Spirituality
The wisdom of excommunication, and of 10-minute homilies
Father Ken Doyle answers a reader's question about how excommunicating a politician (i.e., New York's governor) works, and Pope Francis' call for brief homilies and attentive listeners.
Poverty, humility needed to heal wounded hearts, pope says
Those who proclaim the Gospel must embrace humility and poverty to give an authentic witness to faith and not use others to climb the ladder of success, Pope Francis said.
Changed by Mass, we are sent to transform the world
The final installment of a seven-part series on the Mass looks at how the Eucharist equips us for service to God and one another as missionary disciples of Christ.
Mass has ended – now what?
After celebrating the Eucharist, we are blessed to "go in peace," seeking the guidance of the Spirit in serving others and letting others serve us.
Mass, a hurricane of grace, draws us out of the eye of ‘I’
Just as bread and wine are transformed at Mass into the body and blood of Christ, a priest is forever changed by tending the flock entrusted to him.
Following Jesus is a daily choice, pope tells religious at Vatican
Christians truly encounter Jesus through concrete events in life that occur "every day; not every now and then," the pope said in his homily for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day for Consecrated Life.
World needs courageous prophets, pope says at Angelus
All men and women, especially those who are suffering, can gain hope by encountering "people who are courageous and persevering in responding to the Christian vocation," the pope said before reciting the Angelus Feb. 3 with people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Before you ‘say the word,’ read up on holy Communion
Part six of a seven-part series on the Mass looks into the culmination of the sacred mysteries in the Communion rite. See two reflections and videos in preparation for receiving the Body and Blood of Christ.
Person to person, the body of Christ
Extraordinary ministers of holy Communion extend the participation of the laity in the Mass, knowing well the honor and intensity of that grace-filled moment for each communicant.
Called to celebrate a deeper communion
If the liturgy is truly the source and summit of the church's life, the Communion rite is the source and summit of the liturgy. A catechist offers three points to remember before we receive the Lord.