This Sunday’s readings present tests of fidelity: Joshua challenges the people upon entry to the land of promise to “decide today whom you will serve,” while Jesus faces desertion in the ranks and knowledge that he will be betrayed. Top U.S. military brass are convening in Afghanistan . . .

The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians this Sunday speaks of how Christ loved the church as a spouse, “cleansing her by the bath of water with the word” so that “she might be holy and without blemish.” After looking at the way money is handled by Catholic churches in the U.S. . . .

Joshua announces his decision to serve the Lord in this Sunday’s first reading, but so do the people he leads. Lynne Mapes-Riordan of St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Evanston, Illinois hopes women will one day again serve the church as deacons. After 800 years, she could be one of the first. Unlike the church's policy banning priestly ordination for women . . .

“Will the Lord deliver those in need who call?” asks this Sunday's Exploring the Word reflection. The psalmist responds with a resounding yes, assuring that the Lord “is close to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit.” Children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy or illness face a unique form of heartbreak. Now the Vatican's . . .

"During his ministry, the Lord Jesus had always lived with people. He also didn't worry about who would shelter or feed him as he went around serving and ministering to people."

A University of Washington study suggests that worship at megachurches (those with more than 2,000 people at a service) can trigger feelings of transcendence and changes in brain chemistry that make people want to come back.