Comprender de la vida de Jorge Mario Bergoglio es esencial para comprender como el Papa Francisco pastoreo a su rebano - y la clave es la misericordia. Que es exactamente lo que la gente encuentra tan atractivo sobre el Papa Francisco? Hay algo en el que cautiva y encanta a la gente, incluso gente que no sabe nada sobre el. Aldo Cagnoli, un laico que desarrollo una amistad con el Papa cuando este estaba sirviendo como un cardenal, comparte lo siguiente: "La grandeza del hombre, en mi humilde opinion no se encuentra en construir paredes o buscar refugio detras de su sabiduria y su oficina,...

Jesus was a Messiah behind enemy lines - God come into a sinful world ruled by evil. He was on a secret mission to save humanity. To Jesus' first-century Jewish contemporaries, whatever the Nazarene might be, he was not simply 'another good rabbi.' Jesus was a polarizing figure. One believed either that this powerful preacher and wonderworker was uniquely of God or that he was an agent of the Evil One. As he said in Luke's Gospel, "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters" (Lk. 11:23). We often speak of the love, mercy, and compassion of Jesus, but...

Throughout her life, Mother Teresa worked to transform our ideas of home, love, and family. Her life teaches us that it is never too late to make a difference in the world. As a figure of the 20th century, she saw the rapid changes taking place in the world and among its people. She asked individuals to contemplate the meaning of ideas such as home, love, and family and to be open to new conceptions of these terms in the midst of our changing world. In doing so, Mother Teresa introduced a new, modern way of doing missionary work, led an international religious organization, and was beloved by...

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford. His research on Beowulf is still considered a standard in the field. Tolkien, however, unlike most Oxford dons, stepped out of his role as professor to create popular literature. Tolkien's best-known writings were The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in which he created a fully realized world known as Middle-earth, vaguely identifiable as Northern Europe in a pre-history that never was. To bring his world to life, he produced detailed geography and cartography as well as a legendary background....

In an age that smirks at the mention of miracles, sin, angels, and demons, St. Pio of Pietrelchina has emerged as a figure of immense popularity, attracting fascination, veneration, and also emulation. Padre Pio, who once wrote in a letter, "I am a mystery to myself," is certainly a mystery to all who know of him. To those who moved beyond mere credulity, he became an inspiration to embrace the fullness of faith. Perhaps that is why his shrine in outlying San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, is second only to the Vatican itself in annual number of pilgrims and why Italian Catholics now report to...

It has become a cliche to say that one person can make a difference, but the life of Mahatma Gandhi confronts us with the enduring truth of that statement. It is impossible to say exactly what moved people to revere and follow him and be imprisoned and beaten on his behalf in the thousands. No doubt, his ever gentle demeanor had a hand in that. His perpetual grace and joy, even in the face of terrible hardship, surely won some hearts and minds. His genuine ability to treat all men - Hindu, Muslim, Parsee, Sikh, Harijan, Christian, and Zulu - as brothers must have won even more.

Has there ever been someone who accomplished so much and at the same time thought less of herself? Before she had even turned forty, Florence Nightingale was the darling of the British public, the heroine of the Crimea. She could have sailed home to England and comfortably dined out on her fame for the remainder of her long days. Instead, she conducted a ruthless post-mortem on every moment of her wartime service and found herself entirely wanting. She did not try to hide her mistakes; instead, she sought to broadcast them so that everyone would understand what happens in unsanitary medical...

No matter what one ultimately decides about Benedict, it remains incontrovertible that he is a remarkable man. Not only was he a world-class theologian before he was elected to the papacy, but he also gained renown on February 28, 2013, by becoming the first pope to resign freely since Celestine V. He has always been a man who is concerned with the direction of humanity and the triumph of truth, love, and goodness. His zest for life manifests itself not only through his dedication to the church, to theology, and to his ministry, but also through his love of Mozart, his affection for his cat,...

The office of bishop of Rome, is one of the most powerful positions in the world. As an ancient institution stretching back for centuries, the papacy has a history that is marked by archaic and modern customs alike. The history of the men who have held this position is fraught with villainous and heroic actions that have left a profound impact on the development of civilization as we know it, both in the West and East. The popes led the early Church through persecution, acquired temporal power through the actions of Constantine, oversaw the universal Church in the early middle ages, were...