace with God and neighbor.   Lebanon: another Christmas in another challenging year  The roads are buzzing and full of traffic in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city, as people rush to buy gifts for Christmas. In Christian towns elsewhere in Lebanon, Christmas decorations draw visitors from across the country with their colorful lights and markets. The festivity gives some life and cheer to a country still on the edge of war.  But the Christmas scene is not the same everywhere.  In a village in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley where one of Thimar’s church partners is located, the signs of Christmas are easy to miss. There are few decorations amid ongoing hostilities and the remnants of last year’s full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. Recovery efforts have been slow in the area. Economic hardships persist, and many shops and streets feel lifeless.  Still, local believers are celebrating Christmas.  The village kicked off the holiday season with a special Christmas program for 180 Syrian students. Our partner in the village kicked off the holiday season with a special Christmas program for 180 Syrian students studying at the church’s informal education center, sharing with them the story of Jesus’ birth and gifts from Salt & Light. Later this month, the church will host a similar Christmas celebration for around 100 local children and those from nearby villages.   These events reflect the church’s longstanding commitment to its community. For more than 12 years, Thimar has come alongside it to meet the needs of people without discrimination. This Christmas, amid lingering hardship, the church continues its witness.  Churches bring Christmas joy to children in Syria  One year since Syria’s former regime was toppled, challenges and violence continue. But in a village in the country’s west where one of Thimar’s church partners serve, people are experiencing a more hopeful atmosphere. Streets are being decorated, and a Christmas village has been set up, drawing visitors from nearby areas with its exhibitions, markets, and programs.  Our church partner is preparing two Christmas events to bring together hundreds of children, teenagers, and young adults. At the heart of both gatherings is a Christmas play that shares the message of the gospel. Church members are also visiting homes throughout the village, singing carols, praying with families, and bringing the meaning of Christmas directly to people.  People are happy because someone is checking on them. “People are worried and afraid because of everything they hear and see on the news,” said Pastor Fadi*, the head pastor of our church partner. “But when we come to their homes, everyone opens their doors and watches. It’s so nice to see the sparkle in their eyes. People are happy because someone is checking on them, asking about them, caring for them, and remembering them.”  Iraq: Christmas amid relative stability  In Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, Christmas decorations and a festive atmosphere are visible in several parts of the city. Churches are preparing for their celebrations and anticipating the holiday season. Earlier in December, one of Thimar’s partner churches organized a children’s event, welcoming more than 190 children from different religious backgrounds along with their parents. The church also hosted a charity market for the surrounding community.  The birth of Christ is for the salvation of humanity. During the event, Pastor Boulos* shared a message centered on “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and joy to people,” emphasizing that the birth of Christ is for the salvation of humanity, so that all people may experience peace, joy, and salvation. Families who attended expressed happiness and appreciation for the time spent together.  Reflecting on recent years, Pastor Boulos noted that the past few years have been better than those before, describing a sense of relative stability in the country. The church is also preparing to spend New Year’s Eve together, welcoming the new year in prayer as a congregation, and continues regular home group visits where the pastor encourages members and prays with them.  “At that time, when Jesus was born, humanity was experiencing great pain, and God incarnated and created hope for a new change. This is the hope we hold onto today. With the relative stability in Iraq, we look forward to a better tomorrow, by the grace of Christ,” Pastor Boulos said.  Sudan: celebrating Christmas during war  Elsewhere in the region, our partners are celebrating Christmas in more restrictive circumstances. Christmas is being celebrated under the weight of ongoing war and fear.  Among Sudanese believers, Christmas is being celebrated under the weight of ongoing war and fear. In the war-torn capital of Khartoum, a Sudanese alumni of Thimar’s Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) notes that programs at the church he pastors are modest this year.  The church will host various events and programs throughout Christmas week, including children’s events, carols, prayers, and biblical games. But public celebrations are limited, the pastor said. Christmas marches and decorations, once part of the season before the war, are no longer possible. Random gunfire and the presence of extremist groups have created an atmosphere of fear.  “This year is different from last year,” Pastor Youssef* shared. “Last Christmas was extremely hard. Any gathering could be attacked. This year, there is slightly more space to gather, but the fear is still there.”  Amid challenging circumstances, the meaning of Christmas resonates more deeply with Youssef.  When we reflect on the Christmas story, we see both pain and hope. “When we reflect on the Christmas story, we see both pain and hope,” Youssef said. “Jesus is the Prince of Peace. In the middle of our challenges, the story of his birth gives us a glimpse of hope and joy.”  Yemen: believers gather for quiet Christmas celebrations  For believers in Yemen, Christmas celebrations happen within tight limits.   “Society rejects public Christmas ceremonies and celebrations,” said Saleh*, an ABTS alumni. “Some people post on social media that it is forbidden to greet someone for Christmas or even to post about it.”   Believers in Yemen celebrate Christmas privately with their families at home, often in small groups of four or five households. Other families step outside the city to sit in nature and enjoy the day. Whether at home our outside, it is a time to rest and remember the true joy of Christmas.   Christian celebration is about sacrifice and giving. “Christian celebration is about sacrifice and giving,” Saleh said. “It gives a glimmer of hope to society, letting them see a different color of Christmas, a new opportunity for peace, something they are already deprived of.”   Despite all the hardship engulfing Yemen, Saleh remains hopeful. He believes God is at work in Yemen in ways that often go unseen.   “God is reaching people in Yemen,” he said. “More than you can imagine, with or without us.”  His prayer this Christmas is that the Lord will protect churches and their congregations as they persevere in their faith amid the challenges they face.   “Christ is powerful,” Saleh said. “This is His church, and He will not abandon it. He is responsible for protecting it, and it will always exist.”  *Pseudonyms Originally published by Thimar LSESD. Republished with permission. Ghinwa Akiki joined Thimar LSESD in April 2023 as a communications coordinator. With her profound love for writing, she discovered a platform to nurture her literary passion and communication skills. At Thimar LSESD, Ghinwa engages in various facets of communication, allowing her to grow and refine her writing abilities across different domains. Ghinwa pursued her BA in Arts in Modern Languages and Translation at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK). Her early career in education began at Beirut Baptist School, where she gained rich experience working with students. Ghinwa is a member of City Bible Church in Beirut, where she is actively involved in children’s ministry and singing. Thimar LSESD is a Lebanese nonprofit organization (NGO) that seeks to strengthen the witness of the Church in the Arab World through inclusive education, community development, and church discipleship. Thimar works alongside local schools, ministries, and churches throughout the Arab World. Through these relationships, we see God at work, even in times of war and crisis. Come share in His miraculous, life-giving work of transforming communities and changing lives.

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, December 25, 2025The Holy Bible. | artplus/iStockOne of the most-studied Bible verses of the year is from 2 Timothy in the New Testament, according to an analysis of millions of Bible study sessions that tracked how believers worldwide are engaging with Scripture. On Monday, the Bible study platform Logos released Logos Chronicled, a new report aggregating 76 million Bible study sessions from 2025. The report provided information about trends among 4 million people across 164 countries and 35 territories, including Brazil, Germany, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore. “These findings confirm what we’ve always believed: People are hungry for more than surface-level Bible reading,” Chris Migura, president of Logos, said in a statement provided to The Christian Post. “They want tools that help them read Scripture in depth — with the help of the Bible’s original languages, centuries of theological insight, and the ability to trace themes across the entire canon. That’s exactly what Logos provides,” Migura added.According to the report, the top Bible verse of the year was 2 Timothy 3:16, which states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The report suggested that this means most users of Logos’ platform began their Bible studies by affirming that Scripture is divinely inspired and not derived from human consensus. As for the most-studied book, Matthew claimed the top spot, with John and Luke also appearing in the top five, according to Logos’ report. Another recurring pattern highlighted in the report is that the most-searched Greek term among users was “Logos,” which can mean “word,” “reason” or “message.” Among the most preferred Bible translations, the Nestle-Aland 28: Novum Testamentum Graece — the standard and globally preeminent critical edition of the Greek New Testament — ranked 10th in most opens. The trend led the report to conclude that most Logos platform users were committed to engaging with Scripture in its original languages. Reina Valera Revisada (1960), a Spanish translation of the Bible, ranked seventh on the list of most-opened Bible translations, which Logos cited as potential evidence of a growing Spanish-speaking user base.The report also noted that users appeared to seek the Lord, with “God” among the most-searched terms, followed by “Jesus” and “Spirit.” The word “Dios,” a Spanish word for “God,” ranked sixth in the list of most-searched terms. “We at Logos are building technology to increase biblical literacy and accessibility for every Christian around the world,” Migura added. “Our vision is as far-reaching as the Great Commission, and we know it will take continued effort. Still, we’re overjoyed to see the progress we’ve made in equipping believers everywhere to go deeper in light of the Bible.”A separate study released earlier this year, known as the "State of the Church" initiative, which assessed people's Bible-reading habits, concluded that more Americans are reading the Bible. The initiative, a collaboration of Barna Group and Gloo, collected data from 12,116 online interviews conducted between January and October 2025. Researchers found that approximately 50% of self-identified Christians report reading the Bible weekly, the highest level of Bible reading among Christians in more than a decade.While women have traditionally been more likely to read the Bible weekly, the latest data show that younger men are leading younger women in this practice. Weekly Bible reading rates were 54% for Gen Z men and 57% for millennial men, compared to 46% for Gen Z women and 43% for millennial women.Despite more Americans reporting consistent Bible reading, fewer maintain that the Bible is 100% accurate, with only 36% of Americans believing that the Bible is 100% accurate. Only 44% of self-identified Christians strongly affirmed the accuracy of the Bible.

By Christian TodayThursday, December 25, 2025Getty ImagesWhen we think of Christmas, the Nativity scene usually comes to mind. And most of us can picture the scene instantly — Mary and Joseph, a manger, shepherds, angels and a bright star overhead. Maybe you even played one of the characters as a child. It’s a story we know so well that we sometimes overlook the depth, beauty and unexpected details woven into it.Yet the birth of Jesus is full of quiet surprises. Layered beneath the familiar narrative are cultural, historical and theological details that reveal just how intentional God was in sending His Son into the world. Here are seven often-missed details in the Nativity story — each one adding new richness to our understanding of Christmas.Page 2 By Christian TodayThursday, December 25, 20251. The first Christmas wasn't silent or calmWe all know the beloved carol “Silent Night.” It paints a serene picture of Jesus’ birth — but the reality was far messier. Mary gave birth during a census in a crowded town, likely surrounded by noise, smells and feeling exhausted (Luke 2:1-7). It was a scene marked by vulnerability, scarcity, and yet remarkable faith (Luke 1:38; Matthew 1:24). Jesus’ humble entrance into the world foreshadowed the shape of His life and, ultimately, His sacrificial death on the cross (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:6-8; Luke 9:58). More than that, it reveals the way God so often chooses to meet us — not in polished perfection, but right in the middle of our ordinary, chaotic lives.

(LifeSiteNews) — Hello my friends, I’m John-Henry Westen, co-founder and CEO of LifeSiteNews. From all of us here at LifeSiteNews and Sign of the Cross Media, I wish you a happy and holy Christmas. What a year it has been. So many ups and downs. So much has happened that it can be hard to take it all in. There is so much confusion and uncertainty in the world — and even in the Church. At times, the forces arrayed against Jesus Christ and His Truth seem insurmountable. The faithful remnant who refuse to be silent in defense of Christ and His Truth often find themselves unwelcome — not only in the halls of power in Washington or Ottawa, but even in the Vatican and many cathedrals. Those who strive for holiness are often misunderstood and shunned — sometimes by other good people — through misunderstandings, false rumors, or fear. It’s hard to know who to trust any more, with lies and falsehoods abounding. It seems the hearts of many have grown cold. Does that sound familiar? It should. These were the conditions before the Messiah came the first time — when many of the religious leaders who were called to recognize Him did not. Instead, it was simple shepherds and wise men from afar who saw reality much more clearly. Even the holy Saint Joseph, in his distress, considered quietly putting Mary away when he discovered she was with child — until the angel of the Lord intervened. They were turned away from every inn, from every place of shelter, even as Our Lady was about to give birth — because hearts had grown cold… cold enough to turn away a mother about to give birth! They found refuge in a poor and lowly stable to give birth to the Savior of the world. But what glory came. Angels announced His birth to the shepherds, their song filled the night air. The Holy Family and the poor little ones rejoiced in their poverty, in their littleness, because they had the only real Treasure on earth – the Pearl of great price was before them, with them, in them, as He is in us. They could see and touch the King of Kings – God Almighty – the whole goal and purpose of their lives. And we can still do that today at every Mass – we can have Jesus and touch Him and hold Him. But at this present time, like never before, we can relate to the coming of the Babe of Bethlehem. Shunned by the Church and by the world for fidelity to Christ and His Truth we are a small remnant, but it is beautiful and even joyful to see the baby Jesus reflected in one another, to see Him alive in those who believe, in those who despite the attacks and the shunning refuse to be silent, refuse to accept the lies, refuse to shake their beliefs about life, about family and most importantly about the one true faith. We see you faithful and holy ones who pray and support this mission. We see in your gifts, your prayers and your comments the love and the warmth of Jesus Christ – as powerful and alive today as ever, in fact the darkness of our times makes His presence in you shine all the more brightly. I can’t tell you the joy it gives me to see you – to see Him in you – to recognize Him so clearly shining from you. You are a beacon of truth in a very dark world, you support this work to shine the light of His truth for everyone to see. Pray with us that many will accept, believe and live His Truth. Thank you with all my heart. And from all of us here at LifeSiteNews and Sign of the Cross Media, have a happy and holy Christmas, and may the New Year bring us even closer to Our Savior.