Think back to your own first holy Communion – and all the Communions since then. Why would you receive a minimal piece of bread and a sip of wine if not for what it truly is?

It will take months, perhaps the rest of the year, to get to the point where enough people have been vaccinated that everything can return to normal – or a new normal. It will be exceedingly good to get back to Mass and the sacraments, resume gatherings with friends and families, and participate in parish activities and in-person classes.

In addition to the crucifix on the wall in your home, the Catholic Review wants to be there to help you live your Catholic faith, day in and day out.

President Biden cannot force his opponents to listen to facts, but if he truly wants to unite the country, he needs to do things a lot different from the way past administrations have done.

Even with the many challenges of a difficult year, the Catholic Review accomplished great things in 2020.

Politics doesn’t have to be unfriendly and confrontational. We can be so much better than that.

In his new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship,” the pope addresses the ways the world has been divided and how certain trends hinder the development of universal fraternity.

Whatever the color of your skin, if you want to be part of the solution, a good place to start would be to participate in the town hall Oct. 26. Vote Nov. 3. And then take action in your community to make things better.

If each and every person takes responsibility for wearing a mask, social distancing and washing their hands frequently, we can make a difference.

As we mark the centenary of the birth of Karol Wojtyla, who became St. John Paul II, it caused me to reflect on moments of my life that intersected with the man who was pope for a great chunk of my life and career in Catholic journalism.