Walking together in Ordinary Time

By Lucia A. Silecchia

In the candle-lit glory of the Easter Vigil Mass, new sisters and brothers around the world were welcomed to the Church through the waters of Baptism. To my new sisters and brothers, the warmest of welcomes!

I hope that on Easter eve, you saw and felt the warmth of the welcome that surrounded you as your time of preparation culminated with your sacraments of initiation. I hope that you never stop feeling that welcome every time you gather around the table of our Lord. With time, it may become a quieter, more subtle welcome than the glorious embrace you experienced on Easter eve. I hope you will understand that to be the quiet, loving embrace extended by a family that will, from now on, greet you with aptly named familiarity.

This work of mercy

By James E. Wermers

In the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis offered a prayer that named with clarity what so much of the world forgets: “You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy.” That line lingers—not just as a theological claim, but as a challenge to how we live, how we lead, how we love. In his years as pope, Pope Francis tried to make that vision visible. He refused the trappings of power in favor of its quieter strength. He called the Church to the margins—not as a gesture, but as a posture. And in a time when so many institutions reached for control, he reached instead for mercy.