The buzzer sounded so loud and harsh that John could hear it through the thick wooden door to the rectory. “What am I doing here?” he thought to himself as he saw the face of the gruff old priest appear in the tiny side window. More »

“He invites us to enter into the mystery of these wounds, which is the mystery of his merciful love.” —Pope Francis More »

Joseph of Arimathea had been a secret disciple of Jesus, too fearful to openly declare allegiance to the rabbi from Galilee and follow him. Nonetheless, he found the courage to disagree with the Sanhedrin’s plan to have Jesus put to death (Luke 23:51). More »

The fire of Christ’s love on the cross has not burnt out; it is not something of the past, of two thousand years ago, of which only the memory lives on. It exists now; it is alive. More »

The somber chant of the Miserere (Psalm 51) on Ash Wednesday instills within us the spirit of this season of repentance: More »

Did you know that the Hebrew word “selah” occurs seventy times in thirty-nine of the psalms? While we don’t know for certain what it means, many biblical scholars believe that selah was a musical term used to indicate a pause in a song, whether for emphasis or for reflection. More »

“God’s mercy overcomes every barrier and Jesus’ hand touches the leper. He does not stand at a safe distance and does not act by delegating, but places himself in direct contact with our contagion.” —Pope Francis More »

The title “Mother of God” is the Western church’s equivalent of the ancient Eastern title Theotokos, which means “God-bearer.” In 431, the Council of Ephesus sanctioned the title Theotokos for Mary as a way of declaring and protecting the divinity of Christ. The title declares the most important truth about Mary: She is the Mother of God. More »