Entries for 2026

How would you respond to a threat? We want to think we’re ready and prepared, but it’s another thing when you are confronted by an enemy in the flesh. A friend of mine, wearing an expensive coat I gave him in post-Communist Poland, simply peed his pants when a gun was pointed at him by a...

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The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord commemorates Jesus’ ascension into Heaven.  Historically, this holy has been celebrated 40 days after Easter Sunday – the Thursday in the sixth week of Easter. Most U.S. dioceses, however,  have moved the celebration of the Ascensio...

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The Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, reminds us how Jesus Himself, through an act of entrusting, willed that the divine maternity be extended to all men and women, that is, to the Church herself. In 2018, Pope Francis established the Monday after the Solemnity of Pentecost,...

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In this week's Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for Pentecost Sunday and Father Mike Schmitz of Ascension Presents makes a guest appearance. The readings are: First Reading: Acts 2:1-11 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 104:1,...

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The Ascension is the event, where Jesus arose into heaven, at the end of his time on earth. Jesus' time on earth began with his birth. It was interrupted for three days by His death on the Cross. During that time, He descended into the realm of the dead and preached the Gospel to the good peo...

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It was a five-day road trip my dad had planned since the moment I was born. Now sixteen years later we pulled his 1983 Datsun 280ZX up to a small roadside gas station on a lesser-known part of route 66 somewhere between Flagstaff and Winslow. As the attendant pumped gas, I stepped out to stretch my ...

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What is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker? While Saint Joseph’s primary feast day is March 19, in 1955 Pope Pius XII added a second day on May 1, celebrated as the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. As a carpenter, St. Joseph worked very hard. His manual labor was difficult, and he is a gr...

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What is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker? While Saint Joseph’s primary feast day is March 19, in 1955 Pope Pius XII added a second day on May 1, celebrated as the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. As a carpenter, St. Joseph worked very hard. His manual labor was difficult, and he is a gr...

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What is Easter about? On Christmas, we celebrate the Incarnation—God becoming human – with Jesus’s birth. During Lent, we recall the cross—Jesus’s crucifixion and death. At Easter, we rejoice in the empty tomb—Jesus’s resurrection. Easter is the day Je...

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