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A listener named Jesus calls in and asks, how do I know if I'm praying reverently? Father Dave tells him that reverence comes in a lot of different forms. He explains that he would define reverence as: "Is your heart in it?" Reverence is not that absence of joy, and we should focus on what is going on in our hearts and if our prayer is sincere. Original Air 11-29-17

Josh calls into the show and asks who can receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. He explains that his mother is in the hospital, but is not Catholic. Father Dave points out that any baptized Christian can receive Anointing of the Sick, but typically the Sacrament used for members of faithful who begin to be endangered due to sickness or old age. Original Air 7-20-17

Team Busted Halo reenacts the life of Saint Januarius, also known as San Genarro, on Mike's last day of the show. Original Air 11-30-17

A listener named Maggie wonders how many different rites of the Church exist. Father Dave explains that there are many due to different liturgical and ritual origins. Original Air 11-29-17

A listener named Amy asks Father Dave to explain the relationship between forgiveness and justice. Can we forgive someone and still desire justice? Father Dave explains that we are called to both, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Original Air 12-28-17

A listener named Donya calls in and explains that her parish asked her to wash the altar cloths. She asks Father Dave if there is a proper way to wash them, and if there are certain prayers that should be said. (Original Air 12-27-17)

Father Dave interviews Hollywood filmmaker and producer Leo Severino about his new book, "Going Deeper: A Reasoned Explanation of God and Truth." Leo explains the philosophical arguments for the proof of God and touches on big questions like "Why does God allow evil to happen?" (Original Air 12-18-17)

(Vatican Radio) In this week's edition of There's More in the Gospel Than Meets the Eye, Jill Bevilacqua and Seàn-Patrick Lovett bring us readings and reflections for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Father Dave answers a caller's question on whether or not we have to go to Mass twice this Christmas in order to fill both the Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.

(Vatican Radio) In Nigeria, three Catechists of the Diocese of Maiduguri died, this week on Monday, when two female suicide bombers detonated their vests outside a Church in Pulka. The bombs killed the three Catechists and injured several Catechumens waiting inside a Church. The Catechumens were waiting to be interviewed in readiness for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Maiduguri’s Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme was due to visit the Church in Pulka on Wednesday, 13 December.

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis told the faithful on Wednesday that missing out on Mass on Sundays means missing out an encounter with the Lord. Speaking to those present in the Paul VI Hall for the weekly General Audience, the Pope reflected on the question: “why go to Mass on Sunday?”

Pope Francis has urged that "news be communicated with serenity, precision and completeness, using a calm ‎language in favour of a fruitful reflection; thoughtful and clear words, which reject the tempers of ‎allusive, clamorous and ambiguous speech, Pope Francis told representatives of Italian periodicals on Saturday. “It is important that the criteria of judgment and information are offered patiently and methodically so that ‎public opinion is able to understand and discern, and is not stunned and disoriented,” the was some 350 members of the Union of Italian Periodical Press (USPI) and the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies (FISC) who met him in the Vatican.

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has received a group of new Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See encouraging them to foster dialogue and cooperation in our increasingly globalized society.

(Vatican Radio) The tenderness of God, as his defining trait, was at the heart of the Pope’s homily this morning at Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The theme was taken from the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and the psalm where God says of himself: "... his tenderness expands over all creatures".

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with leaders of the World Evangelical Alliance who were in Rome to discuss closer cooperation with the Catholic Church, especially regarding issues of religious freedom. The WEA is a network of Protestant Churches in 129 nations representing more than 600 million evangelical Christians worldwide. Its secretary general, Bishop Efraim Tendero, was leading the delegation to the papal audience and for talks with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

by Robin Gomes “Christmas is a feast that is heart-felt, participatory and capable of warming the coldest of hearts, that removes barriers of indifference towards neighbours and encourages openness towards others and free giving.” “This is why we need even today to spread the message of peace and brotherhood of Christmas,” Pope Francis said on Friday. He was speaking to some 180 artistes of “Christmas Concert” who will be performing in the Vatican, Saturday evening.

Pope Francis, Saturday morning, received in the Vatican President ‎Lenín Boltaire Moreno Garcés of Ecuador, who later held talks with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. In a brief communique, the Holy See’s Press Office said that “during the cordial discussions, the special role of Christianity in the formation of the identity of the country was evoked, and appreciation was expressed for the contribution of the Church.” The Holy See and Ecuador highlighted the “importance of dialogue in facing the fundamental challenges of society.” “Attention then turned to themes of mutual interest such as respect for indigenous populations and their culture, and the protection of the environment,” the Press Office noted, adding that during the talks, “there was a fruitful exchange of views on the political and social situation of the region, focusing on the efforts made to favour development and to promote legality.”

Vatican Weekend for December 16, 2017 features a report on the surprisingly large number of lonely people who have nobody with whom to spend Christmas, the origins of the tradition of making nativity scenes and where you can find a relic of the Christ Child’s crib in Rome and the latest in a series of reflections for this Advent season prepared by Monsignor William Millea.

Vatican Weekend for December 17th, 2017 features our weekly reflections on the Sunday Gospel reading, “There’s More in the Sunday Gospel than Meets the Eye,” plus our resident Vatican watcher Joan Lewis reviews the past week’s events in the Vatican.