Spirituality
If Freemasons do good works, can a Catholic join them?
Father Ken Doyle presents Catholic teaching on the Masons, and how they differ from the Knights of Columbus, in answer to a reader. Another reader pleads for reverence in church, and Father Doyle agrees completely.
Christ our light dispels the darkness of fear and pain
Msgr. Joseph Prior illuminates the Scripture readings for this Sunday's Mass, which present Jesus as the light leading his disciples to holiness, just as he begins his public ministry.
Readings of the holy Mass – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Read or listen to the readings before Mass with the resources below from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, using the New American Bible, Revised Edition.
Should you pray to saints according to their ‘specialties’?
When we pray, it enhances our faith to know that the particular saint we ask to help might well have a special sympathy for our own circumstance, writes Father Ken Doyle in his Q&A column on matters of the faith.
Is it sinful to tell a ‘white lie’ to spare someone’s feelings?
A simple question sometimes requires a complex answer. Father Ken Doyle examines the catechism's take on lying, and "whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it."
The Christian’s mission: to point to Christ, source of life
Msgr. Joseph Prior sees in the readings for this Sunday's Mass words of encouragement to keep the mission of evangelization in focus, as did St. John the Baptist and St. Paul, and not lose sight of it.
Readings of the holy Mass — Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Read or listen to the readings before Mass with the resources below from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, using the New American Bible, Revised Edition.
Can a woman preach the homily at Mass?
Father Ken Doyle explains the church's rules for priests and deacons only to preach, but that in some cases a bishop may allow laypersons to offer a reflection. Also, Father Doyle explains a Catholic-Jewish wedding.
Cremation, burial at sea and the resurrection
Father Ken Doyle, in answering two questions about burial practices, clears up misconceptions about the church's policies and theology concerning a deceased person's remains, and the raising of the dead.
Look for Jesus today, and when you see him, rejoice
Just as the magi and other characters of the Christmas story sought Jesus and gave him homage, so we also must do every day in thanks for his great love, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior on the feast of the Epiphany.