Angelo Cardinal Scola is the archbishop of Milan and was ranked quite highly among those cardinals being considered for the papal office in the recent election. Cardinal Scola obviously remains in Milan but he has made quite a contribution to church life in a scholarly work entitled “The Nuptial Mystery.” more

Joachim of Fiore was a medieval thinker who divided salvation history into three segments. The first stage of history was that of God the Father narrated in the Hebrew Scriptures. more

Jesus paid intense attention to his twelve specially chosen disciples during his final meal with them the night before he died. more

Rather than concelebrate the Paschal Vigil this past Easter, I decided to attend the service at a local church to experience this solemnity from the pews. I checked the times for the nearest churches just over the Massachusetts line from Woonsocket. more

There is a strong possibility that the appointment of “elders” by Saints Paul and Barnabas in the early church communities established throughout the Mediterranean world was the foundation for the discipline of celibacy that has enriched the Catholic Church down through the centuries. more

The resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict and the election of our new pontiff understandably elicited surveys from the world media on the attitudes of American Catholics toward pertinent issues of the day. more

As the Universal Church glories in the election of a new Supreme Pontiff, the awesome reverence with which St. Peter, the first head of the Apostolic College, was regarded is worth recalling. more

No doubt many believers are like Martha, the sister of Mary, who mourned the passing of their brother Lazarus with the declaration, “I know my brother will rise again on the last day.” more

The celebrated entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, cheered by crowds waving palm branches, is a vivid and striking testimony to the resolve that Jesus had built up within himself and shared with his disciples as he wended his way from northern Galilee to southern Judea. more

Students of Scripture have lately thought that the narrative of the woman caught in adultery belongs more in one of the Synoptic Gospels, maybe St. Luke, than in the Gospel account of St. John. more

The parable of the Prodigal Son, unique to St. Luke’s Gospel account, would be better called the parable of the Merciful Father. St. Luke wisely includes this renowned tale in a single chapter with the parable of the Lost Sheep and the parable of the Lost Coin, which likewise would be better labeled the parable of the Dedicated Shepherd and the parable of the Zealous Homemaker. more

An ancient aphorism advises, “As a person prays so that person believes.” The very manner of praying, worshipping, and ritually celebrating actually directs, guides and even forms a person’s beliefs. more

The Bible employs exalted names for God like king, ruler, warrior and judge, along with other worthy metaphors like rock, fortress, shield, and refuge. more

The temptation of Eve by Satan in the Garden of Eden is virtually the same temptation suggested by Satan to Christ in the Judean wilderness. Eve had all the human resources she could possible desire. more

Marriage in Western Civilization and in virtually every society in the world and certainly within the Judean-Christian tradition has been the indissoluble union of one man and one woman open to the procreation and education of children. more

In its teaching on the universality of salvation in the document Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council is careful to stress both the necessity of the Church for salvation as well the generous scope which participation in the church implies. more

Amalfi is a popular tourist destination along Italy’s Mediterrean coast. Cliffside roads and hairpin turns breathlessly lead to hillside villas and sun-bleached homes which cascade from forested hilltops down to the legendary blue sea. more

The Blessed Mother is highlighted twice in the Gospel according to St. John. The miracle at Cana, to be proclaimed this coming Sunday, places Mary at the very beginning of Christ’s public life and St. John’s narrative of the crucifixion locates the mother of Jesus at the very last moments of Jesus’ public life. more

Mary Kenny, columnist for the Irish Independent, writes of the sex-abuse and cover-up scandals that have devastated the Catholic Church in Ireland. more

The solemnity of Epiphany is to Christmas what the solemnity of Pentecost is to Easter. Christmas and Easter were personal events in the life of the incarnate Son of God. more