Not only do we pray for the living and the dead, they pray for us

Our ultimate goal must be that our desires become one with God’s desires

One of the favorite taunts of the New Atheists is that religious people believe in an “invisible friend.” They are implying, of course, that religion is little more than a pathetic exercise in wishful thinking, a reversion to childish patterns of projection and self-protection. It is well past time, they say, for believers to grow up, leave their cherished fantasies behind, and face the real world.

Sometimes everything can seem right on the surface while, deep down, nothing is right at all. We see this, for example, in the famous parable in the Gospels about the prodigal son and his older brother.

An interview with Darwin Shaw, who plays Peter

By Elizabeth Martin Solsburg

"Son of God," a new movie about the life of Jesus, will be in theaters Feb. 28. Produced by Roma Downey of "Touched by an Angel" fame, "Son of God" has been praised by religious leaders such as Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Archbishop Jose Gomez.