‘Be grateful’ might sound like an overblown slogan. But it’s a simple truth: Gratitude leads to joy...
Daniel Gordon
Gratitude makes us happier and healthier. That said, I have some difficulty expressing gratitude, especially as a person who tends toward the melancholic and the critical. This trait can be useful when writing academic papers, but it is often less helpful in close relationships. And so, while scientific studies on gratitude often impress me, they do not always move me to practice gratitude more.

The appointment of Venerable Jérôme Lejeune was one of John Paul II’s signature moves...
Fr. Raymond de Souza
Signature appointments capture the essence of a pope. As St. John Paul the Great had Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger for doctrine and Cardinal Francis George in Chicago, Pope Francis has Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez for doctrine and Cardinal Blase Cupich in Chicago. Such signatures, which are good subjects for handwriting analysis, reveal a great deal about the authors.

Pro-Life Activist Lauren Handy Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison Under FACE Act...

A Lesson in Kenosis from the Solar Eclipse...
Fr. Damian Ference
The Feast of the Annunciation and the solar eclipse happened on the same day this year, April 8, and it was one of the most memorable days of my life. Part of the reason for me writing this essay is to get all my thoughts out, because I can’t stop thinking about it, and I can’t stop talking about it. Even when I haven’t planned to do so, I wind up mentioning the eclipse in homilies...

Scrupulosity: When Piety Becomes an Affliction...

Crime novelist Agatha Christie is often seen as stodgy, but did you know she became a surfing pioneer in her 30s?

Pope Meets Head of Divided Syro-Malabar Church, Tells Kerala’s Faithful: ‘Unity Is a Duty’...

What is love? Love is to will the good of the other. But what does that mean?

Beethoven, Garth Brooks and Tom Brady Converge at the Vatican...

Archbishop Fulton Sheen traced abortion and today’s moral chaos to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was right. Here’s why...

Being a pilgrim is not easy, as Dorothy Day shows...
David Mills
We once had a pastor who often, almost in every homily, described the Christian life as a “journey.” The word’s a good go-to image for the Christian life, but it’s not the best one. The Christian life isn’t just a journey, though, it’s a particular type of journey. By itself, the image says that you’re moving but not where you’re going and why...

Wise men listen when hypocrites speak. We’re all at least slightly hypocritical, but Christ still calls us to speak of his mercies...
David Deavel
“I have a question,” my student said ominously as he sat in the chair in my office. I braced internally and probably externally—my heart is worn on my whole demeanor. When he asked it, I was relieved: “How can I be a theology major and keep sinning?” You can’t go for long in Christian life without discovering what St. John Henry Newman meant when he said, “To know is one thing, to do is another; the two things are altogether distinct.”

Did you know that this beautiful Irish island was once a concentration camp for Catholic priests under Cromwell?

The transitional diaconate is integral to the Catholic Church...

A moveable feast, Twitter bishops, and too many whales...
Ed Condon
Depending on where you are, or were yesterday, you’ve either celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord or will do so this Sunday. There are three tiers of canon law at play here, and people often ask us what the deal is, what exactly their obligations are, and even how fast and loose you can play pilgrim across diocesan lines to celebrate it according to your day of preference.

Hidden Google Maps Features You Should Know About...

In Echoes of Cardinal Pell Media Gag Order, Australian Judge Extends Ban Worldwide on X Sharing Video of Sydney Bishop’s Stabbing...

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