Contemplative blogger Brian Mitchell offers this reflection on the ever-present Christ: The Christ Light animates everything inviting us to share in the ineffable divine Energy of Being, of Source, of God. Christ is that which speaks to the core of where we are headed as a human race, as a ...

The Catholic Church commemorates the feast of Our Lady Of Guadalupe on December 12. This feast day and devotion to the Blessed Mother carries special significance for many immigrants in the United States. The USCCB committees...

One of the gifts of contemplative practice is the grace to reframe our understanding of our past and thus allow the transformative power of God to work through our past. Common, but misguided, ways of relating to our past include a tendency to remain stuck in nostalgia for past glories, successes, or titles, as if those things...

This week, Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to religious leaders attending the U.N. climate talks, urging countries to “take concrete action” to stop climate change that is threatening the planet, telling them that humans are failing in their ....

We must always remember that the waiting that we are called to during Advent is an active waiting, a season of raising up valleys, lowering mountains, and making straight a highway for the Lord (see Is 40:3-4). Many people will...

Catholic social teaching principles help guide us in considering the issue of healthcare: Respect for Life and Dignity of the Human Person challenges us to work to make sure that all members of society have access to adequate healthcare so all God’s children can reach their full potential. ...

The issue of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) has been much in the news. Let’s revisit what this program does and for whom. About 42 million...

Theologian and Cherokee descendant Dr. Randy Woodley offers this Thanksgiving prayer: Great Mystery, I am humbled that I will never know everything about you, but I am grateful that through the lives of the other I can know more of you. While I thank you for those who are like me, I especially thank you for those who are different than...

When undertaking a prayer practice, there is a natural human tendency to want to set timelines and goals. There is some value to this sort of self-imposed structure, as it can help us cultivate discipline and positive habits in our prayer lives. Nevertheless, we must always remember that prayer is ultimately relationship. As such, trying to predetermine a point of “arrival” that will allow us to proclaim “success” in our prayer is...

Do you know? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2358, 1997 ed.: "They [homosexual people] must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided." Two of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching guide us in...

Having just celebrated All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, let’s remember in a special way those who lost their lives to gun violence. As wars rage around the world and soldiers are in our own cities, we are called to choose the path of peace. Here is a prayer from Education for Justice,...

Author and motivational speaker Regina Brett once wisely stated that “God isn't present in the past or future. The great 'I Am' is in the present moment.” Divine union can only be realized in the now, and likewise Dive gifts like grace, peace, healing, and love can only be given and received now. In that sense, it is ineffectual to focus our ...

Contemplative wisdom teacher Cynthia Bourgeault discusses how “dying before we die” brings new life from our awareness of mortality: he one who would save his life or her life will lose it and the one who’s willing to lose it, will save it (see Matthew 16:25)… The whole tradition we’ve had of ...

MMOC’s Care of Creation group, part of the Peace and Justice ministry, held a well-attended program last Sunday on plastic pollution and ways to reduce our plastic consumption. As a follow-up, Lori Fick, chair of the Care of Creation subcommittee, provided additional information as to how we can reduce, reuse and recycle. The Magic House accepts...

In his book A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis proposes that, “You must have a capacity to receive, or even Omnipotence can’t give.” True mercy, grace, and love are big gifts, so much so that we can struggle with our ability to ...

This reflection and practice come from therapist Resmaa Menakem’s book My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies (Central Recovery Press: 2017), 137, 35: My grandmother was a strong and loving woman. But her body was frequently nervous… She would soothe that sense of impending disaster in...

Pope Leo XIV met with El Paso’s Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the USCCB’s committee on migration, on October 8, 2025. The pope stated that the church cannot remain silent about the situation of migrants in the United States. Pope Leo made clear that he wants Catholic bishops and the U.S. church “to be united” on this crucially important issue, which he described as “a matter of human dignity.” The meeting came amid...

Any number of distractions and obstacles can disrupt a burgeoning or even a regular prayer practice, beginning with the typical challenges of establishing a new habit – finding time, finding a place, adjusting to different lifestyle – and continuing with everything from perceived “lack of results” to major life events. When such disruptions inevitably arise, we must resist the temptation to frustration and instead....

What do U.S. Bishops have to say on the issue of undocumented immigrants? “Undocumented immigrants present a special concern. Often their presence is considered criminal since they arrive without legal permission. Under the harshest view, undocumented people may be regarded as undeserving of rights or services. This is not the view of Catholic social teaching. The Catholic Church teaches that ...