–excerpt from In Search of Belief by Joan Chittister, OSB (adapted) July 15, 2026 Signs of the Times – Jotham Kingston Do I believe in the Holy Spirit? You bet I do. Nothing else makes sense. Either the Spirit of God who created us is with us still, either the presence of Christ who is the Way abides in us in spirit, or the God of Creation and the Deliverer of Souls has never been with us at all. God’s Spirit does not abandon us, if God is really God. If we are to understa

A reflection on infinite forgiveness, infinite mercy, and infinite love: inspired by Teresa of Avila July 1, 2026 Kaupo Kalda on Unsplash by FFrances A photograph arrived in my messages. That is how I learned that my sister had married. I wasn’t invited to the wedding. It was a shock to suddenly receive a photograph of the happy couple. I need to work to make sense of what I am seeing. So many feelings aroused. It feels quite momentous. A fracture in the normal. A blow to t

June 15 The first image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescop by Ilia Delio As appeared in the National Catholic Reporter, June 8, 2026 Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas arrives at a moment of genuine civilizational urgency. Its concern for human dignity, its alarm at the displacement of labor, its refusal to treat artificial intelligence as a neutral instrument — all of these are worthy moral interventions. The encyclical asks the right questions. Yet a reading

June 1, 2026 by FFrances Natalia Blauth on Unsplash What is human life? Who are we as human beings? What vision and goal are we aiming for in our humanity and in our lives together? Pope Leo has brought out a new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.* Rooted in Leo XIII’s document, Rerum Novarum** (Latin for “New Things”), which addressed concerns about industrialization, capitalism, work and the meaning of technology for human beings, Pope Leo XIV points out that now, more “ne

Bear the Beams of Love: Mary Southard, Ministry of the Arts Rabbi Sharon Brous places individual care and relationships at the heart of meaningful community. Relationships of mutual concern are rooted in both love and trust. These are people we know will hold our hearts with care. We’re prone to forgive them when they make mistakes, and we hope they’ll do the same for us. We feel accountable to one another. We want to share with them our important moments, both the hardships

May 1, 2026 Elisabeth Jurenka on Unsplash by FFrances “A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Eccl 3:4) The idea of Eastertide is not really one that imposes itself on the secular world. Easter eggs are in the shops on Boxing Day*, Christmas cards by Easter Monday. But taking time to relish the seasons of the liturgy bears fruit. We are still in this period of Eastertide, rejoicing in the resurrection, and awaiting the coming of the gift of