Spirituality

Ash Wednesday: A kick-start to holiness

One shouldn’t just give up a sin for Lent, we should give up sins for life. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving can help us move beyond the removal of sin and into a more intimate relationship with God.

The fire inside, and our return to ashes

The church asks us to begin Lent by letting someone touch us with ashes. "Remember," we are told at the moment of being touched. It’s a deeply physical and utterly spiritual act.

Rules for fasting and abstinence

Fasting and abstinence are central practices of our Lenten observance. See the regulations for both in the Latin Rite Catholic Church.

Give up gossiping for Lent, pope suggests

Lent is a good time to concentrate on fighting the urge to gossip about others and instead trying to correct one's own faults and defects, Pope Francis said.

The Stations of the Cross

Follow our prayerful meditation on the passion and death of Jesus Christ, station by station, using the beautiful artwork from a parish in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

Spring can’t be rushed, nor can God’s plan for us

At this point, the charm of winter has worn off and impatience for transformation plagues Jessica Carney's prayer life. But she knows God is patient with creation and his will remains at work, drop by drop.

It’s never too late to become Catholic

A devout senior citizen, raised Protestant, can still be received into the Catholic faith through a modified RCIA process, writes Father Kenneth Doyle. In response to another reader, Father Doyle affirms that Ukrainian and Latin-rite Catholics are in full communion.

When we look within, mercy takes the place of judgment

Jesus calls us to examine our hearts for any thoughts or feelings that are not of God, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior. Through such reflection, we develop compassion for others.

Readings of the Holy Mass – Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Read or listen to the readings before Mass with these resources from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, using the New American Bible, Revised Edition.

God’s wrath is just as great as his mercy, pope says

Christians must not take advantage of God's forgiveness -- selfishly repeating sin after sin -- because God's wrath for those who refuse to change their ways is just as great as his mercy, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.