Advent teaches us watchfulnessMichael Pakaluk
In each of the synoptic Gospels, Our Lord tells his disciples -- including you and me -- to keep watch for his Second Coming. "Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour," (Mt 25:13). ...
A glimpse into the world of USCCB committeesBishop Robert Barron
I have been a bishop for the last 10 years, and during that time, I have served as chairman of two separate committees within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). From 2017 to 2020, ...
The meaning of 'suffrage'Michael Pakaluk
The best and most effective thing a young Catholic man can do to express his manliness authentically is to attend daily Mass. Or so I will argue. But my argument depends upon seeing the Mass as an assembly ...
Thin places in NovemberEffie Caldarola
Walking around my neighborhood this fall, I saw many skeletons. Bones seemed to protrude from every lawn. One evening, taking a walk in the encroaching darkness, a skeleton I hadn't spotted noticed ...
Make good troubleEffie Caldarola
The night after Donald Trump was elected president the first time, in 2016, the First Methodist Church in the town where I lived then, opened their doors for a vigil. The church offered a place for ...
World Mission Sunday: 'Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples'Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley
As we mark World Mission Sunday on Oct. 19 -- during this Jubilee Year of Hope -- we are invited to remember that the church's very nature is missionary. Christ's final words to his disciples ...
On love of the holy angelsMichael Pakaluk
It is evidence of the greatness of St. Augustine's mind as a Catholic thinker that he poses a question about fundamentals of the Christian life that few ask but which, once raised, obviously needs ...
'Rerum Novarum' in contextMichael Pakaluk
Pope Leo XIII did not write "Rerum Novarum" and then retired. He did not write "Rerum Novarum" first. He did not place the most emphasis in his magisterium on the themes of "Rerum Novarum." He did not ...
A European evangelical adventureBishop Robert E. Barron
I have just returned from a rather extraordinary European journey that involved three countries, six separate plane trips, and seven hotels. Now, it wasn't exactly a vacation; rather, it was a multifaceted ...
On wasting timeMichael Pakaluk
To waste time is not to use it for nothing, but to purchase something much less valuable with it than what one could have purchased. I say "purchased" because time is like money and is said even to "be" ...
