Back in high school, we students noticed when Mr. Q dropped his customary bow-tie, had his hair cut and started smiling more. We knew he was in love. Sure enough, he started appearing at school events with his fiancée in tow.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Feb. 6 (Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11)

Isaiah was terror stricken, for he found himself where he should not be — in the very presence of God. Never had he felt the vast gulf between humanity and divinity so acutely as he did when he witnessed and felt God’s glory and power within the divine throne room. He did not expect to survive the encounter.

ROME -- A cardinal who had served as an aide to now-retired Pope Benedict XVI and was present for his meetings with survivors of clerical sexual abuse said he "never found in him any shadow or attempt to hide or minimize anything."

VATICAN CITY -- A Vatican editorial defended retired Pope Benedict XVI's record in fighting clerical sexual abuse after the release of a report that accused him of mishandling four cases during his time as archbishop of Munich.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Jan. 30 (Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19; Psalm 71; 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 4:21-30)

Many people agonize over what they should do with their lives, but Jeremiah had no such problem. His life was signed, sealed and delivered by God, who made it clear that refusal was not an option.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis officially has declared St. Irenaeus of Lyon a doctor of the church.

Dennis Girard considers the Canada54 Novena from Jan. 6 to Feb. 28 an “ice bridge” moment for the Marian Devotional Movement.

VATICAN CITY -- When the goal of Christian unity seems far off, "let us remind ourselves that we are making this journey not as those who already possess God but as those who continue to seek him," Pope Francis told members of an ecumenical pilgrimage from Finland.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Jan. 23 (Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21)

The task facing Ezra and Nehemiah was enormous. The people of Israel had returned to the ruins of Jerusalem after 50 years of exile in Babylon. But there was a problem: their way of life and their understanding of their religion had become a dim and fading memory rather than a vibrant reality. They had to rebuild the political and religious structures of the nation as well as the temple. But most of all, they had to remember and rekindle their religious understanding.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan. 16 (Year C) Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-12

Spoken words can cause great hurt and long-lasting damage.