At the end of our earthly lives, our faith tells us there will be four last things: death, judgment, hell and heaven. Reflecting on such ominous topics in the month in November can seem quite appropriate for both the pessimist and the optimist alike.
In some way, the person you loved will be a model. If they were specially kind to strangers, or to awkward people, or to people who made being friends with them difficult, you can do that, too. If they spoke kindly of others in a way that led more critical people to speak kindly, too, you can work at speaking kindly.
Latin America has been the cradle of great saints who have left a deep mark on the Catholic Church through their witness and vocation. Their lives — marked by sacrifice, humility and dedication — reflect the religious fervor that has characterized our people.
Born into an aristocratic family in 1799, Blessed Pauline Jaricot used her influence to not only help spread the Gospel, but rejuvenate devotion to the rosary and highlight deplorable conditions of the working class.
Ahead of World Mission Sunday Oct. 20, Hallow, the acclaimed prayer app, and the Pontifical Mission Societies USA are uniting to offer a global novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, patroness of the missions.
Some people know instinctively how to help a grieving person. But for most of us, dealing with someone else’s grief is a little more uncomfortable.
I don’t think we can say that God truly sent the devil — also known as Lucifer, or later as Satan — down to earth in quite the way your question envisions. While the devil was cast out of God’s direct presence in heaven, this did not happen because God actively wanted Satan to have sway over his creatures.
Out in my perennial garden, nestled among the bleeding hearts and hyacinths, stands a well-worn clay statue of St. Francis of Assisi made by an artisan in Mexico. The unusual characteristics of the statue make it a conversation piece as well as a spiritual touchstone that helps keep me centered as I dig and weed and plant each spring.
