Saints in the heart of the secular city

My friends, you are graduating from a great Catholic university in a city that is named for God’s holy angels. That gives you some sense of your identity and mission after you graduate.

Mary’s message of peace and hope

May is a beautiful time here in Southern California — especially this year, when we have been blessed with an abundance of rain and an end to our long drought.

The witness of the ‘new martyrs’

The Church is a Church of martyrs — always and everywhere, in every time and in every place.

As Pope Francis said this past weekend, “the ancient history of martyrdom joins the memory of the new martyrs” being killed today.

‘It is the Lord!’

“It is the Lord!”

This was the cry of St. John when he saw Jesus standing on the shore at the Sea of Tiberius in the days after the Resurrection.

Holy Week and the obedience of faith

We are entering the holiest week of the Christian year.

Beginning with Passion Sunday, we will trace the final steps of our Lord’s journey to the cross. It is a road of sorrow that we know leads to his death. But on this road every sorrow is turned to joy because we know we will stand at his empty tomb of Easter Sunday.

Some Lenten reflections on our Christian vocation

We are halfway down the road in our Lenten journey toward Easter.

Back to Lent

How is your Lent going?

These first few weeks have been really busy for me. I can imagine that in your life, too, you feel the “pull” of many responsibilities and demands on your time.

On immigration, seeking the balance of love and the law

Editor’s note: On March 8, Archbishop Gomez addressed a gathering of Catholics and other leaders in politics and business at a symposium hosted by the Napa Institute in Washington, D.C. The text below is adapted from his address. To read his full talk, “Where Do We Go From Here? Why We Cannot Wait for Immigration Reform,” visit his website: ArchbishopGomez.com.

God’s beautiful plan of love

We have begun the spiritual journey of Lent.

And always at the beginning of Lent, the Church in her liturgy calls us back to our “beginnings.”

At a world meeting of popular movements

I am writing this week from Modesto, where I am attending a conference sponsored by the Vatican.