Daily Readings

On March 19, Albanian Cardinal Ernest Simoni at the age of 97 was among the last people to venerate the remains of St. Francis of Assisi before their return to a tomb in the crypt of the 13th-century Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, where the saint’s small skeleton has been contained in a ... read more

A conference will highlight Orestes Brownson with the hopes of making him “a household name” among Catholics, organizers said.The “Orestes Brownson and the Mission of America” conference will be held at The Catholic University of America (CUA) on April 16 for “all those seeking a vision of the United States to carry us into the ... read more

LAHORE, Pakistan — Every year during Lent, Sunil Masih remembers his elder brother as churches in Youhanabad — Lahore’s largest squatter settlement for poor Christians — mark the anniversary of the 2015 church bombings.The four Catholic brothers were among more than 150 Christians arrested by police days after twin suicide attacks on St. John’s Catholic ... read more

R.        (2)  O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.O LORD, hear my prayer,            and let my cry come to you.Hide not your face from me            in the day of my distress.Incline your ear to me;                      in the day when I call, answer me speedily.R.        O Lord, hear my prayer, and ... read more

We have another ancient beautiful Lenten lesson. The division between Jesus and His enemies becomes more critical, more sharp. There are references in both readings to "being lifted up." This reminds us of the crucifixion on Calvary and of events coming ten days from now. --The Vatican II Weekday Missal ... read more

A 39-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, March 21, for throwing an incendiary device at participants at the March for Life in front of the country’s Parliament building in Lisbon, Portugal. According to the police, at the time of the attack “the demonstration comprised approximately 500 participants,” including families with young children and babies. The ... read more

Four bishops have written to Congress urging them to investigate the federal Indian boarding school system.Archbishop Shelton Fabre of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, with Bishops John Folda of the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota; Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York; and Barry Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, sent a ... read more

The day before he became the bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, Pope Leo XIV spent the night in prayer — but not in the diocese’s main cathedral.Instead, the American missionary traveled 30 miles outside the city to the dusty, half-forgotten town of Zaña.The purpose of his visit wasn’t just to get some solitude before his busy ... read more

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,the daughter of Hilkiah;her pious parents had trained their daughteraccording to the law of Moses.Joakim was very rich;he had a garden near his house,and the Jews had recourse to him oftenbecause he was the most respected of them all.That year, ... read more

We begin the fifth and final full week of Lent. In previous times the crosses and statues in church were veiled at this time to indicate Passion Time. Now the liturgical readings, day after day, tell of the lowering storm clouds that next week will break open. Today's ancient Lenten readings taught the penitents (and ... read more

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday voiced dismay over ongoing conflicts around the world, saying the suffering of innocent victims “hurts all of humanity” and urging an end to hostilities grounded in dialogue and respect for human dignity.“We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless people who are victims of ... read more

LUANDA, Angola — Our Lady of Fátima Parish in the Archdiocese of Luanda is at the center of preparations for a historic moment in Angola as it prepares to host Pope Leo XIV’s meeting with bishops, priests, women and men religious, and catechists during his planned April 18–21 apostolic visit.The encounter, scheduled for April 20, ... read more

On their first day at LifeCampUSA, middle-school-aged campers are taught how to use a map and a compass to learn how to find their way around. Then they’re given a Bible — for many, their first time having one — and shown how to find the different books of the Bible, after which there’s a ... read more

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.So the sisters sent word to him saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.”When Jesus heard this ... read more

From the Gospel of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A: Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, He will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I ... read more