Movie: "Fabiola" (1949)

Fabiola (UK title: The Fighting Gladiator) is a 1949 Italian language motion picture historical drama directed by Alessandro Blasetti, very loosely based on the 1854 novel Fabiola by Nicholas Patrick Wiseman. The film stars Michèle Morgan, Henri Vidal and Michel Simon. It tells the story of the Roman Empire in which Christianity is growing around the 4th century AD.

Directed by: Alessandro Blasetti

Starring: Michèle Morgan, Henri Vidal, Michel Simon

Release date: 3 March 1949; 1951 (UK & U.S.)

Running time: 164 min

A Christian Response to Being Unjustly Accused of Sexual Assault

By John Sanidopoulos

I was asked today by email the following question (which I condensed so as not to reveal any personal information of the inquirer):

"As you are aware, these days much is being is said in the media about sexual assault, and for the most part I think this is a good thing, as it needs to be exposed and women should feel comfortable to expose it if in fact they are the victims of such abuse. What troubles me is that many people are also saying that we should believe every accusation a woman makes regarding sexual assault, I guess because women feel they have been forced to keep silent for too long, or for whatever other reason. This troubles me because I personally have been accused of a sexual assault in the past, and it devastated my life because I knew none of it was true. My comfort at the time was reading scripture and the lives of the saints, and thankfully my wife believed me. Now this took place for me about twenty years ago, and the woman personally apologized to me about the false accusation not long after, and it was all swept under the rug as I moved on to another job, but because I know firsthand of myself and others I know that these accusations can be false unless proven not to be or at least examined, I was wondering, with your vast knowledge of Church history and the lives of the saints, if there are any specific examples of honorable people who were unjustly accused of sexual assault. Thank you."

Franksgiving: When Thanksgiving Politically Divided the United States

I hear many people these days talking about how divided the United States is politically, and how they dread political conversations during Thanksgiving dinner. Since it can hardly be avoided to talk politics in certain situations during Thanksgiving, my solution is to remind people that this country has always been politically divided in one way or another, and that Thanksgiving itself at one time was politically divisive as well. And what made Thanksgiving politically divisive at one time, is now no longer an issue at all, but an accepted tradition that unites all Americans. What was it that made Thanksgiving politically divisive? It was something labelled "Franksgiving" at the time. Read about it below, via the Wikipedia article on the subject, compare it to the political divide we have today, see how such a major issue of the time for which the then President of the United States, who was criticized for being like Hitler because of this issue, was heavily criticized, and has today become an accepted tradition that unites all Americans, because time eventually gives us a short memory. It should remind us that history should be remembered in times when we feel something unique is going on, for nothing is new under the sun.

The Rational Man According To St. Anthony the Great

By Dr. Constantine Cavarnos

Introductory Remarks

St Anthony (ca. 250-356 A.D.) is one of the great masters of the spiritual life of Eastern Christendom. He has been held in the highest esteem by Christians of the East from his own time down to the present. One of his eminent admirers was St Athanasius, who knew him personally and wrote a biography of him, which is one of the best sources of information we have about him. Two other outstanding admirers of this great saint are St Macarius, Metropolitan of Corinth (1731-1805) and St Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (1748-1809). They have included at the beginning of the Philokalia, which was compiled and edited by them and published in 1782, a work containing many sayings and observations which have traditionally been attributed to St Anthony.

Holy Martyr Porphyrios the Mime of Ephesus

St. Porphyrios the Mime (Feast Day - November 4)

Verses

Porphyrios was adorned by the sword,
Brightly adorned with the purple of blood.

Saint Porphyrios lived during the reign of Emperor Aurelian (270-275), and was from the city of Ephesus. From a young age he was raised in the theater with the mimes, namely those who acted out every form and movement of people.

Once he followed the count of Alexandria to Caesarea, and there he acted out the Holy Baptism of the Christians, where he was baptized by another mime who falsely pretended to be a Bishop. In this way they mocked the mysteries of the Christians.