Pope Francis has signed off on the miracle needed to make Mother Teresa a saint, giving the tiny nun who cared for the poorest of the poor one of the Catholic Church's highest honors just two decades after her death. The Vatican said Friday that Francis approved a decree attributing a miracle to Mother Teresa's intercession during an audience with the head of the Vatican's saint-making office on Thursday, his 79th birthday. No date was set for the canonization, but Italian media have speculated that the ceremony will take place in the first week of September — to coincide with the anniversary of her death and during Francis' Holy Year of Mercy. "This is fantastic news. We are very happy," said Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for the Missionaries of Charity in the eastern city of Kolkata (earlier called Calcutta), where Mother Teresa lived and worked. More On This Topic Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING -- Marie Constantin, who spent years photographing Mother Teresa, is now finding her own way to serve at home. After years of travel with Mother Teresa, photographer brings home life lessons The miracle responsible for Mother Teresa's canonization concerned the inexplicable cure of a Brazilian man suffering from a viral brain infection that resulted in multiple abscesses. By Dec. 9, 2008, he was in a coma and dying, suffering from an accumulation of fluid around the brain. The Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator spearheading Mother Teresa's canonization case, said in a statement Friday that some 30 minutes after the man was due to undergo surgery that never took place, he sat up, awake and without pain, and was a day later declared to be symptom-free. The Vatican later attributed the cure to the fervent prayers to Mother Teresa's intercession by the man's wife, who precisely at the time of his scheduled surgery was at her parish church, praying alongside her pastor. Mother Teresa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, died on Sept. 5, 1997, aged 87. At the time, her Missionaries of Charity order had nearly 4,000 nuns and ran roughly 600 orphanages, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and clinics around the world. Francis, whose papacy has been dedicated to ministering to the poor just as Mother Teresa did, is a known fan. During his September 2014 visit to Albania, Francis confided to his interpreter that he was not only impressed by her fortitude, but in some ways feared it. Francis recounted that he had met Mother Teresa, an ethnic Albanian, when they attended a 1994 bishop synod at the Vatican together. At the time, he was Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio. "Bergoglio had Mother Teresa behind him, nearby, and he heard her intervene often with great strength, without letting herself in any way be intimidated by this assembly of bishops," the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, later recounted. "And from that he developed a great esteem for her, as a strong woman, a woman able to give courageous testimony." But Bergoglio, who has long shown admiration for the women who raised him and taught him, added: "I would have been afraid to have had her as my superior, since she was so tough." Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on Aug. 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. She joined the Loreto order of nuns in 1928 and in 1946, while traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, was inspired to found the Missionaries of Charity order. The order was established four years later and has since opened more than 130 houses worldwide to provide comfort and care for the needy, sick and "poorest of the poor." Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work with Calcutta's destitute and ill — work which continued even after she herself became sick. "The poor give us much more than we give them," Mother Teresa said in 1977. "They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. And they never curse, never complain." St. John Paul II, one of Mother Teresa's greatest champions, waived the normal five-year waiting period for her beatification process to begin and launched it a year after she died, convinced of her saintliness and apparently intent on at least beatifying her in his lifetime. He bestowed that honor on her in 2003 in a Vatican ceremony. Archbishop of Kolkata Thomas D'Souza said the news of the Vatican's decision was "the best Christmas gift one can get." "We are grateful to God and we are extremely happy," he said.

Creationism vs. evolution, scientific method vs. ethics, science vs. faith, the church's censure and rehabilitation of Galileo Galilei. For centuries, there have been countless confusion and arguments pitting science against faith as if they were two opposing forces. In the hopes of dispelling lingering myths and misunderstandings, one ecclesiastical institute has launched a unique online course explaining the compatible roles religion and science play in seeking meaning and knowledge in today's world. Sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the "Science and Faith in Dialogue" program is run by the Theological Faculty of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, and it seeks to bridge the gap between science and faith through education. Because of the course's success, the theological institute of Catalonia is now launching the course in English starting Feb. 9, 2016. Each class begins an introductory video on the day's lesson, narrated by Father Emili Marles Romeu, director of the "Science & Faith in Dialogue" program. In a style much like the U.S. science documentary series "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," the priest explains complex historical and scientific discoveries with relative ease. The lesson plans also include texts, summaries, tests and assignments. Students can also opt to be assigned specialized tutors who assist them throughout the course. The course offers discounted courses to countries in Latin America with students paying a minimum of 20 euros for the entire 12 lesson course. Through grant and financial assistance, 25 percent of the students enrolled were able to study at no cost. Father Marles told Catholic News Service that the low price and grants allow for the course "to be accessible to everyone regardless of location or financial situation." He and others presented the program at a news conference Dec. 10 at the Pontifical Council for Culture. The lesson plans cover an array of scientific studies, including the debate between creationism and evolution and stem cell research. While the course is offered to everyone, Father Marles said that it is directed especially to those with an educational role in the church. Father Armand Puig i Tarrech, dean of the Theological Faculty of Catalonia, said the course is a service that helps students and those who work in the field of Catholic education and catechism address the misconception that "the Bible and human reason are opposed to each other." The course shows that countless scientific achievements have been achieved by Catholics dedicated to their faith like Galileo, the father of observational astronomy and modern physics, and Msgr. Georges Lemaitre, the Belgian priest and astronomer who proposed the Big Bang theory. Although faith needs reason in order to be more grounded in the world, Father Puig said that science must also recognize its limits. "This course helps to bridge the world of science with human and divine realities," he said. People can access a trial course, further information and registration details at www.scienceandfaithbcn.com/en.

On his return flight from Africa, as Pope Francis fielded the customary questions from the press, he challenged a journalist on a question about condom use in the fight to prevent HIV. “We know that prevention is key. We know that condoms are not the only method of solving the epidemic, but it’s an important part of the answer,” the journalist said. “Is it not time for the Church to change its position on the matter? To allow the use of condoms to prevent more infections?” The question, Pope Francis said, seemed too narrow to address such a widespread and complex issue. Condom use in and of itself could never solve the HIV crisis or other problems facing many African nations. “The problem is bigger,” the Pope said. “This question makes me think of one they once asked Jesus: 'Tell me, teacher, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Is it obligatory to heal?' This question, 'Is doing this lawful,'…but malnutrition, the development of the person, slave labor, the lack of drinking water, these are the problems.” The Catholic Church has always held that artificial contraception use is immoral. In a 2010 book interview that made waves, Pope Benedict XVI said that while using a condom can represent a step in the right direction as far as showing concern for the other person, it is still an immoral solution to the HIV crisis. But was Pope Francis right to be so dismissive of condom usage? Do condoms actually play a practical and important role in the fight against HIV? An increasing amount of evidence says no.

Speaking with catechists and teachers in Uganda, Pope Francis on Friday offered encouragement and stressed that witnessing the faith is critical for the growth of the Church. “Even when the task seems too much, the resources too few, the obstacles too great, it should never be forgotten that yours is a holy work,” he said. “The Holy Spirit is present wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed. He is in our midst whenever we lift up our hearts and minds to God in prayer. He will give you the light and strength you need!” Speaking to the catechists gathered before him, Pope Francis commented on what it means to be a teacher of the Christian faith. “'Teacher!' What a beautiful name this is! Jesus is our first and greatest teacher,” the Pope reflected. “Saint Paul tells us that Jesus gave his Church not only apostles and pastors, but also teachers, to build up the whole body in faith and love.” “Together with the bishops, priests and deacons who are ordained to preach the Gospel and care for the Lord’s flock, you, as catechists, play an outstanding part in bringing the Good News to every village and homestead in your country,” he said. “Thank you for your dedication, your example, your closeness to God’s people in their daily lives, and all the many ways you plant and nurture the seeds of faith throughout this vast land,” he continued. “Thank you especially for teaching our children and young people how to pray. I know that your work, although rewarding, is not easy.” The Pope called for bishops and priests to support their local catechists with doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral formation, helping them to persevere and be more effective in their witness. He stressed the importance of the job of catechesis, saying, “You teach what Jesus taught, you instruct adults and help parents to raise their children in the faith, and you bring the joy and hope of eternal life to all.”

For the first time, U.S. bishops have issued a historical pastoral letter specifically addressing the global crisis of pornography, looking at how the industry is affecting the parishioners in their pews and what the Church can do to offer mercy, healing, and hope to recovering pornography users. "We offer this statement to give a word of hope and healing to those who have been harmed by pornography and to raise awareness of its pervasiveness and harms," the statement reads, saying the Church wants to offer healing to the families destroyed by pornography and to the individuals who have been exploited by it. The USCCB officially approved the pastoral letter created by the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth called "Create in Me a Clean Heart" on Nov. 17. The letter addresses the crisis of porn and how the Church is reaching out with mercy to those who fall prey to the thriving billion-dollar pornography industry, which creates an increasing slew of victims and perpetrators every year. Pornography's wide acceptance and even at times promotion in today's global culture has prompted the U.S. bishops to address the crux of the issue: the failure to recognize every human's innate call to love. According to the pastoral letter, "every man and woman, whether called to marriage or not, has a fundamental vocation of self-giving, fruitful love in imitation of the Lord." The bishops describe pornography, however, as the opposite of love – the love for which every individual is created. Instead, pornography creates "a disordered view of the person, because it is ordered toward use, as of a thing, rather than love, which pertains to persons." Pornography also "rejects the equal dignity and complementarity between man and woman and strikes at the heart of God's plan for communion between persons," the letter stated. Engaging in pornography might appear to some like a harmless, private affair, but the bishops pointed to multiple victims who are involved in the making. Many individuals and children portrayed in pornography are victims of human trafficking and also forced into prostitution, the bishops wrote, citing a study by former litigation attorney and anti-porn advocacy leader Noel Bouche. "You are beloved sons and daughters of the Father. Be not afraid to approach the altar of mercy and ask for forgiveness. Many good people struggle with this sin. You are not alone," the bishops said. For many, use of pornography has become an addiction, or at the very least, desensitizing. Because of this, many individuals will have to seek other help in addition to confession or spiritual direction. The bishops recommended counseling, coaching, accountability groups, conferences, and retreats as good options for recovering pornography users. Other tools like online monitoring software, couples therapy, and chastity education are also good resources. "Freedom from pornography is a daily choice and calls for ongoing formation," the pastoral letter noted. Parents also have a responsibility to protect their sons and daughters from the modern-day scourge of pornography. The bishops noted that the average age of children who are exposed to pornography is age eleven, meaning that there are many children who are even younger. "Parents and guardians, protect your home! Be vigilant about the technology you allow into your home and be sensitive to the prevalence of sexual content in even mainstream television and film and ease by which it comes through the Internet and mobile devices," the letter stated.

“Bangui is today the spiritual capital of the world,” Pope Francis said as he opened the Holy Door of Bangui’s cathedral on Sunday--the first time a Pope has opened a Holy Door outside Rome. Pope Francis proclaimed: “We all pray for peace, mercy, reconciliation, pardon, love. Throughout the Central African Republic and in all the nations of the world which suffer war, let us pray for peace. And together we all pray for love and peace. We pray together.” The Pope opened the Holy Door in the Central African Republic’s capital before the beginning of Sunday Mass Nov. 29. The Jubilee of Mercy does not begin until Dec. 8, but Pope Francis decided to open the Holy Door in the cathedral of Bangui as a sign of prayer and solidarity with the country. The Central African Republic is an active warzone following the December 2012 uprising which led to the overthrow of the president. About 6,000 people have died in the conflict, with several thousands more displaced. The rite of the opening of the Holy Door is intended to symbolize that the Church’s faithful are offered an “extraordinary path” toward salvation during the time of jubilee. As part of the Holy Year for Mercy, holy doors for the first time will be designated in dioceses. These will be located either in the cathedral, in a church of special significance or a shrine of particular importance for pilgrimages. Each of the four major basilicas in Rome has a holy door. These are normally sealed shut from the inside so that they cannot be opened. The doors are only opened during jubilee years so that pilgrims can enter through them in order to gain the plenary indulgence that is connected with the jubilee. Pope Francis’ Sunday homily emphasized that the power of God’s love can overcome “unprecedented devastation.” He called on Christians to be leaders in showing mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. He also called on those involved in unjust conflict to lay down their weapons. “Arm yourselves instead with righteousness, with love and mercy, the authentic guarantors of peace,” he said. Pope Francis will open the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome when the Holy Year officially begins Dec. 8.

I urge you to continue to pray for the families of the victims who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Paris. Once again we see what humankind can do with something that God ordained. Religion is not about murder. The focus should be on God. The teachings of Jesus Christ when he lived among us are still true today. Love God with all of your heart. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Instead of trying to look for differences, lets find the commonalities. Collectively we can solve many of the world's problems by taking the time to get to know others that may be a little different from us. All of the victims killed by the suicide bombers were created by God. Why would God be happy with you if you are killing his creation? Before you condemn someone, kneel and pray with them. Your entire perspective will change.

A week after the 65th anniversary of Father Emil J. Kapaun's capture in North Korea, the bishop of Wichita, Kansas, formally presented a report on the Army chaplain's life, virtues and fame of holiness to the Congregation for Saints' Causes. Bishop Carl A. Kemme of Wichita and a small delegation from the diocese met Nov. 9 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the congregation, and other officials to hand over the 1,066 report known as a "positio." During the Korean War, Father Kapaun, a priest of the Wichita diocese, and other members of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, were captured by Chinese troops in North Korea Nov. 2, 1950. The priest died in a North Korean prison camp May 23, 1951. President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to the war-hero priest in a White House ceremony in 2013, but the men who were imprisoned with Father Kapaun and the faithful of the Diocese of Wichita had been honoring him long before that. "Since the day his fellow prisoners of war in the Korean Conflict (1950-1953) were liberated after their long and cruel incarceration, during which Father Kapaun was instrumental in providing to his fellow soldiers unparalleled pastoral care, word of his saintly virtue has been spreading and continues to our day," said a letter Bishop Kemme wrote and delivered to Cardinal Amato. "I'm very honored and humbled to be part of this moment," Bishop Kemme said after handing over the "positio," which is based on a long diocesan investigation of Father Kapaun's life, writings and eyewitness testimony, including with prisoners who survived the camp. Andrea Ambrosi, the postulator or promoter of the cause, said it took 12-13 months to write the volume, which should go to a team of Vatican historians for review in April. Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci, secretary of the congregation, told Bishop Kemme and his delegation that if the historians have no questions and believe the biography and the information about the circumstances of Father Kapaun's death are complete, the report would go to a commission of theologians. Under normal circumstances, Archbishop Bartolucci said, the theologians would not get to the report for at least 10 years, but since Father Kapaun is the first sainthood candidate from the Wichita diocese, it gets precedence. He is hoping to get the report on the commission's calendar for late 2017. "While you are waiting -- a year or two -- you can work on the miracle," the archbishop told the bishop. In fact, Bishop Kemme told him, the diocese already has identified and is working on the documentation for two healings. One of them could be the miracle needed for Father Kapaun's beatification. While Bishop Kemme was at the Vatican, supporters of Father Kapaun's cause were praying. A special novena for the beatification of Father Kapaun began Nov. 2, the 65th anniversary of his capture at the Battle of Unsan, and was to end on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Are you trying to get more out of Mass than you have in the past? Try keeping a journal. You can list the readings from the Bible and look them up later. You can jot down questions for your pastor or deacon and email them for the answers. You can also write down your thoughts about the entire experience by spending a little time at the end of Mass. So what is the point? All of this journaling will help you to deepen your faith. Taking the message of Sunday into the work week can help you become the person God created you to be. And it all starts with making a few notes at Mass and using those notes to live a more Christ-like life. Try it out.

And they'll know we are Christians by our love. That verse is one of the strongest memories I have of attending Catholic elementary school. It was a part of a song that we seemed to sing quiet frequently. But the true meaning of the song still resonates with me. Amid all of the rudeness and incivility among and between people of all faiths (and no faith), this is an idea who's time has come again. Do people know that you are a Christian by the way you respond to life's daily trials? Do you set the bar when it comes to acting like Jesus in your workplace? What about the example you set for your children or others who look to you for guidance? The song goes on to say "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord." Another salient point that should be reemphasized at a time when it feels like Christians have been divided in order to be conquered. I am challenging myself to live the words of this song. I am committing to being someone who acts out of love. How that looks for each of us may be a little different but loving thy neighbor is a fairly clear concept. Now is a great time to recommit yourself to living a life of love. Start by answering this question. Will people know you are a Christian by your actions?

If divorced-and-remarried Catholics should receive communion, as Cardinal Walter Kasper and many of the German bishops suggest, does that mean St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher died for nothing? In his latest column Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver asked this question and pointed to similarities between Cardinal Kasper’s push for allowing remarried Catholics to receive communion and English bishops granting Henry VIII’s “annulment.” “As with those who advocate for communion for the civilly remarried, the English bishops were uncomfortable with embracing divorce and remarriage outright,” he said in his Oct. 19 column. “Instead, they chose to bend the law to the individual circumstances of the case with which they were confronted, and King Henry VIII was granted an ‘annulment’ — on a fraudulent basis and without the sanction of Rome.” The case for Henry VIII’s divorce came from a “strong utilitarian argument”: the king’s personal happiness and the well-being of the country. Similarly, Archbishop Aquila said, some of the German bishops at the Synod on the Family “are pushing for the Church to allow those who are both divorced and remarried to receive communion, while other bishops around the world are insisting the Church cannot change Christ’s teaching.” Two men we now recognize as saints, Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher, refused to join England’s bishops in recognizing the king’s divorce and remarriage. Both men were beheaded and later canonized. Now similar arguments are being heard in Rome as some of the German bishops are calling for divorced-and-remarried Catholics to be able to receive communion, the archbishop observed. “And this begs the question: Do the German bishops believe that Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher sacrificed their lives in vain?” In contrast to Cardinal Kasper’s comment that “heroism is not for the average Christian,” Jesus tells us plainly that “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me,” the Denver archbishop said. While those who find themselves “on the margins of the faith” must be welcomed with mercy in the Church and parish life, he noted, we must also remember that “mercy always speaks the truth, never condones sin, and recognizes that the Cross is at the heart of the Gospel.”

As reported by Yahoo news, "One of the participants in the synod, the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, tweeted earlier this week that Francis had warned the prelates against falling into a "conspiracy" mindset as they discuss how the church can better minister to Catholic families, gays, divorcees and couples in civil unions. But in his briefing to reporters Tuesday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, didn't quote Pope Francis as making such an explosive and critical admonition. His summary of Francis' remarks was more generic, and a text of Francis' remarks was never provided to the media. Lombardi confirmed Thursday that the pope indeed uttered the words but said he wasn't obliged to make public everything that everyone says." I guess it is all about the clicks even when it comes to the Catholic Church and Pope Francis. Yahoo posted the following story on its news page in order to ramp up the visits to it pages. That is the way the online economy works. The more clicks you can claim, the more advertisers will pay for their propaganda. So let's look at the message. It appears to me that Pope Francis is trying to tamp down the divisive arguing that has been going on for the past two years as we prepped for the synod. Keeping an open mind is integral to any relationship, especially with God. As the members of the synod prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is natural for the Pope to remind participants to avoid conspiracy thinking. Conspiracy can mean attempting to do something illegal or harmful and it can mean plotting or conspiring. That Pope Francis wants to have a civil discussion that produces positive results for the future of the Catholic Church goes without saying. The other thing that we need to remember is that English is not the Pope's native language. The word he used could have been something different depending on the language he used. Rev. Lombardi appears to be doing his job as well, namely keeping the synod proceedings above the fray of a HuffPo-style media frenzy that typically dwells on the vulgar and obnoxious. At the end of the day, the participants must allow the Holy Spirit to work within them. At this very important meeting, they are the instruments of God on earth. Pope Francis developed his spirituality as a Jesuit. The examin of conscious and actions is integral to the life of a Jesuit. In the end, it seems that is what Pope Francis is asking for from the synod.

The world Synod of Bishops on the family is not a parliament where participants will negotiate or lobby, Pope Francis said, but it must be a place of prayer where bishops speak with courage and open themselves to "God who always surprises us." Opening the first working session of the synod Oct. 5, the pope said the synod's 270 voting members need courage, "pastoral and doctrinal zeal, wisdom, frankness and to keep always before our eyes the good of the church and of families and the supreme law -- the salvation of souls." Arriving about 15 minutes before the session began, Pope Francis welcomed to the synod hall the members, delegates from other Christian communities and the men and women who will serve as experts and observers. The synod is not a convention or a parliament, Pope Francis said, "but an expression of the church; it is the church that walks together to read reality with the eyes of faith and with the heart of God." Synod members must be faithful to church teaching, "the deposit of faith, which is not a museum to be visited or even simply preserved, but is a living spring from which the church drinks to quench the thirst and enlighten" people, he said. The synod hall and its small working groups, he said, should be "a protected space where the church experiences the action of the Holy Spirit." In a spirit of prayer, the pope said, the Spirit will speak through "everyone who allows themselves to be guided by God, who always surprises us, by God who reveals to the little ones that which he has hidden from the wise and intelligent, by God who created the Sabbath for men and women and not vice versa, by God who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one missing sheep, by God who is always greater than our logic and our calculations." Synod members need "an apostolic courage that does not allow itself to be afraid in the face of the seductions of the world" that are attempting "to extinguish in human hearts the light of truth" and replace it with "little and temporary lights," he said. However, at the same time, Pope Francis said, apostolic courage does not tremble in fear "before the hardening of certain hearts that despite good intentions drive people further from God." Evangelical humility is "emptying oneself of one's own convictions and prejudices in order to listen to our brother bishops and fill ourselves with God," he said. It is a humility, "which leads us not to point a finger in judgment of others, but to extend a hand to help them up again without ever feeling superior to them." Trust-filled prayer is an attitude of openness to God and silencing one's own preferences "to listen to the soft voice of God who speaks in silence," Pope Francis told the synod members. "Without listening to God, all of our words will be just words that don't quench or satisfy." Without prayer, "all our decisions will be just decorations that instead of exalting the Gospel cover and hide it."

A streamlined annulment process announced by Pope Francis is a positive step for the Catholic Church and has the potential to help many divorced Catholics in the healing process, according to Father Paul Counce, judicial vicar for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. “The church is reaching out to people who are hurting,” said Father Counce said. “We’re making it easier for them to lead lives of faith, to come to church, to come to Communion.” The Vatican released Sept. 8 the texts of two papal documents, “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus” (“The Lord Jesus, the Gentle Judge”) for the Latin-rite church and “Mitis et misericors Iesus,” (“The Meek and Merciful Jesus”) for the Eastern Catholic churches. The changes, including the option of a brief process without the obligatory automatic appeal, go into effect Dec. 8, the opening day of the Year of Mercy. Pope Francis said the annulment process must be quicker, cheaper and much more of a pastoral ministry. The pope’s revised policy provides that in some cases, annulments may be obtained in as little as a matter of weeks. The pontiff emphasized he was not “promoting the nullity of marriages, but the quickness of the processes, as well as a correct simplicity” so that Catholic couples are not “oppressed by the shadow of doubt” for prolonged periods. Father Counce explained that the procedures announced by the pope contain two basic differences. One is the new abbreviated process, where if both parties are not contesting the annulment and are cooperating, then an annulment may be granted in as little as five to six weeks. In a significant shift, those decisions will be made by the local bishop after consulting with the tribunal. The second major difference occurs at the back end of the more traditional process, where no longer will each case be required to go to a mandatory appellate review. Father Counce said that alone could lop off as much as seven weeks or more off a process that previously could easily take a year or more, depending on the diocese. Father Counce said the pope’s emphasis is on being merciful and pastoral and added the pontiff does not want Catholics to be put off by the bureaucratic process or expense to obtain an annulment.

Pope Francis threw away a prepared text and, to the delight of tens of thousands of people on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, spoke from the heart about the challenges and love that come with being part of a family. After listening to testimony from six families from various continents Sept. 26, he thanked them for sharing their stories. "A witness given in order to serve is thoroughly good, it makes us good persons, because God is goodness," he began, continuing to increase in speed and emphasis to the delight of the crowd. He smiled, gestured with his hands and the crowd cheered as he said it was "worth being a family." God sent his son into a family, he said, "and he could do this because it was a family that had a truly open heart," he said. The pope spoke in Spanish, the language in which he is most comfortable; his talk was translated by Msgr. Mark Miles. "We are celebrating the feast of the family," he told the crowd. "Families have a citizenship that is divine. The identity card that they have is given to them by God so that within the heart of the family truth, goodness and beauty can truly grow." "Some of you might say of course, Father, you speak like that because you're not married," he said. "Families have difficulties. Families -- we quarrel, sometimes plates can fly, and children bring headaches. I won't speak about mother-in-laws," he quipped. "However, in families, there is always light" because of the love of God's son. "Just as there are problems in families, there is the light of the resurrection," he said. "The family is like a factory of hope," he said. "In the family, there are indeed difficulties" and children bring challenges, too, he said. "But those difficulties are overcome with love," he said. "Hatred is not capable of dealing (with) or overcoming any difficulty. Division of hearts cannot overcome a difficulty; only love can overcome."

Pope Francis exhorted consecrated religious to take part in an evangelization which “burns in the heart,” cautioning against gossip and narcissism as prominent dangers of consecrated life. The Pope explained: “to evangelize is not only to convince, it's to give witness that Jesus Christ is alive. And how do I give you this witness? With your flesh, with your life.” While it is good to study and give courses in evangelization, the Pope said, “the ability of warming hearts doesn't come from books, it comes from the heart! If your heart is burning from love for Jesus Christ, you are a good evangelizer,” he said. He also warned that consecrated life can be sterile when it is “not quite prophetic” and “not allowed to dream.” Pope Francis acknowledged that consecrated life has moments of instability and temptations, especially the temptation to not forgive. He specifically warned that gossip impedes forgiveness and destroys others’ reputations. “But never, never drop the bomb of gossip. Never, never! It's the plague of community life!” he told his audience. The consecrated religious who gossip “drop a bomb on their community and the community is destroyed.” He said narcissism is one of the worst attitudes of a consecrated religious. “No to narcissism, to looking at oneself. And on the contrary, what strips everything of narcissism, is adoration.” While everyone prays, thanks God, and asks for favors, the Pope asked “do we adore the Lord? The prayer of silent adoration is the opposite of reflecting oneself in one's own narcissism,” he said, advising the religious to be “men and women of adoration”

Pope Francis Monday celebrated his second public Mass during his papal visit to Cuba, reflecting that an encounter with Christ has the power to transform even the most rejected sinners into missionaries. “The gaze of Jesus gives rise to missionary activity, service, self-giving,” the Pope said, drawing his inspiration from the conversion of St. Matthew, whose feast is celebrated Sept. 21. “Jesus' love heals our short-sightedness and pushes us to look beyond, not to be satisfied with appearances or with what is politically correct.” Reminding the faithful that they too are sinners, the pontiff called them to take a moment and “recall with gratitude and happiness those situations, that moment, when the merciful gaze of God was felt in our lives. He sees beyond this, to our dignity as sons and daughters, a dignity at times sullied by sin, but one which endures in the depth of our soul,” the Pope Francis said. “He came precisely to seek out all those who feel unworthy of God, unworthy of others.” How does this reflection impact you? Do you feel, from time to time, that you are unworthy or rejected? We all do but the loving embrace of God is always waiting for us. Pray that Pope Francis's visit will bring millions to the Church and inspire people to evangelize as Jesus asked us to do.

Monday’s feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross reminds us that the way of Christ and his followers is one of humble surrender, Pope Francis said in his homily yesterday. “(I)f a Christian wants to make progress on the path of the Christian life, he must lower himself, as Jesus lowered himself: this is the path of humility,” the Holy Father said during his Sept. 14 Mass at the chapel of the Saint Martha guesthouse in the Vatican. He said that while many beautiful images of the crucifixion may help us meditate on the Lord’s sacrifice, what happened was “very different” from what most paintings depict. The reality is that Christ “was all torn and bloodied by our sins,” the Pope said. To illustrate this point, the Pope turned his attention to the figure of the serpent, which seemed to be the “protagonist of today’s readings.” In the first reading, from the book of Numbers, the Lord’s instructions for Moses to raise up the bronze serpent to save the people from the serpent’s venom illustrates “a promise that is not easy to understand.” The Lord chose “this bad, ugly figure” of the serpent to prefigure Christ on the Cross “because Jesus came to take all our sins on himself,” the Holy Father said. Focusing on the second reading, Philippians 2:6-11, he said Christ became as “the greatest sinner, without having ever committed a sin.” In the Gospel reading, John 3:13-17, “Jesus himself explained Moses’ act a bit further to Nicodemus.” Just as the prophet had “lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” It is through this image that we understand that, “this is the way that (Jesus) has taken in order to defeat the serpent in his field”, he said. If we ask God for help on our Christian journey, the Roman Pontiff concluded, he “gives us the grace that we ask of Our Lady who was under the Cross: the grace to cry, to cry out of love, to cry out of gratitude, because our God loved us so much that he sent his Son to lower himself and allow himself to be crushed in order to save us.

This month, the Knights of Columbus will provide food to some 13,500 families in Erbil who have been displaced by the ISIS takeover of Mosul and Nineveh in Iraq. A national television commercial featuring Fr. Douglas Bazi, a Catholic priest who was kidnapped and tortured and now runs a refugee camp, will also air in the United States, hopefully prompting viewers to send even more aid. “Christians in the Middle East face persecution and extinction simply for their belief in the one who taught us to love one another,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said in a press release. “Despite the genocidal persecution against them, they have continued to be an inspiration to the power of their faith, and to the love of God and neighbor. They need our solidarity and support, and we are pleased to help provide it.” The organization has already donated millions in aid to the displaced Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, but this shipment of food supplies will bring their assistance to over $4 million. Each package contains food basics such as cooking oil, wheat, beans and canned fish and meat. Including transportation and packaging, each kit costs $60.

Pope Francis has recalled the feast day of Saint Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. Toward the conclusion of Wednesday's general audience in St. Peter's Square in his remarks to Italian-speaking pilgrims, Pope Francis recalled that today, August 27, is the feast day of St. Monica. To the intercession of her and her son, Francis said, "We entrust newlyweds and Christian parents so that, like Monica, they will accompany the way of their children with their example and prayer." "We recommend comfort and constant attentions for the neediest sick as well as youth so that, like Augustine," he continued, "they tend always to the fullness of Truth and of Love, which is Christ: He alone can satiate the profound needs of the human heart." Born in Tagaste, North Africa, in 322, Monica was raised in a Christian home. The young girl had a difficult life and was forced to marry an adulterous, abusive Roman pagan, with a bad temper. She suffered greatly and prayed for long years for the conversion of her family members. Her patience and kindness were said to have become a source of encouragement to other unhappy housewives. After Monica gave birth to three children, her husband would not allow them to be baptized. Augustine, her oldest son, was the most wayward of her children and caused her great pain. After praying for his conversion for decades, some of her prayers were eventually answered. When Augustine moved away to Milan, his mother followed and became friends with Milan's bishop, St. Ambrose, who had a key role in leading Augustine to convert to the Christian faith. Also, shortly before his death, Monica's husband converted. Pope Benedict XVI remembered St. Monica on different occasions. For example, during his Angelus address to the crowds gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo on her feast day in 2006, Benedict said, "Monica, born in Tagaste, in present-day Algeria (in Souk-Arhas), of a Christian family, lived in an exemplary way her mission of wife and mother, helping her husband Patricius to discover, little by little, the beauty of faith in Christ and the strength of evangelical love, capable of overcoming evil with good." As Augustine himself would say later, Benedict stressed, his mother gave him birth twice; the second time required a long spiritual labor, made up of prayer and tears, but crowned in the end by the joy of seeing him not only embrace the faith and receive baptism, but also dedicate himself entirely to the service of Christ. "How many difficulties there are also today in family relationships and how many mothers are anguished because their children choose mistaken ways!" Pope Benedict observed, noting, "Monica, a wise and solid woman in the faith, invites them not to be discouraged, but to persevere in their mission of wives and mothers, maintaining firm their confidence in God and clinging with perseverance to prayer."

How much reading do you do in a year? More specifically, how much Catholic reading do you do in a year? I am talking about books, articles, newspapers, blogs, websites, twitter, and instagram to name just a few. What about Catholic radio? Do you send a specific amount of time reading or learning about your faith? The Catholic faith is complex and rich with history and significance. There is so much to know about it and the resources are everywhere. I think that as I became more comfortable with the teachings of the Catholic church through study, I became much more willing to do as Jesus asked and evangelize. Bringing the Gospel to the unchurched is one of our primary missions in life. Exposing people to the life of Jesus and His teachings is needed in this world more than ever. The spread of relativism, the focus on oneself and free will, has made the world we live in very complex. As Christians we are assaulted for our beliefs everyday. And one of the ways to push back on this relativism is by bringing people into the Catholic church. Another way is to live the life that Jesus chose for us. We should be focusing less on ourselves and more on others. How is God calling you to be His earthen vessel? What is your special mission? A good way to begin to discover that is to learn more about the Catholic faith each day. Make a short term goal of reading a few pages of Catholic writing everyday. Turn you car radio to the local Catholic station. Bring your prayer book to work and use the small down time windows as your opportunity to pray more. All of this effort will allow you to grow in knowledge, faith, and confidence so that you are willing and able to evangelize.

Here is part of the homily given Sunday by Bishop Kevin Doran for the 2015 National Novena to Our Lady of Knock, which is underway through Aug. 22. "Giving thanks is a central theme in the writing and preaching of St. Paul. I think it comes, in the first place, from a deep down sense of gratitude for everything that God has done in his own life and especially for the experience of the Risen Jesus. Today, St. Paul encourages us, "always and everywhere" to give thanks to God. It is not just a formality or a routine, but an attitude and - as Paul knew well - that attitude of gratitude sometimes had to be lived in the face of adversity. In his work of proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ, he was beaten, shipwrecked and imprisoned many times, but he remained grateful to God who, as he says, gave him the victory through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Today and during the whole of this novena, our focus is on the family and it seemed appropriate to reflect on why we might give thanks to God for the gift of the family. Very early on in the Bible, the beginnings of faith in a creator God are very closely linked with the idea of family. The account of creation in the Book of Genesis is not meant to be history. It is really a proclamation of faith in a God who made all things good and who, as part of this created man and woman in his own image. This ancient profession of faith includes the idea that, as part of their own mission, man and woman were to share with God in passing on to their children the gift of life and love. It was not, of course, without its struggles and its failures. The account in Genesis leaves us in no doubt that failure and recrimination and fighting among the children were part of the experience then as they can be in our own families today. But that doesn't take away from the original goodness of God's gift of family."

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and other speakers at a Steubenville Youth Conference inspired 1,800 Catholic teenagers to live their faith openly. Cardinal Dolan charmed the youth with his trademark sense of humor early on in his homily. "I'm a little uncomfortable today having Mass in a gym," he said, gesturing toward his stomach, "because I don't go to gyms very often. That's all right, because nowhere are we more at home than to gather around the table of Jesus Christ." The cardinal preached about St. Dominic's work with the Albigensians, a 12th-century sect. "They had such a lofty concept of God, and they just went off the wrong track," he said. "(They thought), 'How could God leave heaven and enter this stupid, sinful, corrupt, dirty world?' They said, 'This Incarnation is a big, fat lie, and we don't believe it. God could not have been conceived in the womb of a woman. God could not have sweated and cried and been nailed to a cross.'" Eventually, St. Dominic convinced the Albigensians the Incarnation was real. St. Dominic also created the rosary, Cardinal Dolan said, to let Mary complete his task for him. "If we could restore Mary to the minds and imaginations of people, then we'll have no trouble restoring the truth of the Incarnation," he said. "Mary prevents God from being a myth or just a nice idea or a concept."

Today we celebrate Christ's transfiguration. The Transfiguration of Christ is the culminating point of His public life, as His Baptism is its starting point, and His Ascension its end. Moreover, this glorious event has been related in detail by St. Matthew (17:1-6), St. Mark (9:1-8), and St. Luke (9:28-36), while St. Peter (2 Peter 1:16-18) and St. John (1:14), two of the privileged witnesses, make allusion to it. About a week after His sojourn in Cæsarea Philippi, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them to a high mountain apart, where He was transfigured before their ravished eyes. St. Matthew and St. Mark express this phenomenon by the word metemorphothe, which the Vulgate renders transfiguratus est. The Synoptics explain the true meaning of the word by adding "his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow," according to the Vulgate, or "as light," according to the Greek text. This dazzling brightness which emanated from His whole Body was produced by an interior shining of His Divinity. False Judaism had rejected the Messias, and now true Judaism, represented by Moses and Elias, the Law and the Prophets, recognized and adored Him, while for the second time God the Father proclaimed Him His only-begotten and well-loved Son. By this glorious manifestation the Divine Master, who had just foretold His Passion to the Apostles (Matthew 16:21), and who spoke with Moses and Elias of the trials which awaited Him at Jerusalem, strengthened the faith of his three friends and prepared them for the terrible struggle of which they were to be witnesses in Gethsemani, by giving them a foretaste of the glory and heavenly delights to which we attain by suffering.

The mystery priest who seemingly came from nowhere to pray with an accident victim at the scene of a head-on car crash in Missouri has come forward to say that he was only doing the basic job of a priest and most of the credit goes to God, who "took such good care of" the injured woman. "I have no doubt the Most High answered their prayers and I was part of his answer, but only part," the Rev. Patrick Dowling told ABC News Monday. First responders had said they were convinced the mystery priest was sent from above. Dowling, a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City, was the clergyman who showed up when an allegedly drunken driver hit Katie Lentz, of Quincy, Mo., head-on Aug. 4 while traveling on Route 19 near Center, Mo. The accident pinned the 19-year-old in the front seat of her vehicle. "I was coming from 8:30 a.m. mass and shortly after that I saw this line of cars," Dowling recounted. Lentz was barely clinging to life and her vital signs were failing fast when she asked rescue crews to pray with her. That's when first responders say a man who looked like a Catholic priest seemed to appear out of nowhere, despite a 2-mile perimeter blocking the scene. "One of the rescuers said to me, 'We need all the help we can get right now,'" Dowling said. Dowling had anointing oil with him. He prayed, gave Lentz the anointing of the sick, as well as absolution. "There was a calmness that, to me, seemed to come over the entire scene," New London Fire Chief Raymond Reed said. But that's not the only seemingly divine detail. Firefighters say their equipment kept failing until the mystery man appeared. After Dowling performed his duties, he left the scene. But his sudden disappearance only added to the air of mystery. Dowling wasn't in any of the nearly 70 photos or videos taken near the scene, which left many wondering whether he was an angel from above. It wasn't long before the entire town and soon the country were searching for this seemingly heavenly hero who was dubbed the "angel priest." Lentz was eventually airlifted to a local hospital with broken legs and ribs. Dowling had a chance to meet with Lentz Saturday in the intensive care unit. "I told her I'm the priest who stopped by the site and she started to cry. I don't know why," Dowling said. "I think it was the most disappointing moment of all that I wasn't an angel or something." While Lentz's savior might have salt and pepper hair instead of a halo, those closest to the teen say they still believe Dowling is an angel among men. "Let's remember it was the all mighty who loved that little girl so much and took such good care of her," he said. A native of Ireland, Dowling was ordained a priest for the Jefferson City Diocese in 1982. He serves in the prison ministry, and also ministers to the Spanish-speaking population of the Diocese of Jefferson City, according to the National Catholic Register.

One of the topics that comes up frequently in our small Christian community is distractions. We are constantly bombarded with messages from so many different messengers it can be overwhelming. When is the last time you were in a place that had complete silence? I am not talking about somewhere that had the television on mute with the closed captioning running. I am talking about nothing happening but you and God. That is the ultimate benefit of being unplugged and focused. You know that Jesus was very effective because he was very focused on his mission. He came to earth to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for us. Everything he did was about that. His training of the disciples and followers was about bringing his salvation message in service to others. His preaching was about helping us to understand why he was willing to give of his life for us--the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus also spent time in the desert and elsewhere in silence. If Jesus needed to separate himself in order to communicate with God, where does that leave us? It is imperative that you carve out time each day to talk with God and then just listen. Sit in silence with God each day. Start small (say one minute) and then increase the time gradually until you feel it is enough. God will talk to you but you have to be focused on listening. If your mission is to live eternally with God in heaven, don't you think you need to begin to work on that goal? God is waiting to save you. Will you answer his call?

Wanted to share an article from U.S. Catholic with you. Let me know what you think. The Rev. Martin Schlag is a trained economist as well as a Catholic moral theologian, and when he first read some of Pope Francis’ powerful critiques of the current free market system he had the same thought a lot of Americans did: “Just horrible.” But at a meeting in May, Schlag, an Austrian-born priest who teaches economics at an Opus Dei-run university in Rome, reassured a group of Catholics, many from the world of business and finance, that Francis’ views on capitalism aren’t actually as bad as he feared. “You can get the impression that the pope is against capitalism,” said Schlag, who heads the Markets, Culture and Ethics Research Centre at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, located near the Vatican. But he explained that what Francis—the first Latin American pope—understands as capitalism is in fact the “crony capitalism” that is found in the pontiff’s native Argentina and much of Latin America. Schlag defined “crony capitalism” as “a form of capitalism where people get rich not because of their work but because of their friendships and political connections and the privileges they have.” That is quite different from the American system, he said. “Does the pope understand the United States? I think he doesn’t know the United States,” said Schlag, who is also an adviser to the Vatican department that deals with social and economic issues. Schlag said he believes that the pontiff’s Sept. 22–27 visit to the U.S., his first to the country, will be an opportunity for Francis to learn more about America and to appreciate the positive aspects of what Schlag said is the most successful economy in history.

Pope Francis visited one of Latin America's most notorious prisons, calling himself "a man who was and is saved from his many sins." "I couldn't leave Bolivia without seeing you, without sharing the hope and faith given in the cross," he told people at Palmasola prison in Santa Cruz. Speaking on the final morning of his less than 48-hour visit to Bolivia, the pope called for conversion and a changing of attitudes among inmates in their relations among each other and the broader society, which often views such populations with suspicions. "When Jesus becomes part of our lives, we can no longer remain imprisoned by our past," Pope Francis said. "Instead, we begin to look to the present, and we see it differently, with a different kind of hope." The visit again reflected the pope's preoccupation for prison populations, who, in Latin America, often serve their sentences in overcrowded and violent facilities -- if they're sentenced at all. Palmasola has an especially notorious reputation, especially after a 2013 incident in which a gang armed with improvised flamethrowers killed 31 inmates and left more than 30 others badly burned. Three inmates told Pope Francis of their tribulations inside the prison. "I consider this place to be Sodom and Gomorrah. There is no control here," Leonidas Martinez, who has spent 18 years in Palmasola, told Pope Francis. "No authority does anything to stop any of this abuse." Papal well-wishers lined a muddy road to the prison, where families of the inmates say they have to pay for everything on the inside -- including food and places to sleep. The prison is open for the most part, families say, with an economy of shops, services and food spots set up; the wives and children of some inmates live on the inside. The prison ministry reports 84 percent of inmates have not been convicted of any crimes. Overcrowding in prisons tops 300 percent. Access to justice is limited, and inmates are forced to pay the transportation costs or give gas money to attend their court days. "(It's) judicial terrorism," while those with money pay for lawyers and exit quickly, said Analia Parada, who spoke for the female prison population, which included "many pregnant women." Prison officials spend the equivalent of 87 cents per prisoner per day on food, forcing families to feed and maintain their loved ones on the inside. "You can imagine the kind of food we're being given," inmate Andres de Jesus Cespedes, 19, told Pope Francis. Equally difficult for the inmate population, most of whom have not been sentenced, "No one knows how long they will be here," he added. Officials of the Bolivian bishops' prison ministry were blunt in their assessment of the problems in Bolivia's prisons. "Holy Father, we have to tell you with the prophetic voice of a committed church: It's a scandal for Bolivia," said Archbishop Jesus Juarez Parraga of Sucre, president of Caritas Bolivia and national director of its prison ministry. "We see in (the inmates) the contradictory signal of being victims and victimizers, the evidence of a society that produces poverty, inequality and violence; the weakness of morals in the family, education and even in religions," he said. The papal visit, Archbishop Juarez added, "makes real and present the words of Jesus: 'I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" Pope Francis called for solidarity with prison populations, but also for inmates to show solidarity among themselves. "Being imprisoned, 'shut in,' is not the same thing as being 'shut out.' Detention is part of a process of reintegration into society," Pope Francis said. "The way you live together depends to some extent on yourselves. Suffering and deprivation can make us selfish of heart and lead to confrontation. "Do not be afraid to help one another. The devil is looking for rivalry, division, gangs." The pope ended his speech by asking the inmates to pray for him, "because I, too, have my mistakes, and I too must do penance."

Have you ever been approached by someone who asks you if you believe in the afterlife? How did you respond? I think that we have all heard the adage that it is better to believe and be wrong than not believe at all. The Bible talks about faith a lot and Jesus dealt with the faith issue head on in the post-resurrection incident recounted in John 20:24-29 which says, “Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." While not specifically about the afterlife, it does speak directly to maintaining our faith while still having doubts. The opposite of faith is not doubt but unbelief and there is a big difference. Jesus addresses this matter in Mark 9:22-24 when he encounters a man who has faith and doubt. Jesus does not condemn or turn away from the man but instead removes a demon from the son of the man. It is a human condition to have doubt but we must work to overcome it. We should seek to identify the root of doubt and that usually involves getting to know who God is and exploring our understanding of what being a Christian really means. Christianity is certainly not a blanket of protection that will ward off all bad things but instead a confidence in knowing that we should turn to God in all things. He will lead us down the right path. In addition, we should not keep our doubt to ourselves but seek guidance from God and others who can help. Speak to your priest, spiritual advisor, family or Christian friend. The apostles turned to Jesus for guidance when they had doubts. There is our example.

In his last encounter during his visit to Ecuador, Pope Francis on Wednesday warned priests and religious against career ambitions that lead to 'spiritual Alzheimer’s.' “When a seminarian or priest thinks too much about his career, he starts to suffer from spiritual Alzheimer's and he loses his memory and forgets where he came from,” the Pope said. “Never forget where you came from; don’t forget your roots.” Emphasizing that “everything is a free gift,” he pointed to the example of Mary. “She was never a protagonist. All her life she was a disciple. Mary knew that everything she had was a freely given gift from God,” he said. “And God’s free gift is shown in you, religious men and women, and priests and seminarians.” “We need to go back to that free gift of God,” he continued. “You paid no entry ticket to be who you are or to be where you are in the seminary or in religious life. You did nothing to deserve it.” The Holy Father encouraged the clergy and religious to recognize that everything is a free gift from God and to “give back to the Lord.” He invited them to look at Christ each night before bed and thank him for the free gift of everything in their lives. Even things that may be difficult, such as being sent to a new location as a priest or religious, is part of the freely given gift from God, he said. “We are the objects of those freely given gifts and we are important only insofar as we never forget that,” he stressed, warning against those who say, “Oh look at this one, look at that one, look at this bishop or that one they’ve made a monsignor.” “If we do that we slowly move further and further away from the example of Mary, the example of the gift.” Pope Francis lamented situations when a priest or religious abandons the use of their native tongue – especially in Ecuador, where there are more than 20 indigenous languages spoken by the nation's diverse cultures. “It's sad when priests or religious forget their local dialect, or don't want to speak them anymore – it means they've forgotten where they came from.” In addition, he exhorted the crowd to remember that “yours is a life of service: God chose you to serve. Service is for others – not for me, my time, my things.” He cautioned against a priest insisting his office close at a given time, or who complains about house blessings because he's tired; or saying there's a soap opera on TV – “I say this to the nuns,” he jested. These examples, he said, “are not service.” “Service means doing what you have to do, even when you're tired. Even when people irritate you … service means dedicating ourselves to others.” “Please, do not ask to be paid for having received grace,” the Pope added. “May our pastoral work be a free gift.” He said a consecrated person who lives out their free gift, who is aware of their memory, can be recognized by their joy. “Joy is a gift of Jesus, which he gives us if we ask for it.” “We have to pray that we never lose our memories, never forget, that we never feel we're more important than others.”

Like on any true pilgrimage, a group of Floridians met strangers along the way and were greeted by local people as well as travelers doing things both secular and recreation on a sunny summer Saturday in the Florida Keys. They sang hymns, prayed part of the Divine Mercy, read a pilgrim prayer and recited the rosary. They prayed the Stations of the Cross, heard reflections from the nation's Founding Fathers, stopped to admire sacred artwork, stained-glass windows and historic grottos, and walk through an elaborate prayer garden. For the fourth year in a row and as part of the nationwide U.S. bishops' Fortnight for Freedom effort, a small group of South Florida Catholics embarked June 27 on a daylong pilgrimage to the five Catholic parishes in the Florida Keys. The fortnight event is a call to U.S. Catholics to defend their freedom of religion and monitor ongoing threats against religious liberties that impact church entities nationwide. Adding urgency to the Floridians' fortnight conversations this year was the fact that just one day earlier, on June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriages, prompting further concern that the federal government may interfere with long held religious beliefs and marriage traditions among faith communities such as the Catholic Church.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision, June 26, interpreting the U.S. Constitution to require all states to license and recognize same-sex “marriage” “is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The full statement follows: Regardless of what a narrow majority of the Supreme Court may declare at this moment in history, the nature of the human person and marriage remains unchanged and unchangeable. Just as Roe v. Wade did not settle the question of abortion over forty years ago, Obergefell v. Hodges does not settle the question of marriage today. Neither decision is rooted in the truth, and as a result, both will eventually fail. Today the Court is wrong again. It is profoundly immoral and unjust for the government to declare that two people of the same sex can constitute a marriage. The unique meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is inscribed in our bodies as male and female. The protection of this meaning is a critical dimension of the “integral ecology” that Pope Francis has called us to promote. Mandating marriage redefinition across the country is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us, especially children. The law has a duty to support every child’s basic right to be raised, where possible, by his or her married mother and father in a stable home. Jesus Christ, with great love, taught unambiguously that from the beginning marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman. As Catholic bishops, we follow our Lord and will continue to teach and to act according to this truth. I encourage Catholics to move forward with faith, hope, and love: faith in the unchanging truth about marriage, rooted in the immutable nature of the human person and confirmed by divine revelation; hope that these truths will once again prevail in our society, not only by their logic, but by their great beauty and manifest service to the common good; and love for all our neighbors, even those who hate us or would punish us for our faith and moral convictions. Lastly, I call upon all people of good will to join us in proclaiming the goodness, truth, and beauty of marriage as rightly understood for millennia, and I ask all in positions of power and authority to respect the God-given freedom to seek, live by, and bear witness to the truth.

About 800 people witnessed history June 18 as the Archdiocese of Omaha advanced to Rome the sainthood cause for Father Edward Flanagan, Boys Town founder. Archbishop George J. Lucas was the main celebrant of a morning Mass at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha that marked the closing of the archdiocesan phase of the canonization effort with a special ceremony to encase and officially seal four boxes -- 4,600 pages -- of documents detailing the archdiocese's three-year investigation. The documents will be shipped to the Congregation for Saints' Causes at the Vatican. If the findings are accepted, recognizing Father Flanagan's heroic virtues, he will be declared "venerable." In general, two approved miracles attributed to the intercession of the candidate are needed for sainthood -- one for beatification and the second for canonization. The ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime event, a first for the archdiocese, to have one of its members -- an archdiocesan priest -- advance toward possible beatification and canonization, said Omar Gutierrez, notary for the archdiocesan tribunal for the cause. Among those concelebrating the Mass were Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin, Ireland, Father Flanagan's native diocese, and Father Patrick O'Toole, pastor of the parish in which Father Flanagan grew up in Ballymoe, Ireland.

Yes, I admit that I was one of the apparently millions who went to see Jurassic World this weekend. So without giving too much away (no spoilers here), I was happy to see that the story finally returned to the theme park that started the entire franchise. It was interesting to see how much technology is used in those types of operations (assuming what they showed was true to life). What I really want to focus on is the main issue of the movie; namely that the scientists decided they need to not just revive dinosaurs from the past but to genetically create a new one. That is where the plot gets ramped up and that is also where the religion theme begins to emerge. It seems that humans always create problems when they try to be God. It happens here and it happens in our daily lives. Deciding who lives and who dies through abortion or capital punishment. The entire field of genetic engineering really causes me to pause. I understand that God provides the miracle of modern medicine to help us. He endows us with curiosity and cognitive skills to learn how things work. God wants us to discover how to cure diseases and provide a better quality of life but think about why we need to do a lot of this tinkering with science. Many of the maladies that continue to cause us problems are situations we have created ourselves. Many of the modern wonders of the world are humankind's attempts at being God-like. We want to demonstrate that we can do things but frequently don't consider the consequences. It happens in Jurassic World. Just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should. Joshua 24:15 says "If you don't want to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve." When we choose to serve ourselves instead of the Lord, we create plots for movies like Jurassic World or worse.

Why is worrying considered to be a sin against God? I think it is mainly because we are forgetting who is in charge. I Peter 5:7 says "Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you." In that very simple statement is a very powerful and profound message. Our God loves us and cares about what happens to us. He is sad when we turn our backs on him whether through sin, neglect or ego. The self indulgence that we are capable of as humans is such an obstacle. But we must remember that nothing on earth cannot be healed by our loving God. He is almighty and powerful and his comfort is limitless. So we bring ourselves to him over and over again and he accepts us as we are. Who else does that for you? Have you ever felt judged by others? I know I have. Have you ever judged other people? I know I have. If you have felt judged by our God you are not talking to the same God that I know. Our God gives us talents, abilities and gifts and he honors that commitment. So often our judgement and worry stem from jealousy of others; what they have and what they can do. At the same time, we are neglecting the gifts God has given to us that are unique. If we truly focused on using our gifts to their limits we would not have time to worry, envy, or judge others. So how about it? Turn your worries over to God today and start living a fuller life. Focus on what God has given you and multiply it as you use it for its anointed purpose. Don't worry, be happy!

Loving Father and Creator of all we come to you today deeply grateful for your creation. As we look around us we are amazed at the greatness and majesty of all that you have made. Nature around us speaks of your greatness - the vast expanse of the sky, the mountains, trees, lakes and streams speak of your great design. You have given us such beauty in the colors of the rainbow, the beauty of flowers and fields. Words cannot adequately express the magnificence of all you have created. We join in praise with the writer of the psalms when he says, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth." May we show our love and reverence to you, our Lord, by caring for all that you have created. We humbly give you praise and thanks. Amen

A friend recently asked me what I thought of Bruce Jenner's decision to declare himself a female. The first thing that came to my mind was empathy. I am sure that Jenner is feeling pain and agonized over this matter for a while. At least I hope he did since there are other people (specifically his children) who are profoundly affected by his decision. The more I thought about it, I began to wonder why he would do this. Believing that God is our creator and that He certainly does not make mistakes, why did Jenner feel that he was meant to be a women? We have seen this humanist approach to the world more and more lately but this sort of public cry for attention is surely not what Jenner needs at this point. I am praying that someone will reach out to him and share the Good News with him. As humans we make mistakes. We certainly have doubts and fears but knowing that God is with us and in control is a comfort that Christians enjoy every day. Living for eternal life with Jesus Christ in Heaven is our ultimate goal. Whatever crosses we are given to bear in this world are only sharpening us for our mission and purpose. As St. James says in his letter (4:4) "Anyone who wants to be a friend of this world becomes God's enemy." That does not mean that we should ridicule or judge Bruce Jenner. That means that we should pray for him. That means that we should hope that he has a relationship with God and everything else is out of our control.

In Philippians 4:12, St. Paul tells us that he has learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens. His happiness stems from his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. So is the secret to happiness that easy? Yes is the answer! Asking Jesus Christ to take over your life is truly a life-changing experience. Allowing the conversation between you and Jesus to never end is a very important part of this transformation. Not only in prayer and adoration but in ongoing conversation. Allowing Jesus and his beatitudes to guide us through life is truly the secret to happiness. St. Paul experienced many hardships, not the least of which was his initial blinding, as he began his conversion from persecutor to Christian. I enjoyed the depiction presented two Sundays ago on A.D. the Series. Saul's anguish and confusion was carefully depicted. His complete and utter surrender to the power of Christ is a great example to all of us. Too often the story of St. Paul gets lost to us as we read through his many letters in the Bible. But his story, his journey, his conversion experience provides us with the perfect path to Jesus Christ. His allegiance, loyalty and devotion show us how even a simple man, like us, can become a saint. St. Paul's past transgressions did not prevent him for living forever with Jesus Christ in heaven. We should not allow our past, whatever it is, to prevent us from this wonderful grace. Saying yes to Jesus Christ is easy. Let the happy life begin today for you by saying yes.

Couples who are seeking to marry, even those who have lived together, should value their engagement period as a time to grow in mature love and in profound knowledge of each other, said Pope Francis. The pope urged couples not to rush into marriage. Maturation in love before marriage is a slow process, in which none of the steps should be skipped, Pope Francis told people at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. "The covenant of love between a man and a woman, a covenant for life, cannot be improvised; it cannot be done from one day to the next," he said. There is no such thing as "an express marriage," he added. While it is "beautiful" that people today can choose whom to marry, the "freedom of this bond" cannot be based simply on physical attraction or feelings, he said. Engagement allows a couple to do the profound and "beautiful work of love" -- work that involves a profound "learning" of the other. "Love requires" this work, he said. "The love between a man and a woman is learned and is refined," he said, adding that married love must be understood more as something couples need to work on. Turning two lives into one is also almost a miracle, a miracle of the freedom of the heart, given in faith," he said.

When the church has a problem to solve or a big decision to make, the Holy Spirit works by helping people discuss the issues openly and frankly, not by fomenting gossip and backroom deals, Pope Francis said. "In a church where people always argue and there are factions, and brothers and sisters betray each other, the Spirit is not there," he said in his homily May 8. The pope dedicated his morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae to Our Lady of Lujan, patroness of his native Argentina, whose feast was celebrated that day. "The Spirit is the one who brings something new, who moves the situation forward, who creates new areas, who creates the wisdom that Jesus promised" and who creates "harmonious unity among everyone," he said, according to Vatican Radio. The pope talked about the day's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles in which the First Council of Jerusalem met to solve a dispute concerning whether Gentiles converting to Christianity had to observe all the laws of Moses as the Jewish Christians did. "How do they solve the problem?" the pope asked.

Struggling with alcoholism, Regina knew she had to get "re-centered" with God to help with her addiction. A Catholic from Atlanta, Regina had been convicted of her second driving under the influence offense and the court ordered her to enter rehabilitation as part of her sentence. So she turned to GraceWay, a faith-based addiction recovery program started 29 years ago by Debbie and Tim Mazur, parishioners of St. Teresa Church in Albany. It was the faith component of GraceWay that attracted Regina, a mother of two sons. She was admitted to the program in October 2013 and stayed 31 days. For Regina, who asked only that her first name be used, the program was a "steppingstone" in recovery. She was craving a lot of quiet time for prayer but also found a lot of work at GraceWay, where part of recovery for some residents is bread-making in its bakery. "You do a lot of cleaning and cooking and a lot of meetings," she said. During less-structured time, she would pray the rosary. Instead of the Serenity Prayer, the women would pray the Hail Mary each evening. At the time, Regina was the only Catholic at the residence. Regina's stay at GraceWay was not a cure-all. "It was the first step," she said. "I'm in recovery," said Regina, now back in Atlanta. GraceWay's clients are women 18 and older. Some stay for a month of initial treatment, but they can stay up to 18 months. Sober living apartments, The Way, are next door to the residence for long-term recovery.

As Catholics and non-Catholics alike prepare for Pope Francis' visit to the United States in September, the pontiff's message of greater solidarity with poor people is resonating with a wide-ranging group of faith-based social justice advocates. Almost 300 representatives of parishes and organizations from 50 dioceses across the United States aligned with the PICO National Network gathered at St. Joseph's University April 30 and May 1 to launch a yearlong effort of faith formation and social action on poverty to take advantage of the momentum building around the papal trip. The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States is partnering with the PICO National Network, a coalition of faith-based advocacy organizations, in the effort. Event organizers cited the pope's apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel") and its searing critique of social and economic injustices as motivation for the initiative. Joseph Fleming, executive director of PICO New Jersey, said the yearlong faith formation project was developed because "Catholic parishioners are hungering to connect peace and justice." Catholic organizations make up one-third of PICO's 1.2 million members nationally, making them a prime audience for the effort, he added. While specific programs will be developed locally, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, president of Caritas Internationalis and one of the pope's advisers on Council of Cardinals, provided those gathered with a Gospel-based explanation of why it is important to engage with and advocate on behalf of poor people.

A Christian marriage isn't just a big ceremony held in a church with nice flowers and everyone wearing fancy clothes and taking lots of pictures, Pope Francis said. Marriage is an act of faith between a man and woman who are both fragile and limited, but courageous enough to follow Christ and seek to love each other as he loves them, the pope said during his general audience in St. Peter's Square. "Men and women, courageous enough to carry this treasure in the 'earthen vessels' of our humanity, are an essential resource for the church and for the whole world," he said. "May God bless them a thousand times for this!" The pope continued a series of talks about the family by focusing on the beauty of Christian marriage as a sacrament that builds up the church and the world. A Christian marriage "is not simply a ceremony that you have in church with flowers, the dress, photos. Christian marriage is a sacrament that takes place in the church and is also something the church does, ushering in a new domestic community," he said. All Christians "are called to love each other like Christ loves them," and to be at the service of each other, he said. But the love between husband and wife is given greater, even "unthinkable," dignity when St. Paul says the love between a husband and wife reflects the love between Christ and his church, the pope said.

God's plan for fruitful, everlasting unions between a man and woman has been lost in a world filled with skepticism, distrust and hostility, Pope Francis said. A culture that does not value "the stable and life-giving covenant between a man and woman is certainly a loss for everyone. We must bring honor back to marriage and the family," he said April 22 during his general audience in St. Peter's Square. But much also must be done to return respect and dignity to women, who are often exploited, objectified and understandably skeptical of the possibility of harmony between men and women, he said. The pope continued his catechesis about the family with the second of two talks on the complementary nature of men and women. The Book of Genesis shows how God created the heavens and earth, and then a special creature made in his likeness to care and watch over the earth. Even though man was "the culmination" of God's creation, still "something was missing," the pope said. In the Garden of Eden, Adam "is free, is master, but he is alone and God sees that this 'is not good.' It's like a lack of communion, a communion is lacking, a lack of fullness," he said.

The poor, migrants in search of a better life and the unemployed want what all human beings want: life, dignity and a chance to earn a decent living, Pope Francis said in several speeches urging compassion and assistance by both governments and individuals. Reciting the "Regina Coeli" prayer April 19, just hours after reports surfaced that perhaps more than 700 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe, Pope Francis asked the thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for a moment of silence and then to join him reciting a Hail Mary for the victims and survivors. The Italian coast guard reported that as of late April 19, 28 survivors had been rescued and 24 bodies had been recovered; one of the survivors, a Bangladeshi, told authorities the smugglers had locked hundreds of people in the hold, so there may have been as many as 950 people on board. Pope Francis called on the international community to act decisively and quickly to prevent the deaths of more migrants. "They are men and women like us, our brothers and sisters who seek a better life; hungry, persecuted, injured, exploited, victims of war -- they seek a better life. They were seeking happiness."

A group of young adults in Spain are bringing to the big screen a novel about the renewal of the Cistercian Order by three saints who strove to recover the poverty, simplicity and austerity of the early monastic era. “Three Rebel Monks” tells the story of Saint Robert of Molesmes, Saint Albéric, and Saint Stephen Harding, who overcame the challenges of monasteries that resisted their efforts. The film is an adaptation of the book with the same title written by M. Raymond. The film director, Aleix Forcada, said that he began with a short university project and ended up with a thorough production. The film was shot at the medieval monastery of Santa Maria de Huerta in Soria, Spain, where there is currently a Cistercian community. Forcada and the other filmmakers are young adults in the Schoenstatt movement in Madrid. They spent four years in filming and editing, a period of time that they say has been an opportunity to encounter God, according to a press release on the movie. Although the film is set in the 12th century, Forcada said it can be considered contemporary “because it speaks to us of eternal values such as constancy, perseverance, trust, humility, effort, courage…values that don’t have anything to do with ideologies or distinctions, are for everyone.” He also emphasized that it has a special message for young people that are trying “to wake up from the toxic anesthesia of the ephemeral, of the ‘here and now.’ Things in life take time, and nothing comes without effort.” Forcada also said that “the whole process of filming was an experience of God. I couldn’t pick out an exact moment…the simple fact of having been able to complete the film is a clear sign of the presence of God.” The entire production and filming were made possible through small donations. Forcada said they received help from “anyone who could teach us how to organize film shoots with extras, anyone who gave us free lighting, the community of monks that welcomed us with such affection, the people that gave of their time to help us.” Forcada said he hopes that people who see the film “leave the movie theater in a reflective mood,” regardless of whether they are Christian.

Second-grader Taylor Garrison got the best birthday present ever April 12 -- her first Communion. She received the sacrament at St. Mark's Church in Edgewood on the day she turned 8. Her journey to meeting Jesus in the Eucharist wasn't easy, but came about through a combination of hard work, modern technology -- like an iPad and the Internet -- and God's grace. "I feel really excited," she said told The Witness, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, in an interview a few days before the special ceremony. "It was a little difficult, but I really wanted to have my first Communion." As a member of a military family, she currently lives at Fort Knox, an Army post in Kentucky, where her father is stationed. Because the Catholic resources there were lacking, Taylor's parents, Pam and Shane Garrison, looked elsewhere to enroll their daughter in a preparation class for the sacrament. "There are no religious education teachers here," said the mother. Both natives of Iowa, the Garrisons tried to sign up Taylor for first Communion classes at a parish near the Rock Island Arsenal, an island in the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. The family was hoping to get stationed there this summer after being on that base once before. Previously, their son had made his first confession in that parish. But the parish officials said preparations could not be done at a distance, as the family wanted, because their policy was to teach religious education only to children physically living in the parish community. Pam Garrison was discouraged, but did not give up.

To avoid living like pagans, Christians must guard against the temptation of "slipping toward worldliness and power" and of seeking Jesus only to fulfill their material interests, said Pope Francis. "This is the daily temptation for Christians, for all of us who make up the church," the pope said at his morning Mass April 20 in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. After the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, the people in the day's Gospel account (Jn 6:22-29) seek Jesus not "because of the religious awe that leads one to worship God," the pope said, but "for their material interests." When one tries to profit from following Jesus -- an attitude frequently shown in the Gospels -- then one "risks not understanding" and even obscuring the "true mission of Jesus," said the pope. "Many people follow Jesus for their own interests," the pope said. "Even among his apostles: the sons of Zebedee, who wanted to be prime minister and finance minister, sought power. That fervor to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed and to proclaim a year of favor, becomes obscured," he said. "It is lost and it is transformed into something of power."

People from a variety of faiths and backgrounds will unite in Washington, D.C., April 25 to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman in the third annual March for Marriage. “It’s going to be a diverse group, and it’s going to highlight how people of different faiths and backgrounds all come together to support the truth, and marriage is the union of a man and a woman,” Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, told CNA. The third annual March for Marriage will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and precedes April 28 oral arguments at the Supreme Court on a critical marriage case that could determine the civil definition of marriage nationwide. The march normally takes place in June, but Brown told CNA that this year it was rescheduled to April to coincide with the oral arguments for Obergefell v. Hodges. That case involves four marriage decisions by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in November. At that time, the court upheld traditional marriage laws in the four states in its jurisdiction – Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It was the first major victory for defense of marriage advocates at the federal circuit court level. The case is now before the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on whether same-sex have the legal “right to marry” nationwide under the 14th Amendment. An avalanche of amicus briefs have been filed for both sides of the case – hundreds of businesses, states, members of Congress, mayors, and religious leaders, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, have all weighed in on marriage before the Court. The final ruling will likely be issued near the end of June. “The Court will be deciding the most important decision on marriage that it’s ever faced,” Brown said, adding that through the march, “we have a chance to tell the Court” not to “short-circuit the democratic process and put into the Constitution something that’s clearly not there.” Defense of marriage advocates have argued that there is no legal right to “same-sex marriage” in the Constitution. They say that laws recognizing marriage as the union of man and woman are valid, as they recognize the uniquely procreative nature of the male-female union. Many also object to courts redefining marriage without any say from voters. March participants have come from all over the country in the past, Brown said. The national march in D.C. is expected to draw crowds from all faiths, as smaller marches take place around the country. “We’ll have a major turnout from Hispanic and African-American supporters,” Brown said, noting that New York Democratic state senator Rubén Díaz will join the New York Hispanic Clergy Association in leading “over 80, 90 buses coming up from the Bronx.” Speakers will include the Papal Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is also supporting the march, along with various Orthodox Catholic churches and other Christian leaders including Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in San Diego and Ryan Dobson, son of Dr. James Dobson. Orthodox and conservative Jews have also marched in the past, along with people of no religion who believe in traditional marriage, Brown noted. “We’re marching for freedom, we’re marching for truth, and we’re marching to tell the Court that it does not have the right to re-define something as fundamental as marriage as the union of a man and a woman,” he said.

For a "good Easter," Christians must do more than simply recall the passion of Jesus during Holy Week; they must "enter into the mystery" of the Easter Triduum and make Jesus' feelings and attitudes their own, Pope Francis said. During his general audience April 1, he also recalled the "true martyrs" of today, men and women who "offer their lives with Jesus" for their Christian faith. Their witness, in imitation of Christ's sacrifice, "reflects a ray of this perfect, full and pure love (of Christ)," he said. Theirs, he added, "is a service of Christian witness to the point of bloodshed. It is the service Christ did for us, he redeemed us." The pope began his catechesis, dedicated to the celebration of Holy Week and Easter, by saying that the death and resurrection of Christ are "the culmination" of the entire liturgical year and of the Christian life. The pope offered reflections for each day of the Triduum, beginning with Holy Thursday. With the "prophetic gesture" of washing the apostles' feet, Jesus expressed "the meaning of his life and passion -- service to God and brother," the pope said.

Religious liberty is "the most fundamental freedom in society" and it is at "the very core of the human condition," attorney and scholar Joseph Weiler told an audience at The Catholic University of America in Washington. He gave a lecture at a ceremony where he was presented an honorary doctorate of theology by the university. In attendance were John Garvey, the university's president, and several members of its academic faculty at the March 19 event hosted by the School of Theology and Religious Studies. In honoring Weiler, the university cited his lifelong contributions to the cause of religious liberty, scholarship on Judeo-Christian morality in European public life, and the continued development of Catholic-Jewish relations in the Western world. Weiler, born in 1951 in Johannesburg, South Africa, is the Joseph Straus professor of law at New York University. He also is the European Union Jean Monnet chaired professor, co-director of the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law and Justice, and president of the European University Institute, based in Florence, Italy. He is the author of several works relating to law and the European Union. Though he has received many honorary doctorates in his life, Weiler admitted before the ceremony that this one would be his first in theology.

Catholic advocates are pressing Congress to make the needs of poor and vulnerable people a priority as legislators hammer out a federal spending plan for 2016. The advocates told Catholic News Service they want to prevent trillions of dollars in social services spending from disappearing over the next decade as Congress seeks to balance the federal budget and reduce the nation's growing debt. In meetings with individual members of Congress, they have stressed that the needs of hungry, homeless and unemployed people must be the country's highest priority. "There are millions of people at stake in these decisions," said Brian Corbin, senior vice president for social policy at Catholic Charities USA, which has joined with Catholic Relief Services and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in meetings on Capitol Hill. "They all have a name and a face and based on our principle of human dignity, that name and that face and that family, those really are important to making issues of poverty real." In a letter to each member of Congress Feb. 27, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Committee on International Justice and Peace, reiterated that a budget is a moral document and that the needs of poor people are utmost despite the economic pressures posed by "future unsustainable deficits."

Today as we celebrate the feast day of the great St. Joseph, I hope you are not just worrying about getting your Italian cookies. St. Joseph is such a powerful example to us mainstream Catholics and Christians as well. His obedience to God's requests brought the world Jesus Christ. His protection of the Virgin Mary and Jesus caused such a revolution that we are still contemplating the consequences. St. Joseph was a terrific husband and father and now is a great time to look to him for guidance. Look at his conversation with God's messenger in the Bible. Look at how he stood by his commitment to our Mother Mary when there was immense pressure to walk away. Look how he moved his family quickly to safety every time the leaders of the time changed their minds. Look at his influence on Jesus. Now more than ever, when many men are turning their backs on their own children, Joseph is the perfect example of what a real man does. His devotion and allegiance to Mary and Jesus is really quiet shocking in modern day terms. But that is why God chose Joseph, isn't it? God knew that the world would look at Joseph as a role model and so God chose carefully. So today as you pause to consider your life, ask God to give you the wisdom, patience, loyalty, and grace that Joseph was given.