What is the connection between Mary and the Holy Spirit?
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Have you ever noticed that there is a close connection in the Gospels between Mary and the Holy Spirit? At every significant moment in … Learn More
Tag: Reflections
Cardinal Tobin reflects on the spiritual gifts of Padre Pio
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, During the two decades that I had a Roman address, I shared community life with missionaries who hailed from thirty or more different countries. This hodgepodge of priests and … Learn More
Synod listening sessions express gratitude and concerns of diverse individuals and communities
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Pope Francis has issued an invitation to the whole Church to gather and listen to the Holy Spirit in prayer, sharing, and discernment to … Learn More
May we all learn to be brothers and sisters to all
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Religion and violence ought to be totally incompatible, but as we all know, they too often feed off one another in ways that … Learn More
Staying close to Mary, mother of Jesus, our mother
On Monday, August 15, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. In the Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition, August 15th, the … Learn More
Go into the whole world, especially the periphery
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Since Pope Francis was elected pope a little more than nine years ago, he has been urging the Church, which is all of us, … Learn More
Truth, justice and mercy are essential to building peace
Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On Social Friendship) was published nearly two years ago in Assisi on October 3, 2020, on the Vigil of the Feast of Saint Francis. It … Learn More
Rediscover the grace of the Eucharist
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, The bishops of the United States have called for “a three-year, grassroots revival of devotion and belief in the real presence of Jesus in … Learn More
Treating people with kindness is a serious responsibility
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, The sixth chapter of the 2020 papal encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship) is entitled “Recovering Kindness.” Pope Francis’s call for a return to … Learn More
We are challenged to be spirit-filled evangelizers
As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually … Learn More