Last week, I brought you the St. Paul Reading Plan, an ambitious effort organized by Greg Keuter of the Divine Mercy Podcast to read the entire writings of Saint Paul between October 1 and December 26.

This week, Martha Bakerjian, the About.com Guide to Italy Travel, calls our attention to a week-long Bible-reading marathon in Rome. Starting on Sunday, October 5, with a reading from the Vatican by Pope Benedict XVI, the marathon will cover all 73 books of the Catholic Bible.

As Martha notes, "about 1200 readers that includes Catholics and people of other faiths" will read nonstop at Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem). (Despite its name, the church is in Rome--it commemorates the finding of the Holy Cross by Saint Helena.) CBCNews.ca notes that "Every few chapters the reading will be interrupted to play Christian or Jewish religious music."

Christians in America often describe the United States as the "most Christian nation" in the world, but it's hard to imagine such an event taking place here--let alone being broadcast on PBS. (Italian state television is broadcasting the entire event nonstop.) It may be a cliché to say that actions speak louder than words, but events such as this speak volumes about how deeply the Catholic Faith is ingrained in the Italian national character.

The marathon will come to an end on Sunday, October 12.

As fall descends upon the Northern Hemisphere, the Catholic liturgical year draws to a close. In the traditional calendar, many of the feasts between mid-September and the First Sunday in Advent make reference to conflicts between Christianity and Islam, and great victories in battles in which the Church--and, more broadly, Christendom--was threatened. The memory of these events turns our thoughts to the end times, when the Church will undergo trials and tribulations before the return of Christ the King.

It may not be obvious how dedicating the month of October to the Holy Rosary fits into this pattern. But the rosary--and, more specifically, Our Lady of the Rosary--is credited with victory in a number of the battles that those feasts celebrate. Read more...

A reader writes:

While I understand how intercessory prayer can be effective for those who are still living--relatives we care for, those who are suffering, and those whom we want to reach with the Gospel--how does it make sense to pray for intercession for those who have passed away?

In the particular judgment, our souls are sent to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. Does it make sense to pray for those we think are in Hell--that they will suffer less, that God will have mercy on them? We know that God does hear our prayers and pleas for mercy. However, if a soul has been found in a state of mortal sin, of course they are going to Hell, and by their decision have “sentenced themselves” to eternal separation from God.

If a soul goes directly to Heaven, they do not really need our prayers, but those that go directly to Heaven have to be exceptionally rare--perhaps a Pope John Paul II or Mother Theresa? If they must suffer through Purgatory, they would benefit from our prayers. So when we pray for the souls of the dead, are we really praying only for those in Purgatory, as those in Heaven do not need or prayers, and those in Hell will not benefit from them, other than for the possibility that their suffering may be lessened a bit?

This is a very good question, especially as we come up on November, the month that the Church sets aside every year to pray for the faithful departed. On the basic points, the reader is right: Those who are in Heaven do not need our prayers; the souls of the damned cannot be released from Hell because of our prayers.

So, does that mean that, when we pray for the dead, we're only praying for those in Purgatory? And what should we do if we think that someone is not in Purgatory, but in Heaven or in Hell? Read more...

Each month, Pope Benedict XVI announces his special prayer intentions--particular things that he wishes all Catholics to pray for that month. (When, for instance, we pray the rosary and say the prayers at the end for the intentions of the Holy Father, these are the intentions for which we're praying.)

Pope Benedict offers two intentions every month, one general, and one for a particular Catholic missionary activity. Read more...