While the inclusion of Jesus’ genealogy may seem tedious to us today, it establishes Jesus’ place within the Jewish tradition and his continuity with great Old Testament figures. More »

When the Mexican teenager walked into the county jail, he was understandably nervous. The nineteen-year-old, baby-faced Hispanic youth had never been in jail before and he had no idea what to expect. More »

When you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." —Isaiah 30:21. More »

Forty-five years is a long time in a person's life, but not necessarily in the life of the church. Consider, for example, that it took well over a century for the reforms of the Council of Trent to take hold. More »

If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 
(James 2:15-17) More »

Today we celebrate the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This building is the oldest and ranks the first among the four great basilicas in Rome (along with St. Peter's, St. Paul's, and St. Mary Major). It was donated to the church by the Emperor Constantine in 311, and since then it has been revered as the mother church of cathedrals everywhere. More »

The prophet Ezekiel pictured Yahweh as a shepherd caring for Israel, his scattered flock: "For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out." More »

Cathy, a woman in her early sixties, found out six months ago that she was dying of cancer. Cathy had always seemed very confident and determined to live life to the fullest. But both she and her husband Rick fear that her confidence and strong will may not be enough to help her withstand the inevitable. More »