Here are six perspectives on the Sign of the Cross that reveal why making it opens us to life-transforming graces.
Why Catholics make the sign of the cross
The Stations of the Cross help us make sense of suffering
How do Christians make sense of the crosses they bear? The question of why suffering exists finds its answer in Christ’s transformation of suffering through love.
Strong as death: Ashes and the hearts we bring to God
This year, Ash Wednesday falls on the same day Valentine’s Day, and fasting and abstinence trumps the feast of the Roman saint.
Pope prays at home while thousands attend Way of the Cross at Colosseum
The theme this year was “Voices of peace in a world at war,” and several dicasteries of the Roman Curia formulated the prayers and meditations drawing from what Pope Francis has heard from people suffering from a lack of peace during his apostolic journeys and on other occasions.
Catholics must have a ‘real heart’ to accompany people with gender dysphoria, says Notre Dame expert
Abigail Favale, a professor at Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, stressed the need for “accompaniment” with those struggling with gender issues.
Pope, Anglican, Presbyterian leaders ask for prayers before trip
Pope Francis is scheduled to fly first to Congo for a visit Jan. 31-Feb. 3 before meeting up in Juba, South Sudan, with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Church of Scotland.
Congolese Catholics take to the streets to protest increasing violence
Catholics and other Christians in Congo took to the streets Dec. 4 to protest increasing violence, often caused when neighboring countries seek the nation’s valuable minerals.
Mary Marrocco: All is given, all is received
“When we suffer the death of a beloved person, can we also live in a small way the commandment: ‘Do this in memory of me’? Give all, give your blood, your flesh, in releasing this person you love and long to hold onto, letting only God hold your beloved.”