Spirituality
Finding the God of mercy through prayer
Effie Caldarola knew God loved her -- theoretically. A retreat on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius 20 years ago helped her to really believe God loved her. She is still working on it.
If husband is ‘born again,’ does he need to fix the house?
Father Ken Doyle answers a reader's question about the "rapture." He also clears up confusion regarding holy days of obligation falling on a Monday.
If your heart isn’t open to God, yoga won’t help, pope says
Courses in yoga, Zen meditation, even extensive studies in church teaching and spirituality can never free people enough to open their hearts to God and his love, Pope Francis said in a morning homily Jan 9.
Cheers in church? It’s not always wrong
The issue of applause during Mass reveals the Catholic Church's diversity, writes Father Ken Doyle, who also addresses annulments of non-Catholic marriages.
Only by loving, serving others can people come to know God, pope says
Only people who love, and love in concrete ways -- not just with words -- can know God because God is love, Pope Francis said.
Pray and make peace through small daily efforts, pope says
Peace is not just an absence of war, Pope Francis said, but the condition of a person who is in harmony with him- or herself, with nature and with others. "You don't get along with that person? Make peace. In your home? Make peace. In the community? Make peace. At work? Make peace."
The pope said what? It could be a Facebook mash-up
Father Ken Doyle finds the source of a reader's confusion: Words from two speeches by Pope Francis, pulled together into one unlikely statement on social media.
Is abusing prescription drugs a mortal sin?
Father Ken Doyle advises a faithful Catholic, and addict, to get the help physical and spiritual help he needs. Father Doyle also addresses the question of whether it's OK to pray the Hail Mary during Mass.
When to mark holy days of obligation still leads to confusion
The rules for whether a holy day is obligatory vary greatly, and whether it's an obligation on a Saturday or Monday confuses many people. Father Ken Doyle tries to clear up the dilemma.
Pope: Self-righteous rebels are doomed, repentant sinners are saved
"The people who are humble, lowly and trust in the Lord, they are the ones who are saved, and this is the way of the church, right?" Pope Francis said during morning Mass today at the Vatican.