How we got the Stations of the Cross...
Some popular devotions arise as a substitute for something else. The scapular is a cut-down habit. The rosary is a simplified Psalter. The Hours of Our Lady is a smaller Liturgy of the Hours. And the Way of the Cross is a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The idea that the Stations of the Cross developed as European versions of a Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem when pilgrims could no longer safely travel due to the crusades it not quite right...
If your screen causes you to sin, cut it off...
Is it a sin to follow the news? Or to read commentators upon the news? Or to listen to podcasts that comment upon the commentators? Or to watch the YouTube videos of those picking apart the podcasts? It’s Lent, the season for more than the usual number of Confessions. And this Lent, as has increasingly been the case over the last half-dozen years or so, more and more penitents are confessing that they are following the news.
Missionaries of Mercy Gather in Rome as Pope Francis Praises Their ‘Ministry of Forgiveness’...
Genuine Courage: Not as the World Gives...
When Cardinal McElroy denounced President Donald Trump’s immigration policies at a conference on “Catholic Teaching and Work with Migrants”, he made a particularly awkward statement. He said that we have a choice between treating those at the borders with dignity and launching “a crusade which comes from the darkest parts of our American psyche and soul and history.” Perhaps Cardinal McElroy has forgotten that the word “crusade” refers literally to an endeavor that is “marked by the cross”.
Why does the Church celebrate Jubilee years?
The concept comes from the Old Testament, marking the completion of seven cycles of sabbath years, a time of rest given to the land every seven years. In the fiftieth year, not just the land but all of society would experience liberation and rest, marking a renewal of the freedom God gave his people in bringing them out of the slavery of Egypt. John Bergsma explains the importance of the biblical Jubilee in his book...
5 Takeaways on ‘Our Father’ and the Prodigal Son for the 4th Sunday of Lent This Sunday...
Think of the Prodigal Son parable as a story about the Our Father Prayer. We say the Our Father so often that we can forget just how powerful it is. The parable of the Prodigal Son can remind us. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that we live in a wonderful place: Our Father is in heaven and has made us citizens of his kingdom, where his name is hallowed and his will is done, and we hope for his reign to be fully established here on earth
Mothering Sunday, the Marko Rupnik Mess, and My Life’s Ambition...
We’re basically in the Lenten home stretch. This weekend is Mothering Sunday — which originates in the U.K. and is distinct from and predates the knockoff Hallmark version in May by several centuries. For those who aren’t familiar, the tradition of the day is to make a pilgrimage to your “mother church,” the church of your baptism, in preparation for Easter. You should call your mother on the day too, of course. That’s just good manners.
Mel Gibson’s ‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ to Begin Shooting in Italy This August...
Switching My Religion: 20% Around The Globe Have Left Their Childhood Faith...
An estimated one-fifth of adults around the world have left the faith group in which they were raised — with Christianity and Buddhism experiencing especially large losses from this “religious switching,” a new study reveals. The figures — compiled by the Pew Research Center following surveys of nearly 80,000 people in 36 countries...
Does the Vatican have group chats? What about cyber-security and the ‘pontifical secret’?
How to Face Death with Joy — From a Guy Who Stares at a Graveyard Every Morning...
The Hiddenness of God and Seeking Signs...
The politics of grievance has emerged with a vengeance again...
Why Men and Women’s Brains Are Wired Differently — And How It Affects Us All...
10 Quotes on the Annunciation from Pope St. John Paul II...
The ‘Snow White’ reboot was a box-office bomb in Week 1, and things went straight downhill in Week 2...
The math is bright red: The “Snow White” reboot was a box-office bomb in week one and things went straight downhill in week two.It’s possible that, if Disney gets honest about the production and promotion costs, this movie could be the biggest and most painful elite Hollywood bust of all time. This Forbes piece may have been the most optimistic take out there
Pope’s Sunday Angelus: Jesus Heals Our Wounds So We Can Love Others...
7 Amazing New Testament Women...
One notable aspect of the Christian moral revolution was its insistence that women are equal to men in dignity and worth. The earliest Christians took seriously the declaration in the book of Genesis that both men and women are created in God’s “image and likeness” (Gen 1:27). As the Gospel spread around the Mediterranean world, so did the biblical truth that men and women “are all one in Christ Jesus”...
Restoring the Soul of the Republic: Why This Is the Catholic Moment...
Picture a medieval city in Europe, with the cathedral at its center, the people gathered outside on the piazza. Or think of ancient Rome, where leaders gathered at the Forum to discuss public affairs or offer sacrifices to their gods. In early New England villages, the church on the town green also served as the meetinghouse. In these communities, political debates were never far removed from religious principles.
12 Proposals For Catholic Renewal In a Post-Institution Age...
There is a large and growing distrust with institutions in the US. In fact, it has reached record lows according to Gallup. Trust in “the church or organized religion” is at 31%. Read another way, 7 out of 10 Americans distrust organized religion, including the Catholic Church. But, other institutions lack the trust of the masses as well. Congress, news organizations, big businesses, the criminal justice system, banks, the Supreme Court, and public schools have even lower levels of trust than religion does...
Sydney Archbishop Credits Cardinal Pell’s Intercession for Miraculous Survival of Arizona Toddler...
Flannery O’Connor knew the grandmother and the serial killer...
She’s not to everyone’s taste. Tuesday was the 100th birthday of the writer Flannery O’Connor. She’s got her own volume in the Library of America series, the writer’s equivalent of the Hall of Fame, but you’re more likely to read her in a classroom than a book club. Her stories appeared not only in the more literary magazines...
Saint Mary's 2025 commencement speaker choice receives pushback...
Intrinsically Evil Acts and Repentance...
We tend to measure the morality of our behavior against the effects of our actions. The criteria seem reasonable, but some evil actions (such as dishonest stock trading) pay rich rewards. Among the most neglected concepts in Catholic moral theology are intrinsically evil acts that offend God. An “intrinsically evil act” is evil in itself...
Spiritual Indifference and the Road to Calvary...
In a particularly striking conversation between Jesus and his disciples, the disciples ask Jesus why he uses parables (stories) to explain what he is trying to convey to the followers around him. The disciples were enamored with Jesus’ methods probably because they were accustomed to the methods of the Scribes and Pharisees. Nevertheless, Jesus explains to the disciples that the premise behind the use of parables is to help them understand the keys to the kingdom...
Spring is calling. Answer, before it’s too late...
Pope Francis: ‘Even if We Hit Rock Bottom, God Lets Us Start Over With Him’...
Trump Administration Aims to Freeze $120 Million in Grants to Planned Parenthood, WSJ Reports...
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