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“God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken and mountains quake to the depths of the sea” (Ps. 46:2).

Pope St. John Paul II provided Holy Mother Church with a great corpus that inspired, reaffirmed and evangelized Catholics in an era when everything seemed up for revision. Since then, the Church has moved forward with the New Evangelization, which isn’t so different from the first.

“Faith Seeking Understanding” is a phrase attributed to St. Anselm. It asserts succinctly the nature of the search of truth under the light of faith, which emphasizes our yearning to understand more perfectly — to see, as much as is possible, the truth about the human person, his life, and eternal destiny.

September 11, 2001 changed a lot of people’s lives. For Ronac Mamtani, a senior in college about to launch his financial career at a firm across the street from the Twin Towers, that day crystalized for him his desire to help others and inspired his pivot to a future in medicine.

In southern Poland, as World War II was beginning in early September 1939, a man named Franciszek brought his wife and two little daughters to the town of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska near Krakow where the Franciscans ran a Marian shrine.

Easter is the feast of life, the feast of Christ’s victory over death. Upon coming out of His own grave, Jesus did not only overcome His own death; He overcame yours, mine, and the entire kingdom of death.

I am the pastor of a parish that lays in the shadow of the United Nations building on the East Side of Manhattan. Our church is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. We have two daily weekday Masses — one in the early morning, and one at lunch hour.

“[A]t the root of all evangelization lies not a human plan of expansion,” says Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “but rather the desire to share the inestimable gift that God has wished to give us, making us sharers in His own life” (Ubicumque et Semper).

Choosing what to wear for Mass one morning, I asked the sacristan why he had chosen a vestment that was rather cheap in design and fabric. He replied that it would be more comfortable. Comfort has become the criterion for dress and for manners in general.

Anyone who knows me – just ask my staff at HLI – knows I eagerly look forward to the season of Christmas and the wondrous, life-giving message it brings every year. While many do everything possible to celebrate Christmas, they often do so at the expense of why it is worth celebrating.

We hear a lot these days about various theological speculations contrary to what the Church has always taught regarding the last four things, e.g., the reoccurring theory of Origen that in the end the demons and condemned souls would get a second chance, or that hell is essentially empty.

The U.S. Catholic Bishops state the following in their Pastoral Plan for Pro-life Activities, which is meant to give guidance to dioceses and parishes as they conduct their respect-life activities, not only in Respect Life Month (October) but throughout the year.

Throughout the centuries, Christianity has taught that parents are the primary educators and shapers of their children. This includes parents’ jurisdiction over their children not only socially and morally, but religiously and academically.

Professionals, like firemen, policemen, and military personnel, wear a distinctive uniform or insignia that helps us easily identify them. As for Christians, we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The title “Mother of God” is one of the first titles given to Our Lady. We call her Mother of God not because God came from her, but because she gave birth to Jesus who is both God and man. The title Mother of God reminds us that Jesus is both divine and human.

One of the most striking examples of the fact that there’s always more to learn about our faith is the priest who, while saying Mass one morning, gained another insight on Mass he never realized before

We are called to recognize Jesus present to His Church in these troubled times that resemble encroaching darkness, as the light of day disappears amidst scandals and the loss of faith by many.

As society incessantly gravitates towards secular ideologies, it becomes ever more desensitized to the inherent and inviolable dignity of the human person.

I share this because our sanctuary renovation has been a powerful visual for me of the “renovation” that God desires to do in us personally.

Faith does not justify being less qualified, less disciplined, less professional, less precise, or less determined to succeed. If anything, conducting business as believers means we are more compelled to strive for excellence.