I thought it would be worthwhile to return to Pope Francis’ wonderful Apostolic Exhortation On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World—Gaudete et Exsultate, because this should be the goal of each one of us, as well as for the whole Church: holiness means the happiness that comes from union with God that reaches its […]Read more

August 15 marks one of the most important Marian feast day of the year: The Assumption. This day commemorates when Mary was assumed into Heaven, body and soul. In 1950, Pope Pius XII made it a dogma of the Church, an unquestionable teaching that verified this undeniable truth. While the New Testament makes no explicit […]Read more

Blessed are the Merciful… and Peacemakers. Learning to forgive is key to happiness and holiness in relationships because it is key to peace. We best learn this very Christian response, which is never easy, in the family. As Pope Francis reminds us: When we have been offended or let down, forgiveness is possible and desirable, […]Read more

We honor our parents not because they give us what we want but because they represent our merciful God who gives us his loving and life-giving Spirit: What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will […]Read more

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:10). Pope Francis notes: Unless we wish to sink into an obscure mediocrity, let us not long for an easy life, for “whoever would save his life will lose it” (Matthew 16:25). In living the Gospel, we cannot […]Read more

In his famous discourse on love, St. Paul says that love “does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Pope Francis comments on this: The expression chaírei epì te adikía has to do with a negativity lurking deep within a person’s heart. It is the toxic attitude of those who […]Read more

Pope Francis reminds us that true love—essential for peace—“is not irritable” or easily provoked. [In St. Paul, irritable] refers to a violent reaction within, a hidden irritation that sets us on edge where others are concerned, as if they were troublesome or threatening and thus to be avoided. To nurture such interior hostility helps no […]Read more

Note: This article was originally published by The Vatican news at VaticanNews.va. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith releases a document detailing new norms regarding cases of reported supernatural phenomena. As a rule, neither the local bishop nor the Holy See will declare that these phenomena are of supernatural origin, but will only […]Read more

It seems Mass with my almost two-year-old has me spending the majority of the time in the back of church. I find myself allowing her to exercise some of her energy, while I try to still fully participate in the liturgy. With all of my children I have always pointed to the elevated host as […]Read more