This Sunday’s second reading from the Letter to the Thessalonians admonishes us to “refrain from every kind of evil.” In similar fashion, Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein, outgoing chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday released a lengthy executive summary . . .

John the Baptist is asked by priests and Levites to explain himself in this Sunday’s gospel: “Who are you . . . What do you have to say for yourself?” The car-sharing service Uber . . .

In this Sunday’s first reading, Isaiah is empowered by the Spirit to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to prisoners. The widow of a South African teacher killed in Yemen during a failed U.S.-led raid to release an American held with him said she holds no bitterness . . .

The psalmist this Sunday is pleased to be a servant of the Lord and hopes to be looked to with favor. Apparently the current commander of the Swiss Guard, charged to protect the pope, has fallen out of favor with Pope Francis. The Vatican quietly announced the dismissal of Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig . . .

“If police officers wear body cameras, 50 percent of their complaints will go away overnight.”

Students who went on field trips to see live theater later tested as being more tolerant and better able to read the emotions of others than those who only read the play in class.