Every summer my Aunt Minnie planted a big garden and enlisted me to help water and weed it. As soon as the ground defrosted in western Pennsylvania, she scattered seeds that would yield beans, lettuce, pumpkins, and other vegetables. As summer approached, Aunt Minnie put in her tomatoes. More »

After Jesus’ ascension, the apostles gather in the upper room. “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers: (Acts 1:14). More »

As Jesus voices his parting prayer to the Father, he prays, not only for the disciples gathered around him, but also for all future disciples. His prayer includes all of us who will believe in Jesus through the word of his disciples. He prayed for the unity of all disciples over the past twenty centuries, “that they may all be one” (John 17:21). More »

On a spring day in 1916, three children watched their family’s sheep on a hillside in rural Portugal. Completely oblivious to the fact that their country was at war and that Pope Benedict XV was begging Mary’s intercession and lamenting World War I as the “suicide of Europe,” the children sang, danced, and played games. More »

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: “If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). More »

Before he left his disciples and ascended to heaven, Jesus promised to send his Holy Spirit to enliven their faith, to give them wisdom, and to console them in times of need. And from that point on, believers have come to understand that we all need the Holy Spirit to live out our faith and to be the Lord’s witness. More »

We don’t seem to realize that without the spirit of God in us on a daily basis, we could never exist! At every given moment—whether we’re having fun or are in pain, whether we’re serious or silly, whether we’re wide awake or fast asleep—we are being kept alive by the spirit of God that is in us. More »

Brothers and sisters, let us join with the Holy Father and Christians around the world in praying for these special needs: More »