Why don't Coptic Christians hold funerals during Holy Week?
Terry Mattingly
It may seem somewhat strange for GetReligion to feature a religion-news "think piece" during the middle of the week. However, this is not an ordinary week. For churches around the world this is Holy Week – this year on both the liturgical calendars of Eastern and Western Christianity. Then again, this is certainly not an ordinary Holy Week for believers in the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt...

A bishop urges priests to encourage reception of Holy Communion on the tongue, kneeling. Wherein Fr. Z rants...
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
Last night, Tuesday in Holy Week, His Excellency Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, the Extraordinary Ordinary, Bishop of Madison, celebrated the Chrism Mass. The bishop blessed all the special oils used during our sacred rites in the upcoming year. Customarily, the priests of the diocese who are able attend the Chrism Mass, not only in a sign of unity but also...

‘Love Made Visible’: A pastoral letter on adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist...
Bishop James Conley
We are made for love. We are made to love, and to be loved. Each one of us longs to be loved, because love is the source and the meaning of our lives. Without love, our lives feel empty, meaningless, and lonely. Most of us have found that nothing can take the place of love—nothing can satisfy us but love, given and received...

Spy Wednesday: Are we spies for the darkness?
Matthew Bunson
Today is traditionally called “Spy Wednesday” because this is the day that Judas Iscariot betrayed our Lord to the Sanhedrin. Judas became a spy for the Enemy. He watched Jesus and the Disciples and waited for the moment to betray them all, and he betrayed the Christ with a kiss. All three Synoptic Gospels include the account...

Why today is called Spy Wednesday...
Mark Shea
Spy Wednesday is the day for recalling the betrayal by Judas Iscariot, who went to the chief priest to cut a deal for 30 pieces of silver. Like sin so often does, the 30 pieces was the all-consuming passion for about 15 minutes. It seemed like the most important thing in the world to Judas. People often ask “Why did Judas do it...

“The Case for Christ” and a stubbornly historical religion...
Bishop Robert Barron
The Case for Christ is a film adaptation of Lee Strobel’s best-selling book of the same name, one that has made an enormous splash in Evangelical circles and beyond. It is the story of a young, ambitious (and atheist) reporter for the Chicago Tribune, who fell into a psychological and spiritual crisis when his wife became a Christian...

Do we see men like “trees walking”?
John Clark
Mark 8:23-24 recounts the story of Jesus healing a blind man: “And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village; and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, ‘Do you see anything?’ And he looked up and said, ‘I see men; but they look like trees, walking.’” Truly, Jesus had performed a miracle: the man who was blind now saw something...

A Catholic reflection on the United Airlines overbooking debacle...

German family continues to fight for right to homeschool...

How can you help build Catholic identity at a Catholic college?

Please take 2 minutes and listen to Bishop Makar's words on the Palm Sunday massacres...

Former Swiss Guard heads CUA program to help pastors run parishes like clockwork...

Who's fighting in Syria and why...

Those claims of an “eye miracle” at the Holy Sepulchre should be taken with a big grain of salt...

Pope to visit Egypt in two weeks, despite Palm Sunday massacres of Christians...

The Ballad of Judas Iscariot and the burden of Lent...

A prayer for the new martyrs of the Palm Sunday massacre in Egypt...

Get this entire Catholic website as an instant digital download...
The full contents of the New Advent website are available as a digital download. It includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — and it's only $19.99...