John B. Manos

A serene cemetery with gravestones and trees in autumn colors, featuring a bright yellow leaf on the ground. The scene is bathed in warm sunlight, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Spring a Friend — the All Souls Day way

“Not by weeping,” says St. John Chrysostom, “but by prayer and almsgiving are the dead relieved.”  Know anybody that passed away this past year? Time to visit their grave and pray for them, because you can get a soul out of purgatory today due to that wrinkle which permits a plenary indulgence to be gained for…

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BOUNTY: We Need a Copy of the Interview Everyone Else read

I’ve become convinced that America Magazine is playing a dirty trick on us. I’ve been reading this interview. From that, I wrote these articles: last Friday about tribalism, and this past Monday on Pope-a-mania. Apparently, our guest author Major Frey and Mr. DeJak were given the same interview as I saw, so America Magazine was able…

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Pope Wrestles Mania, Disappoints Some

With my post about the Pope Francis interview the other day, in the aftermath of that interview, we see people picking up their toys to go home and saying things like “the pope doesn’t support this so I give up.” Or, see for example this article from Rorate Coeli blog (FAIR WARNING: the melodrama and…

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A bright orange background with bold black text explaining a removed parody image of Pope Francis due to copyright issues. A warning sign is present at the bottom, with a black and yellow color scheme. The text discusses fair use laws and licensing fees for parody content.

Francis, the object of Modern Tribalism

If you aren’t laughing at the idiots all fighting amongst themselves in reaction to Pope Francis’s interview, yet, then I hope this post will give you a perch from which you can start to laugh with me.  Yes, I was irritated at first, rightly so, but as I think it over, I’m finding a lot…

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A black and white diamond-shaped emblem featuring a cross at the top and the letters "BTF" in bold, stylized font. The design suggests a Catholic theme with the prominent cross."

The Controversial Sign of Redemption: the heart of our logo.

Saint Thomas Aquinas would complete all of his works while meditating upon a Crucifix. It is said that after he finished writing the words to the song, Pange Lingua, the Corpus on his cross came to life and said, “Well done, Thomas”. At the end of his life, while Saint Thomas was meditating again on…

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A composite image featuring Pope Francis and Our Lady of Guadalupe with text discussing copyright infringement. The background is dark, with the figures in color and a prominent warning about stolen images. Text reads: "THE IMAGE WAS STOLEN! Despite the composite being fair use, it was also a beautiful composite, probably the best composite ever. Known by a lack of fair use knowledge anyway that it was stolen, but in 2023 - 10 years later - we got a demand for infringement and license fees for using 'Pope Francis' in this image - and they wanted a license fee as if we used a 8000x6000 size image on a commercial product making money off the use or something! We'd win in court - like in all those other cases we had to go through. But the cost of this litigation costs these days? You would very see your collage was fair use."

Exorcising the Vatican? Pope Francis style. With Fatima, St. Michael, and Leo XIII

Recently the news ran headlines that Pope Francis called for the Fatima Statue of Mary to be brought to the Vatican — in their words “to consecrate the world.”  I…

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Dormition icon detail showing the sliced hands of Anthonius

Mary’s Assumption Stands to Disprove Gnosticism: You aren’t Dragging yourself, or anyone else, to Heaven

Some time ago, and throughout the years, I’ve heard various people say, “I want to drag souls to Heaven.” I’m sure that in the cases where I’ve heard it, the person didn’t realize what they were saying. They can’t drag themselves, let alone anyone else, to Heaven! If we take that phrase literally then it…

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Lutherans Discuss Fr. Sauppé’s Article — Matt Abbott Tips His Hat

It’s pretty interesting that our post from Fr. Sauppé continues to capture people’s interest and stir discussion in so many places. Today, a Missouri Synod Lutheran page linked to it, and nearly 1000 people came to read and discuss whether contraception is really at the heart of the mess. A few blog posts have spun off of…

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The Transfiguration: Jesus glowing in white robes, flanked by Moses and Elijah on a mountain. Three disciples below in awe. Gold background with red border. Text: "The Transfiguration"."

The Transfiguration shows that Baptism changes us? Why were Moses and Elijah there? (they fasted)

When Moses returned from the mountain with the tablets of the commandments, we are told that his face shone (the Douay Rheims reports that his face was horned). Moses did not even see the Lord face to face, but yet his body was changed, literally. Today, on the feast of the Transfiguration, we read the Peter,…

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A collage featuring religious and pop culture symbols: a cross with text "IC XC NIKA," Pope Benedict XVI making the sign of the cross, a Batman logo, and a Star Trek phaser. Text reads: "The sign of the cross really is: BATSIGNAL PHASER COMMUNICATOR." The background is primarily dark with red and white text."

Suffering the Ignorant Orthopraxis of Our Day

One of the things I really like about how God ordered this world is precisely how unassuming some of the greatest things He has worked really are to the passer by.  If you didn’t look, you wouldn’t notice.  It’s so easy to take them for granted until you look with the eyes of faith that…

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