Spirituality
Listening with open and forgiving hearts
Calling for an "ideological amnesty day," Patrick Walsh proposes that we set aside our hurts and resentments, if only for a moment, to encounter others with charity. By dropping our guard, we can allow the Lord to form us into one body and one spirit in Christ.
How to become what we receive in the Eucharist
A recent Pew survey found that only one third of U.S. Catholics believe in the real presence. If we start with a few simple tasks, others will come to see Christ in us, and we won't need a survey to tell us what we know in our hearts, writes Gina Christian.
Divine providence reveals the Lord’s love in countless ways
"Chance" encounters and help at the right time are just hints of the loving presence of God in our everyday lives, even amid suffering. In this set of articles from our partner Catholic News Service, we examine how the Lord mysteriously works all things for our good.
A Christian understanding of divine providence
God's real, direct presence in our lives is neither fate nor the product of human imagination. Even in the mystery of suffering, the Lord loves us utterly, deeply and without end.
The curious ways of providence
We often ask why bad things happen to good people, but an equally important question asks why good things happen to people of all kinds, unexpected things with much-needed results. The answer lies in God's mysterious presence in our lives.
Readings of the Holy Mass – Twentieth 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.
There’s a fire on earth, fanned by Jesus, in love
Msgr. Joseph Prior explains the Gospel and Jesus' disturbing call for division. Jesus seeks a purifying fire of love among people who will choose unity with each other and the Father, not the way of the world.
Squinting at heaven during Mary’s Assumption
Pondering the Blessed Mother's dazzling entrance into eternity helps us glimpse our lofty destiny, elevates our human dignity and strengthens belief in our own resurrection, writes Gina Christian.
Risks are minimal when drinking from common chalice
Father Ken Doyle cites a scientist's conclusion that taking Communion from the chalice "isn’t any riskier than standing in line at the movies," so germophobes have little to fear and much to gain during Communion.
Readings of the Holy Mass – Nineteenth 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.