The life of Mary, mother of the Word of God, can show us how to read the Bible in a personal, prayerful and transforming manner. This way of listening to God’s word in Scripture is traditionally called lectio divina, an ancient practice by which prayerful listening to the text leads to a transforming encounter with God.

During the Middle Ages, the faithful saw reminders of Mary, the Mother of God, in the flowers and herbs growing around them. Violets were symbols of her humility, lilies her purity and roses her glory.

St. Christopher—patron of travelers, protector against toothaches, hailstorms, and sudden death—is one of the most endearing for Catholics. His life and story, bordering somewhere between legend and legitimacy, is a faith-affirming exercise in service, grace, and love.

How many singles have fielded the marriage question? How many childless couples have been quizzed about when they’ll be starting a family? Our society, even in this diverse century, rarely knows what to do with us.

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near F√°tima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia.

Mary gave the children three secrets. Since Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta the following year, Lúcia revealed the first secret in 1927, concerning devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell.