Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday. Today, Jan. 29, is Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, beginning the Year of the Snake. President Trump’s anti-immigrant actions continue to draw outrage. From Pope Francis, our quote of the week regards seminaries and priestly training: “When you find an ecclesiastic who behaves like a peacock, it’s not good.”
Lunar New Year
The first new moon of the lunar calendar falls on January 29 in 2025, kicking off the 15-day Spring Festival. It is the most important festival in China and a major event in some other East Asian countries. Celebrations vary depending on the country or region, but there are a few common traditions. CNN offers a guide to ushering in the Year of the Snake.
Life issues
At the March for Life last Sunday, Religion News Service reported that the crowd roared their approval as GOP leaders renewed their anti-abortion vows. “I want more babies in the United States of America,” JD Vance told the crowd.
Two leading Catholic environmental groups denounced early actions by the Trump administration as threats to the “life and dignity of all people,” urging the president to reverse his plans to expand fossil fuels, roll back regulations and exit the Paris climate accord. From Earthbeat.
Holocaust Remembrance
International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed on January 27, the day the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945. John Minster, at Mosaic, says “few of [Monday’s] commemorations . . . tackle the full complexity of what the Shoah meant—and continues to mean—for Judaism in the modern world.” Views expressed are from Mosaic, a publication associated with the Tikvah Fund.
Bishops across Europe remember Holocaust victims, urge the world to fight rising antisemitism. From National Catholic Reporter.
Auschwitz anniversary: Call to memory and hope. In the Polish village of Harmeze, prayer intertwines with the memory of those who suffered and perished in the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Once a “subcamp “of Auschwitz, Harmeze is now home to a Franciscan monastery and the St. Maximilian Center, a place of prayer, reflection, and education about the victims of the Holocaust.
Immigration and social justice
After her eyebrow-raising sermon to Trump, Bishop Mariann Budde was beset with criticism and praise. In an interview, she said, “The people who are in danger are the people who fear for their lives and their livelihoods,” adding, “That’s where the focus should be.” From Religion News Service.
What the AUSCP said
Here is the statement and the media release.
What JD Vance said
Vice President Vance said he is “heartbroken” over the bishops’ condemnation of Trump’s new immigration policies, including allowing raids in churches and schools.
What the U.S. bishops said
A report from Michael Sean Winters at NCR.
What the ‘Border Czar’ said to Pope Francis
“Stick to The Catholic Church, Fix that.” Trump’s Border Czar Homan, To Pope The war of words between US Border Czar Tom Homan and Pope Francis has escalated, with Homan firing back at the Vatican’s leader over his criticism of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies. The battle has attracted international attention. Here is a report from New Delhi TV.
What JD Vance said
JD Vance references unsubstantiated Catholic immigration work and child sex trafficking. On CBS’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Vance criticized the U.S. bishops’ condemnation of President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies, then referencing a claim about child sex trafficking that is unsubstantiated. From National Catholic Reporter.
What one priest said in his homily
Jesuit Father Bill Kelley, at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C., examined the January 6 reading from Nehemiah and the new national administration. He urges action – prayer, fasting and almsgiving – in response.
What an opinion writer at Baptist News Global had to say
Now the US House wants to censor a preacher? Rodney Kennedy expressed his strong views.
What Franklin Graham said
Donald Trump is a truth-teller and Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde is a liar, evangelist Franklin Graham told hosts of the Newsmax show “American Agenda.” From Baptist News Global.
What Episcopal Bishops are saying
From the Episcopal News Service: “Episcopal bishops uphold sanctuary policies, oppose threat of immigration arrests in churches.”
What faith groups are saying
They’ll help refugees despite Trump order. Religion News Service adds, they’ll need help.
OPINIONS
The budgets coming to Congress would bend the moral arc away from justice. From Religion News Service: “Those of us committed to continuing King’s dream should be outraged by the unjust economic proposals being advanced by the administration and Republicans in Congress.”
Nigerian pastor William F. Kumuyi prayed for Trump — and now has some advice for him. The Pentecostal preacher, who leads one of the world’s largest congregations, hopes American Christians and the new president will work to make the world a better place — rather than focusing on America alone. From RNS.
From Commonweal: McElroy is a ‘Serious Man.’ There is reason to think that Cardinal Robert McElroy might serve as a moral counterexample to the new Trump administration. The magazine noted that New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan was straight-faced while telling Fox’s Maria Bartiromo in December that Donald Trump “takes his Christian faith seriously.”
What does it mean to be a Christian in these times? A writer in Christian Century says, “We have a cross at the center of our faith, and we need to start acting like it.”
Why ‘pro-family’ groups are on board with Trump’s first days in office. From Baptist News Global.
LGBTQ+
AP News reports on the executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day back in office that offers a new federal government definition of the sexes that could have a major impact on transgender people nationwide.
A transgender woman serving in a federal prison has filed a lawsuit arguing that President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the U.S. government to recognize only two, unchangeable sexes and requiring inmates like her to be housed in men’s prisons violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. From Reuters.
The new executive order lays out a plan to erase transgender people’s existence under the law, according to the ACLU.
Taking precautions. CNN reports lawyers and advocacy groups advise members of the LGBTQ+ community to take precautions under Trump’s executive order.
Passport identity. Trump two-gender edict will upend ‘X’ identity on passports.
Other Items
Luce, the anime-inspired official mascot for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, whose name means “light” in Italian, has been getting a lot of attention on social media. Some people love the cartoon and find her “cute,” but a few others consider her “unsuitable” and even “repugnant.”
Cooking has historically been considered the purview of women, and women’s work has not historically been valued as work worthy of rigorous academic exploration. As men have chosen to start cooking more, a theology of cooking has begun to emerge. A writer for Christian Century says, “I would argue that we need a kitchen theology written out of the experience of those whose cooking is shaped by necessity, not choice.”
Pope tells Seminary Rectors to embrace diversity in formation. In a meeting with rectors of major and propaedeutic seminaries in France Pope Francis focuses on the vital role of priestly formation. The gathering was part of a jubilee pilgrimage dedicated to reflecting on the discernment process and formation of seminarians.
Jubilee of Communication: A story is the shortest distance between people. Ten thousand communication professionals inaugurate the first jubilee event of the Holy Year with a three-day program for the Jubilee of the World of Communication.
News and Commentary from Michael Centore: The latest issue of Today’s American Catholic includes articles about Jimmy Carter, André Trocmé’s Christian Pacifism, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Is freedom of speech the same as freedom to lie? Sabine Berzina ponders Culture, Journalism, Media Literacy, Technology for News Decoder. Her essay follows the news that Meta has told an army of fact checkers they are no longer wanted, deeming acceptable what was once considered outlandish and offensive.
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