As the flurry of distressed reactions to this declaration reminds us, the Catholic vision of marriage, family life, and human sexuality exists in a secular environment that regards the faith with profound hostility.

In the dreariness of January, we might be feeling kind of meh. Well, it turns out there’s a saint for that.

Because the issue of migration evokes disparate responses from different parts of the electorate, it will never be resolved unless there are compromises, which are an essential element of our political system.

For meaningful change to happen in our lives we may have to face the fact that it will mean allowing God to take charge of them, and then each of us slouching our way toward surrender.

Jesus’ baptism truly is a major “turning of the page” in Jesus’ life, since, after his baptism at the hands of John the Baptist his quiet, hidden life became one of public ministry, wherein he actively sought to make his saving mission and identity known and proclaimed.

Consider for a moment how endlessly the Lord, too, calls us to himself, and how greatly he wants us to respond.

Some days we might be like the shepherd in the fields, meeting God unexpectedly without warning. Other days we might be more like the wise men, following a star, looking for God and answering his invitation to be with him.

We might be facing a contentious election season this year, but we can never forget how much we have to look forward to.

U.S. Catholicism’s intellectual life is robust, dynamically orthodox, and culture-enriching — unlike Catholic intellectual life in those large swathes of western Europe where “Follow the Zeitgeist to Mordor” is the order of the day.

The Catholic Church does not recognize any Protestant denomination as having the Real Presence in the Eucharist.