We asked readers to share stories of surprising moments of faith in no more than 100 words. In these (very) short essays, they explain how they experienced God through these situations.

The Nov. 25 shooting in Burlington, Vt. points to rising hate in the United States in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

A Reflection for Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time, by Valerie Schultz

Like the soldiers in the film, we will raise our voices on Christmas and sing about peace on earth—but we should also reflect on what we’ll do to make it a reality.

The choice by Pope Francis to release “Laudate Deum” eight years after the publication of “Laudato Si’” is an unusual one, signaling an imminent climate crisis.

With COP28 in the United Arab Emirates imminent, opinion in the developed world on climate change has become deeply polarized. Perhaps exhausted by the digital news cycle, many people have developed compassion fatigue.

Black survivors have been nearly invisible in the Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis — even in Baltimore, home to a historic Black Catholic community that plays an integral role in the nation’s oldest archdiocese.

As the United States marks the 35th World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, domestic politics threaten the future of one of the nation's most successful global health initiatives, which is credited with keeping millions of people alive.

We can easily be discouraged during these difficult times in our world. Yet, Saint Paul reminds us that in God’s plan, we are compelled to express the joy of the Gospel in our daily lives.

A Reflection for Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, by Christine Lenahan