DURING THE LENTEN season I thought often about the mystery of human freedom. I have come to believe that any action performed out of love increases the freedom of the person who does it. For many years I thought that the more difficult an action was the more valuable it was. I now think almost the opposite: an action can be difficult for one person because he or she has not grown in freedom and holiness; for another person the same action may be relatively easy because the individual has grown into a deeper holiness.

Sixth in lenten seriesA RELIGIOUS SISTER once told me that she had never experienced loneliness in her life.

WHEN A POPE IS ELECTED, the cardinals who have just chosen him make their way to the Hall of Benedictions atop the narthex of St. Peter’s Basilica.

In moves that advance the sainthood causes of two of the most celebrated, and, at times, controversial Catholic figures of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Vatican announced Feb. 13 that a miracle has been attributed to Cardinal John Henry Newman and “heroic virtue” has been attributed to Cardinal József Mindszenty.