When Jesus speaks of the need to renounce possessions in this Sunday’s gospel, he also is calling us to freedom from everything—material or otherwise—that binds or possesses us. For centuries Catholics have turned to the Sacrament of Confession as a way to unburden themselves and find that freedom . . .

The psalmist’s prayer this Sunday, “Prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands!” is also the plea of many a farmer each year. But climate change, apparently, is getting in the way. A new study suggests it is helping pests . . .

God’s counsel may be inscrutable to mere mortals, as this Sunday's first reading suggests, but the advice to party-going youth regarding a potent form of the designer drug Ecstasy, called Molly, is clear and urgent: Stay away from it . . .

“What is within our grasp we find with difficulty” given “the corruptible body” we are burdened with, the reading from the Book of Wisdom this Sunday attests. Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, 64, who had fallen short four previous times . . .

“I’m worried about that direction in our society, where people you aren’t with are more important than the people you are with."

A label on a football helmet manufactured by Schutt Sports warning against the danger of brain and neck injuries advises: "To avoid these risks, do not engage in the sport of football."