What shall we make of the burning Holy Land, during a Christmastide when we celebrate the angelic announcement of a messianic birth that marks the inbreaking of the peaceable kingdom of Isaiah 11:6-9?

The point of religious art and imagery is not so much to give us a perfect, historically accurate picture of events that occurred in the life of Jesus.

It’s all about accompaniment, this declaration, but — both theologically and pastorally — some will doubtlessly find it confusing and yes, messy.

The new document teaches that people seeking God shouldn’t be turned away, regardless of their state of life or moral situation.

The examen is not a call to review your sinfulness, like an examination of conscience, although you may find things in your day for which you are sorry. It’s often called an examination of “consciousness” because it reviews your life as you’ve lived it in the past 24 hours.

God will never dishonor himself by going back on this tremendous gift of free will. And when our choices cause us pain, God never stops encouraging us to “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:16).

For Catholics, Dec. 25 is only the beginning of the celebration of Christmas. As others pack away the decorations, we continue to celebrate the gift of Christ, ever present for us in the Eucharist — a continual manifestation of God’s loving care for us all year long.

The migration phenomenon is not easy to understand, but understanding it is not as important as our concern for those who seek protection for their families, especially for the many children involved in these migrant situations.

The family of the Church responded to them by striving to carry out the mission that Jesus entrusted to us.

The Magnificat is among the most theologically powerful speeches in the entirety of the New Testament.