The year was 521 BC. The Temple, once an impressive piece of architecture and the dwelling place of Yahweh, had been burned to the ground and was now a shell of its former self. More »

Let us join with Christians around the world in praying for these special intentions: More »

There I sat, with our two-month-old daughter strapped in the baby carrier, discussing my rights and options with a divorce attorney, while my parents watched our two-year-old son at their home. More »

Padre Pio (May 25, 1887–September 23, 1968) is a good role model for any of us who are dealing with physical suffering. This Capuchin priest is a contemporary saint and one of the most popular of modern times. St. Pio of Pietrelcina, as he is more formally known, is famous for bearing the stigmata, the marks of Christ’s passion, for more than fifty years. The pain he experienced from the open wounds was intense and unending. More »

At the first Pentecost, those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized, “and about three thousand persons were added that day” (Acts 2:41). The church was born that day, and it has been growing ever since. More »

We’ve all heard about the typical “renaissance man”—someone who is talented in a wide variety of areas and who puts those talents to good use. More »

In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells a number of stories about how unbelievers joined the early church. For the first few centuries, the typical process was threefold: evangelization, followed by conversion, and then baptism. More »

I was born on September 14, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Perhaps this is what drew me to reflect on the cross from an early age. More »