Good Thursday morning. The world kept moving overnight. Here's what happened, and what your faith has to say about it.
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Pope Leo XIV
Pope at Chrism Mass: Priests must spread Christ's peace where death reigns
Pope Leo XIV presided over the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, calling priests, bishops, and all Christians to embrace their challenges with trust in God and spread Christ's peace in places marked by death and suffering. The Pope's homily addresses the priesthood's sacred mission during this pivotal moment of Holy Week.
Holy Week Homily
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John 13:1-15
"It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was. They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him."
| Rosary Mystery of the Day | |
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Today's Mysteries |
Thursday: Luminous Mysteries |
Luminous Mysteries
- 1. The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
- 2. The Wedding Feast at Cana
- 3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
- 4. The Transfiguration
- 5. The Institution of the Eucharist
The Objection
"Why do Catholics believe you need sacraments like Baptism and Confession to be saved? Can't you just have a personal relationship with Jesus?"
The Catholic Response
Catholics absolutely believe in a personal relationship with Jesus, but Jesus himself established physical, tangible ways to encounter his grace. He told Nicodemus, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). He breathed on the Apostles and said, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them" (John 20:23). God made us as body-and-soul creatures, so he saves us through body-and-soul encounters: water, oil, bread, wine, spoken words of absolution. The sacraments are not bureaucratic hoops; they are Christ continuing to touch us the way he touched the blind and the leper (CCC 1116).
CCC 1116 | CCC 1129 | John 3:5 | John 20:22-23
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Test Your Faith IQ |
Liturgy |
In tonight's Holy Thursday Gospel, Jesus washes the disciples' feet. In the early Church, this ritual (called the Mandatum) was practiced differently than today. What did the Council of Toledo (694 AD) mandate about the foot-washing ceremony?
- A) It must be performed by a bishop, never a priest
- B) It must be done on Holy Thursday in every church in Spain
- C) Only twelve men could participate, representing the Apostles
- D) The water must be blessed before use, like baptismal water
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
 Photo: CBS News
CBS News
House GOP leaders reversed course to reopen most of DHS, ending a standoff that left key government functions unfunded.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Philippians 2:3-4 |
"Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others."
CCC 1897, Common Good and Political Authority
The Catechism teaches that political authority exists to serve the common good, not to leverage power for partisan advantage (CCC 1897-1903). Tonight's Gospel shows Jesus, who held all authority, choosing to wash feet rather than wield power. That's the standard for anyone entrusted with governance.
Reflect → When you have leverage over someone, do you use it to serve or to win?
 Photo: ABC News
ABC News
Four astronauts are preparing to fly around the moon on Artemis II, the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Psalm 8:4-5 |
"What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor."
Gaudium et Spes 34, Human Activity in the Universe
Vatican II affirmed that human exploration of the cosmos fulfills, rather than contradicts, God's design. We were made to wonder, to reach, to push past what we know. Gaudium et Spes 34 says this creative striving "accords with God's will" when it serves all humanity.
Reflect → What frontier in your own life is God daring you to explore instead of playing it safe?
 Photo: NPR
NPR
The President made a public case for war with Iran while the Supreme Court appeared likely to uphold birthright citizenship protections.
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FAITH & THE WORLD |
Isaiah 2:4 |
"He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another."
CCC 2309, Strict Conditions for Just War
The Church does not teach pacifism, but it sets the bar for war painfully high. CCC 2309 requires that all peaceful alternatives be "practically ineffective," that the damage inflicted is proportionate, and that there is serious prospect of success. On Holy Thursday, as we remember the night Jesus chose suffering over violence, we should demand those conditions be met with brutal honesty.
Reflect → Are you praying for peace with as much energy as you spend forming opinions about the conflict?
 Photo: Good Good Good
Good Good Good
Sandy Hook Promise continues its work to prevent school shootings, with eight already recorded in 2026.
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FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Matthew 18:10 |
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
CCC 2258, Respect for Human Life; Evangelium Vitae 3
John Paul II wrote in Evangelium Vitae that a society which cannot protect its children has lost its way at the most fundamental level. Parents who turned their worst nightmare into prevention work are living proof that grief can become grace, that love is stronger than despair.
Reflect → What is one concrete thing you can do this week to make a child in your community safer?
 Photo: Reasons to be Cheerful
Reasons to be Cheerful
Communities across the country are building connection through shared meals and food donations.
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FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Acts 2:46 |
"Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart."
CCC 1397, Eucharist and the Poor
Tonight Jesus transforms a shared meal into the Eucharist, proving forever that food and holiness are not separate categories. The Catechism puts it bluntly: "To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest" (CCC 1397). Every community meal echoes the Upper Room.
Reflect → When was the last time you shared a meal with someone who couldn't return the favor?
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DAILY WORD GAME
Test your Catholic vocabulary
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Saint of the Day |
April 2 |
Saint Francis of Paola
Francis was so committed to humility that he named his religious order the "Minims," meaning "the least of all," because he thought the Franciscan name "Friars Minor" still sounded too important. He once crossed the Strait of Messina on his own cloak when a boatman refused him passage. King Louis XI of France, terrified of death, begged Francis to come heal him, and Francis told the king to stop begging for more life and start preparing for a good death.
His feast falls on Holy Thursday this year, and his radical humility mirrors Jesus kneeling to wash the disciples' feet in tonight's Gospel.
Trivia Answer
B . The 17th Council of Toledo required every church in Spain to perform the foot-washing on Holy Thursday, making it one of the earliest regional mandates for the practice. The word "Maundy" in Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment), from Jesus' words: "I give you a new commandment."
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