It is human to be afraid. But this year, in our Lenten disciplines, let us place all of the fears we’re conscious of — or will admit to — into the vast depths of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Christ, who said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).

In this continuing series on the origins of Catholicism in the 50 states, the story of New England begins in a region that was, from the start, among the least welcoming places in early America for Catholics.

Parents are called to monitor technology use and help children become critical engagers of media. This responsibility is not only practical — it is profoundly spiritual.

Retreats are a time away from our normal activities to spend time getting reacquainted with God, to examine the priorities of life and to make concrete and practical resolutions for improvement. Retreats can be a powerful step toward personal conversion.

If we persist in making it nothing more than partisan political theater — a measure of the disunion of America — it might be time to return to the practice of Jefferson and others, and quietly deliver an actual report rather than a red-meat partisan speech.

Practically speaking, when a respondent is willing to participate in the nullity process, this greatly helps the canon lawyer judges in a trial come to a fair and accurate decision, insofar as hearing from the respondent gives the judges a fuller picture of what actually happened.

If we approach “the AI Revolution” with only an eye to potential benefits, we’ll blindly accept the deleterious consequences to human life and society. We’ll automate ourselves into irrelevance without meaning to. We’ll outsource our humanity one convenience at a time.

Today, in a global culture dominated by the notion that everything in the human condition is plastic, malleable, and changeable by acts of human will — the insistence that nothing is given — the question on which the future of Christian mission and service to the world depends is, “Who are we?” Are we simply congealed stardust, the happy but accidental byproduct of billions of years of random cosmic biochemical forces?

As tensions escalate following the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, we share this prayer to St. Francis of Assisi — a timeless intercessor for peace — which Pope Leo XIV shared with leaders of the Franciscan order on the beginning of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death in January 2026.

First, it’s fine to give up wine for Lent but it’s better to give up whining. Lent is the perfect time to examine ourselves. Do we whine too much? Second, let’s replace whining with mutual encouragement, bonds of charity, unity and fraternity.