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Columns

How do I gain an indulgence for the dead?

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. I understand that during the upcoming papal-declared year, we can seek plenary indulgences for the dead. Naturally, as I age, I have more and more friends who have died. What a wonderful thing if I could include them in this. Is it possible to gain multiple plenary indulgences for the deceased and, if so, […]
11/24/15
Reading Time 2 min

Defending Mary Magdalene

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. Today I was chatting with a friend who is a Buddhist. She does not have a deep knowledge of the Bible and she talked about Mary Magdalene as a great sinner and former prostitute who developed a romantic relationship with Jesus. I wanted to correct her, but I couldn’t find the right words. Can […]
11/24/15
Reading Time 2 min

Who reigns in your heart?

By Fr. Jack Peterson
As we come to the conclusion of the liturgical year this weekend, the church fittingly invites us to ponder prayerfully the end of time. We understand that the world as we know it will come to a dramatic end. We know not the day or the hour; only the Father knows. He alone determines when […]
11/24/15
Reading Time 3 min

Wake up drowsy heart

By Fr. Matthew H. Zuberbueler
The apocalyptic words of Jesus we hear and pray this Sunday are words He spoke to the disciples. Of course, Catholic Herald readers and other disciples of Jesus are called to pay more attention to the goodness and love of Jesus than to the sins and failings of their fellow readers, their fellow disciples. If […]
11/23/15
Reading Time 3 min

The grittiness of Christian faith

By George Weigel
Walking through the narrow, winding streets of Jerusalem’s Old City on my first visit there in 15 years, I was struck powerfully once again by the grittiness of Christianity, the palpable connection between the faith and the quotidian realities of life. For there, as in no other place, the believer, the skeptic and the “searcher” […]
11/23/15
Reading Time 3 min

Learning from Mom

By John Garvey
Some people are naturally funny and good storytellers. I wish I were one of them. I have to speak in public often, and at times I have no choice but to wing it. I’m not funny or especially quick-witted, though. So when I’m called on to speak extemporaneously, it’s a bit scary. I launch into […]
11/23/15
Reading Time 3 min

The season to be grateful

By Fr. William J. Byron, S.j.
This is the thanks-saying, thanks-doing, thanks-giving season. It begins in late November and runs through Christmas. In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a secular feast, although many religious congregations mark it with special services and prayers. We would be a better, stronger, happier nation if we lived gratefully with one another every day of […]
11/23/15
Reading Time 2 min

Is this the holiday for healing?

By Elizabeth Foss
On the way to soccer practice tonight, my son found four radio stations playing Christmas music. As I write this column, it is exactly two weeks until Thanksgiving. When you read it, the official beginning of the holiday season will be one week away. Those dates on the calendar bring smiles to many people. They […]
11/18/15
Reading Time 3 min

Cultural consensus

By Russell Shaw
The inability of parties to America’s culture war to communicate meaningfully with one another on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and assisted suicide is a disturbing fact of national life today. One observer remarks that the two sides seem to be living in “different moral universes.” But that isn’t new. The problem is the same […]
11/17/15
Reading Time 3 min

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