Seven Lenten steps to prepare for Christ
Lent should be a time for Catholics to spiritually prepare for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection and less about forgoing materialistic things.
Losing their religion: More women join the unspiritual set
Nadia Bulkin, 27, the daughter of a Muslim father and a Christian mother, spends “zero time” thinking about God.
Pope names St. Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Church
VATICAN CITY - A 10th-century Armenian monk has been named among the doctors of the Church.
God is present even amid temptation
Does anyone really look forward to Lent? What is it about Lent that excites us? What aspects of the Lenten journey test us? The scriptural readings for this season are carefully chosen so as to replay salvation history before our very eyes.
Return with tears to God's loving embrace during Lent, Pope says
ROME - Lent is a journey of purification and penance, a movement that should bring one tearfully back to the loving arms of the merciful Father, Pope Francis said at an Ash Wednesday Mass that began with a procession on Rome's Aventine Hill.
Overcoming a globalization of indifference
Editor’s note: over the coming weeks, Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB, will offer a series of biblical reflections on Lent.
On Ash Wednesday the Church begins her great Lenten journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. For centuries, Lent has been a very intense spiritual journey and experience for the followers of Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis calls for a welcoming church that isn’t afraid of the margins
VATICAN CITY - In a powerful homily that signalled his desire to push ahead with historic reforms, Pope Francis on Sunday (Feb. 15) said the Roman Catholic Church must be open and welcoming, whatever the costs.
Becoming a cardinal is a call to greater love, patience, Pope says
VATICAN CITY - In a Valentine's Day ceremony to create 20 new cardinals, Pope Francis offered a meditation on Christian love and, especially, what it means for those who guide and minister in the church.
Sealed with a kiss: The religious history of X and O (Commentary)
When I was a young girl, my mother taught me to add “x” and “o” — a kiss and a hug — after my signature. So deeply embedded was this English-language tradition that it never crossed her mind that these symbols had anything to do with religion. I never thought about it myself until she passed away a few years ago and I found myself emitting streams of “x’s” and “o’s” like a binary love code in the countless emails that consume much of my daily life.
Pope Benedict has no regret, doubt about decision to retire, aide says
VATICAN CITY - Retired Pope Benedict XVI has never doubted or regretted his decision to resign, knowing it was the right thing to do for the good of the Church, said Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household and personal secretary to the retired pope.
Pope Francis wants “absolute transparency,” pushes Vatican reform
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called for a Vatican that operates with “absolute transparency” as he gathered more than 165 cardinals in Rome for high-level meetings aimed at tackling one of the toughest challenges of his reformist papacy: overhauling the dysfunctional bureaucracy of the Roman Curia.