Pope Francis today expressed his “very great concern” at the armed clashes in Gaza and Israel and made an urgent, passionate appeal “to those with the responsibility” to bring a ceasefire and “to walk the path of peace.”

I refuse the logic that insists that, by saying the occupation must end, I am with the Palestinians and against the Israelis. There is a third place, which is not “for” or “against,” and that is the place of love, a love rooted in justice.

Christian prayer, like all Christian life, is not a “walk in the park.”

Praying to God as a mother deepened my understanding of the divine.

To mark this National Day of Prayer, America asked our social media followers to share their prayer intentions and favorite ways to pray.

“There is only one great call in the Gospel, and it is that of following Jesus on the way of love,” Pope Francis said in his weekly Wednesday audience. “In this sense, charity and contemplation are synonymous.”