Believers and non-believers alike sometimes balk at the demanding nature of St. Paul’s exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In a world as broken as ours, can we really be expected to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances?

Jimmy Akin corrects popular Franciscan YouTuber Fr. Casey Cole’s claim that it’s “not appropriate” to pray privately after Communion and that EVERYONE must sing the Communion hymn. Jimmy goes through the argument line-by-line and exposes the claim as a classic “pious little legalism.” Jimmy quotes parts of the General Instruction that Fr. Casey never mentioned and reveals what Rome actually says about post-Communion prayer...

Our God is a God of surprises. From the Son of God being born a helpless infant raised by a carpenter and then dying to bring salvation, his ways are beyond human imagination. The humility of God is the ultimate plot twist that baffles Satan. The devil chose eternity in hell rather than to humble himself before the very one who created him. And his first big score against humanity was made possible through pride...

Tolerance is the pervasive, preeminent new moral virtue. Whatever others want to do is their choice — indeed, their right — and is to be accepted, even celebrated. Yet our society is quite narrow in its tolerance. For all its vaunted openness, the tolerance movement is riddled with ironies. Not everyone deserves to think his or her own way...

The place of gratitude in human life is at once obvious and remarkably complex. Great pagan philosophers (such as Seneca) as well as Christian theologians (such as Thomas Aquinas) have treated it at some length. This much is clear: learning both to be grateful and to express it regularly are central to the art of living a good life.

On his visit to Turkey to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Pope Leo XIV took up two themes dear to his predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope St. John Paul II. He offered a difference in emphasis from the former, and an echo of the latter in the context of Arianism, the heresy that Nicaea was called to confront.

Months after purchasing the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV, the village of Dolton has designated it as an official historic landmark. The Dolton Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Monday to approve an ordinance declaring the home at 212 E. 141st Pl. as an official historic landmark and site of special historical significance. The vote will allow the village to seek state funding to preserve and develop the site.

Let me propose a way to instantly improve the liturgy at your parish. Fear not, beleaguered pastors: it won’t require developing a new skill, arguing with a choir director, or getting in trouble with your bishop. Probably no one will complain, though if someone does, it’ll be a micro-opportunity to practice the virtue of fortitude...

We all want to be seen and approved. Indeed, if we are not seen and approved by someone then we will not only feel but actually be quite alone. It is understandable, then, that a proverbial human temptation is to seek approval or glory for its own sake. We might think here of how this temptation is fanned today by various common practices of parading what we do before the eyes of others.

Among the many remarkable literary gifts the great Doctor of Catholic education, St. John Henry Newman, has left us, one resonates as we prepare to recall the nativity of our Lord during this Advent season. In his meditation on the effects of sin, he describes with great detail what sin does to man. His description of the effects of sin...