By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, February 23, 2026Houston pastor Pedro Cantu shot dead by his roommate during a home invasion.Police responded to a burglary call and found Cantu suffering from a gunshot wound.A 35-year-old male, a resident of the home, fired the weapon while attempting to defend against the intruder.An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor.Pedro Cantu was the lead pastor of the Amor y Restauración (Love and Restoration) church in Houston, Texas. | Screenshot/Facebook/Amor y Restauración Detectives with the Houston Police Department are investigating after Amor y Restauración (Love and Restoration) church lead pastor, Pedro Cantu, was fatally shot by his roommate during a break-in at his home on Saturday.Police responded to a burglary call at 1233 South Kirkwood Road about 12:15 a.m. on Saturday when they heard at least one gunshot coming from inside the residence, according to a news release. Officers later found and detained a 35-year-old male with a firearm. They also found 62-year-old Cantu suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.Another man, identified as suspected burglar Rodney Dushaw Yoder, 44, was also injured by Pastor Cantu’s roommate, who was not identified by police. Yoder was charged with burglary of a habitation. It is unclear if the 35-year-old who fired the weapon will face criminal charges. “Detectives learned that the armed male, 35, and Mr. Cantu were residents of the home. And the injured male had broken into the residence. The armed male was attempting to defend the residence, shooting the suspect and accidentally striking Mr. Cantu,” HPD investigators said in their release.According to the church’s website, Pastor Cantu and his wife, Leticia, who have three daughters, moved to the U.S. from Mexico in July 1990. He started meeting other families for worship and Bible study at their small apartment in 1991, and later that year, they formally opened Love and Restoration church.During a worship service at the church on Sunday, church and family members openly grieved his death, KHOU 11 reported.“My husband loved you all deeply,” his wife shared in Spanish. “He loved the church deeply. I never heard him speak ill of anyone. He loved you all sincerely.”One of his daughters, Perla Cantu, also made it clear that her father did not own a gun.“I want people to know that my father was a peaceful man,” she said in a statement. “He did not own a firearm, regardless of what you may have heard.”Others like Abraham Guajardo, pastor of Eden Church in Houston, remembered Pastor Cantu as a force in the local Spanish church community.“Pastor Pedro Cantu was more than a pastor; he was a father, a son, a friend, not to mention a pastor to pastors. Every time he greeted me, he would say, ‘mi querido Abraham.’ ‘My dear Abraham,’ He said it to many, but when he said it, it felt personal. It carried weight,” Guajardo wrote on Facebook on Saturday.“Right before we launched Eden, he walked me through the facility they were preparing to move into. It was empty at the time, just walls and vision, but he saw what God was building before anyone else could see it. Much of what we have stepped into at Eden has been shaped by his teaching, his conversations, and his example. He carried authority in this city with humility and conviction. I truly do not know another one like him,” he added.Guajardo said Houston, the Body of Christ, and the Latino church are all grieving Cantu’s death.“While this loss is shocking and painful, we also celebrate the victories, the ground he broke, the lives changed because he said yes to God. I am praying deeply for his family and for his church community Amor y Restauración. If I feel this loss, I can only imagine what they are carrying right now,” he said. “In the very city we love and serve, this hurts deeply. But his voice, his vision, and his faithfulness will echo far beyond this moment.”

CHICAGO (LifeSiteNews) — A man saved an eight-month-old baby girl from drowning in Lake Michigan after he jumped into its icy waters. Lio Cundiff, 30, was taking a walk along Belmont Harbor in Chicago while wishing a happy belated birthday to his aunt on the phone when he heard a woman scream and saw a stroller with a baby inside swept into Lake Michigan by a strong gust of wind. “I wasn’t going to let that baby die,” Cundiff, who reportedly does not swim, told Fox10 from a nearby hospital, where his heart was being monitored after the rescue.  “I immediately dropped my phone, threw my jacket off,” Cundiff told Block Club Chicago. “I realized the woman was in too much shock to do anything, which is more than understandable. So I thought, ‘I guess I’m going in.’” Cundiff jumped into the water and grabbed ahold of the stroller, with the baby still strapped in.  “I just held the stroller up,” Cundiff said. “I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to keep her head above water.’ I was just trying to keep her safe. That was my only thought.” He said at times, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep her afloat.  “At that point, I was like, if she’s going down, I’m going down with her,” he said. “I couldn’t live with myself if that baby hadn’t made it.” “I’m just glad the stroller was up and not face down. The baby dipped under a couple times, but I was able to keep her up,” Cundiff told Fox10. Bystanders soon made haste to pull Cundiff and the baby ashore. One passerby, Luis Kapost, threw out the sleeve of his jacket so that Cundiff could grab onto it while still holding the stroller. Another bystander found a life ring and threw it towards Cundiff.  “I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to hold onto the sleeve and hold onto the baby at the same time,” Cundiff said. “Luis throwing that jacket down helped me so much. I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to keep either of us afloat.” Kapost and the baby’s nanny helped pull Cundiff and the baby ashore. “It took forever,” Kapost, an American Airlines pilot, told Chicago Sun Times. “It probably happened in the span of five minutes.” “That’s the epitome of a hero, someone who’s going to act, to help somebody else they don’t know even though they’re placing their own life in danger,” Kapost said. “He’s an absolute rock star.” Kapost said another passerby called 911. Cundiff said the baby girl was “breathing and crying” when they emerged. She was found to be in good condition at Lurie Children’s Hospital. The 30 year-old was kept overnight at Illinois Masonic Medical Center after tests showed he had elevated enzyme levels. “They were worried about my heart,” Cundiff said. “They wanted to monitor that and make sure there were no blood clots or anything like that.” He was released from the hospital on Thursday night and has said his heart is doing well and that he is “feeling good.” He is in touch with the family of the baby girl, who he said is “doing great.”

DID YOU KNOW?  U.S. Olympian Alysa Liu's story is a remarkable American story because it involves escaping from the bondage and danger of communism to the freedom of the United States.  It began when her father, Arthur Liu, was targeted by the Communist regime of China, branded as "Most Wanted" for organizing freedom protests around the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.  The elder Liu left China in his 20s as a political refugee because he had protested the Communist government.  After China cracked down on protesters and murdered an unknown number of potentially thousands of them, Liu miraculously escaped to Hong Kong before eventually fleeing to safety in America, where Alysa was born in 2005.  Alysa then became one of the world's top figure skaters, and Arthur refused to back down after the CCP tried to intimidate his family before the Beijing Olympics of 2022.  The FBI had warned Liu in October of 2021 that communist spies were after the Liu family as his 16-year-old daughter was preparing for the Winter Olympics.  He kept the terrifying news from his daughter at the time, and chose to let her compete after the U.S. State Department guaranteed her safety while competing inside the very country he had escaped from. "We believed Alysa had a very good chance of making the Olympic team and truly were very scared," Arthur said in 2022. At that time, the Justice Department announced charges against five men accused of acting on behalf of China's communist regime in a series of brazen and wide-ranging schemes to stalk and intimidate Chinese dissidents in the U.S.   Arthur said back then, "I'm not going to let them stop her from going, and I'll do whatever I can to make sure she's safe and I'm willing to make sacrifices so she can enjoy the moment... I'm not going to let them win — to stop me — to silence me from expressing my opinions anywhere." He also reported that a man called him on the phone in the fall of 2021 before the Olympics, pretending to be an Olympic official, and asked for his and his daughters' passport numbers. He refused to provide them. "I felt something fishy was going on," Arthur said. "From my dealings with the U.S. Figure Skating association, they would never call me on the phone to get copies of our passports. I really cut it short once I realized what he was asking for." During the Beijing Olympics, Alysa says she was approached by a stranger late one night at a cafeteria, and that the man followed her and asked her to come to his apartment. Alysa did quit figure skating for two years after the Beijing Olympics, but then she decided to rejoin the sport with a new attitude. She decided she wouldn't compete only to win, but to just have fun and show what she can do.  Last week, that young woman overcame the fear and intimidation of the past. As a child of American freedom, she finally won the gold medal at the Olympics in Italy, thanks in part to her father's quest for freedom and her own fearless fortitude.    

(LifeSiteNews) — About 370,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the remains of St. Francis of Assisi, which are on extended public display for the first time in history, since Sunday. According to a report by EWTN News, hundreds of pilgrims lined up on February 22 to be among the first to pray before the sacred relics of St. Francis, displayed in the basilica dedicated to him in Assisi, Italy. Today in Assisi, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi were solemnly transferred from his tomb to the Basilica of St. Francis, opening an unprecedented period of public veneration marking the 800th anniversary of his death. Nearly 350,000 pilgrims have already registered to… pic.twitter.com/8odOSk05WG — EWTN News (@EWTNews) February 22, 2026 The bones of the world-famous saint have been placed in a glass box and will be displayed through March 22. To handle the large crowds, about 750 people are allowed to enter the basilica’s lower church every 30 minutes. According to the Franciscan friars who organized the event, a public veneration of the saint’s remains has never occurred in history. The viewing is part of the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death in 1226. As of February 2021, 370,000 people had registered in advance for a time slot, with about 80 percent of registered pilgrims coming from within Italy. However, the friars are expecting visitors from countries on all continents, including more than 5,000 from the United States. The new bishop of Assisi, Felice Accrocca, said at a press conference that St. Francis was barely five feet and two inches tall and “wore dirty clothes and his face was not beautiful, yet God gave great power to his words.” “Francis continues to speak. I hope that this month will help us to reflect on this,” Accrocca stated. Pope Leo XIV has declared 2026 a “Special Year of St. Francis” in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of his death. Until January 10, 2027, Catholic faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence by making a pilgrimage to any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship named after St. Francis or connected to him, under the usual conditions: sacramental confession, reception of Holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. St. Francis of Assisi (born 1181, died 1226) is the founder of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans). He was born into a wealthy family but chose to live in poverty and serve the poor after a profound conversion to the faith. He received the stigmata two years before his death and is revered as one of the most important saints of the Middle Ages and, indeed, the entire history of the Church.

Editor’s note: The following text is taken from a statement made by Bishop Joseph Strickland on his X account on February 23, 2026. (LifeSiteNews) — I share this as a follow up to my statement regarding the situation of the SSPX which I posted on February 3. In the intervening days, some have “put words in my mouth” that were not an accurate representation of my thoughts on this critically important subject. I pray that the following clarifies where I stand as one bishop who loves the Church deeply. I renew my plea that we pray for Pope Leo and for the leaders of the SSPX. Statement dated February 23, 2026. The current situation involving the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has once again exposed a painful and longstanding tension within the life of the Church. In the years following the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre believed that foundational elements of Catholic life – traditional priestly formation, clear sacramental theology, and the ancient Roman liturgy – were being set aside at a pace and in a manner that endangered the spiritual stability of countless souls. Whether one agrees with every decision he made, it is historically undeniable that the traditional liturgy and priestly formation were preserved in large part because he and others were unwilling to allow them to disappear entirely. Many of the faithful recognize this reality. They also recognize that the tensions of 1988 did not arise in a vacuum. They arose amid widespread doctrinal confusion, liturgical experimentation, and pastoral instability – wounds that, in many ways, have not fully healed. READ: Bishop Strickland: ‘I cannot remain silent’ as confusion in the Church deepens Today, similar concerns are being voiced again. Questions surrounding clarity in doctrine, reverence in worship, and the integrity of Marian devotion are not trivial matters. When Catholics perceive that pillars of the faith are weakened or treated as negotiable, anxiety naturally grows. The desire for continuity is not rebellion; it is an instinct of faith. At the same time, the Church is hierarchical by divine institution. Episcopal consecrations are not private acts but visible expressions of communion with the Successor of Peter. This structure is not optional. Unity belongs to the Church’s very nature. Yet unity cannot be sustained by ambiguity. Authority is not given merely to govern, but to safeguard what has been handed down. When those seeking doctrinal and liturgical continuity experience prolonged uncertainty of silence, the strain on communion increases. This reality deserves sober acknowledgment. The present moment should not be reduced to factions or slogans. The salvation of souls remains the supreme law of the Church. All parties must act with prudence and humility, conscious that they will one day render an account to Our Lord for how they guarded His Church. This is not a time for triumphalism, nor for recrimination, but for clarity and courageous fidelity. Let us pray intensely for the Holy Father, for all bishops, and for the faithful. May Our Lady, Mother of the Church, protect her Son’s Mystical Body and obtain unity rooted in truth.

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, February 23, 2026Brandon Pitts, 43, is pastor of Abundant Life Fellowship church in Boonville, N.Y. | YouTube/ Abundant Life BoonvilleDays after heavy snow triggered a blast that destroyed the Abundant Life Fellowship church in Boonville, New York, Pastor Brandon Pitts, who was injured along with four firefighters, has been released from the hospital.“I want to thank every single person who has prayed for me, for my family, and for our church. I have been released from the hospital and will be recovering over the next 1-2 months," Pitts, 43, wrote in a message to his church and the Boonville community on Friday. "Your prayers have carried us. We feel them. We are grateful beyond words." Pitts was injured along with Boonville Fire Chief David Pritchard Jr., 60, and firefighters Nicholas Amicucci, 43; Richard Czajka, 71; and Allan Austin, 67. The fire was caused by a propane fuel line being damaged after the church's roof buckled under the weight of snow that had accumulated in the area last Tuesday.While the investigation into the blast remains ongoing, the New York State Police said first responders arrived at the church after receiving a call at around 10:23 a.m. about a gas odor inside the building. There were four people in the church’s basement when the furnace activated, triggering the explosion. A firefighter who was on the first floor trying to ventilate the building was thrown against a wall.The Boonville Fire Department confirmed Pitts’ release from the hospital in an update Saturday. Officials also noted that Austin, the assistant fire chief, was released from Wynn Hospital. The other three firefighters remain at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where two are listed in critical condition and the other in fair condition as of Saturday.“This is going to be a long recovery for all of these individuals and their families, and our Fire Service extended families. We continue to ask you to respect the families and keep the well wishes and prayers flowing,” the statement from the Boonville Fire Department said.The New York State Police is investigating an explosion that occurred at the Abundant Life Fellowship in the Town of Boonville, Oneida County, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. | New York State PolicePastor Pitts described the loss of his church building as “unthinkable,” but praised the unity he has seen on display since the explosion.“On Tuesday, February 17, we experienced the unthinkable as our church building was tragically lost in a devastating fire. It has been an overwhelming few days, but in the middle of loss, I have witnessed something powerful — faith, unity, courage, and love,” he said, while praising the courage of the first responders who stepped in to help.“Many acted with extraordinary courage, and several are still in the hospital recovering. We are praying for their complete healing and for strength over their families. We stand with them fully,” he wrote.Pitts thanked the Adirondack Central School District for allowing his congregation to worship at the Adirondack High School Auditorium “for the foreseeable future.”“Their kindness is a gift to our church and to our community,” Pitts said. “While we have lost a building, we have not lost our mission. We have not lost our faith. We have not lost our hope. The Church is not made of walls — it is made of people. And we are still standing.”

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Monday, February 23, 2026Sight & SoundNASHVILLE, Tennessee — As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the word “liberty” is resurfacing in cultural debates, but for Sight & Sound CEO Joshua Enck, it carries a deeper meaning, inspiring the ministry’s new film, “The Great Awakening.” “What this film really depicts is the biblical definition of liberty,” Enck told The Christian Post of Sight & Sound’s upcoming feature, starring John Paul Sneed and Jonathan Blair. “On the Liberty Bell, it says, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.’ I want that liberty to ring out over this nation once again in the hearts of men and women.”The film, set to open in movie theatres on April 3, centers on the unlikely friendship between 18th-century evangelist George Whitefield and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, a relationship Enck said surprised him during research.“This story really found us,” Enck, who directed the film, said. “It’s not that I had aspirations as a young child to do a film on George Whitefield. But when I started diving into the 250th anniversary and the concept of liberty, I found this incredible friendship.”Whitefield, widely regarded as one of the most influential preachers of the Great Awakening, traveled thousands of miles on horseback throughout the American colonies. Franklin, though often described as a deist, became one of Whitefield’s greatest promoters, using his printing press to spread the preacher’s sermons.“They were a team,” Enck said. “Franklin was the greatest promoter of the greatest event in American history. There were many preachers leading up to 1776, but there were none like Whitefield, and when you combined the power of his voice with Franklin’s ability to get the word out, it unified the colonies.”According to Enck, before the political revolution came spiritual awakening: “Our tagline says it all: ‘Before the revolution, there was a revelation,’” he said.In the film, Whitefield delivers a line that encapsulates Enck’s understanding of biblical liberty: “Blood will be shed for the liberty you’re talking about, but blood was already shed for the liberty.”“The biblical definition of liberty,” Enck explained, “is that blood was already shed for us, freedom from sin so that we can serve the Lord freely. This film doesn’t shy away from the Gospel. We don’t soft-shoe anything.”Rather than portraying historical figures as flawless icons, the film highlights their humanity and need for a Savior.Sight & Sound | Sight & Sound“We show the flaws of Ben Franklin. We show the flaws of George Whitefield,” Enck said. “God uses imperfect leaders to transform the world. That’s what happened in the Great Awakening.”The timing, Enck believes, is significant. The original Great Awakening unfolded during a time of division among denominations and colonies, a time not unlike today. There’s a parallel, he emphasized, in today’s cultural climate marked by division and questions about truth.“It was the first shared experience across the colonies,” he said. “Eighty percent of colonists didn’t just hear about Whitefield; they heard him preach. They were unified by something they could all believe in.”“We need something that brings us back together as a nation,” he said. “This film doesn’t have a political agenda. We’re not trying to prove whether every founding father was a Christian. We’re simply telling how this powerful friendship ignited an awakening.”Though the story has lessons relevant in today’s cultural climate, Enck emphasized that it also serves as a message to the Church.“The big-C Church needs an awakening,” Enck said. “Before the fireworks and confetti are thrown for the 250th anniversary, we need to come back to the core of what true liberty really is.”Whitefield himself, Enck noted, was an unlikely leader. Fatherless and raised by a mother who ran a tavern, he trained as an actor at Oxford before experiencing a religious conversion and turning his theatrical voice toward preaching.“Because of his style, he was kicked out of the Anglican Church,” Enck said. “So he built his own traveling pulpit on horseback.”One scene depicted in the film shows Whitefield preaching in a coal field in Bristol, England, drawing miners from underground.“He wrote in his diary that he saw white streaks down their blackened cheeks from tears,” Enck said. “That’s the kind of revolution we’re talking about.”The project marks another milestone for Sight & Sound, which has spent more than five decades building a reputation for large-scale, immersive biblical stage productions seen by millions of people in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Branson, Missouri.Founded in the 1970s by Glenn and Shirley Eshelman, the company is best known for epic live productions such as “Jesus,” “Esther” and “Noah,” featuring massive sets, original music and live animals. In March, the company will premiere a stage version of Joshua.Today, Sight & Sound employs more than 800 people and reaches audiences worldwide through its theaters, touring productions and Sight & Sound TV, a streaming platform viewed in more than 165 countries.Its expansion into feature films accelerated during pandemic shutdowns, when live performances were forced to pause.“When our theaters were closed, the world couldn’t come to us, so we decided to go to them,” Enck, who joined the organization in 1995 as a stagehand and now oversees creative direction as president and chief story officer, said. Their first feature, “I Heard the Bells,” created on a shoestring budget, debuted at No. 2 at the box office.“Our stage productions have always been very panoramic and cinematic,” Enck said. “The biggest adjustment was learning how to convey truthful moments when the camera comes close and personal.”He recalled filming a pivotal six-minute speech delivered by Franklin in one continuous take, repeated eight times without error by a theatrically trained actor.“That’s why I love working with theater actors,” Enck said.Looking ahead, Enck attributes Sight & Sound’s longevity to discernment rather than trend-chasing. He summed up the ministry’s philosophy with an acronym: EGO, “Edging God Out.”“We try to say no to hundreds of good ideas and yes to the God idea,” he said. “Once we know, we don’t look back.”“We are anti-ego,” Enck said. “None of this is about us. It’s about bringing the Bible to life on stage and now on screen and getting out of the way of what God is doing.”

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, February 23, 2026Adrian Davis, former pastor, sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling over $400,000 from his church.Davis used church funds for personal expenses, including luxury items and vehicles.Using the church’s money, he bought an Audi A7 for $30,920 and a $45,982 GMC Yukon.An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor.Adrian Davis is the former lead pastor of All Nations Worship Assembly in Huntsville, Alabama. | YouTube/ Unity Church (of Compton)Adrian Davis, a disgraced pastor from Huntsville, Alabama, who embezzled more than $400,000 from his church and splurged on cars and luxury items, has been sentenced to five years in prison.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama announced the sentence of 42-year-old Davis, who once led All Nations Worship Assembly in Huntsville, on Friday. Davis was sentenced by United States District Judge Liles C. Burke following his guilty plea last October to wire fraud and filing a false tax return. “Davis betrayed his congregation when he abused his position of trust for personal gain,” U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona said in announcing the sentence. “My office is committed to holding accountable individuals who violate positions of public trust.”“Adrian Davis stole funds from his parishioners and filed false tax returns to conceal his crime,” added Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristen A. Yukness of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents are dedicated to ensuring that individuals who hold positions of trust within the community and use those positions to participate in fraudulent financial activities are held accountable.”Authorities said that Davis, who was still being platformed by churches as recently as six months ago, embezzled approximately $434,339 from 2018 to 2020.Among the purchases Davis made with his church’s money are an Audi A7, which he bought in 2018 for $30,920. In 2019, he used $45,982 from his church’s purse to buy a 2016 GMC Yukon. Davis also paid $117,000 for personal expenses on an American Express card. He splurged $4,970.15 at Louis Vuitton and $5,300 at Flight Club — a world-renowned sneaker consignment store in New York City where rare, exclusive and vintage sneakers are priced as high as $20,000 to $30,000 per pair.In March 2020, Donny Harper, who owns and founded GO(O)D Company Apparel in Cincinnati, Ohio, shared on Facebook how he opened his store for Davis when he visited the city.“We were closed at the time, but when Pastor Adrian Davis from All Nations comes to your city and says, ‘I need to see your store,’ we had to open up for him!” Harper wrote.Investigators say Davis also used church funds to pay off a credit card balance of $18,530 from a jewelry purchase. He made significant purchases from luxury brands Hublot and Peter Marco, which were never authorized by the church.“Davis also failed to report the embezzled profit on his individual tax returns for 2018, 2019 and 2020, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS in the amount of $114,859.00,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Davis did not provide his tax preparer with records showing that he had received and spent more than $400,000 of the church’s funds in tax years 2018-2020. Additionally, Davis suggested to his tax preparer that his extra income came only from speaking engagements.”Davis' sentence comes just weeks after self-styled prophet and leader of Kingdom City Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Brian Carn Jr., pleaded guilty to obstructing the IRS’ efforts to collect more than $600,000 in outstanding taxes while insisting he won't be going to prison. He is facing a three-year sentence.“It's an accounting error, but it's an accounting error that I have to take responsibility for because it's my taxes,” Carn, 36, said in an interview with Larry Reid.When Reid raised concern that he didn’t want him to go to prison for the maximum penalty of three years, Carn said, “Well, I won't be. You know, I know how to handle that stuff in the spirit.”

LONDON (LifeSiteNews) — The political landscape of Britain changed significantly on February 13, 2026, after Rupert Lowe MP launched a new party to offer the British population an option on the right. The launch video, which featured Lowe on the grounds of his own farm donning traditional British country clothing, broke records as it amassed over 40 million views, and was promoted by Elon Musk. Polling at 10 percent from day one, Restore Britain’s launch has caused a sensation on the political stage and has significantly – and e uniquely in the context of British politics – emphasized a Christian and civilizationally-restorative political stance. I am today launching Restore Britain as a national political party. Join us.https://t.co/RMtEuHopgV pic.twitter.com/jQMAOjQJ5A — Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) February 13, 2026 READ: Australian prime minister praises public schools for suppressing ‘far right’ ideology The launch of the party comes after Lowe was controversially expelled from the Reform UK party by its leader, Nigel Farage, due to Lowe’s advocacy for mass-deportations – and amid supporters’ disaffection with Reform’s leftward realignment. The day after the launch, Lowe stated on X: “Britain is a Christian country, and under a Restore Britain government – it will remain a Christian country.” Restore Britain’s campaigns director and spokesperson, Charlie Downes, who is a traditional Catholic and convert to the faith, similarly drew fire from center-right figures involved with Reform UK for insinuating “Restore Britain believe that Britain is a people defined by indigenous British ancestry and Christian faith.” Downes agreed to speak to LifeSiteNews about his new party, what it can offer faithful Christian voters and supporters, and why its leaders believe their policy platform aligns soundly with a faithfully Christian worldview. “Christianity is inextricable from Britain’s history and our national identity,” Downes told LifeSiteNews. “In my view, a civilization is a series of covenants,” he added. “First is marriage – the permanent union of one man and one woman before God. Marriage is the foundation of the household, which is a married couple with children and property. The household in turn should be considered the fundamental economic unity of society (as opposed to the individual, as liberals argue, or class, as socialists argue).” Downes revealed he thinks the individualist bent contemporary liberals and most politicians hold leads to a fatal flaw where they refuse to recognize the foundational importance of the family. Sub-replacement fertility and cheap labor imported by big businesses which see all as individual economic units of production are downstream from this, he believes. All of these issues Restore Britain aspires to help ameliorate. “From the household comes the tribe,” he continued. “We see this with Abraham,” Downes added, situating his understanding within the Biblical context, the classical philosophy of antiquity, and Catholic scholasticism. Downes extended this to explain that subsequently, “from tribes come a nation,” citing the examples of ancient Israel and Judea from the 12 tribes of Genesis, and England from the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons. “The nation, like marriage, is a covenant whose purpose is to glorify God. Mass migration undermines this, and so mass migration is necessarily anti-Christian and immoral. Reversing it is therefore the Christian’s duty,” he explained, arguing it threatens to upend covenant as a basis for social order. Downes also acknowledged that not all forms of migration are of equal threat or value. Migration from certain nations, where historically hostile religions such as Islam dominate, the party believes ought to be heavily restricted. Lowe proposes to block entirely routes to entry and citizenship from nations such as Somalia and Afghanistan, Downes explains. READ: Archdiocese of Detroit fires podcaster after he presented Catholic doctrine on Zionism Restore Britain will not merely pay lip service to vague notions of “Christian values,” Downes said, but will not be afraid to wade into religious matters legislatively and politically where necessary. A substantive policy paper Restore Britain has already drafted and supported advocates the ban of halal and kosher meat. Restore also intends to outlaw the burqa, the Islamic dress worn by women to cover the body and face. “What liberals don’t understand is that religious convictions, when sincerely held, aren’t malleable and flexible like mere political beliefs,” Downes said. Downes believes this is why the notion millions of Muslims are likely to integrate into British, Western, or European culture, which is essentially shaped and informed by Christian faith, is naive – and for this reason political leaders cannot ignore tenets of certain religious worldviews which are hostile or antagonistic to Christian Westerners as a people. For Downes, although religion and politics are distinct, contemporary political actors scarcely realize or understand how these necessarily and unavoidably intersect. “People often say Islam is a system of political control rather than a religion. But those two things are not necessarily mutually exclusive,” he says. Downes points out, “Christianity certainly has a political shape” and this is one he thinks is mostly incompatible with Islam, as well as a number of other deeply-ingrained cultural practices and attitudes found around the world. In Britain, Downes insists, “we are a Christian state,” something he points out is less a matter of opinion than a “matter of fact,” both “constitutionally” as well as “historically.” Asked whether migration and religious demographics, however legitimate a concern, might be reduced to a panacea for all political problems for some on the right, Downes did agree this could be a danger. He quoted another traditionalist Catholic friend of his, who argues: “Britain is not dying because she is being invaded. She is being invaded because she is dying.” Restore Britain seeks, instead, to stoke a far broader social, cultural, economic, and fundamental revival. Downes argued that Lowe and Restore are unique in the landscape because they break the mold of profligacy in politics, where leaders promise plenty and are dishonest about fiscal challenges or strain caused by policy implementation. “We believe in an economy that rewards hard work, prudence,” he adds. READ: Senator demands answers after Apple News posted zero articles by conservative outlets Though the party is not in favor of the “nanny state” or “big government,” and wants to “take the boot off the neck of smaller sized businesses,” he explains neither is the party “free market fundamentalist.” Restore intends to “use state power” in a manner which, rather than merely to “shore up the interests of big business,” would “safeguard the institutions that make our country feel like a home.” One of the things which makes Lowe a leader, Downes said, is his frankness. Necessary and desirable policies are often initially “painful,” and Lowe, he argued, is the only figure with the fortitude to acknowledge and confront this. The mass deportations of the 2 million illegal migrants, which Restore Britain has committed to carrying out quickly once in office, as well as pursuing a policy of net negative migration, meaning more people leaving or being repatriated from the country than new arrivals settling “for the foreseeable future,” they recognize is something which will be financially and politically difficult. Although, they are insistent that it is possible. Restore Britain would repeal the assisted dying bill and reverse recent changes which decriminalise abortion up to birth. British Christians now have a political party that represents their views, and will act on it. — Restore Britain (@RestoreBritain_) February 23, 2026 After the launch, one of Downes’ fiercest critics was Reform UK’s Muslim candidate to be Mayor of London, who accused his position of resembling “neo-Nazism.” Elsewhere, Downes spoke alongside Harrison Pitt, Restore’s senior policy fellow, and Lewis Brackpool, who leads the party’s formal investigations into a rape gang scandal which involved Pakistani Muslim crimes against European and Christian girls. On the Lotus Eaters podcast, these senior spokespersons explained that, as Christians, the claim that wishing to defend Britain’s indigenous people and its religion is Nazism is absurd. They argued instead that they merely recognize that nations are real entities, comprised of particular peoples often bound by ancestry and religion and history or creed, and that safeguarding indigenous peoples from hostile ones or a civilization from replacement by its adversaries is warranted and reasonable; something not in any way “hateful” or extreme. “I can see how it might be scary if people were to imbue ethnic identity with a sense of quasi-religious or messianic significance and regard it as the measure of all things. That’s really what the Nazis really were guilty of – viewing it as the measure of all things, including moral values,” said Pitt. “Given that our framework is Christian, and is explicitly Christian, we regard the existence of ethnic difference as simply a feature of God’s creation. And therefore we want to act as stewards over it. In just the same way that we want wildlife to flourish. It’s not a matter of wanting to stamp out alternative forms of organic life,” he continued. “And given that our moral framework is much more Christian than it is informed by a quasi-religious sense of blood and ethnic significance, we are not going to mutate into any kind of Nazi fever dreams or anything like that, because it would be inconsistent with our Christian perspective of the good.” “This is really important, because we are a Christian party,” added Downes. “One of the key principles of Christianity is not to worship idols, and to make an idol of the nation or the race, is by definition anti-Christian, so the idea that’s the direction we’re going to go is absurd.” Downes confirmed to LifeSiteNews that Lowe would “absolutely call himself a Christian” and that most of the top positions at the top of the party are occupied by people who are both confessional and observant.

(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV has appointed a bishop who participated in the opening ceremony of a Masonic lodge as Metropolitan Archbishop of Sassari, Italy. The Holy See announced the decision to promote Monsignor Francesco Antonio Soddu to his new position in its daily bulletin on February 21. Soddu, who was originally appointed as bishop of Terni-Narni-Amelia by Pope Francis in 2021, caused a scandal in September 2022 when he attended the opening ceremony of the Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) Masonic lodge. As LifeSiteNews reported, Soddu participated in the inauguration of the local Freemasonry headquarters in Via Roma in Terni, together with numerous city and government officials. The Grand Master of the GOI, Stefano Bisi, in his keynote address, expressed typical masonic anticlerical sentiments, praising the secular state as the one and only guarantor of freedom, and voicing the hope that September 20 would be restored as a holiday in celebration of the liberation of Italy from “the domination of the Church.” READ: Ivory Coast bishop transferred by Pope Leo after asking laity to report unchaste priests Responding to the indignation among the Catholic faithful sparked by the bishop’s presence at the Masonic ceremonies, the Diocese of Terni issued a statement defending the prelate’s attendance, stating that the faithful had “deliberately misunderstood and misinterpreted” his presence, which it claimed was not intended to “identify” with Freemasonry but to witness to the Gospel.  The diocese further claimed that the bishop’s purpose at the ceremony was “witnessing fidelity to the Gospel and to the Church, especially in this time of the Synodal path that characterizes it.” The Catholic Church has continuously condemned Freemasonry, as it is based on secular relativism and is therefore incompatible with the Catholic faith. Catholics who become members of a Freemasonic lodge may be punished by excommunication under canon law. Pope Leo’s decision to make Soddu the archbishop of Sassari will undoubtedly be seen as a promotion from his current position as bishop of Terni-Narni-Amelia.

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Monday, February 23, 2026Episcopal priest Robert N. Smith pleads guilty to $10 million wire fraud.Smith faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with sentencing scheduled for July 15.Smith was suspended in 2022 and will undergo an Episcopal Church disciplinary process.An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor.Viacheslav Bublyk/UnsplashAn Episcopal priest who was the former head of a foster care ministry in Kansas has pleaded guilty to being involved in a fraud that cost the nonprofit around $10 million.The Rev. Robert N. Smith, who led the Salina-based Saint Francis Ministries from 2014 to 2020, pleaded guilty last Thursday to one count of wire fraud, the Episcopal News Service reported. Smith, who faces the possibility of as much as 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, was scheduled by U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse to be sentenced on July 15.The Episcopal priest was suspended in 2022 when he first faced charges in the wire fraud case and will soon face an Episcopal Church disciplinary process, known as Title IV, according to ENS.In November 2022, a federal grand jury in Topeka indicted Smith and William Byrd Whymark of Mount Kisco, New York, for allegedly defrauding SFM over multiple years.Smith faced one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering; Whymark was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering.According to authorities, Smith used his position at SFM to enter into an agreement with a company owned by Whymark in 2018. From there, Smith allegedly authorized multiple payments for overinflated, fraudulent invoices from Whymark, totaling more than $10 million.In 2020, the SFM board reportedly became aware of Smith’s activities and forced him to resign. Smith was initially suspended, though the suspension was lifted when an initial investigation failed to find evidence of wrongdoing.In November 2022, after Smith's indictment was announced, Bishop Paula Clark, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, where Smith was a canonical resident, announced that Smith was suspended "from any and all priestly and ministerial duties."The bishop also ordered Smith to have "no direct access to credit cards, bank accounts, or any other funds held by the church.""The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago takes allegations of clergy misconduct very seriously and cooperates fully with legal authorities," ENS reported at the time.Last November, Whymark pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering, which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He is slated to be sentenced on April 30.Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook

Tucker Carlson's interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee continues to reverberate this week. On the sidelines during the imminent threat of war, Arab and Muslim nations condemned one of Huckabee's comments about the Middle East during his interview with Carlson. Carlson quoted from the book of Genesis in the Bible and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to the land the Bible describes as Israel's borders. In part, Huckabee responded, "It would be fine if they took it all." The U.S. Embassy later said the quote was taken out of context. Huckabee's full response had explained, "They're not asking to go back and take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in, they now own legitimately, and it is a safe haven for them." Huckabee also said Israel isn't trying to take over Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq, but is just trying to protect itself. Carlson also asked how much it cost to move the U.S. military fleet into the Persian Gulf, and instead of offering a dollar figure, Huckabee replied, "A lot less than it would to bury a lot of Americans."  After the interview, Huckabee also released a statement responding to another line of questioning from Carlson that he found perplexing. Here's the ambassador's full response:  "When I sat down with Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, I was expecting a thoughtful conversation and that he would ask questions and give me the opportunity to actually respond – just like he did with the little Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes or the guy who thought Hitler was the good guy and Churchill the bad guy. What I wasn't anticipating was a lengthy series of questions where he seemed to be insinuating that the Jews of today aren't really same people as the Jews of the Bible. I'll first just say something I didn't think to say to Tucker, which is that Ashkenazi Jews, meaning those who families had spent centuries in Europe, are a minority of Israel's Jewish population, only maybe 35-40%. There are far more Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews inside Israel. But there's a good reason, as it turns out, that I had never encountered this theory that Tucker kept pushing on. That's because it comes from some of the darkest realms of the Internet and social media. I think it's important to take a moment now and educate Tucker and anyone else who might get sucked in by this dangerous conspiracy theory, just as I have been educated this week. I'm sharing this information because it has been weaponized by very bad people to delegitimize Jews and strip them of their history. It's an idea that gained traction in the 80's and 90's with David Duke and other Klansmen and neo-Nazis. It has really caught fire in recent years on the Internet and social media, mostly from some of the most overt anti-Semites and Jew haters you can find. I don't know why Tucker was so fixated on this, and I'm certainly not saying he knew the origins of this conspiracy theory. I don't know what's in his heart or what he was thinking. But I do know that the discredited idea that most Ashkenazi or European Jews descended from the ancient Turkic kingdom of Khazaria is bunk. It's also been weaponized by people trying to deligitimize Jews, to strip them of their history, and to call them "imposters" or "fake Jews." This odious conspiracy theory is peddled by the likes of Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes and by people who love David Duke, as well as Islamist accounts that make up false smears about Israel non-stop and are run out of countries like Pakistan and Turkey. But we know from genetics and rich volumes of written literature that the Jews of today can trace their lineage back thousands of years to the Israel and the Jewish people of the Bible. They are as connected together as genetics tell us that the ancient Khazar kingdom is to people living today in Turkey. And if Tucker wants to tour more than Ben-Gurion Airport on his next trip to Israel, I'm happy to show him places where Jews have lived going back to the time of Jesus Christ and even earlier. I sincerely hope Tucker will let me know when he actually wants to learn facts about the land and people. Asking me about conspiracy theories should remain on the fringes and not be the heart of the conversation." WATCH OUR DISCUSSION about the Tucker Interview: 

Young adults are disappearing from our churches at an alarming rate. In 2023, nearly 4 in 10 claimed no religious affiliation, and many raised in Christian homes disengage from the church before age 30. These trends grieve pastors and leaders who long to “tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done” (Ps. 78:4). Against this backdrop of dispiriting long-term data, some recent studies suggest a growing spiritual interest on the part of younger people, with accompanying increases in church attendance. It’s too early to say if the decades-long decline in young-adult church participation is slowing or even reversing. Nonetheless, church leaders may face an opportunity to respond to what God is doing among young adults in ways that counter disengagement trends. In this moment, many congregations feel stuck, unsure where to begin, unaware of the cultural and developmental complexities shaping young adults, or simply resigned to discouraging trends. But there’s hope. We identified “magnetic churches” across the country—congregations experiencing unusual fruitfulness in their ministries to young adults. Their witness is clear: Reaching emerging adults is possible when churches embrace a prayerful, biblical, and gospel-centered posture. From this study, we found six strategic moves that offer a path forward for young-adult ministry in your church. 1.  Come to terms with reality. Faithful ministry begins with embracing reality. As Derek Melleby observes, “In order to help young people develop a lasting faith, the church needs to have an understanding of the cultural conditions in which young people live.” Unfortunately, many congregations, including pastors, are unfamiliar with the lived realities of today’s twentysomethings. How do we correct this? In their book Sustainable Young Adult Ministry, Mark DeVries and Scott Pontier write, “The only chance we have to really understand young adults is . . . getting to know them personally, not simply learning about them in abstract.” Introduce yourself to twentysomethings inside and outside your church. Be curious. Ask questions. Listen well. Build relationships with young adults, and be intentional about cultivating their trust. Church leaders may face an opportunity to respond to what God is doing among young adults in ways that counter disengagement trends. As you do, you can read books like Kevin DeYoung’s The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation, David Setran and Chris Kiesling’s Spiritual Formation in Emerging Adulthood, or other resources linked in this article. Books like these help to inform what you’re learning in your personal interactions. With newly acquired knowledge in one hand and humility in the other, leaders should honestly assess themselves and their churches. Imagine experiencing your congregation for the first time as a nonbelieving young adult, or as a Christian twentysomething eager to grow, belong, and serve. Be brutally honest. Invite young adults into this evaluation process. Avoid defensiveness. Renewal and repentance start by first coming to terms with reality. 2. Pray. Prayer must be the foundation of our efforts to engage young adults. Scripture reminds us that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10) and “the prayer of a righteous person has great power” (James 5:16). Charles Spurgeon warns, If a church does not pray, it is dead. Instead of putting united prayer last, put it first. Everything will hinge upon the power of prayer in the church. Prayer expresses our dependency on God; opens us to the Spirit’s conviction and leading; and, in the Lord’s mysterious providence, is a means by which he works in young adults’ hearts to bring them to faith and repentance and to produce greater Christlikeness. 3. Put together a multigenerational team. Neither a single leader nor siloed, age-specific strategies can make a church magnetic for young adults. DeVries and Pontier recommend starting with a multigenerational team that will pray, build relationships, champion this work over the long haul, and leverage their gifts for the task. This team should include motivated lay leaders, key young adults, elders, deacons, and staff. Becoming a church that better engages young adults necessitates congregational buy-in because, in many cases, pastors and elders need to lead systematic change. For example, financial and staffing priorities might need to shift from other efforts, or a long-serving leader might be asked to share responsibilities with a younger one. Such change can be uncomfortable for existing members, so pastors must biblically shepherd their flocks. Congregations are more likely to embrace the challenges associated with becoming a magnetic church when leaders gently and firmly guide them toward a Scripture-grounded vision of God’s multigenerational household (Eph. 4:11–13; Titus 2:1–8; 1 Pet. 5:2–3; 1 John 2:12–14). When employed wisely by pastoral leaders, multigenerational teams can play an invaluable role in this process by modeling intergenerational ministry, catalyzing young-adult outreach and discipleship, and contributing to congregation-wide efforts to become a magnetic church. 4. Cultivate hospitality and community. For many, the notion of reaching young adults evokes images of extensive evangelistic campaigns. Yet reaching twentysomethings doesn’t begin with programs but with hospitality. Tim Keller says, “Hospitality is an attitude of heart and a practice . . . that seeks to turn strangers into guests, friends, and eventually brothers and sisters.” In magnetic churches, young adults personally invite their friends, and then other older members of the congregation warmly welcome them. Simply inviting to take a group of twentysomethings out for lunch after church can open the gate onto a pathway toward deeper engagement with the church. After all, when young adults more regularly attend corporate worship and sit under the preaching of God’s Word, they’re experiencing the means God uses to convert sinners. Community marked by mutual dependence and love (Rom. 12:4-5; 9–11; 1 Pet. 3:8) also plays a critical role in reaching young adults. As one pastor puts it, “Our most powerful tool of evangelism [with respect to young adults] is our life together as the people of God.” Magnetic churches encourage young adults to develop friendships with each other and with those from other life stages. Small groups, shared meals, serving together inside and outside the church, and corporate worship are all ways churches can cultivate community. Such churches provide young adults with a rare commodity in today’s world: a place to belong as they learn what it means to be Jesus’s disciples. 5. Disciple and evangelize concurrently. Magnetic churches recognize that discipleship pathways for young adults often serve dual purposes—edifying believers while evangelizing the curious (1 Cor. 14:23–25). This can be a protracted process. Keller emphasizes that Christ-centered preaching and ministry “both grows believers and challenges non-believers.” In such an environment, young adults of various stripes are both discipled in the gospel and introduced to gospel truths for the first time. Magnetic churches soberly embrace their disciple-making mandate and carefully consider how to present everyone, including young adults, mature in Christ (Col. 1:28–2:3). Across these congregations, common discipleship pathways emerged in our study: contextualized, rigorous biblical instruction; small groups; meaningful service; and mentoring. Young adults consistently expressed a desire for biblical instruction that’s theologically rich and attentive to their lived experience. Moreover, they expressed a longing to develop deep relationships with their peers and older adults. Many were motivated to learn from a mentor. 6. Prepare young adults for the long haul. Young adults want to live purposeful lives. Mindful of this impulse, magnetic churches help this demographic understand that Christian discipleship encompasses all of life. Leaders instruct young adults in the creation mandate (Gen. 1:27–28; 2:15). These churches aim to ground young adults in their identity as redeemed image-bearers and to equip them with a biblical understanding of vocation. In this way, magnetic churches direct young adults away from self-focus and toward obedience to God’s commands for “every square inch” of life. Magnetic churches direct young adults away from self-focus and toward obedience to God’s commands for ‘every square inch’ of life. Magnetic churches also equip young adults to live in light of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20) by providing personal evangelism training and encouraging participation in community outreach, global missions, and church planting initiatives. Becoming a magnetic church is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a process that calls leaders to continually count the cost and place their confidence not in strategies but in the Lord. Engaging twentysomethings will require a willingness to experiment, to learn from mistakes, and, especially, to persevere. But as you undertake this task, be assured of the promise that Christ will build his church; not even the gates of hell can prevail against it (16:18).

The Gospel Coalition is pleased to announce the addition of eight new members to its Council, the group of mostly pastors who provide direction and leadership to TGC. These are the newly appointed Council members (in alphabetical order): Derek Buikema: lead pastor at Orland Park Christian Reformed Church (Orland Park, Illinois) Trent Casto: senior pastor of Covenant Church of Naples (Naples, Florida) J. T. English: lead pastor at Storyline Church (Arvada, Colorado) Sam Ferguson: rector of The Falls Church Anglican (Falls Church, Virginia) Philip Miller: senior pastor of The Moody Church (Chicago, Illinois) Jeff Norris: senior pastor of Perimeter Church (Johns Creek, Georgia) Scott Redd: pastor at Briarwood Presbyterian Church (Birmingham, Alabama) P. J. Tibayan: pastor-theologian at Bellflower Baptist Church (Bellflower, California) Nominated by the TGC Board and elected by the Council, these newest additions bring the total number of active Council members to 52. See the full list of current Council members as well as Council Emeritus members. “The local church is TGC’s heartbeat,” said Mark Vroegop, TGC’s president since early 2025. “We want to equip pastors, other church leaders, and churchgoers with the resources they need for faithful Christian life and ministry. And TGC’s rootedness in the local church has always been strengthened by our Council. This group of trusted, experienced leaders from a variety of denominations and ministry contexts keep TGC on mission and connected to the practical needs of local churches. I know the addition of these eight new Council members will be a massive win for TGC’s ongoing efforts to help renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel.” TGC’s Council convened for the first time in 2005, at the invitation of Don Carson and Tim Keller. Out of that first gathering, TGC was formally organized, adopting our Foundation Documents in 2007. Ever since, the Council has gathered annually to encourage one another and provide guidance to the staff team leading the many fronts of TGC’s global ministry. Check out TGC’s latest resources by visiting TGC.org or subscribing to one of our newsletters. Support the ministry of TGC by joining TGC Collective or making a gift to our Ancient Gospel, Future Church campaign.

(LifeSiteNews) — Each Feria of Lent has a proper Mass; whereas, in Advent, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the Lenten liturgy is a powerful means for our entering into the Church’s spirit, since she hereby brings before us, under so many forms, the sentiments suited to this holy time. From these Ferial Masses we intend giving for the respective days the Collect (which is always the principal prayer), the Epistle, the Gospel, and the prayer which is said “over the people” at the end of the Mass. All this will provide us with most solid instruction; and as the selections from the Bible, which are each day brought before us, are not only some of the finest of the Sacred Volume, but are moreover singularly appropriate to Lent – their attentive perusal will be productive of a twofold advantage. At Rome, today’s station is in the church of Peter-ad-vincula. It was built in the fifth century by the Empress Eudoxia, wife of Valentinian III, and possesses the venerable relic of St. Peter’s Chains. We shall speak more fully on this basilica when we keep the feast of the Apostle’s deliverance from prison on the first of August. COLLECT Convert us, O God our Savior: and instruct our minds with thy heavenly doctrine, that this fast of Lent may be beneficial to us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE Lesson from the Prophet Ezechiel 34:11-16 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visiteth his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered; so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land. I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass and be fed in fast pastures upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my sheep; and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and that which was driven away I will bring again; and I will bind up that that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve; and I will feed them in judgment, saith the Lord Almighty. Our Lord here shows himself to us as a shepherd full of love for his sheep. Such, indeed, he truly is to men, during this season of mercy. A portion of his flock had gone astray, and was wandering to and fro amidst the darkness of this world; but Jesus did not forget them. He went in search of them, that he might gather them together. He sought through lonely deserts, and rocky places, and brambles. He now speaks to them through his Church, and invites them to return. He sweetly encourages them, for perhaps they might fear and be ashamed to appear before him after so many sins. He promises them that if they will but return to him, they shall be fed on the richest pastures near the river bank, and on the mountains of Israel. They are covered with wounds, but he will bind them up; they are weak, but he will strengthen them. He will once more give them fellowship with the faithful ones who never left him, and he himself will dwell with them forever. Let the sinner, then, yield to this tender love; let him not refuse to make the efforts required for his conversion. If these efforts of penance seem painful to nature, let him recall to mind those happy days when he was in grace, and in the fold of his Good Shepherd. He may be so again. The gate of the fold is open; and thousands who, like himself, had gone astray, are going in with joy and confidence. Let him follow them, and remember how his Jesus has said: “There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon ninety-nine who need not penance.” (Luke 15:7) GOSPEL Sequel of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 25:31-46 At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: When the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the Angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the King say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the King answering, shall say to them: Amen, I say to you, as long as you have done it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then shall he say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me not in; naked, and you clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then shall they also answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least ones, neither did you it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting. We have just been listening to a prophet of the Old Testament, inviting us to return to the Good Shepherd; our Lord there put forth every argument which love could devise, to persuade his lost sheep to return to him: and here, on the very same day that the Church speaks to us of our God as being a gentle and compassionate shepherd, she describes him as an inflexible judge. This loving Jesus, this charitable physician of our souls, is seated on his dread tribunal, and cries out in his anger: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!” And where has the Church found this awful description? In the Gospel, that is, in the very Law of Love – But if we read our passage attentively, we shall find that He who pronounces this terrible anathema is the same God whom the prophet has been just portraying as a shepherd full of mercy, patience, and zeal for his Sheep. Observe how he is still a Shepherd, even on his judgment seat: he separates the sheep from the goats; he sets the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left; the idea, the comparison of a flock, is still kept up. The Son of God will exercise his office of Shepherd even to the Last Day: only then, time will be at an end, and eternity will have begun; the reign of Justice, too, will have succeeded the reign of Mercy, for it will be Justice that will reward the good with the promised recompense, and that will punish impenitent sinners with eternal torments. How can the Christian who believes that we are all to stand before this tribunal refuse the invitation of the Church, who now presses him to make satisfaction for his sins? Truly, man is his own worst enemy, if he can disregard these words of Jesus, who now is his Savior, and then will be his Judge: “Unless ye do penance, ye shall all perish.” (Luke 13:3) Bow down your heads to God. Loosen, O Lord, we beseech thee, the bonds of our sins; and mercifully turn away from us whatever we deserve for them. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Let us close the day by reciting the following hymn, which was composed by St. Gregory the Great, and is used by the Church in her Matins during Lent. HYMN Let us observe this most solemn fast of forty days, which has been handed down to us by sacred tradition. The Law and the Prophets first introduced it; and afterwards, Christ, the Master and Maker of all seasons, consecrated it by his own observing it. Let us, therefore, be more sparing in our words; let us retrench somewhat of our food, and drink, and sleep, and merriment, and redouble our watchfulness. Let us shun those noxious things, which play such havoc with unguarded souls: and let us avoid whatsoever could strengthen the tyranny of our crafty enemy. Let us appease the anger of our Judge, and pour out our tears before him: let us prostrate ourselves, and thus cry to him in suppliant prayer: ‘We have offended thy goodness, O God, by our sins: forgive us, and pour out thy mercy upon us. Remember that we are the work of thy hands, frail though we be: we beseech thee, suffer not another to usurp the honor of thy Name. Pardon us the evil we have done, and grant us good things, even beyond our prayer: that thus we may be well-pleasing to thee, now and forever. O Blessed Trinity! O Undivided Unity! grant us, thy servants, to reap fruit from the Fast thou hast given us. Amen.’ This text is taken from The Liturgical Year, authored by Dom Prosper Guéranger (1841-1875). LifeSiteNews is grateful to The Ecu-Men website for making this classic work easily available online.