By Susan Ciancio, Catholic World Report – They arrive in the dark of night to give Christmas joy to grieving families who have suffered unimaginable losses. Quietly, they leave gifts, decorate trees and walkways, and then depart, hopefully undetected… The Christmas Commandos, as they are called, have been providing love and comfort to families grieving out-of-order losses—the loss of a child or the loss of a young spouse—for over 25 years. ….

By Paul Suski, Catholic Exchange – “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”… With these famous opening words of the Confessions, St. Augustine frames any genuine inquiry into the nature of inner peace… The desire for inner peace is written upon our very nature. Although many individuals make choices that result in internal disorder and even chaos, these decisions are often driven by a misguided understanding of what truly brings fulfillment.

By Rep. Paul Gosar, Chronicles – When insurers deny care, manipulate rules, extract taxpayer subsidies, and reward executives handsomely for it, Congress cannot look away. Healthcare CEOs should not be shielded from scrutiny simply because their industry is powerful. Instead, they should be required to appear before Congress, answer hard questions, and explain—under oath—why an industry built on public support has completely failed the public it is meant to serve.

By Matthew McDonald, National Catholic Register – A retired NY bishop (Bishop Edward Scharfenberger) has filed for personal bankruptcy protection in federal court after a state jury verdict found him, along with other officials, personally liable for the collapse of a Catholic hospital pension fund that left about 1,100 retirees without the lifetime monthly payments they were expecting… Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, 77, who served as bishop of Albany from April 2014 until his retirement in October, is seeking protection from creditors for his assets valued at between $100,001 and $500,000, according to a filing Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York… he has between 100 and 199 creditors and debts totaling between $1,000,001 and $10 million.

By Franciscan Media – It’s not the founder of the Dominicans we honor today, but there’s a poignant story that connects both Dominics… Our saint today, Dominic of Silos, was born in Spain around the year 1000 into a peasant family. As a young boy he spent time in the fields, where he welcomed the solitude. …

By Rob Sexton, Catholic Exchange – We speak often of Mary’s Fiat, and rightly so. Her yes stands at the center of salvation history. But Scripture gives us another yes, one that is quieter and almost hidden in the background. It is the yes of a man who receives no annunciation from an angel in broad daylight, who hears God not through a message addressed to him by name but through a dream. Joseph wakes from that dream and obeys.

By Gayle Somers, Catholic Exchange – As our time of preparation and waiting in Advent draws to a close, we find ourselves listening to St. Matthew’s account of how Joseph became an important part of the first Advent. In some ways, the example of Joseph is the perfect pivot point as we move from anticipation to reality in the Incarnation, celebrated all through the liturgical season of Christmas. How?

By Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal – ICE agents are “maxed out,” a senior Trump administration official told The Daily Signal, and yet there is “frustration” within the administration that deportation numbers aren’t higher… “I think it is just an enormous challenge to get 20 million people out of this country,” the official said, referring to an estimation of the number of illegal aliens living in the U.S. …

By Craig Bannister, CNS News – Three House Democrats voted Wednesday to protect children from transgender procedures, passing a bill that would otherwise have failed because four Republicans voted against it… The “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” (H.R. 3492) passed 216-to-211. Without the help of the three Democrats, the bill would’ve failed, 214-213… Two of the three Democrats voting for the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” represent districts in Texas ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 1:5-25 – 5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

By Stella Morabito, The Federalist – We’ve heard endless claims by the propaganda press and campus “protesters” that Islamic terrorists are oppressed, and “white” Christians are the oppressors. For example, recall how New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani famously suggested that the real victims of 9/11 are New York City’s Muslims because his “Auntie” felt like people looked at her funny while she wore her hijab on the train.

By Michael New Ph.D., LifeNews – Last week the Society of Family Planning released updated abortion data through its #WeCount project. The latest update contains both state and national abortion data through the first six months of 2025. Unfortunately, the news is not good for pro-lifers… According to the WeCount data, over 591,000 abortions were performed in the first six months of 2025. This represents a 1.1 percent increase when compared to the first six months of 2024… The WeCount data provides some important information on how policy changes impact the incidence of abortion.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – In 1901, Gilbert Keith Chesterton married Frances Alice Blogg. As the Catholic world knows now, Chesterton was a prolific thinker and writer who operated through genius more than well-organized habits, and Frances (who was also a writer) often served as his secretary and kept him on track. By all accounts, including their own, they were deeply in love, and it was a sadness that they were unable to have children. But some of Chesterton’s literary energy was directed toward his wife, to whom he wrote many poems.

By Nancy Flanders, Live Action News – Coalition Life, a hearse arrived at the Planned Parenthood in Fairview Heights, Illinois, on October 31. The driver told sidewalk counselors she was there “picking someone up to take them to the funeral home.” She later exited Planned Parenthood with a bag… On October 31, a hearse arrived at the Planned Parenthood in Fairview Heights, Illinois… The driver told sidewalk counselors that she was there “picking someone up to take them to the funeral home.”… The driver later left Planned Parenthood carrying a bag believed to contain a baby aborted late in pregnancy. ….

By Elise Winland, Catholic Vote – The Trump administration on Dec. 18 took its most aggressive federal action yet against “transgender” medical interventions for minors, with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing six regulatory and administrative moves aimed at ending what he called “sex-rejecting procedures” for children… The actions target hospitals, federal health programs, drug manufacturers, and research funding tied to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and related interventions often termed “gender-affirming care.”