We do not generally think about Christmas carols as about a battle. And yet what does it mean for the Christ child to be our savior, if not a blessed release from some kind of struggle?

Catholic men and women formally installed in the new ministry of catechists are not simply religious education teachers but are engaged in “the proclamation and transmission of the faith.”

The apology drew immediate praise Monday from New Ways Ministry as a “historic” move to repair the painful rift between the Catholic hierarchy and the gay community.

A Reflection for the Sunday of the Third Week of Advent

A Reflection for the Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has never dimmed in Latin America and the United States. Her feast day on Dec. 12 provides special comfort two years into the Covid pandemic.

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a song almost everyone knows. But where did it come from, and why is it so popular?

Kavanagh’s poem looks to Advent for a sort of poetic and spiritual rebirth, a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the “newness that was in every stale thing.”

“Belfast” presents itself as a family photo album: Violence may intrude, but it doesn’t crowd out the Christmas pictures.

It was Pope Francis who suggested that this was the moment for the continent to revive the vision of Aparecida—only this time in a synodal way, with the people of God as the protagonist.

The thin body of evidence on the true health risks of bringing the chalice back to Mass should lead to humility rather than overconfidence. We must be open to changing behaviors based on new knowledge.

The high court ruling came a day after a state court judge in Texas ruled that the controversial “heartbeat law” is unconstitutional, yet left the law in place.

The Christmas tree and Nativity crèche should evoke the joy and the peace of God’s love and not the selfish indulgence of consumerism and indifference, Pope Francis said.

Jesus said the poor will always be with us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t end homelessness.

A Reflection for the Friday of the Second Week of Advent

Michael Rozier, S.J., said that the archbishop’s claim that his “good” immune system exempts him from needing a vaccine is simply out of touch with science.

More and more Advent calendars seem aimed at adding to product lines rather than counting down to Christmas.

What this quintessential stage musical needed, apparently, was a thoroughgoing cinematic makeover.

Unlike more traditional depictions of the Magi, the Andean interpretation has them accompanied by llamas and bearing sacks of food from the region, including corn, quinoa and potatoes.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O'Connell speaks with Colleen Dulle about traveling with Pope Francis to Cyprus and Greece to “touch the wounds of humanity.”