Focus on Faith

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the dead, can be acquired only once on Nov. 1 or Nov. 2.

During an online panel about the death penalty Oct. 19, panelists stressed how capital punishment goes against church teaching, and they also urged the nearly 500 participants to promote this discussion at their own parishes by tapping into available resources.

An online “MasterClass for Global Leaders” focused on the work of NASA and the Vatican Observatory.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First reading: Jer 31:7-9
Second reading: Heb 5:1-6
Gospel: Mk 10:46-52

A new version of the Click to Pray 2.0 app, available for iOS and Android phones, encourages prayers for the Synod of Bishops. The app is an initiative of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

As Sister Anne sees it, discussion about the Real Presence is a way for God to work because it shows how “Catholics need to be awakened to the understanding —more than head knowledge” of what they are receiving in the Eucharist.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First reading: Is 53:10-11
Second reading: Heb 4:14-16
Gospel: Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

Thousands of pilgrims have flocked to the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the 15-year-old Italian teenager whose use of technology to spread devotion to the Eucharist prompted Pope Francis to hail him as a role model for young people today.