The Gift of the Magi "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by American writer O. Henry, first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well known; the ending is generally considered an example of cosmic irony. The story was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern on Irving Place in New York City. The story was initially published in The New York Sunday World under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on December 10, 1905. It was first published in book form in the O. Henry collection The Four Million in April 1906. youtube.com/watch?v=eEYKlV0vkIs
NY Times: Russia Sends Naval Vessel to Escort Oil Tanker U.S. Is Pursuing The development deepens the confrontation over the tanker formerly known as the Bella 1, which the United States wants to seize but which Russia has sought to protect. nytimes.com/2026/01/06/world/americas/russia- … The oil tanker Bella 1 at the Singapore Strait in March. Russia has dispatched at least one naval vessel to meet and escort the tanker, which the U.S. military has been pursuing and trying to seize. Russia has dispatched at least one naval vessel to meet and escort an oil tanker that the U.S. military has been pursuing and trying to seize, according to a U.S. official briefed on the operation who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The development deepens the confrontation between the two countries over the tanker, known until recently as the Bella 1 and now called the Marinera. The United States has been chasing the tanker for weeks after it tried to evade a partial blockade around …More
Other groups shown with high welfare participation rates include households from Bhutan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several African, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean nations. President Donald Trumpshared a chart on social media this week showing welfare usage rates among immigrant households in the United States. The chart, titled “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin,” lists the percentage of immigrant households receiving public assistance, broken down by country or region of birth. According to the data shown, approximately 72 percent of Somali-born households in the US receive some form of government welfare, placing Somalia among the highest-listed countries on the chart. Other groups shown with high welfare participation rates include households from Bhutan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several African, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean nations, with many exceeding 50 percent. The chart also includes regional groupings labeled “not specified,” which similarly show …
Fr. James Altman joins John-Henry Westen to expose what he calls a deliberate campaign to weaken Catholic truth from within. He describes his “exile” as a warning to other priests, enforced through silence and fear, and explains how his new books aim to fortify faithful Catholics with Scripture and timeless doctrine. The conversation also addresses the Vatican’s rejection of Marian titles like Co-Redemptrix, liberal bishops prioritizing illegal immigration over reverent liturgy, and attempts to form a “one-world religion.” Altman blasts these moves as spiritual sabotage, “rat poison” meant to erode doctrine subtly over time. Source: Fr. Altman: The PLOT to REPLACE the Catholic …
WW 3 is at the door, not around the corner anymore. As Fr. Oliveira from Brazil said in the prophecies he received from the Lord 2025 the U.S will be declared the enemy of the world and the nations would be preparing with weapons for war. OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE WILL PROTECT MEXICO, BUT MEXICO WILL SUFFER INTERNAL CIVIL WARS, AND WAR AT IT'S TWO BORDERS AMONG NATURAL CATASTROPHES, BUT THE U.S. WILL SUFFER THE MOST OF ALL COUNTRIES IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTI-CHRIST IS SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD OR THE MYSTICAL BODY OF THE ANTI-CHRIST WHICH OPPOSES THE MYSTICAL BODY OF JESUS. 2026 to 2029 the war will break and continue till 2029 at the end of 2029 two darkness will fall over the earth of supernatural event, the first one will the the one announced by St. Maria Faustina of the Divine Mercy where the entire world will see the illuminated cross in the sky and darkness will fall for a couple of hours, the second darkness will come at the last moment and will last for 3 days …More
Mon Jan 5, 2026 - 8:51 am EST VENTIMIGLIA, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of Ventimiglia–San Remo has installed a bell dedicated to unborn children at its episcopal headquarters, prompting criticism from leftist political figures. On December 28, 2025, the Diocese of Ventimiglia–San Remo inaugurated the “Bell for Unborn Children” at the tower of the diocesan curia building in Ventimiglia, north-western Italy, as an initiative promoted by Bishop Antonio Suetta to raise awareness about unborn life, encourage reflection on abortion laws, and convey a message of hope and prayer. This action has since attracted strong objections from representatives of the centre-left in the region of Liguria. READ: Democrat Senate candidate falsely claims Bible is silent on abortion, homosexual ‘marriage’ “Contrary to prejudices expressed in various quarters regarding this initiative, the sound of this bell is in support of life and is not intended as an invective against women who have had an …
A celebration was held in Palermo to seal the shrines containing the bodies of the two holy friars who lived in Palermo in the 15th and 16th centuries. The occasion once again highlights the commitment, duty, and urgency of rebuilding the church, which was almost completely destroyed, to the attention of the community and institutions. The convent, located at the foot of Mount Grifone and fortunately spared from the flames, will once again house the holy relics of Saint Benedict the Moor and Blessed Matthew of Agrigento, which were also damaged in the terrible fire two years ago. The mortal remains will once again be available for veneration by the faithful every day from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. "I still remember that fiery July a couple of years ago," commented the Archbishop of Palermo, Monsignor Corrado Lorefice, "but I have always told people that our duty is to remain holy in the faith because, even if we were unable to have their bodies returned in their …More
Palermo: Recuperate due Importanti Reliquie Sicilia 242 - Sicilia 24 TV Beato Matteo Guimerà di Agrigento Vescovo Festa: 7 gennaio Agrigento, 1377 - Palermo, 7 gennaio 1450 Nacquead Agrigento dalla famiglia Guimeráverso il 1377e ancor giovane entrò tra i Frati Minori. Fu amico e compagno di san Bernardino da Siena. Aderìal movimento di riforma dell’Osservanza che diffuse principalmente in Sicilia, dove fondò parecchi conventi. Predicò per tutta Italia, raccogliendo copiosi frutti e acquistandosi fama disantità per l’esemplarità della vita e il dono dei miracoli. Nominato vescovo di Agrigento, per leaspre opposizioni incontrate tra il clero e la nobiltà, tre anni dopo rinunciò all’ufficio e si ritirò nel convento di Santa Maria di Gesù a Palermo. Morì il 7 gennaio 1450.Fu beatificato da Clemente XIII il 22 febbraio 1767. Etimologia: Matteo = uomo di Dio, dall'ebraico Martirologio Romano: A Palermo, transito del beato Matteo Guimerá, vescovo di Agrigento, dell’Ordine dei Minori …More
Is your algorithm telling you that Venezuelans are happy the U.S. invaded their country and kidnapped their president? Then you, my friend, may be the target of a CIA psy-op designed to justify an international crime. Sources tell “They’re happy about it,” the message goes. Only they’re not, demonstrated by the widespread condemnation across Latin America and Spain. It would make no sense if they were. How, I ask you, can the United States — the country that sanctioned Venezuela’s economy into poverty and flooded the region with CIA-run drug routes — suddenly be its savior? That’s like turning to cigarettes to cure lung cancer. The U.S. has never carried out a regime-change operation that didn’t end in chaos and destruction for the country involved. And virtually no nation welcomes U.S. intervention, with the notable exceptions of Israel and Ukraine. Let’s look at how this went the last time the U.S. kidnapped a leader in Latin America. In 1989, the United States invaded Panama …
Praying for Venezuela: Pope, Bishops Call for Peace as Maduro Faces Court in New York Pope Leo XIV urges Venezuelans to pray for peace after Nicolás Maduro's U.S. arrest and court appearance in New York. currentsnews
The president reportedly declined to install opposition leader María Corina Machado as head of the country because she didn’t turn the prize down. “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” the newspaper’s sources said.
Lusaka, 05 January, 2026 / 2:58 pm (ACI Africa). Members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have condemned what they describe as an attack against their colleague, Archbishop Alick Banda, and the entire Church in the southern African country, following a “money-laundering” probe initiated against the Bishop. Archbishop Banda was reportedly summoned to appear before the Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit of Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) on Monday, January 5. The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka is linked with investigations into allegations that he received a vehicle from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), which allegedly auctioned several vehicles without following the law. In a statement that was circulated on Sunday, January 4, the Bishops say that Archbishop Banda received the summons on 31 December 2025. In the statement, the Bishops affirmed their solidarity with the Archbishop of Lusaka and all Catholics in Zambia amid …
January 6 The Epiphany of the Lord. (Mt 2.) DAILY MEDITATIONS OF THE MYSTERIES OF OUR HOLY FAITH, By the P. Alonso de Andrade FROM THE COMPANY OF JESUS. PRAYER TO BEGIN By the sign of the Holy Cross, from our enemies delier us, Lord, our God. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. My Lord and my God: I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with deep reverence. I ask you for forgiveness of my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruit. My Mother Immaculate, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian Angel: intercede for me. January 6 Meditation The Epiphany of the Lord. (Mt 2.) The Holy Gospel says: when Christ was born, the wise men of the East came to worship him, guided by a star; King Herod was troubled, and with him all his court; together with counsel, and by his order he sent them to Bethlehem; the star appeared to them that they had seen in the East with the great joy of their souls; they arrived and …More
Martirio Sor Lindalva. VicentinasCaliColombia Fecha de beatificación: 2 de diciembre de 2007 por el Papa Benedicto XVI. Memoria litúrgica: 7 de enero Breve Biografía Lindalva Justo de Oliveira nació 20 de octubre de 1953 en Sitio Malhada da Areia, en una zona muy pobre de Río Grande del Norte, Brasil. El padre de Lindalva, João Justo da Fé, un granjero viudo. Su segundo matrimonio fue con María Lúcia de Oliveira. La pequeña Lindalva fue la sexta de 13 niños nacido a la pareja. Lindalva fue bautizada el 7 de enero de 1954. Su familia no era pudiente, pero era rica en la fe cristiana. João mudó a su familia a Açu para que sus niños pudieran asistir a la escuela, y después de muchos sacrificios él consiguió comprar una casa donde la familia reside todavía hoy. Siguiendo el buen ejemplo de su madre, Lindalva demostró una inclinación natural hacia los niños más pobres y compartió mucho tiempo con ellos. A edad 12, Lindalva recibió su Primera Comunión, y durante sus años escolares …More
San Raimundo de Peñafort, religioso presbítero(2 coms.)- Memoria litúrgica San Raimundo de Peñafort, presbítero de la Orden de Predicadores, eximio maestro en derecho canónico, que escribió de modo muy acertado sobre el sacramento de la Penitencia. Elegido maestro general de la Orden, preparó la redacción de las nuevas Constituciones, y tras llegar a edad muy avanzada, se durmió en el Señor en la ciudad de Barcelona, en España. († 1275) San Polieucto de Melitene, mártir(2 coms.) En Melitene, ciudad de la antigua Armenia, san Polieucto, mártir, que, siendo soldado, a raíz del decreto del emperador Decio que obligaba a sacrificar a los dioses, rompió los ídolos, por lo cual fue cruelmente martirizado y, finalmente, decapitado, recibiendo así el bautismo con su propia sangre. († c. 250) San Luciano de Antioquía, presbítero y mártir En la ciudad de Nicomedia, en Bitinia, pasión de san Luciano, presbítero de la Iglesia de Antioquía y mártir, el cual, ilustre por su doctrina y …More