The psalmist loves the commands of the Lord, we hear this Sunday, and hates “every false way.” The Vatican Monday said a Chinese Catholic bishop ordained without papal approval last week is automatically excommunicated . . .

Solomon requested an understanding heart in response to the Lord’s invitation in this Sunday’s first reading, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Given the same option, residents in much of the country would surely ask for some cloud cover, a rain shower, and a cool breeze . . .

Saint Paul was surely one of the most hopeful of early Christians. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God,” he promises in this week’s reading from the Letter to the Romans. Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, deeply shaken by revelations of wide-ranging sexual abuse of children, hope that all can work for good . . .

The treasure may be buried in a field, Jesus says in this Sunday’s gospel, but the diligent will seek and possess it. The popular search engine Google, known for tailoring its logo into “Google Doodles” to commemorate events, Wednesday marked the 189th birthday of Augustinian monk Father Gregor Johann Mendel . . .

“I decided that forgiveness was not enough. I decided I had to do something to save this person’s life. That killing someone in Dallas is not an answer for what happened on Sept. 11 . . . . My Islamic faith teaches me this.”

Net farm income in the U.S. was up 27 percent last year and is expected to rise another 20 percent this year.