Every December, if you turn on Fox News or any of the culture-war echo chambers, you’ll eventually hear someone shrieking about the so-called “War on Christmas.” Politicians, especially the guy on top, solemnly declare that, thanks to them, you are once again allowed to say “Merry Christmas,” as if itRead more

Vice President Vance,You recently told an audience of young people at the Turning Point USA conference that they “no longer have to apologize for being white.”I’ll be honest, those words unsettled me.I have been a white man for 41 years, and in all that time I have never once beenRead more

When we hear the phrase Holy Family, many of us unconsciously picture a kind of religious ideal: a perfect household, perfectly ordered, untouched by struggle or complexity.But the family the Church lifts up today was anything but traditional.This was not a family formed in the usual way.Joseph was not theRead more

The Christmas season has a rhythm of its own.Gatherings continue. Meals stretch long into the evening. Laughter mixes with noise, stories, and familiar patterns. For many, this weekend holds more celebration still to come.And all of it can be good.Christian faith does not ask us to retreat from joy. GodRead more

A Christmas Greeting to Our ReadersDear Friends,On this holy morning, I want to begin simply by saying thank you.Thank you for reading. Thank you for reflecting. Thank you for making room, even in small ways, for faith, thoughtfulness, and prayer in the midst of very real lives.Whether you have beenRead more

There is something sacred about the night before.The world is quieter then. The urgency pauses. The future feels close enough to touch, but not yet demanding anything from us. In the Christian imagination, this moment matters. God does not rush into history. God waits. God draws near slowly, deliberately, lovingly.Tonight,Read more

Christmas week has its own strange rhythm.The big moment arrives, the calendar flips, and suddenly we’re living in the afterglow… still celebrating, still gathering, still trying to hold onto something holy before ordinary time presses back in.This is not a week for pressure or performance. It’s a week for cultivating.Read more

On December 4th, the Roman Catholic Church took a step that felt, to many, painfully familiar.A Vatican-appointed commission studying the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate announced that it would not move forward with women deacons at this time. The headline moved fast. The disappointment moved faster.For many women,Read more

Christmas Week has a particular feel to it. The wrapping paper is already piling up in the corner. The fridge is fuller than usual. The calendar is crowded, yet oddly quiet at the same time. For many of us, it is not the dramatic arrival we imagined during Advent, butRead more

OpeningAs we approach the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the air feels different. Not quieter exactly, but heavier. The waiting has narrowed. The story is tightening its focus. Mary is very pregnant now. Joseph is committed. The road ahead is no longer theoretical.This week, the Church invites us to sit withRead more

As we approach the Fourth Sunday of Advent, many of us are exhausted… not from waiting for God, but from being constantly provoked. Each year, I perhaps naively imagine Advent unfolding as it should: daily, thoughtful prayer and meditation; holy hours and candlelit vespers; the slow curl of incense inRead more

I want you to picture an aging pastor, beloved in his parish, greeting old friends after Mass. People know his voice, his manner, his jokes. Then imagine that same pastor passing the torch in the middle of Advent, handing the crozier to a younger priest from another town, someone withRead more

Have you noticed how December feels like it is yelling at us?The music starts early. The lights go up fast. The pressure to feel cheerful arrives before we have even caught our breath after Thanksgiving. We are told, politely but firmly, that this is the season to be happy. BuyRead more

How are you doing… really?I ask that gently, because for many people the Christmas season lands less like a carol and more like a weight. Everywhere you turn there is cheer being prescribed, joy being marketed, and happiness assumed. If you are not feeling it, something must be wrong withRead more

We have entered a sorrowful moment in our national conversation, one that should be met with hushed voices, bowed heads, and a deep, communal breath.Legendary filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner, whose work shaped generations — from All in the Family to The Princess Bride and Stand By Me — andRead more