NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, capturing images as it came within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. This is an enhanced-color view of the large double-ring crater Huygens and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
12:3b-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
From the Gospel according to John
20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
Today, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Gospel takes us to the Upper Room, where the apostles had taken refuge after the death of Jesus (Jn 20:19-23). On the evening of Passover, the Risen One presents himself precisely into that situation of fear and anguish and, breathing on them, says: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). In this way, with the gift of the Spirit, Jesus wishes to free the disciples from fear, from this fear that keeps them holed up at home, and he frees them so that they may be able to go out and become witnesses and proclaimers of the Gospel. Let us dwell a little on what the Spirit does: he frees from fear. The disciples had closed the doors, the Gospel says, “for fear” (v. 19). The death of Jesus had shocked them, their dreams had been shattered, their hopes had vanished. And they had closed themselves inside. Not only in that room, but within, in the heart. I would like to underline this: closed inside. How often do we too shut ourselves in? How often, because of some difficult situation, because of some personal or family problem, because of the suffering that marks us or the evil we breathe around us, do we risk slipping slowly into loss of hope and lack the courage to go on? (…) However, the Gospel offers us the remedy of the Risen One: the Holy Spirit. He frees us from the prisons of fear. (…) Because this is what the Spirit does: he makes us feel God’s closeness, and thus, his love casts out fear, illuminates the way, consoles, sustains in adversity. Faced with fears and closure, then, let us invoke the Holy Spirit for us, for the Church and for the whole world: let a new Pentecost cast out the fears that assail us and revive the flame of God’s love. (Pope Francis, Regina Caeli, 28 May 2023)
Read More![Last remaining Paterson Catholic school celebrates 60 years strong #Catholic - St. Gerard Majella School, the last remaining Catholic school in Paterson, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass and reception on May 17. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella Parish.
St. Gerard Majella School concluded celebrating 60 years of offering excellent, family-centered, Gospel-grounded Catholic education for children in the city.
The Cognia-accredited St. Gerard’s has a diverse, growing student population of students from pre-K4 to eighth grade. Opened on Oct. 3, 1965, the school has weathered many challenges to remain a pillar of Catholic education in the city.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Last remaining Paterson Catholic school celebrates 60 years strong #Catholic – 
St. Gerard Majella School, the last remaining Catholic school in Paterson, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass and reception on May 17. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella Parish.
St. Gerard Majella School concluded celebrating 60 years of offering excellent, family-centered, Gospel-grounded Catholic education for children in the city.
The Cognia-accredited St. Gerard’s has a diverse, growing student population of students from pre-K4 to eighth grade. Opened on Oct. 3, 1965, the school has weathered many challenges to remain a pillar of Catholic education in the city.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
– St. Gerard Majella School, the last remaining Catholic school in Paterson, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass and reception on May 17. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella Parish. St. Gerard Majella School concluded celebrating 60 years of offering excellent, family-centered, Gospel-grounded Catholic education for children in the city. The Cognia-accredited St. Gerard’s has a diverse, growing student population of students from pre-K4 to eighth grade. Opened on Oct. 3, 1965, the school has weathered many challenges to remain a pillar of
![59 Mendham youth receive Eucharist for first time #Catholic - Fifty-nine children received their First Holy Communion at St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, N.J., on May 2. The sacrament was celebrated during two Masses.
At the first Mass, Father Frank Agresti was the main celebrant and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli concelebrated. Roles were reversed for the second Mass.
The liturgy included participation from many of the First Communicants.
BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLI
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
On social media, St. Joseph’s posted, “With joyful hearts, we congratulate all of our children who received Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time.”
The parish also posted, “May this sacred moment be the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Christ, filled with grace, faith, and love. We are so proud of each of you and thank your families and catechists for guiding you on this journey. Please know that our parish community continues to keep you in our prayers as you grow in faith.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/59-mendham-youth-receive-eucharist-for-first-time-catholic-fifty-nine-children-received-their-first-holy-communion-at-st-joseph-parish-in-mendham-n-j-on-may-2-the-sacrament-was-celebrated-duri.jpg)
59 Mendham youth receive Eucharist for first time #Catholic – 
Fifty-nine children received their First Holy Communion at St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, N.J., on May 2. The sacrament was celebrated during two Masses.
At the first Mass, Father Frank Agresti was the main celebrant and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli concelebrated. Roles were reversed for the second Mass.
The liturgy included participation from many of the First Communicants.
On social media, St. Joseph’s posted, “With joyful hearts, we congratulate all of our children who received Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time.”
The parish also posted, “May this sacred moment be the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Christ, filled with grace, faith, and love. We are so proud of each of you and thank your families and catechists for guiding you on this journey. Please know that our parish community continues to keep you in our prayers as you grow in faith.”
– Fifty-nine children received their First Holy Communion at St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, N.J., on May 2. The sacrament was celebrated during two Masses. At the first Mass, Father Frank Agresti was the main celebrant and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli concelebrated. Roles were reversed for the second Mass. The liturgy included participation from many of the First Communicants. BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLI Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On social media, St. Joseph’s posted, “With joyful hearts, we congratulate all of our children who received Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time.” The parish also posted,
On the solemnity of Pentecost, which this year is celebrated on May 24, Catholics have the opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence.
![Madrid archbishop says Catholics feel ‘incredible expectation’ at pope’s upcoming trip to Spain #Catholic Madrid Archbishop Cardinal José Cobo Cano said that the imminent visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain has generated “incredible expectations” and that the main challenge will not only be organizational, but pastoral.“The challenge is that it is not an event. We are used to concerts, which are prepared, closed and thatʼs it," he said in an interview with EWTN News about the preparations for the trip of Pope Leo XIV, who will visit Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands from June 6 to 12. He expressed hope that the visit will be “a moment of experience and … a moment also that will be slow, that it helps us to look up and take a step forward.”Preparations in record timeCardinal Cobo explained that the visit has been organized in “record time,” with just three months of work, and with a much greater social and ecclesial response than expected.“We have had three scarce months to prepare a trip, during which we have also found that there is a great desire and an incredible expectation. I think we thought it was going to be something [for which] we had to motivate [Catholics] a lot, but nothing was needed,” he said.As he highlighted, the popeʼs program in Madrid has been designed as a “pastoral triptych” with three major components: the celebration of the Eucharist on the feast of Corpus Christi, the great meeting with the Church of Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and a space for dialogue with leaders of culture, economy and sport.“The celebration of the Eucharist, [especially on] Corpus Christi — which is a very important holiday for us — and celebrating it with the successor of Peter, is a gift for the whole Church of Madrid and for the whole Church of Spain, because they will come from all places. This is the most celebratory central moment,” said the cardinal.The pope and “politics with capital letters”In Coboʼs opinion, one of the most delicate moments will be the appearance of the Holy Father in the Cortes, or the Spanish parliament, before a joint session of both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.Cobo warned that he is concerned that a message about “politics with capital letters” may be reduced to a partisan reading.“In a society where we are used to talking about political parties, that moment is important,” he said. “Of course the intention is that the pope will come, that he will support politicians, that he will support politics and that he will thus be able to reinforce democracy from the experience and tradition of the Church,” he said.Asked if the recent accusation of alleged corruption of the former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero could have any impact on the visit, Cobo indicated it was unlikely. “We are used to working with many events in political life. Thatʼs already part of life and the headlines are moving,” he said. “I think the good thing about a papal visit is that … it can help us look up and see that despite the political situation that is painful … there is a higher level.”“There is another level, a level that speaks to us of hope, it is a level that speaks to us of responsibility, that speaks to us of ethics,” he said. “I believe that we are not going to contradict one thing with another, but we are going to get used to being also in another space, which is that of non-confrontation and welcoming wounds and difficulties and putting them in front of the space of meaning that life gives and that faith tells us.”The hope of the young, and not so youngThe cardinal also noted that for young people the visit could represent a response to a climate of “disorientation”, “uprooting” and “hopelessness.” He maintained that many are looking for “anchors” and answers about the meaning of life, something that, in his opinion, explains the renewed interest in the figure of the pope among new generations.“I think it is a response to a longing that young people have … and not only young people, I think it is from a very broad generation, I believe that there is an experience of a certain discomfort, a disorientation … a certain de-rooting. People need anchors that they donʼt have.”A meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Bad Bunny?Regarding the coincidence of the popeʼs presence in Madrid occurring at the same time as the rapper Bad Bunnyʼs concerts, Cobo did not close the door to a possible meeting, although he left it in the hands of both parties. “The pope is never closed to talking to anyone who wants to enter into dialogue with him,” he said.“If at some point that can happen, we wouldnʼt rule it out of course, but that depends on the two of them. What is certain is that indeed Madrid is very big and can have different events on the same day,” he said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/madrid-archbishop-says-catholics-feel-incredible-expectation-at-popes-upcoming-trip-to-spain-catholic-madrid-archbishop-cardinal-jose-cobo-cano-said-that-the-imminent-visit-of-pope-leo-xiv-to-s.webp "Madrid archbishop says Catholics feel ‘incredible expectation’ at pope’s upcoming trip to Spain #Catholic Madrid Archbishop Cardinal José Cobo Cano said that the imminent visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain has generated “incredible expectations” and that the main challenge will not only be organizational, but pastoral.“The challenge is that it is not an event. We are used to concerts, which are prepared, closed and thatʼs it,\" he said in an interview with EWTN News about the preparations for the trip of Pope Leo XIV, who will visit Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands from June 6 to 12. He expressed hope that the visit will be “a moment of experience and … a moment also that will be slow, that it helps us to look up and take a step forward.”Preparations in record timeCardinal Cobo explained that the visit has been organized in “record time,” with just three months of work, and with a much greater social and ecclesial response than expected.“We have had three scarce months to prepare a trip, during which we have also found that there is a great desire and an incredible expectation. I think we thought it was going to be something [for which] we had to motivate [Catholics] a lot, but nothing was needed,” he said.As he highlighted, the popeʼs program in Madrid has been designed as a “pastoral triptych” with three major components: the celebration of the Eucharist on the feast of Corpus Christi, the great meeting with the Church of Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and a space for dialogue with leaders of culture, economy and sport.“The celebration of the Eucharist, [especially on] Corpus Christi — which is a very important holiday for us — and celebrating it with the successor of Peter, is a gift for the whole Church of Madrid and for the whole Church of Spain, because they will come from all places. This is the most celebratory central moment,” said the cardinal.The pope and “politics with capital letters”In Coboʼs opinion, one of the most delicate moments will be the appearance of the Holy Father in the Cortes, or the Spanish parliament, before a joint session of both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.Cobo warned that he is concerned that a message about “politics with capital letters” may be reduced to a partisan reading.“In a society where we are used to talking about political parties, that moment is important,” he said. “Of course the intention is that the pope will come, that he will support politicians, that he will support politics and that he will thus be able to reinforce democracy from the experience and tradition of the Church,” he said.Asked if the recent accusation of alleged corruption of the former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero could have any impact on the visit, Cobo indicated it was unlikely. “We are used to working with many events in political life. Thatʼs already part of life and the headlines are moving,” he said. “I think the good thing about a papal visit is that … it can help us look up and see that despite the political situation that is painful … there is a higher level.”“There is another level, a level that speaks to us of hope, it is a level that speaks to us of responsibility, that speaks to us of ethics,” he said. “I believe that we are not going to contradict one thing with another, but we are going to get used to being also in another space, which is that of non-confrontation and welcoming wounds and difficulties and putting them in front of the space of meaning that life gives and that faith tells us.”The hope of the young, and not so youngThe cardinal also noted that for young people the visit could represent a response to a climate of “disorientation”, “uprooting” and “hopelessness.” He maintained that many are looking for “anchors” and answers about the meaning of life, something that, in his opinion, explains the renewed interest in the figure of the pope among new generations.“I think it is a response to a longing that young people have … and not only young people, I think it is from a very broad generation, I believe that there is an experience of a certain discomfort, a disorientation … a certain de-rooting. People need anchors that they donʼt have.”A meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Bad Bunny?Regarding the coincidence of the popeʼs presence in Madrid occurring at the same time as the rapper Bad Bunnyʼs concerts, Cobo did not close the door to a possible meeting, although he left it in the hands of both parties. “The pope is never closed to talking to anyone who wants to enter into dialogue with him,” he said.“If at some point that can happen, we wouldnʼt rule it out of course, but that depends on the two of them. What is certain is that indeed Madrid is very big and can have different events on the same day,” he said.")
Archbishop José Cobo Cano hopes Pope Leo XIV’s visit will help Catholics “look up and take a step forward.”
The Holy Father on May 23 met with Church leaders and local residents at Acerra in Italy’s “Land of Fires.”
The Holy Father said Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ is a framework for addressing the social and environmental crises of the region.
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. May 22: Busy moons around Jupiter The Moon passes 0.08° south of Regulus at 3 A.M. EDT. A few hours later, First Quarter Moon occurs at 7:11 A.M. EDT. First Quarter Moon offers some great targets for lunar observers. Plus, the greatContinue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, May 23: View Vallis Alpes”
The post The Sky Today on Saturday, May 23: View Vallis Alpes appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was forced to resign on Friday after President Donald Trump discovered that she’s not blonde.
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Getting a little tired of youth pastors teaching the Parable of the Talents and then asking you to go stack some chairs? Consider telling everyone you have the spiritual gift of encouragement.
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This stained glass window in the Cathedral of Saint Julian of Le Mans (Le Mans, France) depicts the Virgin Mary and the apostles during the Ascension of Jesus. Today is the Feast of the Ascension in Western Christianity.
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