Browse past isues
Help the mission
Support the mission
Get in touch
The Philippines’ distinctly “pro-life” culture is facing challenges from ideologies and governments imposing contraception, abortion, euthanasia and the execution of offenders. And yet, groups of Catholics are resisting this “culture of death” by defending the sanctity of life.
Thousands of families and young women and men from Central America are compelled to leave their homes and risk their lives undertaking dangerous journeys, only to search for a safe place to live. But ultimately, they are deported back to face the same conditions they fled from.
Under a European Union relocation program, Portugal hosted families fleeing persecution and war, the majority of whom were from Syria. Here are the diverse stories of four refugee families seeking asylum and protection who were welcomed by a religious congregation.
Some commentators have sought to draw parallels between the refugees and migrants’ plight and that of the Holy Family–Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Were Jesus, Mary and Joseph what we would consider today’s “refugees”? Yes.
The journey of Fr. Bobby Dela Cruz from drug use to priesthood is a powerful testimony of God’s love. Today he is sharing God’s gift of redemption with drug surrenderers and persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
The causes of addiction are manifold but it all boils down to the attempt to fill an inner void stemming from feelings of abandonment and lack of love. To address addiction, it is important to treat the root of the addiction and not simply its effects.
Even though addiction often seems to be associated with drugs, it actually takes on many forms. Addictions can range from crime and pornography to work and exercise. The good news is that effective treatments are available and people can recover from addictions.
A Dominican friar shares his experience of spending his yearly vacation in an ashram in India. Under the guidance of a guru and following an exigent daily schedule, the retreatants embark on an inner pilgrimage of contemplation and self-knowledge.
The examen is a way of praying that allows us to find and see God in our most ordinary, everyday experiences, making us stop, look back at our day, and listen to ourselves and to God Himself and what He has been telling us.
Defined as “non-judgmental awareness of the present moment,” mindfulness is a way of plugging ourselves into reality instead of paying attention to the fantasies we create in our imagination.
