For successive U.S. administrations, Cuba has been like the “thorn in the flesh” that plagued Saint Paul, as he recounts in this Sunday’s second reading. No more. President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced plans Wednesday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in their respective capitals . . .

The psalmist is sent to bring “glad tidings to the poor,” we hear this Sunday. A week after Pope Francis highlighted global warming’s impact on the poor, the U.S. and Brazil, two of the world’s largest economies, are pledging to work together . . .

Ezekiel is summoned to bring an unwelcome message to a resistant audience in this Sunday’s first reading. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt finds an unwelcome message in the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday that a Ten Commandments monument must be removed . . .

When President Obama tries to negotiate with members of Congress about healthcare issues, perhaps he feels frustration similar to that which Jesus expresses in this Sunday’s gospel after he taught and preached. So the president took his message to to Nashville Wednesday, calling for an end to the political fighting . . .

“We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation.”

The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of world income.