Author name: Molly Hostetler

The opening chapters of Genesis are foundational for Jews and Christians. They give us a basic understanding of God, the world, ourselves, and the nature of our relationship to Him. The creation of human beings, male and female, is central to these chapters.

A recovery of the Catholic teaching on priesthood is urgently needed, both among the laity and the clergy.  

I grew up in a Christian tradition vigorously opposed to calling their clergy “priests.” We were doctrinally committed to the view that the only priesthood in the New Covenant was the common priesthood of the faithful: every baptized believer shared in Christ’s priesthood (Rev 1:6) and was called to “present [their] bodies as a living sacrifice” to God (Rom 12:1).  

The average American teen spends over seven hours of screen time per day, not including schoolwork. The average adult consumes five times more information (most of it quick, passing news, not enriching and inspiring information) than their counterpart did fifty years ago. And most of our screen time consists of just seconds on one thing before jumping to another. For hours each day. I’m pleading on behalf of your brain right now: Please give me a break. I’m tired. 

Every year, the St. Paul Center prays a novena for the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, January 25. We pray to our patron for the conversion of our families and friends, as well as for our own deepened conversion. Join us for the next nine days as we ask for the powerful intercession of our beloved patron, St. Paul.

Thanks to your support, since COVID hit we have successfully and safely held two in-person retreats serving our spiritual fathers. At our latest retreat at Lakeway Resort in Austin, Texas, we hosted over 150 priests from across the country—many of whom had never been to a St. Paul Center event before.

There are two modes of participation in Christ’s priesthood: the common (or royal) and the ministerial. Let’s first look at the common priesthood, the basic priesthood of all Christians. 

Now’s the time to deepen your Eucharistic devotion. Make the decision this year to spend more time with the Blessed Sacrament and strengthen your love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Here are three ways to easily jumpstart your journey.

“I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of lectio divina: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart.”—Pope Benedict XVI

The word for “jewels” in Hebrew refers to something very costly, like rubies or pearls. Proverbs 31 tells us that these pale in comparison to the value of a godly wife. In Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus tells us about a man who searches for fine pearls.