Near the end of his life, Francis [of Assisi] was nearly blind and in constant pain from misguided treatments he had received for an ailment he probably contracted when he was traveling in Egypt and the Middle East. More »

"I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul. For he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice." (Isaiah 61:10) More »

Prayer is not a last resort. It’s not what we do after we read the self-help books, after we go to the specialists, or after we surf the Internet. Prayer is our lifeline to God. More »

How many times have we heard someone tell us that God loves us? Love is a powerful and profound experience and yet those words—“God loves you”—can be so easily forgotten amid the day-to-day routine of life. More »

The seven hundred acres of fields on the ranch providing feed for cattle and horses were a challenge for plow and sower and reaper. And if one of those machines broke down during the window offered by the season, it could mean losing a crop. More »

We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. —Pope Pius XII, "Munificentissimus Deus", 44 More »

It would be great if husbands and wives were always at the same place along the same spiritual path, but life is often much more complicated. Ecumenical, or “mixed” marriages have become commonplace, and even couples who are both Catholic can find themselves growing apart spiritually. More »

Every year on August 6, the church celebrates one of the most dramatic moments in the gospel, when Jesus’ first followers are given a glimpse of his heavenly glory. More »