So your child just came home from church, where she actually listened to the homily, during which Father commented on the spiritual works of mercy; and now she’s asking you what he was talking about. You have a dim memory of spiritual and corporal works of mercy…but can you remember them? Or, come to think of it, talk about the 10 commandments, the creed, or the beatitudes?We just added a new book, The Beatitudes Explained, to our Explained series, which is aimed at c...

 To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour. (William Blake) In C.S. Lewis’ wonderful Chronicles of Narnia, one of the characters, arriving in heaven, says, “This is the land I’ve been looking for all of my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason we loved the old Narnia is because it looked a little like this.”On our best days, when we’re feeling closest to God, we ...

When I receive unexpected devastating news my heart stops, my breathing stops, my mind stops. I turn numb and cold inside and I feel as though I were outside my own body. Nothing can prepare us for such heart-stopping information, particularly about or from those we love. I have stood beside women who have shared with me through tears the news that was breaking their heart. There was no way to make sense of what was happening, of how lives and relationships were being torn apart by decisions mad...

For many of us, icons—religious portraits of people and scenes from Scripture painted on specially prepared wood using prescribed materials and techniques—seem primitive and dark, sad and austere. Yet their tradition is rich, steeped in centuries of a complex and profound spirituality, and to dismiss it is to close the door on one of the most ancient and enduring ways of experiencing God: through the use of icons in prayer.The word “icon” means image, and images are power...

How much do you really know?It’s not an idle question, and it’s one that I ask myself all the time. There are so many things in life that we think we know, but when we come down to it, we really don’t. Or we find that what we know is erroneous.I’ll give you an example. Many Americans “know” that when writing, they need to place two spaces between sentences. Unfortunately, that’s not true. For a plethora of reasons, while it was once the case, it no longe...

There is something about people rioting that I cannot fully make sense of. There’s nothing inside me that feels prepared to make sense of the way things spin out of control, the violence, the death of innocent human beings, the stories of heroism and self-sacrifice, the clash of beliefs and values. What can I say to myself—and to others, fearful of this happening in their hometown or of it affecting their family?Since I’ve never been in the place where riots are happening, it i...

by Maureen QuinlanI am 25 years old, and I have attended 24 weddings. That is neither an exaggeration nor hyperbole. I have sat through 24 “I dos,” and first dances, and cake cuttings. I have seen every bride beaming and every groom looking like he’s the luckiest man on earth. This also means I’ve had to scour 24 registries for a gift that says, “I love you as much as a close friend, but really only know you as well as a distant cousin.”I detest the wedding re...

"I, Clare, little plant of our Father Francis..."Most stories of daughters fleeing arranged marriages involve a boyfriend, a trellis, and possibly even a fast horse. Clare Scifi was different:On Palm Sunday Clare, arrayed in all her finery, attended high Mass at the cathedral, but when the others pressed forward to the altar-rail to receive a branch of palm, she remained in her place as if rapt in a dream. All eyes were upon the young girl as the bishop descended from the sanctuary and...

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ancient practice honoring Christ as the Merciful One who is Love. More than just a way of prayer, this devotion is based on the essence of the Gospel: to take on the heart of Jesus so as to live in his love and bring it to others. No matter what stage of spiritual growth you are experiencing, this book can help you grow more deeply in love with Jesus and experience the love of his Sacred Heart in your life.The Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayer Book covers a...

There’s nothing quite like a wedding, is there? It’s a time filled with the promise of new beginnings, and ancient commitments, and ongoing love. Unfortunately, we’ve come to see it really in one context only: the weddings of couples committing to creating a family together.But the image of weddings and marriages comprises far more than that.Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament describe how God marries his bride (that is, those who believe in him), who will ultimately dw...