World Youth Day was more than an antidote to the isolation and anger that are so much a part of today’s culture. It was an event, a moment in history, when Christ’s presence in the power of the Holy Spirit was experienced, an experience that happened precisely by coming together, by journeying together in trust and friendship.
Commentary
The day my nephew moved into my alma mater
When my nephew was looking at colleges last year, he decided to apply to my alma mater, Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For some reason, I didn’t think it was likely he would go. But F&M offered him a spot in the Class of 2027—and he said yes! As the weeks of summer […]
“Holy Women, Holy Lives”: Nominations open for the Maryland Catholic Woman of the Year
You may know a woman who demonstrates spirituality, leadership, and service to Christ, His Church, and society. You have the opportunity to nominate her for this award.
Question Corner: prayer’s validity and whether priests can make mistakes
God is indeed present always and everywhere, and he loves us unconditionally no matter where we are. It’s not as though God is somehow absent from us unless (or until) we say a certain prayer.
A bishop’s challenge to ‘We used to be Catholics…’
What so many have lost is a broad vision and narrative for all humanity; what they’ve lost is faith in Jesus Christ and confidence in his Father’s plan.
Praying for a baby on the way
Praying the Rosary on your own is a beautiful experience. But praying the Rosary in a group setting, gathered around a mother-to-be, knowing a new little life is growing inside her, is extraordinarily powerful.
The street named ‘Abundance’ still speaks to Catholic Education
Parents who sacrifice to send their children to Catholic school are practicing divine abundance, giving even when the giving hurts because there is a child at stake.
Clergy and laity: Both could have been more courageous during COVID-19
It is not every day that you see a cardinal publicly do an after-action review on what we got right, and what we could improve upon.
30 years later, ‘Veritatis Splendor’ remains a forceful guide to living a moral life
If the moral life is one lived in love, then its rules seem less like burdens placed upon one’s shoulders and more like guideposts that illuminate the boundaries of the straight and narrow path of holiness.
Question Corner: Post-COVID, why can’t we use intinction rather than the communal cup?
The Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops specifically allows for the possibility of intinction in its document “Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America.”
Transfiguration moments for parents
On the Feast of Transfiguration, I’ve been reflecting on the transfiguration moments in my own life, when I look at our children and see God at work within them.
‘Veritatis Splendor’ at 30: Four essential truths taught by St. John Paul II
Aug. 6 marks the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s encyclical “Veritatis Splendor” (“The Splendor of Truth”).