Acts 18: "1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. 3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. 5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. 6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. 7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. 8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. 9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: 10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 12 And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, 13 Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. 14 And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: 15 But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. 16 And he drave them from the judgment seat. 17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things. 18 And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. 19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; 21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. 22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. 23 And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. 24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: 28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ."

St. Clare She was born on July 16, 1194 in Assisi, Italy. Her father was Favorino Scifi, the Count of Sasso and mother Orto Lana. Since her parents were of noble family, they wanted take St. Clare to their home, when she became a nun against their will. She refused to return to home and told her parents that God has called for her service. She was one of the first followers of St. Francis of Assisi. She founded an Order of Nuns named Order of Poor Ladies. The Order was renamed as Order of Saint Clare and also called as Poor Clares after the death of St. Clare, by Pope Urban-IV in the year 1263. One day some enemy soldiers came to raid the convent, where St. Clare was residing. St. Clare placed the Blessed Sacrament before the soldiers and she kneeled down to pray. Suddenly the enemy soldiers fled from the convent, due to some sudden fright struck the soldiers. The prayer of St. Clare and her faith in the Blessed Sacrament saved the nuns of the convent on that day. She died on August 11, 1253. She was canonized by Pope Alexander-IV on August 15, 1255, as St. Clare of Assisi. She is considered as the patron of sore eyes. Pope Pius-XII designated her as the patron saint of television in the year 1958. #clare #saint #television #t.v #soldier #sacrament #holysacrament #prayer #Catholic #faith #eyes #soreeyes #T.V

There are “three that bear witness in heaven” (1 John 5:7) of our salvation. But it is not just there. There are “three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one” (v. 8. The Spirit who was sent as our “helper” bears witness not only to our salvation but also to His enduring love for us. The waters of baptism bear witness to the death of our selves and to the new life we have been given in Christ. The blood on the ark bears witness to Jesus’s suffering and sacrificial perfection, and the blood on the shroud bears witness to His triumph over the grave! On a face cloth in Oviedo, Spain, and on a shroud in Turin, Italy, there is blood evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord of Hosts!

Amazing Facts. Daily Devotionals Eternal Bread. July 11th, 2026 It took eighteen bakers working through the night to create the longest loaf of bread in history. Using 2,500 pounds of flour, the bakers made a loaf that was 3,600 feet long—that’s over two-thirds of a mile! The world record breakers from Umberto, Italy, had no problem figuring out what to do with the bread when they finished. The bakers cut it up and served it as a snack to the hundreds of helpers and spectators. Every human body demands nutrition to grow and function. The most essential spiritual food in the world to human life is the Word of God. Jesus, who is identified as the Word in John 1:1, referred to Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:35). He explained, “He who comes to Me shall never hunger.” Christ demonstrated the value of the Word of God when battling the enemy in the wilderness temptations. He quoted Scripture three times to drive away the devil (Matthew 4:1–11). How do we become spiritually strong and resistant to Satan? Through a personal, prayerful, and daily study of the Bible, we are able to push back the forces of darkness. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Just as our bodies need daily nourishment to maintain our health, so must we daily feed on the Scriptures to build our faith. Jesus so identified His words with spiritual life that He once explained, “He who eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:58). People misunderstood Him to mean that people must literally eat His body, but He explained, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (v. 63). The words of Christ make up the most important bread in history. Apply It: The next time you eat a meal, thank God for the food found in the Bible— nourishment that leads to eternal life. Dig Deeper: Exodus 16:1–36; Deuteronomy 8:3; John 6:22–71 Key Bible Texts But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4 KJV)

St. Benedict He was born around the year 480 A.D. in a distinguished family of a Roman noble, in Umbria, Italy. He was a twin with his sister St. Scholastica. He studied in Rome and wanted to live a secluded life away from the busy city life, to avoid watching marching armies, sufferings of people. He left Rome with his aged nurse and settled down at Enfide, near the church of St. Peter. Later he met a monk Romanus of Subiaco, whose monastery was in the mountains. Romanus gave St. Benedict the habit of a monk. Benedict lived a life of a hermit for three years in a cave in the mountain. He became a very respectable monk and people used to gather around him for spiritual guidance. When the abbot of a nearby monastery died, the monks came to St. Benedict and requested him to take over the abbot of the monastery and Benedict gave consent reluctantly and became the abbot knowing well that the manners of the monks are different from his views. Benedict made many reforms in the monastery and introduced many reforms for the monks. The monks did not agree with the reforms of St. Benedict and tried to kill him by poisoning. Once the monks added poison in the drink given for St. Benedict but when St. Benedict prayed before drinking, the cup shattered. In another occasion the monks gave poisoned bread to him but when St. Benedict prayed before eating the bread, a bird called raven suddenly came in and took away the poisoned bread and miraculously saved the life of St. Benedict. Disgusted about the behavior of the monks, St. Benedict returned to his cave for hermit life and attracted by his sanctity many people came to him again for solace. He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco and later founded the famous Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino, on the hill top between Rome and Naples. He died at the Monte Cassino Monastery due to high fever, on March 21, 547. He wrote the \'Rule of Benedict\' with 73 chapters about how to live a Christ-centric spiritual life and about how to run a monastery efficiently. He contributed more to the rise of monasticism and his rules are the fundamental document for many religious communities even today. #Benedict #Benedictine #monastery #spiritual #monk #Christian #cathol8c #rules #Constitution #cave

St. Maria Goretti St. Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890 in Italy. Her father was Luigi Goretti and mother Assunta Carlini. Her full name was Maria Teresa Goretti. Her family became very poor and moved to other places to work for other farmers, for livelihood. Her father died of malaria when Goretti was nine years old. Maria Goretti used to cook, sew and watch her infant at home. She died on July 6, 1902 by clutching a crucifix to her chest. Maria Goretti, was beatified on April 27, 1947 by pope Pius-XII and canonized on June 24, 1950 by pope Pius-XII. She is the patron of crime victims, teenage girls and modern youth. #littlesaint #crime #victims #teenage #girls #teenagegirls #youth #modernyouth #forgive #innocent #sin #nottosin #brotherandsister #care #

The Present Truth # 6 Prophecy of World Events. The Great World Empires. What the future holds has always been a matter of deep interest to world leaders and their subjects. Proud monarchs cherished the ambition to expand their kingdom to the uttermost ends of the world and to establish security for their kingdoms forever. To this end they devoted all their energies by heavily fortifying cities and raising huge armies. When, to all human probability, it appeared that they had attained their goal, their kingdom was often overthrown and followed by another. What does the future hold? Does the rise and fall of great world empires happen by chance or do they all form part of a great plan? If so, what will the outcome be? God’s foreseeing eye reveals the future; history establishes the certainty of it. A World Ruler Troubled Nebuchadnezzar, the great and ambitious king of ancient Babylon longed to know what would come to pass in the future. One night he had a remarkable dream. His mind was deeply impressed, but when he awoke he found it impossible to recall the dream. His wise men, the magicians, astrologers and soothsayers were unable to tell the king what he had dreamed, and because they claimed to have supernatural power, the king was angered at their inability to tell the dream, and ordered them to be executed. Among the wise men at the court of Babylon was a young man named Daniel, and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These four young men had been chosen from the Jewish exiles, to be educated at the king’s court. When he heard of the death decree and the reason for it, Daniel begged the king for an extension of time, so that he and his friends could pray to God to reveal to him the dream and the interpretation of it. This request was granted and the four young men, with strong faith in God’s ability to answer them, prayed together. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16. It is not surprising that the answer came immediately. Read Daniel 2:1-30. The Dream Revealed Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar the dream he could not recall: “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Daniel 2:31-35. The king had been listening with close attention to every particular and knew that it was the very dream which had so troubled him. His mind was thus prepared to favorably receive the interpretation. Daniel declared: “. . . there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. . . . This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.” Daniel 2:28, 36. The Dream Interpreted 1. The Head of Gold Daniel proceeded with the interpretation: “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.” Daniel 2:37, 38. Babylon was the golden kingdom of a golden age. The city of Babylon was referred to as “the golden city,” Isaiah 14:4. It towered to a height of splendor never reached by any of its later rivals. This beautiful city was sixty miles in circumference, with solid gates of brass, its walls were approximately 120 meters high and 30 meters thick. Its magnificently terraced hanging gardens, its temples and palaces were called “The glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency.” Never before or since, has the earth seen a city like it, or has there been an equal. The images’ head of gold was a fit representation of the earth’s greatest city, Babylon. “No capital in the world has been the centre of so much power, wealth, and culture for a period so vast.” (History of Babylonia and Assyria, Volume 1, page 397). After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, its greatest Monarch, Babylonia declined and eventually passed away under weaker rulers. During the reign of king Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Cyrus the Persian, invaded Babylon. Belshazzar gave a feast and the whole city joined in the drunken revelry. While the party was in progress, Cyrus temporarily diverted the water of the river Euphrates which flowed through the city, and marched with his soldiers along the river bed, under the river gates and onto the drunken city and took the Babylonians by surprise in 538 B.C. This feast of Belshazzar is described in the fifth chapter of Daniel; and the scene closes with the simple record, “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain, and Darius the Median took the kingdom.” 2. The Breast and Arms of Silver “And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee . . . ” Daniel 2:39. The Medes and Persians succeeded Babylon. But in what way was Medo-Persia inferior to the preceding kingdom? Not in power, for it was Babylon’s conqueror. Not in territory, for it was the most extensive empire that ever existed. It was inferior in wealth and magnificence. Under the rulership of king Cyrus, the seventy years of the Jewish exile came to a close and they were permitted to return to Jerusalem and to build their temple. Two hundred years later Greece was rising to prominence, emerging as the next world empire. 3. The Belly and Thighs of Brass “. . . and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.” Daniel 2:39. With unparalleled speed, Alexander the Great, ruler of Greece, led his armies in conquest. At the Battle of Arbela in 331 B.C., Darius III, King of Persia, was completely vanquished. Alexander was given to excessive drinking and lowest passions. Having conquered the world, his time was wasted in intemperate revelry. This proved his downfall and at the early age of thirty-two he died in a drunken orgy in the year 323 B.C. Because of ambitious leaders, his kingdom was soon divided under four of his generals. The kingdom’s greatness was short-lived, and the divisions fulfilled other prophetic expectations. Rome conquered the Syrian division of the Greek Empire in 190 B.C., the Macedonian division in 168 B.C., and Egypt surrendered to Rome in the same year. 4. The Legs of Iron The iron kingdom of Rome is the fourth empire that ruled the world. Gibbon wrote: “The arms of the Republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the ocean; and the images of gold, silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations or their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome.” (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chapter 38, paragraph one, “General Observations.”) In the time of Christ, the Roman Empire included all of Southern Europe, France, England, the greater part of Holland, Switzerland, the Southern part of Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and Greece as well as extensive possessions in Africa and Asia. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” Luke 2:1. The first taxing of the world, enforced by the decrees of Rome, shows the expanse of this Roman Empire. How could this mighty and stable empire disappear from the earth? It seemed well nigh impossible from human observation. But a further scene from the prophetic vision was to take place. 5. Feet of Iron and Clay “And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” Daniel 2:41, 42. Unlike the previous empires, Rome was not overthrown in battle by a successive nation. Rome weakened internally as the people lived in luxury and experienced the degeneracy of self-content and intemperance. The territory which made up the official Roman kingdom lay west of Greece, which was represented by the legs of iron. By fragmentation, this territory was divided into ten independent kingdoms, represented by the ten toes of the image. Some retained the strength of the original iron kingdom, and some were weak, as symbolized by the clay. This division took place between the years A.D. 351 and A.D. 476. The ten tribes were: the Lombards, Franks, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Burgundians, Suevi, Heruli, Vandals, Alemanni and Saxons. Later prophecies, given in chapters eight and nine of Daniel revealed that three of these kingdoms were to be uprooted (destroyed) by another power. This has proved true, but the remaining nations are still traceable in the nations of Europe today as Italy, France, England, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. Although the prophecy shows Christ’s coming as the next event, other prophecies indicate intervening developments. These will be discussed in future lessons. “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” Daniel 2:43. For centuries the nations of Europe have endeavored to be united again under a central government. Neither by force, nor by diplomacy have men and women succeeded in foraging the iron and clay together. Wars have been fought but to no avail. Marriages formed to unite the nations under one ruler. All monarchies of Europe are related to each other through intermarriage, but the division still stands, as the word of God foretold. The prophecy says, “they shall not cleave one to another.” Charlemagne tried to bring Europe under one kingdom, so did Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Wilhelm, Hitler, and the European Common Market. Although they have appeared to succeed for a time, there has been and will not be a permanent cohesion. What Is the Next Event? 1. The Stone Cut Out Without Hands “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” Daniel 2:44, 45. Here is the climax of this great prophecy. The final act in the drama of the world empires is the establishment of the kingdom of God. This is certain! Just as the previous symbols were all exactly fulfilled in the course of history, so we know that this final part will also come to pass. Daniel said: “The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” We are instructed to study the historic fulfillment of Bible prophecy and to be assured of their truth: “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.” Isaiah 34:16. It is in the days of the last kingdoms of iron and clay, that the kingdom of Christ will come. Christ will return, not as the Lamb of God, but as King of kings, as a mighty conqueror. His kingdom does not depend on human support, it is the kingdom of Heaven, a stone cut out without hands. His kingdom, unlike the human kingdoms, is everlasting and shall stand forever. Jesus will soon return, but before He does He seeks first to establish His kingdom in the hearts of men. Dear friend, will you allow the Prince of Peace to rule your heart now, so that when He comes you may inherit the Kingdom of Heaven? .

Guidelines for Living. June 25th, 2026 The Nagging Questions Atheism Doesn’t Answer In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Psalm 102:25 Anselm was born in Italy in 1033. At the age of 23, he had a quarrel with his father, left home and began wandering through France. He ended up at the Benedictine abbey of Bec, which he entered and stayed in until he became abbot in 1078. Anselm is remembered for deducing that there are valid reasons for believing in God, all of which have evolved around the premise that God is the only explanation for man’s moral nature, the fact that design demands a designer in our world, and the cause and effect relationship of nature necessitates a master architect and a builder who, in the words of Scripture, is God. Since then, materialist and atheists have railed against Anselm’s arguments, but none have effectively refuted them, and that is one of the reasons why I am not an atheist. When he was president, Ronald Reagan spoke for a National Prayer Breakfast and said, “I have long been unable to understand the atheist in this world of so much beauty. And I’ve had an unholy desire to invite some atheists to a dinner and then serve the most fabulous gourmet dinner that has ever been concocted and, after dinner, ask them if they believe there was a cook.” The beauty, symmetry, order, and perfection of our earth is something which I cannot accept as chance any more than I can believe an explosion in a print shop could produce an unabridged dictionary. It is not only nature which keeps me in awe, but the more I know of the human body—the intricacies of the human body, including your brain, your nervous system, the network of veins and arteries that bring oxygen to your body, the dexterity of your hand, and the marvelous way your eye gives you vision—they all convince me that humankind came from the drawing board of heaven, and the architect and creator was the one of whom Moses wrote, “In the beginning, God created ….” (Genesis 1:1). Another reason that I am not an atheist is that only a belief in God and our responsibility to Him can really account for a belief in the dignity and value of a human being—whether it be an abandoned child in India or the son of the wealthiest man in your city. Apart from God and the recognition that we are accountable to Him, there is no real motive for morality or reason to treat each other with dignity and respect. As Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote in The Brother’s Kamarazov, “If there is no God then anything is permissible.” Our concept of right and wrong, as opposed to the existentialist, “I’m OK; you’re OK; Do whatever seems good to you,” is all derived from the belief that God exists and that He has revealed Himself to humankind. Atheism offers no real standard of right or wrong, of truth or falsehood, and provides no answers to the deep questions of the heart. There’s another issue which demands that I believe in God, and that is the issue of existence. Now, Moses wrote that I was created in the image of God and I bear His image, His stamp is on me—which means I have a will, and choices to make, and, furthermore, I am responsible for what I do. A belief in God alone answers the centuries-old questions of existence: “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where do I go after I die?” A final thought. If there is a God, then whether or not I believe this is unimportant apart from the fact that I am denied an existence of what makes life worth living, what gives purpose to existence, and brings order to chaos. Resource reading: Psalm 90:1-17

🏅 SAINT OF THE DAY June 25 Saint William of Montevergine The Pilgrim Who Built a Sanctuary Saint William of Montevergine was born into nobility in Italy around the year 1085. Yet wealth and status could not satisfy his heart. He longed for God. Leaving behind comfort and privilege, William embraced a life of prayer, penance, and pilgrimage, journeying on foot in search of a deeper relationship with the Lord. Eventually, God led him to the mountains of southern Italy. There, on Mount Partenio, William chose a life of silence, prayer, and complete dependence on God. But holiness cannot remain hidden. People began climbing the mountain to seek his counsel, prayers, and wisdom. What began as the solitary prayer of one pilgrim soon became a thriving spiritual community. In 1119, William founded the Abbey of Montevergine, which remains a place of prayer and pilgrimage to this day. ✨ What Saint William Teaches Us Saint William reminds us that the Christian life is a pilgrimage. None of us have fully arrived. We all stumble. We all grow weary. We all need God's mercy. Holiness is not about perfection. It is about faithfully continuing the journey toward God. William also teaches us to make our homes, families, and communities places of welcome, healing, and mercy. 🙏 Prayer Saint William of Montevergine, faithful pilgrim and spiritual father, pray for us. Teach us to seek God above all else and help us become sanctuaries of mercy for others. Amen. ✝️ Truth for Today Holiness often grows quietly in hidden places. 🕊️ Reflection Who in your life needs you to become a sanctuary of mercy and hope today? #RiseWithTheWord #SaintOfTheDay #SaintWilliamOfMontevergine #PilgrimSaint #CatholicFaith

Sabato scorso, 20 giugno, a Napoli, alcune migliaia di credenti evangelici, provenienti un po’ da tutta Italia, si sono ritrovati per una marcia di evangelizzazione e testimonianza. Maggiori dettagli nel link. Last Saturday, June 20th, several thousand evangelical believers from all over Italy gathered in Naples for a march of evangelization and witness. More details at the link.