Jacques Agency

The angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!'" It came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judah, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in...

Two NYPD officers were killed Saturday in Brooklyn as they sat in their squad car by a gunman who reportedly threatened to shoot police hours earlier on Instagram. The gunman, a 28-year-old with a criminal record who police believe may have been acting in revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, killed himself moments later in a subway station. The incident left the nation's largest police department stunned, and is sure to further inflame tensions between police and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who police had already said was unwelcome at police funerals because of his perceived support for anti-police protesters. The brazen shooting occurred at approximately 3 p.m., and left Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos dead. Police said the gunman, identified as Ismaaiyl Brinsley, appeared to be carrying out a planned assassination. “The perp came out of the houses, walked up behind the car and lit them up,” a high-ranking police official told the New York Daily News.  "Th...

The deadly shooting of a black, unarmed drug suspect by a white Phoenix police officer who mistook a pill bottle for a gun demonstrates the challenges law enforcement agencies face at a time of unrest over police tactics. Phoenix police say the officer feared the suspect was armed during their struggle, but some critics say the officer went too far. Despite the department's efforts to be transparent with information, protesters marched Thursday night against the fatal shooting of Rumain Brisbon, 34. About 150 marched through the streets of downtown Phoenix to police headquarters, while calling for an end to what they say is a nationwide epidemic of police brutality. The police chief and top prosecutor in metro Phoenix met with the president of the NAACP's Maricopa County Branch and other civil rights leaders in the hours after the incident, which came as emotions are running high in New York, Missouri and elsewhere over what protesters call heavy-handed law enforcement efforts....

Pope Francis has closed an assembly of Catholic bishops that revealed deep divisions on how to respond to homosexuality and divorce, saying on Sunday the Church should not be afraid of change and new challenges. Francis, who has said he wants a more merciful and less rigid Church, made his comments in a sermon to some 70,000 people in St. Peter's Square for the ceremonial closing of a two-week assembly, known as a synod. The working session of the gathering ended on Saturday night with a final document that reversed a historic acceptance of gays by the Church made just a week earlier -- a result some progressives see as a setback for Francis. "God is not afraid of new things. That is why he is continuously surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways," the pope said. At the Mass, he beatified Pope Paul VI, who died in 1978, bringing the pontiff best known for concluding the ground-breaking reforms of the Second Vatican Council and enshrining the ...

Estad siempre gozosos;  orad sin cesar; dad gracias en todo, porque esta es la voluntad de Dios para vosotros en Cristo Jesús.  No apaguéis el Espíritu;  no menospreciéis las profecías.  Antes bien, examinadlo todo cuidadosamente , retened lo bueno;  absteneos de toda forma de mal.        Y que el mismo Dios de paz os santifique por completo; y que todo vuestro ser, espíritu, alma y cuerpo, sea preservado irreprensible para la venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo.  Fiel es el que os llama, el cual también lo hará.    La gracia de nuestro Señor Jesucristo sea con vosotros. Si te gustaría mandar solicitudes de oraciones o ofrendas por correo, por favor mandarlas a:  Universal Church of the Living God P.O. Box 210-240 Brooklyn, NY 11221 Email: universalchurch@live.com USA Que Dios Te Bendiga!

The Islamic State (ISIS) has the potential to be more dangerous to the United States than al-Qaida if its advance is not stopped, said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The potential 2016 presidential candidate said President Barack Obama made the right decision to launch a military offensive against the extremist group in Syria and Iraq, The Washington Post reported. "It's a serious threat because this is the best-funded, most professional, expansionist jihadist military force that we have ever seen," Clinton told the Economic Club of Chicago, according to the Post. "This is far more advanced and far richer than al-Qaida ever was." She added that the group "will attempt to launch attacks against Western targets if it has the ability to do so." Clinton also predicted that Congress would take "some kind of legislative action" when it reconvenes after the November election. Last week, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reveal...

Dutch researchers have determined drinking two glasses of milk each day may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.  The findings, presented at a European medical conference in France this week, are based on an analysis of nine studies involving more than 57,000 individuals — and 15,367 cases of hypertension.   Lead researcher Sabita S. Soedamah-Muthu, M.D., from Wageningen University in the Netherlands said the analysis found drinking about two cups of milk per day reduced the risk for high blood pressure and that more may be better.   "These meta-analyses indicate that there is a link between increasing the number of glasses of milk a day and a lower incidence of hypertension," explained Dr. Soedamah-Muthu.  The findings echo research by Daniel R. Machin, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May, that showed the addition of four servings of nonfat dairy per day to a routine diet lowered blood pressure in middle-aged and o...