Daily Advent Reflections, Day 5: Learning to "carve out space in our souls and deepen our awareness of God"

All the fine words and deep insights of the Sermon on the Mount will do no good unless the listener is firmly planted on a firm foundation.

North Americans and Salvadorans gathered Dec. 2 at the precise spot where four churchwomen were killed 35 years ago to emphasize that their work for the country's poor remains alive.

Pope Francis is inviting people to strike out on a yearlong spiritual journey to recognize a loving God who's already knocking on their door. He says he wants the Year of Mercy to usher in a "revolution of tenderness."

With the recent increase in deadly attacks and kidnappings linked to the Islamic State and other militant groups, however, Imam Shareef has increasingly found himself tasked with the additional—and often daunting—challenge of distancing the "Islam of peace," as his community knows and practices it, from that of what he calls a minority of extremists giving Islam a bad name.

Anti-government voters have driven the shift against gun control.

Father David Kelly is a leading proponent of a concept called “restorative justice.” It’s an approach that includes bringing perpetrators and victims together, and involving their families and community in a joint effort to repair the harm done by a crime.

Hip-hop music and Pope Francis have a lot more in common than many might think.

Opposition to the bombing included that of many faith-groups.

Both God and man want the same thing: to be needed, wanted and loved.

Self-fulfillment is a central part of Christianity. But we can't find it by our selves.

Background checks are important, but to some degree peripheral to the larger issues of the sheer volume and penetration of firearms in American society today.

The disgust, anger and sadness we feel over mass shootings is God inspiring us, urging us, begging us to act.

The South African paralympian will return to prison after an appeals court found him guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Daily Advent Reflections, Day 4: God offers an abiding and perfect refuge in times of need.

The world premiere of "Call Me Francesco," the first movie based on the life of Pope Francis, took place in the Vatican audience hall Dec. 1 and those considered celebrities in the eyes of the pope were in attendance.

In the wake of yet another mass shooting even in the United States, the Diocese of San Bernardino and its bishop the Most Reverend Gerald R. Barnes issued a statement "calling for prayers for all of the victims of this horrific incident and their families."

The U.S. is divided over whether things are O.K. or terrible.

In his weekly general audience, Pope Francis told those present about his recent trip to Africa and spoke about the importance of missionary work.