"The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ’s faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators . . . by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 48)

In 2005, the singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier released her fourth solo album, “Mercy Now.” The title song is a somber plea for mercy in our families, church, and nation. If you don’t know this song, you should stop reading and go find it on whichever music service you use and give it a listen. In the last line, Gauthier sings, “Every single one of us could use some mercy now.”

Although the Nicene Creed rolls off the tongue of every Catholic with ease — or at least with mumbled inclusion after the Sunday homily — many Protestant denominations reject the Nicene Creed or any creed as something unbiblical or manmade, an attempt to add something to the infallible and sufficient Word of God, the Bible. Until, possibly, now, according to the recent 2024 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting.

Summer is here, and hopefully that means we all have more time to enjoy some good books. Following are six suggestions for those looking to nourish their spiritual life over the next couple of months.

I was ordained a priest on Dec. 18, 1976.  It was the most precious Christmas gift I have ever received. For me, it culminated 13½ years of priestly formation: that is, personal and spiritual growth, academic study, and field education. I was blessed to have good teachers and mentors. I am still friends today with many of the men who were in the seminary with me, both ordained and lay. Some of them have been sixty years a friend.

We love because He first loved us. — 1 John 4:1

As we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 7 (and honor the Sacred Heart during the entire month of June), it seems appropriate to reflect on the love of Christ.

A new rule is expected this month from the Supreme Court of the case of U.S. Food and Drug Administration vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The case concerns the safety of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for medical abortion. Mifipristone is a drug used to block progesterone for a developing fetus ending its life and Misoprostol is used to induce uterine contractions to expel the dead tissue. What is the controversy?

"Mary is a garden of delights into which are sown all kinds of flowers and spice plants of the virtues.” — St. Jerome.

By now, we are all preparing our gardens in some way; planning, cleaning, pulling, sharpening, trimming, dumping, fixing and planting. Our reward, after our Colorado winter, is a rich, healthy glow of green. All we have to do is look around and feel the excitement of a new season. Here are a few suggestions to keep the garden in tip-top shape and at the same time honor Mary, Our Blessed Mother.

Catholics recite the Nicene Creed at every Sunday Mass. As we strive to return “ad fontes,” to the [original] sources amid an ever-changing world, we must understand more about our Christian roots, expressed in the Creed we profess.