of the human person from conception until natural death
The first encyclical of the pontificate of the late Holy Father was also the first to be written by two Popes. It was begun by Pope Benedict XVI and completed by Pope Francis. The encyclical completes the trilogy of theological virtues that Pope Benedict had previously written in regard to…
In the Nicene Creed, at least weekly, the faithful profess their belief in the four marks of the Church: she is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Full apostolic faith requires several elements: belief in the divine inspiration of both testaments of the Bible, the teachings of the apostolic fathers, and…
The phrase “Women, behold your son! /Behold your mother!” refers to a moment in the Gospel of John (John 19:26-27) where Jesus, while on the Cross, entrusts his Mother, the ever-Virgin Mary, to the care of John the beloved disciple, and conversely, entrusts John to Mary. This act is often…
During the fifth week, the first reading involves incidents: the accusation against Susanna, a healing image lifted up in the desert, the three faithful witnesses who survive the fiery furnace, the account of God’s covenant with Abram, Jeremiah’s fearful trust in the midst of the plot against him, and Ezekiel’s…
Pope Saint Paul VI introduced the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God in 1970. Then, in his later encyclical Marialis Cultus he described it this way, “This celebration, assigned to January 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate…
On March 3, 2018, Pope Francis announced that a new memorial would be added to the General Roman Calendar and celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost, entitled “The Blessed Virgin…
Nature and dignity 