VATICAN CITY - Christians must allow themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit if they expect to live a Christian life, Pope Francis said.

With the exception of scripture and a few Christian mystics, Christian spirituality, up to now, has been weak in presenting us with a vision for our retirement years.

What are you doing to leave a mark on this Earth?

There are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day. Are we using this time wisely?

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Nov. 13 (Malachi 4:1-2; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19)

Most people love to see the “bad guys” get what they deserve. There is something very satisfying about seeing a villain’s evil deeds finally catch up with him.

When discussions about Catholic fiction arise certain names are always mentioned: J.R.R. Tolkien, Flannery O’Connor, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Thomas Merton and so forth. Even C. S. Lewis comes up, even though he was a member of the Church of England.

On summer evenings, without intending it, one hears interesting conversations. 

TORONTO – Is there intelligent life outside of our planet? It’s possible, said Fr. Thomas O’Meara.

Look around. Three in 10 people you see claim they are pretty satisfied with life, happy, healthy and moral, too.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 17 (Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30)

There are many ways to relate a series of events, poetic, scientific, artistic and journalistic modes among them. When most people hear the word “history” they think of a straight-forward narration of unvarnished “facts.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is no such thing as an unbiased or dispassionate narrator — everyone has a point to make, an axe to grind, an agenda to address or an ideology to advance. This should not really surprise anyone, and there is nothing nefarious or sinister about it. 

INDIANAPOLIS - A new Indiana law that protects unborn children by banning abortions based on potential disabilities, gender and race "reflects the love that God has for everyone by affirming that every human life is sacred," Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin said.

TORONTO - We have the technology to extend life beyond its natural limits, so why not apply our technological resources to end a life when natural death eludes us? Why not take full responsibility for the control humans already exercise over life?

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis announced he is establishing a new office for laity, family and life, which combines the responsibilities of two pontifical councils.

PHILADELPHIA - A re-energized Pope Francis delighted tens of thousands of people crowded onto a thoroughfare in the city center on Saturday, delivering a folksy, off-the-cuff riff on family life that came late in the evening, and at the end of a long day of speeches and festivities that by any measure should have left the 78-year-old pontiff drained.

PHILADELPHIA - Approximately 2,000 members of the Knights of Columbus from around the country and abroad gathered Aug. 4 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia to open the Catholic fraternal organization's 133rd Supreme Convention.