From glow-in-the-dark rosary beads to St. Christopher dashboard statues and Pope Francis bobbleheads, a tribute to the complicated life of Catholic kitsch

In her new book, "The Mystics Would Like a Word: Six Women Who Met God and Found a Spirituality for Today," Shannon K. Evans beautifully articulates how the spirituality developed by women mystics still inspires and applies to us today.

It’s time for a global discernment. This starts with examining ourselves and then taking a long, hard look at the global realities and local realities we might not want to see.

The eyes of faith allowed us to see the people we served as people who shared in the purpose of life we all have been tasked with: to love and be loved.

Looking at the Van Goghs we see a few parallels with the Holy Family, who knew humiliation and repudiation.

When both the literal and the spiritual darkness of the world feels overwhelming, we must not turn away.