Perspective

The Tribute Money by Masaccio, c. 1424. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) Here’s a story for you. One day, I was worrying about money and taxes, and I shared my troubles with my brother over the phone. He told me he was on his way into Mass and would call me back when he got out — and he did. The Gospel reading that day? Matthew 17:27, the story of Jesus and his disciples needing to pay the temple tax. Jesus tells them to cast a line into the sea, and in the mouth of the first fish...

"Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them," reads Isaiah 11:6. (Photo via Lightstock, created with AI) Jesus’ first words to the disciples after his resurrection were “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). This was the fruit of Easter, resolving the two greatest threats to our peace — the internal discord of sin and the existential threat of death itself....

(Photo: Unsplash) On April 22, people across the United States and the rest of the world celebrates Earth Day. First officially held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has continually commemorated a commitment to conservation and ecological awareness, with many organizations encouraging water conservation, voluntary energy blackouts and calls for global climate education. Christians share a special dedication to these ideals, as we are called to care for our common home and to stewardship. Just as...

Part Five: As we accompany others towards Jesus, we must find places, spaces and times in which we and others can be vulnerable. Hikers pause for a sunset view during a young adult camping weekend co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Denver, Annunciation Heights and Mission House Denver. (Photo by Allison Holdridge) Editor's Note: This column is part of a yearlong series on evangelization, breaking down what often feels like a tall order into real, practical, actionable steps towards...

(Photo: Lightstock, created with AI) In the eleventh chapter of John’s Gospel, we encounter a verse which, being only two words long, is among the shortest and most mystifying in Scripture. Jesus wept. He who is God, “infinitely perfect and blessed in himself,” wept ? (CCC 1) He who told the widow mother, “Do not weep,” though her son lay dead? (Luke 7:11-17) He who told Jairus and his wife not to weep for their daughter, “for she is not dead but sleeping”? (Luke 8:40-56) He who said, “Our...

To walk with others in accompaniment and evangelization, we must have a profound respect for them, rooted in love. Burning Bush by Sébastien Bourdon, c. 17th century, in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) By Meg Stout When we consider the important task of evangelization, we are often caught up in the many ways we can share the Gospel — by providing a testimony, sharing Scripture, praying together or explaining a teaching of the faith...

Hundreds of priests processed into the March 25 Installation Mass of Archbishop James Golka. (Photo by Grant Whitty/Denver Catholic) I could not attend Archbishop Golka’s Installation Mass in person, but I did tune in to the livestream for as long as I could. As I watched the lengthy procession of priests from across our archdiocese, I unexpectedly felt warm tears of gratitude roll down my cheeks. Many of the faces I recognized, and I was deeply moved by the sight of our clergy moving in...

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich in November 2018. (Photo by Olivier LPB via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Your Eminence: In an article recently published by a major German Catholic website, you suggested that the question of whether the Church can ordain women has not been definitively settled: “I cannot imagine how a Church can continue to exist in the long run if half of God’s people suffer because they have no access to ordained ministry.” Putting aside for a moment the questions of...

Celebrating Lent is straightforward: penance, fasting, prayer, almsgiving. But how should a Catholic celebrate Easter? (Photo: Lightstock) Easter is the feast of all feasts, and its fifty-day season stands atop the liturgical year as its climax. While we might recognize this reality, the Easter season can seem like a letdown. While the goal of Lent appears to be clear-cut — fight against sin, do penance, increase prayer and give alms — what about Easter? What are we supposed to do for fifty...

Pope Leo XIV greets visitors and pilgrims from the popemobile while riding around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience March 18, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) On March 21, the Wall Street Journal published a lengthy profile of the Pope as its “Saturday Essay.” The subtitle — “Pope Leo XIV pushes back against President Trump. Can the pontiff from Chicago make a difference in an era of power politics?” — gave the game away from the git-go: the Pope is to be...

Kiss of Judas by Giotto, c. 1304–1306, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15 The comfort of a familiar embrace. The closeness of being gathered into another’s cloak. The quiet affection of being near enough to share a kiss. In Giotto’s fresco, Judas not only betrays Jesus with a...

"Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary" by Raphael, c. 1516. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) The Way of the Cross — and the third, seventh, and ninth stations in particular — has been an especially appropriate Lenten devotion this year. Every day, it seems, some new craziness erupts in the world, the country, or the Church. Every time we think we see rays of hope and possibility, we take another fall. So it’s good to remember this Holy Week, with Hans Urs von Balthasar, that we...