Learning to be Quick to Listen

It's an exciting time for the Church as the Vatican recently announced the approval for the canonization of two remarkable young figures: Blessed  Carlo Acutis and Blessed  Pier Giorgio Frassati . This momentous news recognizes their profound impact and enduring witness to Christ. Carlo Acutis, the "patron of the internet," used his passion for technology to document Eucharistic miracles before his untimely death at 15. Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died at 24, was a vibrant social activist and outdoorsman, dedicating his life to serving the poor and living out the Beatitudes with joyful abandon. Both, in their own unique ways, demonstrate that holiness is accessible and compelling for every generation. Pope Francis has frequently pointed to figures like Carlo and Pier Giorgio as models for young people today. In his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit , Pope Francis specifically praised Carlo Acutis, noting that he "knew how to use the new communication technologi...

In his 2019 Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit ("Christ is Alive"), Pope Francis addresses young people and the entire People of God, sharing his reflections on faith, the Church, and the role of youth in the world today. Emerging from the discussions of the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment, this document is both an encouragement and a challenge. Pope Francis emphasizes that Christ is eternally youthful and offers hope and purpose to every generation, urging young people to embrace their unique gifts and contribute actively to the Church's mission. He acknowledges the complexities and struggles faced by contemporary youth, including social pressures, digital culture, and the search for meaning, while consistently pointing to Christ as the ultimate source of joy and liberation. Christus Vivit delves into several key themes, beginning with the biblical examples of young people who responded to God's call, highlighting fi...

The College of Cardinals is set to convene on May 7, 2025, in the Vatican to begin the conclave following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. This conclave will be historic , as it marks the first since the introduction of a nominal maximum of 120 cardinal electors, with 135 eligible participants. The cardinals will be sequestered in the Sistine Chapel, adhering to centuries-old traditions, including casting secret ballots until a new pope is elected. To be elected, a candidate requires a two-thirds supermajority of the participating electors. Prior to the conclave, the cardinals will engage in general congregations to discuss the needs of the Church and the world. These meetings allow the cardinals to get to know each other and exercise their spiritual discernment, as many have never met due to Pope Francis not holding meetings of cardinals before his papal consistories. The discussions will be guided by reflections from distinguished clerics and will address major issues facing...

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa , as the Preacher to the Papal Household , offers profound insights into the heart of the Christian faith, particularly during the liturgical seasons. His reflections on the Passion of Christ, especially during Good Friday, provide a lens through which we can understand the significance of Easter's unfolding, and by extension, our understanding of the Papacy. Cantalamessa's sermons often emphasize the radical nature of God's love, revealed in the self-sacrificing act of Jesus on the cross. He constantly draws attention to the fact that Gods power is shown through love and humility, and not through worldly power. This is very important when considering the role of the Pope. His teachings consistently illuminate the idea that the power of Christianity, is in the act of giving one's self. The first Friday of Easter, within the context of Cantalamessa's teachings, serves as a continuation of the profound mystery of Christ's sacrifice ...

On April 21, 2025, the world mourns the passing of Pope Francis, a figure who had become a beacon of compassion for the Catholic Church and beyond. Elected in 2013, Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, was the first Pope from the Americas, heralding a new era for the Church. His papacy was marked by a focus on the poor, a call for environmental stewardship, and a dedication to building bridges between different faiths. His humility, his common touch, and his progressive stances on social issues resonated with people across the globe, earning him admiration from both within and outside the Catholic faith. The news of his death reverberated around the world, triggering an outpouring of grief and reflection. World leaders, religious figures, and ordinary people paid tribute to his legacy, celebrating his tireless work for a more just and peaceful world. The College of Cardinals will now convene to elect his successor, a moment of profound significance fo...

In his teachings, Pope Francis often warns Christians of the subtle temptation to slip toward worldliness and power, a temptation that leads many to seek Jesus only to fulfill material desires. This is not just a concern for the distant past—it is a daily temptation for all of us who make up the Church. The pope’s reflections on this issue are grounded in the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (John 6:22-29), where the crowd seeks Jesus, not out of religious awe or devotion, but for their own material benefit. Pope Francis explains that, just like the people in the Gospel, many of us may be drawn to Jesus for the wrong reasons. We might be looking for solutions to our immediate problems, seeking His help in the hope of receiving material blessings or relief from our struggles. However, when we approach Jesus with such a mindset, we risk missing the deeper, transformative message of the Gospel. Seeking Jesus for Transformation, Not for Gain The pope warn...

St. Joseph holds a unique place in the history of the Church. Unlike other  revered saints  like St.  Francis  of Assisi or St.  Theres e of Lisieux, he is the Patron of the Universal Church. This title, bestowed over 150 years ago, highlights his extraordinary significance, even though the Church itself dates back to the first century. So, why did it take so long to formally recognize St. Joseph's pivotal role? Perhaps it stems from what I call "The St. Joseph Way." The Man of Few Words The Bible offers remarkably few direct quotes from St. Joseph. We can confidently assume he  spoke , but his words are largely absent from Scripture. This silence, while seemingly insignificant, has likely contributed to a lesser emphasis on his person throughout history. How do you write about or preach about a man who, for the most part, remains silent? This "quietude" is further exemplified by the fact that no pope has ever chosen the name Joseph. While this cou...

Pope Francis has lamented the decline of marriage in contemporary society in the past, noted that it is marked by skepticism, distrust, and hostility. He emphasized that a culture that undervalues the "stable and life-giving covenant between a man and woman" suffers a significant loss. He called for a renewed effort to honor marriage and the family while acknowledging the urgent need to restore respect and dignity to women, who are often exploited and objectified. The Pope's reflections align with the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which emphasizes the profound significance of marriageas a sacrament instituted by God. It highlights the unique and complementary nature of man and woman, designed for a lifelong union of love and mutual support. The Book of Genesis offers a powerful illustration of this divine plan. God, after creating the heavens and the earth, created man in His image and likeness to care for and steward His creation. Yet, even as ...

Today, November 13, we celebrate the feast day of St. Frances Xavier  Cabrini , a remarkable figure in the Catholic Church and the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint . Known as Mother Cabrini, she was born in Italy on July 15, 1850, and dedicated her life to serving immigrants and those on the margins of society.  After founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Italy, she journeyed to the United States at the request of Pope  Leo  XIII to minister to the growing population of Italian immigrants. Her tireless work in education, health care, and social services not only transformed lives but laid a foundation for Catholic social teaching on immigration. In 1909, Mother Cabrini became a naturalized U.S. citizen, deepening her connection to the country she would serve until her passing in 1917. She is now the patron saint of immigrants, and her legacy continues in our communities today through the work of her congregation. With compassion ...

Father Manuel Ruiz López and his seven companions, the brothers Francis, Mooti, and Raphael Massabki, Father Joseph Allamano, Sister Marie Leonie Paradis, and Sister Elena Guerra, canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday, each exemplified heroic virtue and bore witness to holiness within their unique vocations. As the Pope noted in his homily at the Canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square on World Mission Sunday, “These new saints lived Jesus’ way: service.” “The faith and the apostolate they carried out did not feed their worldly desires and hunger for power but, on the contrary, they made themselves servants of their brothers and sisters, creative in doing the good, steadfast in difficulties and generous to the end,” he said. The Pope noted that their witness invites Christians to heed Jesus’ invitation to serve, not to seek glory. ‘Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?’  Taking his cue from the Gospel passage from Mark, he invited Christians to contemplate the profound questio...

This World Mission Sunday , Pope Francis will canonize 14 new saints in St. Peter’s Square, and he wants people to get familiar with them. World Mission Sunday is a popular day for the pope to declare new saints and honor men and women who spent their lives in mission territories. In anticipation of the event, the Pope has invited all Catholic church members to "learn about these new saints and ask for their intercession."  All 14 people had unique vocations and life stories as witnesses to holiness. Among the 14, two were married fathers, three were founders of generational religious orders, eight Franciscan friars and three marionettes who were martyred in Syria in 1860. “They are a clear testimony of the Holy Spirit’s action in the life of the Church,” the pope said. Pope Francis expressed his desire for the congregation to appreciate the heroics of the soon-to-be saints.  The biographies of the Blessed break down their spiritual legacies worldwide. One of the Fathers, Giu...

Pope Francis announced after his Sunday Angelus that he would hold a Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals on 8 December 2024, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception , in the Vatican. The Consistory, set to take place with representatives from all over the world, will fall before the opening of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope and after the conclusion of the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality in the Vatican. Pope Francis' most recent consistory to create new Cardinals had taken place ahead of the First Session of the Synod on Synodality on September 30, 2023.The Holy Father pointed out that the Cardinal-elects hail from around the world. "Their origins," he said, "expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God's merciful love to all people on earth. Their inclusion in the Diocese of Rome also manifests the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the particular Churches spread throughout the world." Moreover, he asked t...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Pope Francis has worked to keep in the public discourse the issue of poverty understood in its widest possible sense, said the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "Going well beyond a merely economic conception of poverty, Pope Francis has tried to indicate to the world the true poverty of the human condition in our times: the poverty of body and soul, pointing out all the forces at work in the world further impoverishing mankind," said Cardinal Gerhard Muller . He made the comments at a conference on poverty. In a keynote discussion, Cardinal Muller was asked to speak about his 2014 book, " Poor for the Poor: The Mission of the Church ," released by the Vatican Publishing House. Pope Francis wrote the preface to the book. "The mission of the church is to free mankind from the poverty of our fallen condition and constantly remind us that we are created in the image and likeness of God; we are the object of his divine l...