Spirituality
Readings of the Holy Mass – Sixth Sunday of Easter
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.
Holy Spirit moving in church through ‘sense of the faithful’
The concept of the "sensus fidelium" represents the teaching that church leaders and the people possess a "shared spiritual instinct for the truth of the faith," as our package of reflections explains.
‘Sensus fidelium’: The sense of the faithful
Jesus' promise for the Holy Spirit to "guide you to all truth" applies to the apostles, the pope and the bishops, and to the faithful collectively. This "sense" represents a profound unity that is crucial to the church's identity.
An instinct: Always faithful
Nourished by prayer and worship, the faithful gain knowledge and understanding of the faith from the community of believers that is the church, writes Catholic catechist Daniel Mulhall.
A sacred ‘common sense’
Although Catholics may be unaware of it, they possess a kind of spiritual instinct that helps to guide the church. John Henry Newman described a "breathing together" of church teaching and people's lived experience.
Heaven is an encounter with Jesus, not a boring waiting room, pope says
During his weekday homily April 27, Pope Francis said that during our active journey to encounter Jesus in heaven, he "isn't sitting there waiting, but ... he works for us," preparing a place for us.
Readings of the Holy Mass – Fifth Sunday of Easter
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.
Life in the vine yields a rich harvest of fruit
Jesus uses the image of a vine and its branches to describe our relationship with him, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior. Through word and sacrament, we remain in his love and become living witnesses of the Gospel.
Holy smoke — must a church use so much incense?
Father Ken Doyle answers a reader who is incensed at the use of smoke to symbolize our rising prayers at Mass. Also, he addresses whether it is right to give money to beggars on the street.
The logic of sports and life
Sports and spiritual life resemble each other in notable ways that caught St. Paul's attention in his First Letter to the Corinthians, in which he urged Corinth's Christians to "run so as to win," an image of athletes training for the ancient Isthmian Games.