Reading 1 Joel 2:12-18 Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church is not merely an institution, but a visible sign of God’s plan to unite all humanity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, Pope Leo XIV said in his weekly general audience. The pope continued his series on the Second Vatican Council, emphasizing one of its…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — During Lent, people of faith come together to recognize their sins, which are not external evils to be solved by pointing fingers, but are evils residing inside one’s heart requiring conversion, Pope Leo XIV said. “We need to respond by courageously accepting responsibility” for one’s own sins, he said in his…
WASHINGTON—The Committee for Religious Liberty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued its annual report on the state of religious freedom in the United States. The report summarizes developments on national questions and federal policies affecting religious liberty in the U.S., including the role of religion in American public life, and the challenges and opportunities of the present moment. The report identified six…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Catholics going to Mass on Ash Wednesday will leave church marked, but whether the ashes appear as a bold cross on the forehead or sprinkled atop the head depends largely on where in the world they worship. While Catholics in the United States typically receive a visible cross of ashes traced…
Reading 1 James 1:12-18 Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.No one experiencing temptation should say,“I am being tempted by God”;for God is not subject to temptation to evil,and he himself tempts no one.Rather, each person…