"All the works of the Lord are trustworthy,” the psalmist assures us this Sunday. Evidence suggests that California inmates with violent pasts have served for decades as trustworthy companions fighting wildfires, though the program was never made public. . . .

There is hope for the “suffering servant” described in this Sunday’s first reading: “Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days.” In an unusual case, an unexpected verdict by a jury in Wisconsin gave hope to two seriously wounded . . .

Jesus is the high priest who has been “tested in every way,” the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews tells us this Sunday. The always tenuous peace between Israelis and Palestinians is being tested in new ways this week . . .

This Sunday’s gospel is all about misguided competition, as disciples lobby to be exalted in heaven and Jesus calls them to instead be servants on earth. Misguided competition among young people to be ever-thinner and more energetic has led to dangerous abuse of dietary supplements . . .

Jim Heskett of Harvard Business School writes that in 2013 he attended a board meeting at ServiceMaster, a major corporation that sells cleaning materials and services. Heskett recalls that ServiceMaster CEO, William Pollard, spilled a cup of coffee prior to the start of the board meeting. 

“It is no longer enough for those of us involved in civic leadership and pastoral care to comfort the bereaved and bewildered families of victims of gun violence. We must band together to call for gun-control legislation. We must act in ways that promote the dignity and value of human life. And we must do it now."

Just over half of children in public schools across the U.S. were in families with near-poverty income levels that made them eligible for free or reduced price lunch in 2013.