Mary’s response to the angel is to express complete openness to God’s will for her life: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” More »

One of the iconic images of the twentieth century is a tiny woman in a white and blue sari walking the slums of India, caring for the sick and dying. Blessed Teresa of Kolcata (August 26, 1910–September 5, 1997), or Mother Teresa of Calcutta as she is more commonly known, was proclaimed a living saint long before her death from heart failure. More »

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to [Jesus] with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” More »

In one sense, it was a routine duty: Forty days after giving birth to a son, every Jewish woman was required to bring an offering before the priest—a lamb and a pigeon or turtledove if she could afford it—or two turtledoves or pigeons if she was poor. More »

Marianne Cope is the eleventh American citizen to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. Her feast day is January 23. More »

Magi were learned sages from the East. The word magoi, meaning “wise men,” was the Greek form of the Old Persian magav. Perhaps Persian astrologers of a priestly caste, Matthew’s wise men are the first to seek an encounter with Jesus. More »

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us. More »

A friend was struggling. You could see it in his eyes and in his growing estrangement from his family and from church. I prayed for him, sensing he was headed for deep trouble. And since the need was so great and the crisis so near, I entrusted my friend to the care of St. Nicholas of Myra. More »