Life is God’s most precious gift. Please never consider ending it. No matter what problems you have, no matter how serious they may be, no matter how much pain they cause, God, and many good people, as well as professional organizations, are there to help you. You are not alone! Sept. 10 was World Suicide […]
There’s nothing small about the heartbreaking suffering caused by small arms. Everyday a thousand people die from gunshot wounds, and three times as many people are severely injured. “If the death, injury and disability resulting from small arms were categorized as a disease, it would qualify as an epidemic,” said Rebecca Peters, former director of […]
You may not think about it. You may not pray about it. You may not even know about it. But like it or not, if you’ve been baptized, God is calling you to be a prophet. “A prophet? Who me?” That’s right, a prophet. And yes, you! Now just because you probably don’t predict the […]
During the recent World Youth Day in Portugal, one of the 10 young people who had the unique opportunity to enjoy lunch with Pope Francis, Peruvian Clara Yacolca Farfan, 24, told Catholic News Service, “Some of us asked for his advice on how young people today can face some issues that are difficult, that are […]
The Catholic Church has a big secret. It is so powerful, challenging, and relevant, that if every bishop, priest, religious and layperson was committed to communicating and implementing this secret, it would turn society upside-down and transform the world. However, revealing its contents, and urging the full application of its message, would surely cause great […]
“We are living at a crucial moment for humanity, in which peace seems to give way to war. Conflicts are growing, and stability is increasingly put at risk. We are experiencing a third world war fought piecemeal, which, as time passes, seems to become ever more widespread,” warned Pope Francis to members of the United […]
For many of us who strive to seriously practice faith in Jesus Christ, and to extend that practice out into the marketplace, the political square and society at large, persecution rarely means more than being ridiculed, verbally harassed, and to a certain degree socially and politically marginalized. But for so many other Christians throughout the […]
“It’s a record that should never have been set,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. The record? Over 100 million people around the world have been forced to flee from gang violence, armed conflicts, war, global warming induced droughts, hunger, extreme poverty – in all, countless situations offering no hope. Grandi boldly asserted, […]
There is no shortage of those who speak and act as though war is inevitable. In ancient history, in recent history, and in our own day, war has, and continues to have, its unholy heel on the neck of humanity – especially the neck of humanity’s poor and vulnerable. People training for war, people making […]
Are you ready for Laudato Si’ Week? Is your parish ready? Perhaps you are wondering, “What is Laudato Si’ Week?” And for that matter, what does Laudato Si’ mean? Laudato Si’ is medieval Italian for “Praise be to you.” It is a quote from St. Francis of Assisi’s beautiful “Canticle of the Creatures,” “Praise be […]
