The body of Christ, which we celebrate this Corpus Christi Sunday, is growing worldwide—on track to reach 1.64 billion by 2050 according to a major new study. But not all bodes well as the church faces major demographic and social shifts. Worldwide, there has only been a 7 percent growth in parishes. . . .

Moses the lawgiver offers clear instructions from the Lord to the people in this Sunday’s first reading. Congressional lawmakers approved clear limitations in surveillance powers for security agencies in the most sweeping rollback of such powers in the post-Sept. 11 era. The Senate’s 67-32 vote . . .

Jesus fulfills his pledge as “mediator of a new covenant,” we hear in this Sunday’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. More than 10 million people have signed up for private health insurance this year under the new healthcare law, . . .

The readings for this Sunday’s Corpus Christi celebration are all about ritual. Last week, in an election many characterized as an elaborately staged ritual, a defiant FIFA chief Sepp Blatter was reelected to a fifth term despite the world soccer organization being the subject of worldwide corruption investigations. Tuesday, a chastened Blatter abruptly announced he will resign . . .

“O Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I would like to be filled with love for you; keep me closely united with you, may my heart be near to yours.”

Children exposed to violence are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol; suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic disorders; fail or have difficulty in school; and become delinquent and engage in criminal behavior.