Singing indicates that the person is passing beyond the boundaries of the merely rational and falling into a kind of ecstasy. (That is why overly rational people are seldom tempted to sing.) Now singing finds its climactic form in the Alleluia . . . In fact, we are dealing here with something that cannot be translated. The Alleluia is simply the nonverbal expression in song of a joy that requires no words because it transcends all words. (Pope Benedict XVI) more

So, a well-known, formerly powerful local politician is arrested and pleads guilty to various acts of political corruption including bribery, misuse of campaign funds and filing a false tax return. more

Writing a column on social justice and peace offers me plenty of timely issues to choose from. And I always truly sense from God the exact issue he desires that I write on. more

“In the days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills,” writes the prophet Isaiah. more

So, you just learned that your pastor is being transferred. How do you react? more

“The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” more

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercial. An elderly lady has fallen down the steps in her home, is seriously injured and unable to move to the telephone when she cries out, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” The commercial promotes Life Alert Emergency Response, a medical alert pendant that’s used to notify dispatchers about someone’s health emergency. more

When it comes to the harsh difficulties many Native Americans face every day, the saying “out of sight, out mind” hits home. more

When God was making the months, I think February was a mistake, like a burp. There it was, small, dark and prickly. It had absolutely no redeeming qualities. (Shannon Wiersbitzky) more

Pope Francis has frequently used the phrase “throwaway culture” to lament the very casual way in which we dispose of unwanted members of the human family when they’re deemed burdensome, inconvenient or useless. While the Holy Father has applied this theme to a number of situations, it seems especially fitting to consider its relevance to abortion, particularly as our nation observes the 42nd Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the horrible Supreme Court decision that rendered abortion legal in our nation. more

What a sight! More than 25 times from the top of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I have seen a sea of people marching to proclaim the dignity of unborn human life, and how death-dealing abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable. more

You probably know that just before Christmas Pope Francis had a rather serious talk with members of the Roman Curia, the Vatican bureaucracy, in which he challenged some of their attitudes and behaviors. The Pope listed 15 “diseases,” temptations to sin, which sometimes afflict members of the Curia. He encouraged the cardinals, bishops and priests to undertake an end-of-the-year examination of conscience so that their service to Christ and the Church would be purified. more

In the secular sphere, ecological issues are increasingly impacting the way people around the globe live, work, and pass on life to their sons and daughters. As all this concerns the Church, there … more

“Tragically, the growing scourge of man’s exploitation by man gravely damages the life of communion and our calling to forge interpersonal relations marked by respect, justice and love,” writes Pope Francis in his Jan. 1 World Day of Peace Message. more

If you’re a sports fan above a certain age, or a sports fan at all, you’re probably familiar with the iconic question that ABC broadcaster Al Michaels asked during an epic hockey game at the Winter Olympics of 1980. It occurred when Team USA, made up entirely of young amateurs, defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union team stacked with hardened, experienced professionals. As the final seconds of the game ran out and it became clear that the Americans were about to grasp a totally improbable victory, Al Michaels captured the excitement of the moment and the pride of a nation when he asked, “Do you believe in miracles?” more

In early December, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) stopped feeding 1.7 million Syrian refugees. more

Along with the Catholic Church around the world, the Diocese of Providence has now begun its observance of the “Year of Consecrated Life.” At the invitation of Pope Francis, during the fourteen months to follow, the Church is called upon to promote the vocation of the consecrated life, to celebrate the many contributions of religious women and men, and to thank all those who have served so faithfully as religious priests, brothers and sisters. more

It’s a beautiful and evocative time in the liturgical year of the Church, isn’t it? more

“We have often noted that we do not become a Christian on our own, but by being born and nurtured in the faith in the midst of the People of God, that is the Church. She is a true mother who gives us life in Christ.” (Pope Francis) more

Just imagine for a moment that you have no home. What will you do for meals today? Where will you shower? Where will you sleep? If you have children, how will you provide for them? more