Traditional Catholic evening devotional prayers to close your day with your mind, heart, tongue, and soul on our Lord! The month of January is dedicated to the Most Holy of Jesus. Begin and end each day with prayer. This evening prayer video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.
04 January 2026
Catholic Principles on Inheritance
From the Paul Street Journal
What role does inheritance play in Catholic Social Teaching? Should every generation be forced to start from scratch, regardless of how wealthy their parents are? We answer these questions, and more, on this episode of The Paul Street Journal.
00:34 The Old Testament
02:00 The New Testament
04:17 Logistics
05:44 Intergenerational Solidarity
09:49 What if You Don't Have Kids?
10:38 Other Tax-Free Assets
The Life of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia ~ (1895– 1918)
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (Olga Nikolaevna Romanova; Russian: Великая Княжна Ольга Николаевна, 15 November [O.S. 3 November] 1895 – 17 July 1918) was the eldest child of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, and of his wife Alexandra. During her lifetime, Olga's future marriage was the subject of great speculation within Russia. Matches were rumoured with Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, Crown Prince Carol of Romania, Edward, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Britain's George V, and with Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia. Olga herself wanted to marry a Russian and remain in her home country. During World War I, she nursed wounded soldiers in a military hospital until her own nerves gave out and, thereafter, oversaw administrative duties at the hospital. Olga's murder following the Russian Revolution of 1917 resulted in her canonisation as a passion bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church. In the 1990s, her remains were identified through DNA testing and were buried in a funeral ceremony at Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, along with those of her parents and two of her sisters.
Philosophy of Human Nature: 5. Implications of Human Knowledge
With Thomas Hibbs, PhD, J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy, Baylor University.
January Is the Perfect Month To Reform Your Spiritual Life
Just do not take on more than is possible! I learned years ago that the best way to burn out is to set your goals too high. Keep them realistic.
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
January is a month filled with hope, hope that the new year will be different.
Let's be honest, sometimes life can really bring us down. It can seem like the world is out to get us as we struggle to keep our head above water and survive one more day.
What's interesting is how the month of January can provide a welcome jolt to our lives, providing for us a little glimmer of hope that things could be different. When all seems to be crashing around us, January reminds us that all things can be renewed.
Starting fresh in the spiritual life
While many people use the month of January to make pledges surrounding bodily health and exercise, it is also a perfect time to examine our spiritual lives and determine what needs to change.
The first area of our spiritual life that we should explore is any attachment to sin, especially mortal sin. We simply cannot progress in our relationship with God if we are attached to a particular sin. What we need to do is pause to reflect on which sins we can't seem to shake and to resolve to never commit that sin again.
Begin the process by going to confession in the beginning of January, so that you can truly start fresh, letting God wash away all of your sins.
After that, you'll likely need to formulate a "battle plan" for how you intend to stop this particular sin. Typically this means reflecting on the common circumstances that led you to that sin, and to do what you can to cut it out. For example, if you are addicted to pornography, the best thing you can do is find an accountability partner and to install some sort of software that blocks out a potential occasion of sin.
Whatever sin it might be that you want to get rid of, the key is to invite God into your life and invoke his name as often as you can. We simply cannot break free of our chains on our own and need a liberator to come and rescue us.
Next, consider your own relationship with God. St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction to the Devout Life, provides a set of questions that we should all ponder and think about:
With respect to God Himself -- does your heart delight in thinking of God, does it crave after the sweetness thereof? Do you feel a certain readiness to love Him, and a definite inclination to enjoy His Love? Do you take pleasure in dwelling upon the Immensity, the Goodness, the Tenderness of God? When you are immersed in the occupations and vanities of this world, does the thought of God come across you as a welcome thing? Do you accept it gladly, and yield yourself up to it, and your heart turn with a sort of yearning to Him?
The spiritual life is not simply about stopping bad habits, but it is about fostering a relationship with a God who loves us dearly and who constantly knocks at our door.
Whatever you do, take advantage of January as a month that is typically filled with great hope. Invite God into your life and resolve to make the next year one that is open to God's loving grace.
Faithful Catholics Write Open Letter Defending The Virgin Mary From Leo And Fernandez
Leo's and Fernandez's diabolical document, Mater Populi Fidelis, is continuing to get pushback from the lay faithful while Rome continues to scramble to defend it.
How Merchants Slept Through Cold Nights on Trade Routes
From Medieval History
Travel back to the frozen trade routes of the Middle Ages and discover how medieval merchants survived bitter cold nights while guarding their goods. From wool cloaks used as bedding to sleeping in shifts beside cargo and animals, this video reveals the quiet survival strategies that kept trade alive across Europe and beyond.
Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | January
Traditional Catholic morning prayers to lay a strong foundation for the rest of your day and the rest of the year! The month of January continues the Christmas season and is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. I hope these prayers increase your devotion to Our Lord and His Most Holy Name. Begin each day with morning prayer! Resolve to do this in 2026! This morning prayer video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.
The Medjugorje Problem No One Talks About (Church History Explains)
From Totus Catholica
You've heard it said for years: "Rome is scared of Medjugorje" or "the Church is hiding the truth." After more than 40 years of reported apparitions, people ask a fair question: Why hasn't the Church simply said "Yes, this is approved" the way she did with Lourdes or Fatima? Here's what many Catholics don't realize: In 2024, the Vatican publicly took a new step on Medjugorje—not by declaring the apparitions authentic, but by allowing public devotion and pilgrimages under a specific judgment called a nihil obstat, while still refusing to affirm the supernatural claims .
📌 The Church moves slowly not because she hates devotion or fears Mary, but because she's protecting you from two extremes: naïve credulity and bitter rejection . Scripture commands us: "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1) . With Medjugorje, the apparitions are claimed to be ongoing for decades, creating a moving target for investigation—unlike Lourdes or Fatima, which were limited in time . The Church can say "Yes, real prayer and conversion are happening here" without saying "Therefore every reported vision is authentic" .
✨ What You'll Discover
– Why the Church allows devotion at Medjugorje but still withhold supernatural approval
– The 2024 Vatican decision: nihil obstat (pastoral care allowed) vs. full approval of apparitions
– 1 John 4:1 and Matthew 7:15–16: "Test the spirits" and "You will know them by their fruits"
– Why ongoing apparitions (40+ years) make discernment far more difficult than time-limited events
– The difference between good fruits in a place vs. certainty about an apparition's supernatural origin
– How to hold private revelation in its proper place (never part of the deposit of faith)
– Three objections answered: fruits, approval vs. allowance, and "suppressing Mary"
⏳ Chapters
0:00 – Why Hasn't Rome Approved Medjugorje After 40 Years?
1:04 – The Two Extremes: Naïve Credulity vs. Bitter Rejection
2:55 – Scripture's Command: "Test the Spirits" (1 John 4:1)
4:31 – Why the Church Hesitates: Ongoing Apparitions and Moving Targets
6:10 – What Should You Do as a Faithful Catholic?
7:43 – Three Common Objections Answered
9:03 – Your Faith Is Already Whole in Jesus Christ
🌐 Stay Connected
📿 Daily Holy Hour – https://totuscatholica.org/rosary
🌍 Website – https://totuscatholica.org/
✉️ Contact me – https://totuscatholica.org/contact
🔍 Examination of Conscience – https://catholicexaminationofconscien...
📖 Key Teaching & References
– 2024: Vatican allows public devotion and pilgrimages at Medjugorje under nihil obstat, but does not affirm supernatural claims
– 1 John 4:1 – "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God"
– Matthew 7:15–16 – "Beware of false prophets. You will know them by their fruits"
– Private revelation vs. public revelation: Private revelation is never part of the deposit of faith
– Lourdes and Fatima: Time-limited apparitions allowed for complete investigation
– Why good fruits (conversions, confession lines) do not automatically prove supernatural origin
– The Church's pastoral approach: Support genuine devotion without declaring visions certain
💬 Reflection Question
Are you treating private revelation as a "fourth pillar" of your faith—or keeping Jesus Christ, Scripture, and the sacraments as your foundation?
Never Before: Cardinal Balance Tips Toward Non-Electors
I can think of no better way to illustrate the stupidity of Paul VI's limitations, which Cardinal Otaviani called "an act committed in contempt of tradition that is centuries old".
From Aleteia
By Daniel Esparza
The number of non-electing cardinals will soon exceed electors for the first time in Church history.
As of January 2, 2026, a quiet but consequential shift is taking place in the Catholic Church’s highest governing body. Two senior African cardinals — Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso and Cardinal John Njue of Kenya — pass the age of 80 and therefore exit the ranks of cardinal electors.
Cardinals who are older than 80 on the day of the death of a pope cannot vote in the conclave to elect his successor. They continue as cardinals though.
Cardinal Ouédraogo turned 80 on December 31, 2025; Cardinal Njue follows on January 1, 2026. With their birthdays, both men lost the right to vote in a conclave.
The immediate result is striking: the College of Cardinals now counts 123 electors and 122 non-electors, placing the Church on the brink of a historic reversal.
That reversal is expected within days. On January 5, Cardinal Mario Zenari will reach 80, at which point — barring unforeseen circumstances — the number of non-electing cardinals will exceed electors for the first time in Church history.
The change is more than statistical.
The College will somehow reflect society at large, with the aging population characterizing many countries.
Africa
Cardinal Ouédraogo’s career has embodied the Church’s moral and mediating role in the Sahel. Born in northern Burkina Faso into a family of Muslim origin, ordained in 1973, and trained in canon law in Rome, he became a major voice for interreligious dialogue amid the spread of jihadist violence after 2011.
Created cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014, he participated in the May 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, after his official birth date was clarified in light of incomplete colonial-era records.
Cardinal Njue, long regarded as a stabilizing figure in Kenya’s public life, shaped the Church during a period marked by ethnic tensions and terrorist violence. Ordained a priest by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter’s Basilica in 1973, he rose to become archbishop of Nairobi in 2007 and served nearly a decade as president of the Kenyan bishops’ conference. Although eligible in principle, he did not attend the 2025 conclave due to health concerns. His leadership during the 2015 Garissa university massacre — when he spoke of praying even for the attackers — remains emblematic of his pastoral approach.
Their transition to non-elector status slightly reduces Africa’s voting presence in future conclaves, but it also highlights a broader reality shaped by Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The consistent creation of cardinals from the global peripheries, often pushing past the theoretical cap of 120 electors set by Paul VI, has produced an unusually large body of senior cardinals whose authority is no longer juridical but moral.
With the threshold now crossed and a majority of non-electors imminent, the Church enters new territory. Institutional memory, global experience, and pastoral wisdom increasingly belong to those who no longer vote, but bring immeasurable benefit through their presence.
How that dynamic shapes this young pontificate and eventually the next conclave — and the governance that precedes it — may prove one of the quiet legacies of this moment.
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