The only aspect of Christianity that the modern world seems willing to accept is service to others — so long as we don’t mention that we’re serving Christ in them.

If we cooperate with baptismal grace, the sacrament guarantees that we can “participate in the divine life of the Trinity” first of all by receiving the theological virtues: faith, hope and love.

We deepen our relationship with Christ through our Lenten disciplines and look to his crucifixion, death and resurrection to overcome the darkness that can cause us to struggle and despair.

Those truly filled with Christ’s self-giving love cannot remain self-enclosed but instead are impelled to become a diffuser of his truth and love by how they live, what they say and by their love of others, especially those in need.

Pope Francis in his dozen years and counting has reformed the curia, overhauled Vatican finances, brought women and laymen into positions of authority, and appointed cardinals from the periphery rather than just the traditional cardinalate sees.

Lent isn’t just a time for repairing what you’ve failed to maintain. It can be a time for refurbishing, revising and revitalizing. For getting started on “You 2.0.”

The lives of the saints are filled with examples of heroic virtue (faith, hope and love), but they weren’t born with it. And it was never just handed to them, no matter how they came to Christ.

I was rinsing dishes in the sink when my younger son—who’s 15—came into the kitchen. “So, what will it be like when we go to college?” he said. “Will you miss us?”

Here’s how the eight out of 10 films I was able to see hold up in the human dignity department.

Under ordinary circumstances, the church does not allow non-Catholics to receive Holy Communion. But this discipline is not meant to “keep people away from Jesus.”