God doesn’t wait for us to get our spiritual act together before he moves on our behalf. He just asks us to turn toward him with whatever we’ve got, however inadequate it feels.

One year after the reopening of Notre Dame de Paris, Marseille’s Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde is preparing to celebrate, on Dec. 7, the completion of restoration work on the iconic gilded copper statue of the Virgin Mary that crowns it.

When we have empathy for the least of these immigrants and refugees — without regard to their legal status — we have empathy for Jesus.

Even after nearly 2,000 years, we still have trouble fully appreciating the beautiful church teaching about the conception of Mary.

Advent calls us beyond the false security of the merely virtuous person and into the daring surrender to God’s love of the saint.