St. Jeanne Jugan, foundress of my community of Little Sisters of the Poor, was a woman of few words. She left behind no letters or other writings, but she did impart little bits of advice to the young Little Sisters among whom she spent her final years.
Faith
The 87-year-old Pope Francis publicly thanked God for allowing him “to do as an old pope what I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit,” and that is to travel to Asia to preach the Gospel.
As Ecuador’s International Eucharistic Congress wrapped up in the country’s capital, Quito, Australians burst into joy as the announcement was made that they will host the 54th congress in 2028.
It is not enough to know about Jesus, one must encounter Him, be changed by His Gospel, and follow Him, Pope Francis said.
“The Church has always been in spaces with people in extremely fragile situations, always,” said Sister Idília Carneiro, the new superior general of the Sisters Hospitallers; and as global rates of mental illness continue to rise, she insisted that Catholics have an obligation to expand their ministries in addressing the crisis.
The best way to ensure evangelization is about Jesus and not about oneself is to spend time in prayer and especially in Eucharistic adoration, Pope Francis told members of the Oblates of St. Joseph.
Cleansed from original sin by baptism, Christians are called to spread the “good fragrance of Christ” throughout the world by their kind actions and joyful attitudes, Pope Francis said.
We hear and say phrases like people of faith, Christian faith, live by faith, etc., and there are several ways of talking about and describing faith.
As people of faith, we are all on a journey toward God. The reason we go to church or call ourselves Christians is our desire to be with God when our earthly journey is over. Our faith teaches us that there is life after death and that we shall live in eternity with God if we keep His commandments and remain in His ways. Our love for God draws us toward Him and fuels our desire to be with Him. Although our human imperfections make it difficult to remain faithful to God’s ways all the time, God’s mercies sustain our hope and give us reason to keep trying to stay in God’s paths regardless of our shortcomings.
As Catholic priests, there are certain activities and rituals that we carry out as part of our priestly duties, functions, and ministry. These functions include celebrating the Mass, hearing confessions, giving a homily/reflection, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, etc. These are functions or activities that we carry out mostly on a daily basis. For me, as for many other priests, it is a blessing and privilege to exercise this ministry and to carry out these functions. I cannot measure the sanctifying grace it brings to me and the joy I feel when I carry out these ministerial duties.