A Reflection for a Christmas Weekday, by Valerie Schultz

Pope Francis opened the new year by highlighting in his homily for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and his Angelus message the same day, the central role women have played in salvation history and that they still have for bringing peace to the world.

The star led the Magi to Jerusalem, “as we are always taken to Jerusalem—because we must encounter the Scriptures of Israel,” says David Neuhaus, S.J. “It is from the Scriptures of Israel that they will receive the precise destination to which they are going—Bethlehem.”

Pope Francis has continued to push for changes in the church, braving daunting opposition and several medical scares.

A Homily for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, by Father Terrance Klein

Cardinal Burke met privately with Pope Francis Dec. 29, about a month after reports that Pope Francis wanted to stop giving him a monthly salary and would ask him to pay the market rate for his Vatican apartment.