Though some may see him as the grump of the New Testament, St. Paul is full of surprises. What’s the connection between St. Paul’s First Letter to the...
Religion
Essays explaining our faith, including stories about church teaching, Vatican documents, canon law, liturgical theology, and other Catholic topics.
In a 1995 episode of the popular TV drama The X-Files, FBI agent Fox Mulder—a true believer in extraterrestrial life—has a quick exchange with his partner Dana...
I don’t usually think of Jesus’ crucifixion when passing the sweets table, but there it was: A big rich dark chocolate cake adorned with white...
Directed by Asghar Farhadi (Sony Pictures, 2011) We all tell stories, and we all believe our stories are true. But the small gaps between our stories and the...
By grieving with the Blessed Mother, we comfort all mothers who mourn. In my hometown of San José de Gracia in Jalisco, Mexico, church celebrations...
We kick off the Easter Triduum with a tradition that helps to keep our faith sure-footed. When the church gathers on the night of Holy Thursday, its business...
Those of us in our 60s and beyond remember something like this from our youthful Good Fridays: After what seemed like an eternity of Latin readings (mostly...
The final words of a dying person are precious to those left behind. When time is short, one has a chance to speak only of the most important things—love...
Philips describes how Easter season often brings feelings of conviction and discomfort over his self-centeredness. It must have been about the time that I was...
It’s almost as if Mel Gibson’s The Passion has come to life. In Chicago’s largely Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood, some 7,000 people gather at...
