From the Magazine

BY FR. HUGH VINCENT DYER, OP Dear Father: Each year I struggle with Lent. Should I again give up something such as sweets or Facebook? However, this year I’d rather work on developing a new positive habit that I can keep doing after Lent.…

BY AMY EKEH Let’s face it, as much as we may want to read the Bible, it can be an intimidating book! The Bible’s size alone may give us pause, not to mention the ancient nature of its texts and the variety of content within its pages. But…

BY GINA LOEHR The joy of Christmas is best understood by children. Excused from the stress of planning, blissfully unaware of the expenses of gift-giving and the labor of holiday preparations, little ones are free to simply relish the glory…

BY MSGR. STUART SWETLAND Dear Father: When someone dies, I often hear expressions such as “heaven gained another angel” or “Grandma received her wings.” When people die, do they become angels? What happens to our souls and bodies?  —…

BY PAT GOHN The seven sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony — have five important elements in common. They are the sacraments of Christ. All are instituted and based on the…

BY FR. DWIGHT LONGENECKER While this is understandable from someone who is simply ignorant of the facts, it is amazing that so many Biblical scholars also believe the New Testament is historically unreliable. Most do not take the extreme…

BY DANIEL MITSUI In theology, a mystery is defined as a truth that exceeds the natural power of knowing. Nothing so profound can be explained fully in either words or pictures. But the Catholic response is not to give up talking about it or…

My father's faith legacy

BY FR. DAVID J. ENDRES How do we know Jesus ever existed? From time to time an article or a book will make its way into the market arguing that Jesus’ existence was a coordinated hoax or a collective hallucination. Since modern society is…

BY FR. DAVID J. ENDRES Food is often linked to religious practice, whether as an offering to the divine, a form of remembrance, or a sign of the sacred. Jewish believers annually celebrate the Passover through a ritual meal called a Seder,…