At the moment of , the most marvelous and terrifying event occurs, we are drafted into military service. Just as a civilian’s status changes to “Active Military” as soon as he or she begins Basic Training, so too do we become soldiers of Christ and full-fledged members of the Church …

For collaboration between different religious traditions Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice, and human fraternity.

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Sep 29, 2025 / 04:00 am Many Catholics can, at the drop of a hat, recite the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel — the famous petition to that venerable saint to “defend us in battle” and “cast into hell Satan.” In the culture of the …

Two thousand years ago, in a place near Bethany beyond the Jordan river, Jesus asked this question of Andrew: “What are you looking for?” (Jn. 1:38). These are the first words that Jesus speaks in John’s Gospel. His question becomes a theme: He asks it after the Resurrection of Mary …

While reflecting on vocations, my imagination kept landing on my favorite lines from The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. They’re from a conversation between Frodo, a small hobbit, and Gandalf, a wise, old wizard, in the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf is explaining a …

As the Church marks the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Abbot Marion Nguyen reflects on the theme, “The Cure for Indifference: A Spiritual Prescription” By Abbot Marion Nguyen The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19–31) is striking not because the rich man is portrayed as wicked, but …

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, When I think of Christ’s command to “go and make disciples of all nations,” I never imagined it would bring me to Trinidad and Tobago. I was born and raised in Maria Stein and spent my high school years involved in the Northern Vicariate …

As Alex walked home from St. James Middle School with his grandfather one fall afternoon, Grandpa could tell something was on Alex’s mind. “Everything went okay at school today?” Grandpa asked. “Yeah,” Alex replied. The two walked along in silence for a few moments. The one-word answer wasn’t lost on …

As a child, I shared a room with my younger brother. I have fond memories of waking up in the morning to the sound of our mother coming into our bedroom and pulling back the curtains on the window. She would sing to us, “Good morning! Time to rise and …

The first creation account in Genesis 1 is among the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. The confusion comes less from the words on the page than from a prejudicial determination of what Genesis 1 is trying to tell us. But it is in its very literary form that the …