Self-giving love is not optional

Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 28 (Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145; Revelation 21:1-5; John 13:1, 31-33, 34-35)

Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ was not an easy task in the first century. It often involved the loss of friends, the estrangement of family and alienation from one’s culture. Occasionally violent persecution was thrown in.

Jesus shows us how to pray in a crisis

How do we lift our darkest, most depressed, most lonely moments up to God? How can we pray when we are most deeply alone, helpless and our whole world seems to be collapsing?

Pope Francis leads his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 17, one of several occasions on which he mentioned the devil.

Battle with the devil: Pope Francis frames the fight in Jesuit terms

VATICAN CITY - In the teaching of Pope Francis, the devil has a more dastardly agenda than just convincing people to break one of the Ten Commandments; "the enemy" wants them to feel weak, worthless and always ready to complain or gossip.

Br. Anthony lost part of his arm in an industrial accident. To Br. Anthony, it wasn’t a tragedy however. Instead, he would tell people about his prosthetic arm, “This is grace.”

Br. Anthony found his home in God

Every immigrant who ever came to Canada dreaming of something better, something worthy of their best hopes, struggled, wished they had never come and wanted to go home has a soul brother in Br. Anthony Kowalczyk.

True faith withstands all

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 21 (Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelation 7:9, 14-17; John 10:27-30)

Major imperatives within mature discipleship

In his autobiography, Morris West suggests that at a certain age our lives simplify and we need have only three phrases left in our spiritual vocabulary: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! He is right, if we understand fully what is implied in living out gratitude. Gratitude is the ultimate virtue, undergirding everything else, even love. It is synonymous with holiness.

Pope Francis gives a thumbs up as he leaves his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 10.

Being Christian means acting, loving like Christ, Pope says at audience

VATICAN CITY - A Christian isn't a person who simply follows some commandments, but is a person who tries to think like Christ, "act like him, love like him," Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience.

Franciscan Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo is pictured at the Franciscan general curia offices in Rome in 2010. The superior general of the Order of Friars Minor has been appointed by Pope Francis as secretary of the Vatican office that oversees the world 's religious orders. It was the new pope's first curial appointment.

Pope names head of Franciscans to Vatican office overseeing religious

VATICAN CITY - In his first appointment to the curia, Pope Francis named the superior of the Franciscans as secretary of the Vatican office that oversees the world's religious orders.

Pope Francis greets the crowd from the central balcony of the Basilica of St. John Lateran after celebrating Mass at the the basilica in Rome April 7. The pope formally took possession of the basilica, his seat as bishop of Rome. Also pictured is Cardina l Agostino Vallini, papal vicar for Rome.

At Rome's cathedral, Pope Francis celebrates God's patience

ROME - Celebrating his first Mass in the cathedral of Rome, Pope Francis called on Christians to trust in God's endless patience and mercy.

This photo by AP photographer Gregorio Borgia of Pope Francis embracing 8-year-old Dominic Gondreau, who has cerebral palsy, captured the attention of people around the world. The moment took place after the new pontiff celebrated his first Easter Mass i n St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 31.

The papal hug that touched the world

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — By Easter Monday, it would be the shot seen around the world.

We are called to be witnesses to God’s kingdom

Third Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 14 (Acts 5:28-32, 40-41; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19)

It is well known that dictatorial or totalitarian regimes rule by fear. The oppressed know that they must keep silent at the least and maybe even mouth the party line. The consequences for not doing so are fearsome. Even so-called democratic cultures and societies also use a form of fear to coerce people — the fear of ridicule, exclusion or labelling. The message is clear: do not challenge the status quo or the powers that be, even if they are somewhat benign.

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