There is absolutely no reason to be fearful and no need to rehearse what you might say. Jesus promises: “I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute” (21:15). More »

In February 1927, with one stroke of the pen, Mexican President General Plutarco Elias Calles turned every priest in his country into an outlaw. He ordered them to leave their posts, wherever they were, and to report immediately to Mexico City. More »

Here’s a paradox that is central to Christianity: We lose what we keep, and we gain what we give away! “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it,” Jesus told his disciples (Luke 17:33). More »

Sometimes, the voice of a saint echoes clearly to us down through the centuries. As a young adult, I found myself struggling, in the ordinary way of young people, with feeling alienated from God. More »

“A pure block of purpose.” That’s how a friend of Newman’s summed up his life. From start to finish, Blessed John Henry Newman pursued one singular, overarching quest: the quest for truth. More »

September 15th is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. It is a longstanding tradition in our church to wear a medal of Our Lady of Sorrows. Many people, in fact, have been wearing this particular sacramental for years, and would never be parted from it. More »

For centuries, God had been promising his people a Savior, one who would “shepherd his flock” and whose greatness would “reach to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:3). And over the generations, countless Jews waited, trusting that God’s promises would be fulfilled. That’s why the birth of Mary was such a momentous event: It signaled the era of fulfillment. More »

Is there anyone among the first Christians more famous than St. Paul? This man of God traveled the world, broke cultural barriers, wrote some of our most enduring literature, and established a network of churches that would forever change the face of Europe and the Middle East. More »