• Why we need the Holy Spirit's gift of understanding

    ike all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, understanding helps us know that we all belong to Christ. 

    A woman prays in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul.

    A woman prays in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. Like all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, understanding helps us know that we all belong to Christ. (CNS photo by Jerry Lampen/ Reuters)
  • More understanding needed today

    "I just can't understand ..." How often do we utter those words in consternation, confusion and anger during these troubled times?

    Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., uses sacred chrism oil to trace a cross on the forehead of Alma Karina Ruiz during the sacrament of confirmation at St. Joseph Church in Wautoma, Wis.

    Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., uses sacred chrism oil to trace a cross on the forehead of Alma Karina Ruiz during the sacrament of confirmation at St. Joseph Church in Wautoma, Wis. To cooperate with the Holy Spirit, we pray to understand the meaning of God's message for us in the life we live. (CNS photo by Sam Lucero/The Compass)
  • An unlikely location for a lesson on the Holy Spirit: In the back of a taxi

    The back of a cab seems an unlikely place to get a lesson on the Holy Spirit, but that's what happened one evening after a girl's night out with two of my Catholic friends.

    A taxi drives past Madison Square Garden in New York City.

    A taxi drives past Madison Square Garden in New York City. (CNS photo by Gregory Shemitz)
  • The Holy Spirit, traditionally depicted as a dove, is pictured in a stained-glass window at St. John Vianney Church in Lithia Springs, Ga.

    The Holy Spirit, traditionally depicted as a dove, is pictured in a stained-glass window at St. John Vianney Church in Lithia Springs, Ga. There is a relationship between knowledge and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. (CNS photo by Michael Alexander/Georgia Bulletin)
    The gift of knowledge's impact on the heart
    Jan 21, 2020
  • A family prays during Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Parenthood unfolds over decades, traversing a course that is alternately joyful and confounding, replete with moments to celebrate or lament.

    A family prays during Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Parenthood unfolds over decades, traversing a course that is alternately joyful and confounding, replete with moments to celebrate or lament. (CNS photo by Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard)
    Is there room for wisdom in the 21st century?
    Jan 10, 2020
  • Young men dressed as the Three Kings present the gifts during a Spanish-language Mass on the feast of the Epiphany at St. John of God Church in Central Islip, N.Y.

    Young men dressed as the Three Kings present the gifts during a Spanish-language Mass on the feast of the Epiphany at St. John of God Church in Central Islip, N.Y. Each Epiphany, we hear about the visit from the three Wise Men from afar, bearing royalty-worthy gifts. (CNS photo by Gregory A. Shemitz)
    Best gift ever
    Jan 03, 2020
  • This is an image of Italian artist Andrea Mantegna's 15th-century painting "Adoration of the Magi."

    This is an image of Italian artist Andrea Mantegna's 15th-century painting "Adoration of the Magi." "We saw his star at its rising, and have come to do him homage," explain the wise ones. (CNS photo courtesy The J. Paul Getty Museum)
    Following the light
    Jan 02, 2020
  • Members of the choir sing during the annual Christmas concert at St. Malachy's Church -- The Actors' Chapel in New York.

    Members of the choir sing during the annual Christmas concert at St. Malachy's Church -- The Actors' Chapel in New York. (CNS photo by Gregory Schmitz)
    Handel's 'Messiah': Is it just the 'Hallelujah' chorus?
    Dec 19, 2019
  • Ashraf Jaraysa poses in his family's olive wood workshop in the village of Beit Sahour that neighbors Bethlehem in the West Bank.

    Ashraf Jaraysa poses in his family's olive wood workshop in the village of Beit Sahour that neighbors Bethlehem in the West Bank. (CNS photo by Judith Sudilovsky)
    Holy Land artisans pass on faith through handcrafted creches
    Dec 19, 2019

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