"Hear this, you who trample upon the needy!" (Amos 8:4-7). A reflection on this Sunday's readings, which focus the Christian response to the poor, to money and to God. outreach.faith/2025/09/hear...

Join us for our Friday faith sharing and Bible study today on my Facebook page at 3 PM ET, when we will discuss this Sunday's readings, including the first reading, from the Book of Amos: "Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!"

"We have to change attitudes before we ever change doctrine." Pope Leo XIV on LGBTQ people, in a new interview, published in conjunction with Elise Allen's new biography: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwk1...

New: Bishop Francesco Savino: "Pope Leo urged me to celebrate Mass with LGBTQ Catholics." Outreach is honored to publish this historic homily, from the recent Mass at the Church of the Gesu in Rome. outreach.faith/2025/09/bish...

The comedian and writer @jimgaffigan.bsky.social on why we all occasionally feel like "frauds" in the spiritual life. NB: This article is available for @americamedia subscribers. "The Spiritual Life" podcast is free, on YouTube, Spotify and Apple podcasts. www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/202...

Delighted to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life," a lively (and very funny) conversation with @jimgaffigan.bsky.social on why he (sometimes) feels like a "fraud" when it comes to his Catholic faith (even though he's not). www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlYG...

Even if we don't take vows of obedience, as many in religious orders do, we're called to be obedient to God's desires for us, to emulate Jesus, and live a life of love and mercy. A meditation on the readings for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross outreach.faith/2025/09/are-...

Cardinal Stephen Chow, SJ, on true discernment. How do we come to know God's desires for us? NB: This article is for America subscribers but our conversation on "The Spiritual Life" podcast, on YouTube, Spotify and Apple, is free! www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/202...

Dear friends: As a non-academic I was delighted to review this fascinating new book about Jesus as a boy, by the eminent scholar Joan Taylor, which relies on old sources but breaks new ground. It is, in places, riveting. www.americamagazine.org/books/2025/0...

What Sept. 11 teaches us about death and resurrection. youtu.be/5PZMm0phCGk?...

Delighted to share a wonderful conversation with one of my favorite people in the church, Cardinal Stephen Chow, SJ, Bishop of Hong Kong, on the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life." Especially helpful are his insights on vocation and discernment. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y-c...

New on Outreach: A reflection on six historic days for LGBTQ Catholics in Rome: outreach.faith/2025/09/jame...

Now available as an audiobook! Read by the author. I hope that this little book helps your prayer! www.audible.com/pd/In-All-Se...

What are God's dreams for you? A meditation on today's beautiful Gospel. outreach.faith/2025/09/what...

An immense, standing-room-only crowd of perhaps 1,200 people at the Prayer Service for LGBTQ Catholics at the Church of the Gesù in Rome tonight! We gathered in preparation for tomorrow's Mass at the Gesù and procession through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. Photo: Tiziano Fani Braga

New: "Father James Martin: Pope Leo’s message for LGBTQ Catholics." My reflections on my meeting with the Holy Father yesterday. outreach.faith/2025/09/fath...

Who can you ask to "come up higher" in your life? Most of us aren't callous enough shut outcasts out, but are there times when you could be more welcoming? A meditation on today's Gospel reading: outreach.faith/2025/08/who-...

I can't tell you how helpful Ron Rolheiser's books have been in my life, especially "Sacred Fire," which talks in depth about "staying the course." So I'm delighted to share this conversation on "The Spiritual Life," which is packed with spiritual wisdom. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxB0...

Does Jesus know you? And do you know him? In today's Gospel, Jesus rejects some people from the reign of God by saying, "I don't know where you are from." Why does he say this? A meditation: outreach.faith/2025/08/does...

President Trump says he want to enter heaven. As a Catholic priest, I take that seriously. www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus...

Dear friends: I'm delighted to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life," with the youngest woman delegate at the Synod: the remarkable Julia Oseka, who speaks about her Polish upbringing, finding God and what the church should know about young Catholics. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGBp...

Dear friends: I'm happy to share an edited version of my talk to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the umbrella group for many Catholic Sisters communities in the US, on what the Gospel story of Lazarus might be able to teach us. www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus...

35 years ago today, I professed my First Vows as a Jesuit, poverty, chastity and obedience, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Boston, along with my novice classmate Bill Campbell, SJ. I try my best to live those vows as fully as I can. And I thank God every day for my Jesuit vocation.

Does Jesus want us to be divided? Today he says he came to bring "division." But elsewhere, he prays we all "may be one." Jesus means that his presence will force a choice, which will naturally divide: Are you with him or not? A meditation today's Gospel: outreach.faith/2025/08/does...

Dear friends: Today is the publication date for my new book, "In All Seasons, For All Reasons," Vol. 2 from @litpress.bsky.social I hope this little book (very reasonably priced) helps draw you closer to God in prayer. litpress.org/Products/018...

I was so honored to speak this morning in Atlanta, Georgia, at the annual conference of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the umbrella organization for many Congregations of Catholic Sisters in the US.

Dear friends: I'm happy to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life" podcast, with the New York Times columnist and author Ross Douthat, who shares how he found God in a time of suffering, and discusses his new book on belief. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuow...

Your heart is like a room. Why not escort all the things that are crowding that room out the door? Then there will be room for Jesus, who is your treasure. A meditation on today's Gospel: outreach.faith/2025/08/wher...

Martin Scorsese on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola and imaginative prayer. You can find our conversation on YouTube, Spotify and Apple podcasts here: www.americamagazine.org/thespiritual...

Martin Scorsese on imaginative prayer and being a Catholic filmmaker www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/202...

Delighted to share our conversation with Martin Scorsese on "The Spiritual Life" podcast. The film director shares stories about growing up Catholic in New York and how the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius recently helped to "immerse" him in the Life of Christ. www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Nf...

"There's more to life than a little money." What Marge Gunderson of "Fargo" and Jesus's Parable of the Rich Fool have in common. There's enough and then there's too much. A meditation on today's powerful Gospel: outreach.faith/2025/08/ther...

Dear friends: I was so happy to be invited to Wild Card with Rachel Martin on @npr.org. Rachel asked me several surprising questions and I had a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU_r...

Happy Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus! May you find God in all things!

Sister Joyce Rupp, OSM, the well-known spiritual writer on the upside of aging. Listen to all of Sister Joyce's wisdom on the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life," now available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple podcasts: www.americamagazine.org/thespiritual...

Dear friends: I'm delighted to share our conversation with the amazing poet and writer Sister Joyce Rupp, OSM, on a spirituality of aging, of being free of the need to please everyone and embracing your true self. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y34u...

Is it okay to ask God for help? Absolutely. After all, the Our Father is, in part, a prayer of petition. And Jesus says, "Ask and you shall receive." But what happens when it seems that we're not receiving what we asked for? A meditation today's Gospel. outreach.faith/2025/07/is-i...

Re: the idea that empathy or compassion is bad or even "toxic," a belief held even by some Christians today. There is problem with that belief, and that problem comes from Jesus himself....

Dear friends: I'm so happy to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life": a conversation with Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago, a church leader whom I first came to know at the Synod of the Bishops. He is a remarkable person...

I really enjoyed my conversation with Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago on the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life." His description of his encounter with desolation was so helpful. But what is desolation and how do we work through it? www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/0...

Dear friends: I'm so happy to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life": a conversation with Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago, a church leader whom I first came to know at the Synod of the Bishops. He is a remarkable person...

Anyone preparing homilies for this weekend will notice that the First Reading is Abraham's bargaining with God to prevent God's wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah. Here is one of the world's most distinguished Old Testament scholars on what the sins of those cities were. outreach.faith/2024/03/rich...

For Martha, openness, honesty and intimacy lead to an even closer relationship with Jesus. It’s the same in our spiritual lives. A meditation on today's beautiful Gospel: outreach.faith/2025/07/let-...

Dear friends: Join us (after a two-week hiatus) for our Friday faith sharing and Bible study) at 3 PM ET on my Facebook page, when we'll discuss this Sunday's Gospel: Jesus's visit to the house of Martha and Mary (Lk 10). As ever, I'm looking forward to your insights!

LGBTQ+ friendly Catholic churches in NYC embrace inclusivity, becoming safe havens for all www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/l...

Dear friends: Yesterday I received the first (lovely!) copies of "In All Seasons, For All Reasons," Vol. 2. It's a short book that offers practical guidance on prayer and the spiritual life in general. Link here: litpress.org/Products/018...

Delighted to share with you our fascinating interview with the amazing Anthea Butler, on the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life" podcast. Anthea speaks about her own history as a Catholic (and Evangelical)... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj9J...

Imagine today's Parable of the Good Samaritan from the perspective of the beaten man by the side of the road. His eventual salvation depends upon the person he considers to be foreign, different, "other." Does yours? A meditation on today's Gospel. outreach.faith/2025/07/your...

We can say that a mystical experience is one where you feel overwhelmed or even bowled over by God’s presence. As Stephen Colbert shows, sometimes it comes in a kind of dramatic, seemingly once-in-a-lifetime encounter where you are sure that this is God. www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/0...

Delighted to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life," with our guest Stephen Colbert. It's an open, honest, inspiring (and funny) conversation about his spiritual life, which touches on the loss of his father and two brothers at an early age, his... www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p9H...