Learning to be Quick to Listen

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, said in Toronto that Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, is a controversial document, but that it has not introduced any change to existing Catholic doctrine. The Canadian-born cardinal spoke during the closing address of the States Dinner at the 134th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus. “Before concluding,” he said, digressing from his prepared remarks, “let me say a word about the papal document, Amoris Laetitia, that was born of the two recent Synods on the Family.” “In all honesty, I think that controversies around Amoris Laetitia are understandable, but, in all confidence, I believe they might even be fruitful in the end.” Titled Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love, the April 8 document is the conclusion of a two-year synod process at the Vatican that gathered hundreds of bishops from around the world to discuss both the beauty and challenges of family life today. Both of...

The 2016 United States elections are a time of tension and reflection for many Americans. For Catholic bishops, it's not so different. “It's always a joy to be a bishop, it’s always a challenge to be a bishop,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York told CNA. “I think in an election year, the challenges might outweigh the joys.” He said bishops have the same duties and concerns as other Americans. “We're American citizens, we’re responsible, we’re loyal, we’re thoughtful. We study the issues, we try our best to be engaged in the process,” he said. “We're also pastors, so we try to remind our people of those basic biblical values, those classical Catholic values that have guided us through the ages, particularly as articulated by John Paul II: the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of human life, solidarity. “Those are three things that we keep hammering away on. And we trust that our people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will make the right decision...

Pope Francis has lamented that children are being taught at school that gender can be a choice, adding that his predecessor, Benedict XVI has labeled current times "the epoch of sin against God the Creator." Francis weighed in with his view on gender and what he said was that of the emeritus pontiff while meeting privately last week with bishops from Poland during his pilgrimage there. The Vatican released a transcript Tuesday of those closed-door remarks. The pope said he wanted to conclude his remarks by reflecting on this: "We are living a moment of annihilation of man as image of God." Francis said: "Today, in schools they are teaching this to children -- to children! -- that everyone can choose their gender." Without specifying, he blamed this on textbooks supplied by "persons and institutions who donate money." The pope blamed what he called "ideological colonizing" backed by "very influential countries" which he did...

Although both major 2016 vice presidential nominees were raised Catholic and still profess to be Christians, their public policy records have drawn concern from some members of the faithful. The “free exercise” of religion “is not simply about what you do in Church on Sunday morning,” Deacon Keith Fournier of the Common Good Foundation told CNA. “It’s how you exercise that faith in every sector, whether it’s commerce, politics, participation – all of it.” Both major nominees for vice president are baptized Catholics. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine still identifies as a Catholic and was seen at Sunday Mass on July 24 after he was picked by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to be her running mate. Indiana Governor Mike Pence, meanwhile, was raised Catholic but identified in 1994 as a “born-again, evangelical Catholic.” He started attending an evangelical megachurch with his family in the 1990s. It is unclear which church Pence attends now. “I’m a pretty ordinary Christian,”...

Mercy is not an abstract concept but a lifestyle that invites Christians to make an examination of conscience and ask themselves if they place the spiritual and material needs of others before their own, Pope Francis said. A Christian who chooses to be merciful experiences true life and has "eyes to see, ears to listen, and hands to comfort," the pope said June 30 during a Year of Mercy audience in St. Peter's Square. "That which makes mercy alive is its constant dynamism to go out searching for the needy and the needs of those who are in spiritual or material hardship," he said. By being indifferent to the plight of the poor and suffering, the pope said, Christians turn into "hypocrites" and move toward a "spiritual lethargy that numbs the mind and makes life barren." "People who go through life, who walk in life without being aware of the needs of others, without seeing the many spiritual and material needs are people who do not li...

In his first public address in almost a year, retired Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sincere gratefulness to Pope Francis, saying that his goodness "from the first moment of your election, in every moment of my life here, touches me deeply." "More than the beauty found in the Vatican Gardens, your goodness is the place where I live; I feel protected," Pope Benedict said June 28. Pope Benedict also conveyed his hope that Pope Francis would continue to "lead us all on this path of divine mercy that shows the path of Jesus, to Jesus and to God." Pope Francis led a Vatican celebration for the 65th anniversary of Pope Benedict's priestly ordination. The two were joined by the heads of Vatican offices and congregations and several guests, including a delegation from the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Those gathered gave Pope Benedict a standing ovation as he made his way into the Clementine Hall and took his seat to the right of the...

The superior general of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X said Pope Francis, rather than denouncing errors in Catholic doctrine, has "encouraged" them. "The Society of St. Pius X prays and does penance for the pope, that he might have the strength to proclaim Catholic faith and morals in their entirety," said a statement published June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, patron saints of the church of Rome. Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the society, issued the statement after a meeting June 25-28 of the group's leaders. The society has been in talks with the Vatican in a search for a way to reintegrate it and its members fully into the life of the Catholic Church. Bishop Fellay met personally with Pope Francis in April, which seemed to signal that progress was being made. Talks with the group began under St. John Paul II and continued throughout the papacy of now-retired Pope Benedict XVI. St. John Paul had excommunicated Bishop Fellay...

With his visit to World Youth Day only a few days away, Pope Francis asked young pilgrims to accompany his visit to Krakow, Poland, with prayers. Leaving for Poland July 27 "to meet up with these young men and women and celebrate with them and for them the Jubilee of Mercy, with the intercession of St. John Paul II, I ask you to accompany me with prayer," the pope said July 24 during his Angelus address. The pope thanked the volunteers, bishops, priests and men and women religious "who are working to welcome these young pilgrims." In a message for youths unable to make it to the event, he said, "A special word to the many youth of their same age who, unable to be present personally, will follow the event through the media: We are all united in prayer!" Prayer was the main theme of the pope's reflection prior to reciting the Angelus with thousands of visitors in St. Peter's Square. Recalling the day's Gospel reading, in which Jesus teaches ...

Tears and not words. Prayers and not greetings. During his trip to Poland for World Youth Day, Pope Francis will go to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. He said he wants to go alone and say nothing. When Pope Francis speaks, he can delight fans and frustrate critics. He can wax poetic or be bluntly funny about human quirks. But in the face of great suffering and horror, his first and strongest inclinations are silence, a profoundly bowed head and hands clasped tightly in prayer. Pope Francis had asked that there be no speeches during his visit to Armenia's genocide memorial June 25. At times, even the prayer service there with the Armenian Apostolic patriarch seemed too wordy. An aide gently cupped his elbow when it was time to end the silent reflection and begin the service. The Vatican's schedule for the pope's visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau July 29 had him giving a speech at the international monument at Birkenau, just as St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI di...

Here is a question that I have been pondering recently. Are the journalists of today trained to insert their own opinion into each story they write? Has the idea of journalistic integrity gone the way of murder being acceptable to society? A reporter asked Pope Francis the following question, "In the days following the shooting in Orlando, many have said that the Christian community had something to do with this hate toward these people. What do you think?" The beginning of his response follows. "I will repeat what I said on my first trip. I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally. One can condemn, but not for theological reasons, but for reasons of political behavior...Certain manifestations are a bit too offensive for others, no? ... But these are things that have nothing to do with the problem. The problem is a person that has a condition, that has good w...

Like Moses before the burning bush, those talking about the real-life situations of families must take off their sandals because they are standing on holy ground, Pope Francis said. The pastoral care of families requires "a climate of respect capable of helping us listen to what God is saying," the pope said June 16, opening the Diocese of Rome's annual pastoral conference. The families, catechists, priests and bishops participating in the two-day meeting were focusing this year on outreach to families in Rome in light of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the family, "Amoris Laetitia" ("The Joy of Love"). In the question-and-answer session, he assured participants that his exhortation was thoroughly reviewed by Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, a respected theologian. The document, he said, fully conforms to Catholic doctrine, but some people "want doctrine that is mathematically precise. That does not exist!" "Truth ...

Following Saturday night's shooting at a nightclub in Orlando that killed 50 people, Catholic leaders from around the U.S. are offering prayers for the victims and their families. “Waking up to the unspeakable violence in Orlando reminds us of how precious human life is,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Catholic bishops conference, in a statement. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this terrible act.” In the early hours of June 12, a gunman identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen exchanged fire with a police officer working at Pulse nightclub, which has a predominantly gay clientele. Mateen, who was from Florida and was of Afghan descent, took hostages for as much as three hours, and was shot to death by Swat officers. Though the mass violence is thought to be ideologically motivated, he was not known to have links to any terrorist groups. Another 53 persons were injured in the shooting. The death toll makes the Orlan...

Two minutes and thirty seconds is all it took for Sean Bryan to complete the Los Angeles qualifier round of American Ninja Warrior. The season eight premiere of the hit NBC/Esquire show – which follows competitors as they try to complete obstacles courses of increasing difficulty – featured the amateur flying through every obstacle. He even climbed the newly designed, 14.5-foot Warped Wall on his first try. Bryan claimed 4th place and ranked among the show’s veterans, but something else caught everyone’s attention. On Bryan’s bright, yellow shirt was written: ‘Papal Ninja’. “I thought, how could I be a bit more explicit about my faith,” Bryan told CNA, “because it is quite explicit in my life.” The 31-year-old is an active member of the Catholic Church. His story, and the mystery behind his chosen competition name, were highlighted on American Ninja Warrior this month. The show explained Bryan’s history as a gymnast for the University of California, Berkley. While studying physics, Bry...

In a recent article in “America” magazine, Grant Kaplan, commenting on the challenge of the resurrection, makes this comment: “Unlike previous communities in which the bond among members forges itself through those it excludes and scapegoats, the gratuity of the resurrection allows for a community shaped by forgiven-forgivers.” What he is saying, among other things, is that mostly we form community through demonizing and exclusion, that is, we bond with each other more on the basis of what we are against and what we hate than on the basis of what we are for and hold precious. The cross and the resurrection, and the message of Jesus in general, invite us to a deeper maturity within which we are invited to form community with each other on the basis of love and inclusion rather than upon hatred and demonization. Read more.

In so many encyclicals and papal exhortations, the biblical sections, often near the beginning, are the best, and to me, the most helpful. If you want to know about the value and inviolability of human life, read the beginning and especially Chapter 2 of St. John Paul II’s “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life). Or, if you want to understand the Catholic Church’s social teaching, focusing on human development driven by charity and truth, read Pope Benedict XVI’s introduction and first chapter in “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth). Pope Francis wants to get a bit more practical than the style of encyclicals, so he writes “exhortations.” But again, the Catholic and papal vision of love in the family can best be found in Chapter 1 of “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love), just recently published. Read more.

Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Adoration of the Magi, will soon be undergoing testing that could help digitally reconstruct the artist’s face and offer clues about his life and health. According to the U.K. outlet Sky News, researchers with California’s J Craig Venter Institute, the pioneer behind human  genome sequencing, will be searching for hairs and flakes of skin on Da Vinci’s paintings and notebooks. Genetic analysis will be performed, and DNA will be compared to Da Vinci’s known living relatives, and that taken from his parents’ graves. Scientists hope to determine the eye color, hair color, skin tone, and face shape of the Renaissance master. These details could add to the evidence in existence about his appearance. Health information could also be discovered.

Conscience is the faculty of human reason that makes practical judgments regarding what is morally right or wrong. In the search for truth, a person should always turn to a respected authority for enlightenment. Catholics are encouraged to turn to the teaching authority of the church, namely to what’s referred to as the magisterium. But those who act in a way that differs from the letter of the law cannot be presumed to be doing so in bad faith. The decision to do what is right or wrong always remains a personal one. Catholics are bound to follow their conscience. In the case of Catholics who have remarried without the benefit of an annulment, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith teaches that Catholics whose “nullity of marriage cannot be demonstrated” are not permitted to receive the Eucharist, unless special permission has been given them to live as “brother and sister.” Read more.

As he received the prestigious Charlemagne Prize, Pope Francis laid out his vision for a renewed European continent in what could easily be his own version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the address Francis said “I dream of a new European humanism” – one based on fresh ideas and a revamped economy that promotes integration and respect for human dignity. Europe has become tired and “entrenched,” he said, and voiced hope that the continent’s leaders would be able to “draw inspiration from the past in order to confront with courage the complex multipolar framework of our own day.” He asked that European leaders “take up with determination the challenge of updating the idea of Europe” – a Europe capable of giving birth to “a new humanism” based on the core abilities to integrate, dialogue and generate new ideas and solutions to complex modern issues. “I dream of a Europe that is young, still capable of being a mother: a mother who has life be...

Holy Apostle's Church in Pimlico, central London, recently hosted two performances of Sing It! - a musical about the Ten Commandments performed and stage crewed by more than 70 parish children. The primary purpose of doing the play was to give the children an equal opportunity to learn performing arts and religious education. The secondary motive was to fundraise for their twin parish in Turkana and to start a fund for future similar dual purpose activities for the children. The premise of Sing It! is simply this: the easiest way to remember the Ten Commandments is through song. They certainly proved their point! The performance was engaging in that unique way only children can commandeer. They danced, they sang and they acted with a purity of heart that was irresistible! The children were primary school students, and logistically divided into six teams and a stage team for easier management and rehearsing. The director, designer, marionette maker etc was the talented...

A prominent Catholic philosopher and close friend of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said Thursday that Pope Francis’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia is a “breach” with Catholic tradition and directly contradicts the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II in his exhortation Familiaris Consortio . "If the pope is not willing to make a correction, it is up to another pontificate to officially put things back into order." Professor Robert Spaemann told the Catholic News Agency’s German branch that changing the Church’s sacramental practice would be “a breach with its essential anthropological and theological teaching on human marriage and sexuality.” “It is clear to every thinking person who knows the texts that are important in this context that [with Amoris Laetitia ] there is a breach” with the Church’s Tradition, Spaemann said. The professor’s remarks were translated by Dr. Maike Hickson in an article at OnePeterFive . In Familiaris Consortio , Pope St. John Paul II upheld the Chu...

What do a grilled cheese sandwich and the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe have in common? Both bore what appeared to be images of Mary. One was determined to be authentically miraculous, the other was not. Not to spoil any secrets, but it’s not Our Lady of the Grilled Cheese that converted Mexico and continues to draw millions of people on pilgrimage every year. But have you ever wondered just how the Church determines the bogus from the divinely appointed? In his new book, “Exploring the Miraculous,” Michael O’Neill gives readers a crash course of sorts in “Miracles 101” - including common questions about the importance of miracles, an explanation of the approval process, and descriptions of the various types of miracles found within the Catholic Church. “This is a very rare book in that it tries to cover the entire spectrum of miracles within the Catholic Church,” O’Neill told CNA. Catholics by definition are people who have to believe in at least two miracles, O’Neill said - ...

Sharing and celebrating the joy of faith with thousands of Catholic teenagers from around the globe was a rare moment that not many people are able to experience, a U.S. teen said. "It was a different atmosphere than what I'm used to, but it's good because it shows that the beauty of the Catholic Church is there," Emily Sullivan told Catholic News Service April 25. Emily, her brother Ryan and parents Matt and Susan, came from North Carolina to participate in the Year of Mercy celebration for young teens April 23-24 in Rome. Both siblings, who are preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation, said that despite the language barrier, they were able to join in singing and praying during the April 23 youth rally at Rome's Olympic Stadium. "It was awesome; the energy was insane," Emily said. "The people knew all the lyrics and they were jamming out. So we came up with a couple of words that we could sing along. It was really cool to be in that atmos...

April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the playwright, poet, and actor widely considered to be the most influential literary figure in the English language. Yet, there's one mystery which continues to elude scholars to even this day: what exactly was Shakespeare's relationship with the Catholic Church? And, could he have been a secret Catholic, forced to conceal his true religious identity in an era of persecution? At the time of Shakespeare's writing, Britain was in a period of religious upheaval. Its people were still caught in the crossfires of the English Reformation that had begun decades earlier when Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England. Shakespeare, like many of his contemporaries, outwardly followed the State-imposed religion, since it was illegal at that time to practice as a Catholic in England. However, scholars say he nonetheless maintained strong sympathies with the Church of Rome. Shakespeare...

Without a repentant heart, Christians can risk living out their faith superficially and fail to live out God's desire for " mercy, not sacrifice ," Pope Francis said. Instead, Jesus' love for sinners shows that the church is not "a community of perfect people, but disciples on a path who follow the Lord because they recognize themselves as sinners and in need of his forgiveness," the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square April 13. Jesus' mission is "to search for each one of us, to heal our wounds and call us to follow him with love," he said.  The pope reflected on the Gospel passage, which recounted Jesus calling Matthew to follow him despite the fact he was a tax collector and considered a sinner by the people. Jesus, he said, did not rebuke him for his past but dines with him and "opens up a new future." "There is no saint without a past and there is not sinner without a future. This is beautiful...

The problem of sex-selective abortion is not limited to China and India, but is increasing in communities within Western countries, a new report by the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute says. “I think for a long time we’ve been denying that sex-selective abortion happens in the United States,” said Anna Higgins, J.D., associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute. However, she told CNA, “it does happen here.” Countries like China, with its miserable human rights record, are notorious for sex-selective abortions because of the country’s long-time forced one-child family policy, now a two-child policy. Human rights activists have termed the situation “gendercide” because so many families choose only to have a boy to carry on the family name. The practice has led to demographic disaster, with 33 million more men than women in the country, according to human rights activists. Yet sex-selective abortion happens not just in China and India, but within Western countries as...

What you say and how you live always go hand in hand, building up the church and the people of God, Pope Francis told new priests. "Therefore, may your doctrine be nourishment to the people of God, joy and supporting those faithful to Christ (be) the fragrance of your life, because the word and example go together," he said. "Word and example edify the house of God, which is the church," he said in his homily April 17, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis ordained 11 new priests; nine were ordained for the Diocese of Rome and two of the new priests -- including one born in Baghdad -- belong to the Rogationist religious order. In his homily, the pope urged the men to read, reflect on and teach the word of God and to be a living example of what they preach. He asked that they imitate Jesus in their lives, including "carrying Christ's death" inside of them and walking with him in new life. ...

There are many things about Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta that could be called heroic – her tireless service to the world's most rejected and her courageous witness to millions of what it is to live the Gospel, just to name a couple. But the priest charged with overseeing her path to sainthood said that for him, one thing stands out above all the rest: her experience of spiritual darkness and what she described as feeling totally abandoned by God for the majority of her life. “The single most heroic thing is exactly her darkness. That pure living, that pure, naked faith,” Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator for Mother Teresa's canonization cause, told CNA in an interview. Fr. Kolodiejchuk is a priest of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, founded by Mother Teresa in 1989. By undergoing the depth and duration of the desolation she experienced and doing everything that she did for others in spite of it, “that's really very heroic,” he said. Pope Francis re...

Mother Angelica’s life must be viewed in reference to Jesus, the homilist at her funeral Mass said on Friday. “We cannot understand Mother Angelica without reference the One that she loved with the passion of a bride, Jesus, the Eternal Word Who became man and dwelt among us,” said Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe, MVFA, in his homily at the funeral Mass for Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN and Abbess Emerita at Our Lady of the Angels monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. “Her legacy is a legacy of His work in her,” Fr. Joseph Mary added. An estimated 2,000 mourners attended Mother Angelica’s funeral Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, 45 miles north of Birmingham. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia said the Mass, joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, as well as Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, and his predecessor, Bishop David Foley, Moth...

The veto of a religious freedom bill means faith-based groups that support marriage as a union of a man and a woman won’t have needed protections, the state’s Catholic bishops said. “The Virginia Catholic Conference is deeply dismayed by the governor’s action,” the conference said March 30. “This veto risks the destruction of Virginia’s long tradition of upholding the religious freedom of faith communities which dates back to Thomas Jefferson.” The bill would have forbidden the state of Virginia from punishing religious groups that follow their sincerely held beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 59-38 and the Senate by 21-19. Virginia’s Catholic conference said the bill would ensure “that clergy and religious organizations are not penalized by the government.” The bill would also protect these individuals and organizations from civil liability. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, vetoed the bill on live radio Wednesda...

In the parish hall of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Northwest Portland, nearly 140 people gather by candle light for dinner each week during Lent. The group is not your typical Bible study. It's not the week's readings or the latest papal encyclical being discussed. The discussion is foundational. Who is Jesus? Why does my relationship with him matter? These are just a couple of the questions asked during the 10-week course, called Quest. Quest is designed to draw people from all backgrounds. And it does. The gently lit room on the evening of February 3 was packed with people. Tables dressed with linens and candles spread across the entire floor. Not all of the attendees are parishioners of St. Patrick's. Not all of them are Catholic. But they were all there for an evening of dinner, song, discussion, and prayer. Quest was born as a place for seekers to learn about Catholic beliefs, to encounter God, and to sit with others who may be on a similar journey. "...

After months of anticipation, the date of Mother Teresa’s canonization has finally been announced. It falls on Sept. 4, which this year will also mark a special jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy. Though it's been rumored for months that Mother Teresa’s canonization will take place Sept. 4, the Vatican made the date official during a March 15 consistory of cardinals. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu Aug. 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. After joining the Sisters of Loretto at age 17, she was sent to Calcutta, where she later contracted tuberculosis, and was sent to rest in Darjeeling. On the way, she felt what she called “an order” from God to leave the convent and live among the poor. After she left her convent, Mother Teresa began working in the slums, teaching poor children, and treating the sick in their homes. A year later, some of her former students joined her, and together they took in men, women and children who were dying in the gutters along the s...

Sister Anslem, Sister Reginette, Sister Judith, and Sister Marguerite were serving as caretakers at the Missionaries of Charity's convent and nursing home in Aden, Yemen. These sisters left their homes in India and Africa to serve the poor, elderly, and disabled in the war-torn country of Yemen. They worked together with volunteers at the convent's home care center, where they served around sixty to eighty patients of all religions. “They were serving all poor people irrespective of their religion. Their duty was to help the poor,” a representative from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia told CNA. But on March 4, the convent was attacked by two gunmen who killed Sr. Anslem, Sr. Judith, Sr. Marguerite, and Sr. Reginette, along with sixteen other victims, including volunteers from Ethiopia and Yemen. Each victim was found handcuffed and shot in the head. No residents of the nursing home were harmed. Pope Francis called the sisters “martyrs of today” who “gave their b...

How did you get to this point in your life? Looking back at the trajectory of your life can help you to understand why God is putting you in certain situations or bringing certain people into your life. What are the life experiences you have had and what choices have you made that brought you to where you are today? Don't stop there. Take a look into the future. Where is God calling you to be? Do you like the type of work you are doing? Are you surrounding by people who are lifting you up or dragging you down? What are you doing in that situation to change it? Are you praying for people who are causing you strife? What is most important to you? How can you look at past mistakes and sins and learn from them? Take a look at Matthew 22:36-40 and 26:26-28. Pray on those sacred words and ask God to help you with this examin. The answers we seek are with God and all we need do is ask. I am praying that your Lenten journey brings you closer to God.

The Prodigal Son gospel reading always provokes a lot of reflection. We all know the story but different parts of it speak to us individually. The father in the story is the personification of what Pope Francis is asking us to do during the Year of Mercy. The father not only loves his two sons but he provides for them and (most importantly) forgives and welcomes them back into his heart even after they have hurt him. The father's mercy to both of his sons provides us with a solid model for building a life based on mercy to others. Now some folks really identify with the younger brother who takes his inheritance early and strikes out on his own. Ending up working in a pig sty is not the life he would have chosen and the metaphor is not lost on us. When we wallow in sin, our lives become like the wayward son, disgusting, depressing, and directionless. But God is there with outstretched arms to welcome us back to the fold. Not only that, but God will meet us right where we are. That i...

Rodney Stark's new book Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History comes out in May of this year and I am very excited to read it. Stark is a sociologist who focuses on religion and is co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Here is just one of the issues he addresses in the book. "Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church’s power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the “Dark Ages” was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of “Enlightenment.” The blurb describing the upcoming book says, "In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give ...

So it's Friday and it's Lent and that means no meat today. But what does that mean? What are we really giving up by eating delicious seafood dishes instead of meat? I choose to focus on the act itself. What we are supposed to be trying to do is emulate Jesus and the suffering that he endured for us. We are reminded of his suffering by participating in another Friday Lenten tradition, the Way of the Cross. Jesus suffered at the hands of his captors repeatedly during his passion and he still suffers because of the things we continue to do on earth. The different now is that we have his saving grace, which he gives freely and without cost. So the act of refraining from eating meat (or anything else we decided to give up for Lent) is to help us remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. What a loving gift. It reminds us that God is love and everything Jesus did for us was for love. It reminds us that Jesus asks us to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Very si...

Are you living for the now or for eternal happiness and joy? If you answered the former, it is time for a U-turn. If you answered the latter, keep on heading down that path. Our lives are supposed to be centered on joy in the Lord. Pursuing a life that revels in the world and its empty promises may bring you pleasure but the joy you are seeking is from our Father. When you are walking with the Spirit, people are attracted to you and what you have. It is the perfect opportunity to talk about Jesus and his promise of eternal life in Heaven. There are so many stories of the rich and powerful never finding fulfillment. How many film stars have veered into a life of calamity and ended up alone and sad. Once their god of choice (money, fame, notoriety, etc.) has abandoned them, they find themselves bound by what others think of them. On the other hand, look at the people who chose to do great things, not for themselves, but for others. Through them, Jesus worked to spread his message of love...

Early reviews suggest a new biblical epic hitting theaters this week is picking up where "The Passion of the Christ" left off. " Risen " tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion through the eyes of Clavius, a Roman military officer who is on a mission to prove the resurrection did not happen. Actor Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius. "A big attraction for me was the way his mind worked, but to get to his mind I found I had to take a physical route. I went to gladiator school in Rome. I stayed long enough to never want to go back," he told CBN News. "I spent the good part of a week working with a brilliant set of guys, and what I learned from a military standpoint was a way into the man was conditioned and the way that he thought," he said.   Clavius is an ambitious Roman soldier who first tries to keep Christ's body from being stolen after his crucifixion. He then sets out on an angry journey to find the body after it disappears from the s...

If you are planning a trip to Rome to see Pope Francis anytime soon, you should grab a copy of Joan Lewis's book A Holy Year in Rome . Joan gives you the inside scoop on all things Catholic. Listening to her on EWTN radio this morning, she shared that when the Pope comes and goes from Rome, he stops at a specific church and prays. Insider tips like that can make all the difference in a trip to Rome. Also wanted to clarify that some of the media distributed a story saying that Pope Francis said that bishops do not have to report allegations of child abuse. That is actually the complete opposite of what he said. Cardinal O'Malley, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which Pope Francis set up in 2014, said "Our obligations under civil law must certainly be followed, but even beyond these civil requirements, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse to the civil authorities who are charged with protecting our society....

What are you looking for? Jesus asks Andrew and another disciple that very question (John 1:36). Now John had just explained that Jesus is the promised Lamb of God but all of this was very new to the disciples and even more so for the crowds beginning to gather anytime Jesus preached. He is still asking us this foundational question. Who are you looking for? Very often that who is replaced by a what in our society. What drug will make you feel better? What porn will satisfy you? What amount of money will provide you with all of the things you desire? What food, car, clothes, house, star or idol will bring you what you need? Well the easy answer is none of the above. It might be why so many of us are aimlessly searching. We search for a painless life, free of trouble, hurt, and obligation. As you work your way through the Lenten journey, spend some time thinking about the question that Jesus is asking. Who are you looking for? If it is Jesus, the path is also simple. Kneel and pray righ...

As we begin our Lenten journey towards the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is a good time to be silent. The beauty of the Ash Wednesday Mass helps us to enjoy some quiet from our noisy days. Our church usually gives us a stripped down version of Mass with very little or no music. I love music and consider it prayer in another form but the simplicity of the Ash Wednesday Mass is enhanced, for me, by the quiet. Once you begin your Lenten journey, I encourage you to use St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises. There are others as well but I find the Jesuit experience to be the best for me. The exercises are meant to be spent in silence. St. Ignatius used the silence and solitude of recovering from injuries to open himself fully to the Lord. It was in this time, that Ignatius developed the exercises which are still being used today. But just reading about the exercises is not going to do that much for you. Take the time to do the self examens each say. Review the things that occur...

Thousands of people waited hours outside a Rome church to glimpse the mortal remains of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold Mandic, two Capuchins popular as miracle workers and known particularly for the long hours they would spend hearing confessions. Pope Francis asked the Capuchins to bring the relics of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold to Rome for the Year of Mercy, particularly the Feb. 10 celebration of Ash Wednesday and the commissioning of the official "missionaries of mercy." The hearse carrying Padre Pio's crystal coffin was about 90 minutes late getting to Rome's Basilica of St. Lawrence Feb. 3 because pockets and clusters of faithful repeatedly forced it to slow down as it drove from San Giovanni Rotondo, 235 miles to the southeast. Posters pasted up all over the center of Rome giving the detailed schedule for Masses, prayer services and other devotions feature a large photo of Padre Pio and a smaller photo of St. Leopold. In the celebrations, St. Leopold ...

Making resolutions for the new year is a great tradition. We have done it for years and invariably about this time each year, the ads start that play on our emotions. "Have you already broken your new year's resolution," they ask. "You can't do it on your own," they nag. They are right about one thing. It is very tough to do things on our own. We need support and that is where our God comes in. He is always there waiting for us to ask for help and yet we seem to forget about Him until we are either trying to win the lottery or asking that our favorite sports team march to victory. I am pretty sure that God doesn't care about either of those things but He truly cares about us. In fact, God is always thinking about us. How comforting is that fact? So are you ready to be really bold in 2016? Take a chance and ask God to use you as his earthen vessel. See what He really wants you to do. As soon as you ask God to put you in the place where He most wants you t...

You have hopefully seen the report that dozens of buses of March for Life participants were stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, after a small accident caused a huge back up of traffic Friday evening. The massive dumping of snow then left many of the buses unable to carry on. LifeSite spoke with several of the groups that are stranded, and found that the marcher's spirits were high. One group of Catholic students from Omaha and Minneapolis-St. Paul suggested that all the pilgrims celebrate Mass. Without a proper altar available, they took things into their own hands and made an altar of snow. The Missionary Benedict Sisters from Norfolk, Nebraska posted that, "Word spread around, and on one bus, the priest had around 300 hosts, and offered to celebrate the mass. Well word traveled around fast and soon we had like 6 priests and 500 people there. God is good!!!" “We have now been stuck over 15 hours in the snow because of this so called #jonasblizzard but that isn't ...

"Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians are called to work together in order to be a visible sign that God's mercy excludes no one," said Pope Francis. The pope reflected on the theme of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which was taken from the first letter of St. Peter and was selected by an ecumenical group from Latvia. The Lutheran cathedral of Riga, Latvia, he noted, contains a 12th-century baptismal font that serves as a sign of the common baptism that unites Catholics, Protestant and Orthodox Christians. "St. Peter's first letter is addressed to the first generation of Christians to make them aware of the gift received through Baptism and the requirements it entails," the pope said. "We too, in this week of prayer, are invited to rediscover this and do this together, going beyond our divisions." The pope said that although divisions are often caused by selfishness, the common baptism shared by Christians is an experience o...

Religious sisters should not be forced to choose between caring for the poor and obeying their conscience, the Little Sisters of the Poor told the Supreme Court in a recent legal brief, adding that this is what the government is demanding of them through the HHS mandate. “As Little Sisters of the Poor, we offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they are welcomed as Christ,” said Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, mother provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor. “We perform this loving ministry because of our faith,” she continued, adding that the Little Sisters “cannot possibly choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith, and we shouldn’t have to.” Sister Maguire’s comments came Jan. 4, as the Little Sisters filed their Supreme Court brief against the federal contraception mandate. The case will be heard this Supreme Court term as part of a bundle of cases against the administration’s contraceptive mandate. Representing the Little Sisters an...

The gift of mercy is a light that helps Christians reflect on the past year and radiates hope at the start of the new year, Pope Francis said. While retracing the events of 2015 may recall moments of both joy and sorrow, it also offers a moment to understand the presence of God who "renews and sustains with his help," Pope Francis said during an evening prayer service in St. Peter's Basilica on New Year's Eve. The prayer service included eucharistic adoration and Benediction, as well as the singing of the "Te Deum," a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God, for the closing year.  The " Te Deum ," he said, is the church's way of giving thanks and recognizing the loving presence of God throughout history. "With this hymn, we look back at the history of salvation where, through God's mysterious plan, the various events of our life in this past year find" their place and meaning, the pope said. Although the past year may bring bo...