Catholic Church

Pope Francis recently said: “I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is.”... No one spoke more about Hell than Jesus. If Hell is empty, should we stop teaching that what Jesus and the apostles taught on the purpose of human sexuality and marriage must be obeyed to be saved? ... While acknowledging that this is only his personal view, not “a dogma of faith,” the Holy Father speculated that hell may be empty and expressed the hope that it is the case: “What I am going to say is not a dogma of faith, but my own personal view: I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is.”

By  J.C. Miller, Catholic World Report - Over the next several days, dioceses all across America will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week (January 28-February 3). Catholic schools will be putting their best foot forward and making their case to parishioners and the broader world. While kids showing off their uniforms at Sunday Masses may be cute, the massive personal and parish investment required to support Catholic schools may require some justification. The evidence does show that Catholic schools help to produce Catholic adults.

By Dr. Donald DeMarco, Catholic Exchange - St. Thomas is a philosopher in the broadest sense, dealing with everything that stimulates the mind and exercises the intelligence.  His degree of sanctity and humility are rare.  His mind was encyclopedic, having read and digested whatever the intellectual world of his time was available to him.  Moreover, he has been baptized by a number of popes as the Catholic Church’s pre-eminent thinker.  His feast day is January 24, which is an annual occasion for remembering his importance to everyone who seeks wisdom.

By Msgr. Charles Pope - In Sunday’s Gospel Jesus models four aspects of powerful and effective preaching... In using the word “preaching” we ought to be careful not to limit it to what takes place in a church. All Catholic parents should learn from Jesus’ example here for they have the church of their home in which to preach; they have the pulpit of the dining room table, the living room couch, and even the family car. ...