This encyclical reaffirmed the Church’s traditional teaching against the use of contraception.

For Bishop Robert Barron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona–Rochester, Pope Saint Paul VI was much more than just a great moral teacher –he was a prophet.

In the throwback video "Contraception and Social Change," Bishop Barron highlights section 17 of Humanae Vitae as the part of the encyclical where Paul VI prophetically warns of the societal impact of contraception.

“I will confess to you, [section 17] jumped out at me as I reread it, because I thought ‘Wow, 1968, but this man was looking very clearly into our time,'” Bishop Barron says.

While Bishop Barron's explanation is from a 2018 video for the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, these teachings are more relevant than ever.

Bishop Barron explains Pope Saint Paul IV’s three big predictions about what a world that widely accepts contraception would look like:

1) More marital infidelity and lower moral standards for young people.

"Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards." - Pope Saint Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, Section 17

2) Men feel freer to objectify women.

"...A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection." - Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, Section 17

3) Governments imposing contraception on their citizens.

"Careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law… Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone." - Pope Saint Paul VI, Humanael Vitae, Section 17

More than 60 years after the sexual revolution, it’s clear all of these have come true: sexual morality and marriage have collapsed, women are widely viewed as mere sex objects by men, the attack on men in women's sports, and the HHS contraception mandate attempting to force religious institutions to pay for abortion-inducing drugs. Additionally, there are more severe population control policies in places like China.

Looking at the current culture, it’s amazing how accurate Pope Saint Paul VI was, which makes it all the more tragic that so many people, both within and without the Church, have not more closely heeded his warnings.

Here is Bishop Robert Barron’s full commentary on contraception and social change:

Pray for an increased respect for human life at all stages!

Rich, young and ambitious, desires to be a part of England’s political world like Chancellor More, and he hopes that his friend will get him in the door. Instead, the saint challenges him to be a teacher.  

“If I was, who would know it?” asks Rich.

“You. Your pupils. Your friends. God. Not a bad public, that…”

This poignant interchange very simply and profoundly speaks to those of us living in a world obsessed with being seen. Even when we make a conscious effort to set limits around our phones and our social media engagement, it is hard not to breathe in the air of “influencers.” 

It seems easy to create content, garner a following, and then excitedly wait as the likes and subscribes roll in… I often wonder what’s at the root of this trend, and - while there are many reasons to which we can point - I imagine that being acknowledged… loved, even… is one of them.

Here’s where “The Practice of the Presence of God” enters the scene. 

Authored by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a 17th-century Discalced Carmelite, this short work compiles a series of conversations, letters, and spiritual maxims which encourage people to “practice the presence of God.” 

Over 300 years later, this little gem continues to encourage us in this practice, and - perhaps more than ever - it is just what we need in an influencer-obsessed world.

Here are three reasons why:

1) It’s simple. 

Brother Lawrence says, 

“The presence of God is the application of our mind to God, or a recollection of God as present. It can be performed either by the imagination or by the understanding.” 

He goes on to describe this practice using a handful of names: 

It’s “a simple act”, “a clear and distinct knowledge of God”, “a vague or general and loving gaze upon God”, “a remembrance of God”, “attention to God”, “silent conversation with God”, “trust in God”, or “the life and peace of the soul.” 

To practice the presence of God is not to add one more devotion to the spiritual to-do list; it’s to be present to the God who is already present to us - everywhere and always.

2) It’s for everyone. 

The Carmelite brother, sought out because of his holy reputation, writes to men and women, priests, religious, and laypeople. His instruction and advice were applicable then and continue to be applicable now to - quite literally - all walks of life. Whether you are washing the dishes and folding the laundry, preparing homilies and leading retreats, or creating slide decks and submitting expense reports, Brother Lawrence is writing to you.

3) It’s satisfying. 

While some Christian practices aim to achieve certain goals in one’s spiritual life (ie, become more disciplined, enter more easily into the contemplative state, grow in one’s knowledge of the writings of the saints), this practice is simply an end in itself: be with God because He loves you. 

Brother Lawrence reminds us that we don’t have to work our way to His love; He loves us already, and we can rest in that love more and more, from now until eternity. Some are called to be heads of state, and some are called to achieve great things through social media influence. 

All of us, however, are loved and seen by God; He is our audience, our affirming like-er, and enthusiastic subscriber. 

He invites us, in turn, to consume His content… to be filled with His presence, His peace, and His joy and to allow Him to influence us such that our lives may be truly fulfilling. Given all the audiences we might gather before us, God is not a bad one to have.

Starting June 8, my brother, Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., and I will read “The Practice of the Presence of God” and offer commentary on Ascension's Catholics Classics Podcast, available on the Ascension app and the Catholic Classics YouTube Channel. 

Download a free reading plan on the Ascension Press website.

1) Don't Give Your Child a Phone Too Early

“Having a personal mobile device at too early an age and using it without adult supervision can exacerbate young people's vulnerabilities, foster addiction and expose them to isolation, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 141)

The Pope goes further — naming pornographic content, AI‑manipulated images, fake profiles, and pressure to share intimate images as specific dangers that early, unsupervised device access makes worse.

2) Supervise Actively — and Know You Can't Do It Alone

“It is difficult for parents by themselves to resist the influence of business models that monetize attention and time.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 142)

He is not saying parents are failing. He says they are outgunned — up against engineers, behavioral psychologists, and billions of dollars of addictive design. The encyclical still calls parents to active supervision, not passive permission.

3) Teach Children to Recognize Manipulation — By Name

“It is also necessary to teach children, adolescents and young people how to recognize manipulation, defend their dignity and respect that of others in digital environments.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 142)

A child who understands what an algorithm does, why their feed shows what it shows, and why an AI chatbot's warmth is simulated rather than real is harder to exploit. Naming the mechanism is itself a form of protection.

Pope Leo adds:

“...thus can children and adolescents, who are entrusted to our care, be genuinely protected as a precious treasure.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 142)

In a world where every platform competes for your child's attention, the Pope offers a counter‑vision: your child is not a user. Your child is a treasure.

“Some sisters were in the sea, in a shallow area with no apparent risk. Then the waves suddenly began dragging them under, and they started to drown. There were three sisters,” Sister Ana Paula, CMES, recounted in a video shared on social media.

Hearing their cries for help, Sister Nadir ran and jumped into the sea to save them. She managed to reach one of the drowning nuns and lifted her head above the water. “Thank God, she managed to save that sister,” Sister Ana Paula said.

Another nun then entered the sea, helped pull the others to safety, and recovered Sister Nadir’s body. “They tried to administer first aid, but she was already unconscious. The firefighters arrived and, minutes later, confirmed the nun’s death,” Sister Ana Paula added.

“What impacted me most was seeing that she went all the way—living exactly what Jesus taught in John 15: ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’” Sister Ana Paula reflected. “She gave her life to save her sister in the community.”

Nadir Santos da Silva was born on August 10, 1980, in the interior of Bahia and moved to São Paulo at the age of six. Monsignor Bruno Lins, who served as her spiritual director, described her life as “an icon of divine mercy.”

In her youth, far from the faith, Sister Nadir identified as a punk and anarchist. Yet the power of the Holy Spirit led her through a profound conversion, transforming her rebellion into total surrender to God in Carmel, the priest told Vatican News.

Sister Ana Paula, who lived with Sister Nadir for many years, remembered her as “very intelligent.”

“She lived intensely, with a sincere and profound search for God. Above all, what remains in my heart is her testimony: she gave herself completely,” she said.

Sister Nadir entered the Institute of the Carmelite Sisters Messengers of the Holy Spirit, founded by Mother Maria Jose of the Holy Spirit in Nova Almeida, Brazil, on July 30, 1984.

The congregation’s charism is “to contemplate to evangelize,” and it maintains communities in Italy, Spain, and France.

In a statement, the institute said that “Sister Nadir’s death, though painful, leaves a trail of light.”

It added:

“It is proof that even in the midst of tragedy, we have the certainty that those who die with Christ are alive in Him. Her passage from this world to eternity was the hallmark of a life that chose not to be superficial, but to immerse itself deeply in the mystery of Love.”

“Even in pain, we continue to trust that death does not have the last word for those who are in Christ Jesus,” Sister Ana Paula affirmed.

On May 12, Auxiliary Bishop Marcelo Antônio of Santo Amaro, Brazil, celebrated a Mass for the repose of her soul at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Convent in Santo Amaro, São Paulo.

The Diocese of Santo Amaro lamented her death, noting that Sister Nadir “marked the lives of many with her dedication, simplicity, and witness of faith,” and that she also left a significant contribution at the San Buenaventura Institute.

Father Joe Freedy of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pa., appeared on a series entitled, “The Rosary Series: Mysteries of the Rosary,” to describe a miraculous testimony from Green Tree, Pa. resident John Petrovich about the power of praying one Hail Mary.

Petrovich told the priest that while he “was jogging around a neighborhood he didn’t normally jog, he saw an ambulance in someone’s driveway.”

He thought, “I’m not a doctor. I don’t know whose driveway this is.”

“I just kept running,” he told Father Freedy. “I prayed one ‘Hail Mary.’ I didn’t think anything of it.”

The following week, Petrovich jogged in the same neighborhood and heard a woman calling. He continued running, and she “finally got his attention.”

She said, “You saved my life.”

Petrovich then responded, “We don’t know each other…How did I save your life?”

The woman responded, “No, I recognize your face. Last week, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, and I was dying.

“I knew I was dying, and Jesus appeared to me. He held out His hand, and your face was on the palm of His hand. And Jesus said, ‘you were going to die, but because of the prayer of this man, you’re going to live.'”

Following this story, Petrovich describes the experience as “a jolt” in his prayer life.

“What a jolt that was for not only my prayer life, but my family’s prayer life,” he says.

“Our outlook on prayer itself, and especially prayers of intercession. When someone asks you to pray for them, or you volunteer to pray for somebody, you never know–you never expect how it’s going to work out, because in the end, it’s always God’s will,” he adds.

“But in a case like this, to have something that dramatic and profound –somebody to come up and tell you something like that–was more than enough to take me back and draw me even that much closer to praying to the Blessed Mother.

“Because as we all know, she is the direct line of intercession to her Son, Jesus Christ, in answering all prayers for everyone.”

Here’s the video about "The Power of One Hail Mary" below:

Since the video's publication, the response has been overwhelming. The video received approximately 190 comments, 4,400 likes, and 260,000 views.

Countless users shared their feedback in the comments, including testimonies of the power of Our Lady and the Rosary in their lives.

"After watching this video, I pray Hail Marys all the time. If I see a homeless man, I pray one for him. If something annoys me, I pray a Hail Mary for it. It has changed my life for the better. Thank you for posting this video. God bless you," YouTube user Nicole Aprendiendo Violín commented.

"Absolutely amazing. I’m only 20 years old and wasn’t raised religious. But I became Catholic a couple of years ago, and again and again what’s becoming apparent is to have devotion to the Rosary," YouTube creator
Brandon Danilition commented.

"This brought me to tears!" someone else wrote. "Thank you for sharing this! My kids and I always pray a Hail Mary every time we hear a siren, as we know help is needed. So powerful hearing how God is using those prayers!

Over the centuries, people worldwide continue sharing their miracles after asking for Our Lady’s intercession. 

Our Lady asks that we pray her rosary every day.

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima told the three shepherd children,

“Say the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, to obtain the peace of the world…because only she can obtain it.”

Here are Mary’s 15 Promises to those who pray the Rosary.

Even if you find praying the rosary difficult, take comfort that there’s so much power in just one Hail Mary!

Instead of fireworks and barbecues alone, we can thank God for His blessings, ask forgiveness for our sins as a nation, and pray for a future rooted in Christ.

Here are five concrete ways to celebrate the 250th anniversary in a deeply Catholic way:

1)Watch “Cabrini” and rediscover Catholic American history.

One saint literally helped build Catholic life in the United States: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

Watch the film Cabrini via EWTN on Saturday, June 6 or Saturday, July 5. Pay attention to how a small, sickly Italian nun helped shape an entire nation through faith, courage, and love for immigrants.

Watch and learn more about the Cabrini movie here.

Afterward, look up a few more Catholic “hidden heroes” of U.S. history—Black Catholics, Native Catholics, immigrant founders, religious sisters, and laypeople who quietly built schools, hospitals, and parishes. Let the 250th be a reminder: Catholics have always been part of the American story.

2) Spend an hour with Jesus in Adoration (USCCB challenge)

Anniversaries are a perfect time to stop and listen. What better place than in front of Jesus Himself?

Commit to one Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration specifically for the United States—for conversion, unity, protection of life, and holiness in families. Click here to join the USCCB’s 250 Hours of Adoration and 250 Works of Mercy challenge.

If a full hour feels challenging, start with 30 minutes—but be intentional. Bring the nation, its leaders, and its wounds into that silence before the Lord. The most important “founding document” is written in hearts transformed by grace.

3) Perform a corporal work of mercy (USCCB’s 250 Works of Mercy challenge)

The best way to thank God for 250 years is to love the people right in front of you.

Choose at least one corporal work of mercy and live it out:

• Feed the hungry: donate food, bring a meal to someone in need, or support a parish pantry.
• Visit the sick or imprisoned: call, visit, or write to someone who feels forgotten.
• Clothe the naked or shelter the homeless: give generously to a local shelter or charitable group.

Imagine if every Catholic in the U.S. performed one concrete work of mercy for the 250th anniversary. That would be the kind of celebration Heaven notices. Join the USCCB challenge here.

4) Join a Eucharistic Procession on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Route

As the nation marks 250 years, Jesus is literally being carried across the country in the Eucharist.

Find a stop on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage route near you and participate—even if only for a small portion of the procession. Walk, sing, pray, and publicly witness: “Jesus is truly here, and He walks through our streets and our story.” Click here to learn more and find a route near you.

5) Pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 3–11)

America’s deepest need isn’t just political reform, but a new heart—a heart shaped like Christ’s.

Pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from June 3–11, asking the Lord to place our country inside His Heart. Offer each day for a specific intention: unborn children, the poor, those far from the Church, racial healing, families, priests, and those who govern us.

End the novena by consecrating yourself—and spiritually the United States—to the Sacred Heart, trusting that His mercy is bigger than our sins and limits.

However you celebrate the 250th anniversary, don’t let it be just about history books and fireworks. As Catholics, we get to celebrate it on our knees before Jesus, hand in hand with the saints, and with Mary watching over this land. That’s how a birthday becomes a moment of grace.

Nothing is more important than the Mass, and the Church is bound to keep celebrating it in and out of season. And that includes during a war.

Here are some photos of priests celebrating Mass in war zones, or at least out on the field for members of the military.

You can click on any image to enlarge it.

American soldiers in the bombed Cologne Cathedral (March 1945)

U.S. Civil War (~1861-1865)

A bombed chapel in Dommartin, France (WWII?)

U.S. 5th Marine Regiment at one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces in Tikrit, Iraq (April, 19th, 2003)

U.K. Royal Air Force in Central Burma (WWII)

111th Naval Construction Battalion in Normandy, France (June, 18th 1944; D-Day + 12)

First Catholic Mass inside a Japanese hanger (WWII?)

American soldiers from the 80th “Blue Ridge” Division (WWII?)

Soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment in Badula Qulp, Afghanistan (February 21st, 2010)

65th AAA Batallion at Bolo Point, Okinawa (July 19, 1951)

Sante-Barbe, France (WWI)

Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Münster, Germany (1946)

A Marine receiving the Eucharist kneeling and on the tongue on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima (February or March 1945)

Father Emil Kapaun celebrating mass in Korea (~1950-1953)

Prayer for Those Who Gave Their Lives in Service

O God, welcome into Your peace
those who gave their lives in service to others.
Grant them eternal rest,
comfort those who mourn,
and make us grateful stewards
of the freedom they defended.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Paragraph 213 of Magnifica Humanitas just made Middle-earth part of Catholic Social Teaching. In Chapter Five, we found this footnote, number 187:

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. The Return of the King, Part III, Book Five, Chapter IX, New York 1965, 190.

Right there. In a papal encyclical.

In paragraph 213, pushing back against the despair that says the forces of AI and technology are simply too large for ordinary people to resist, Leo XIV quotes one of Gandalf's famous speeches:

"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till."

Then the Pope adds his own line immediately after:

"The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization."

The full quote

This is the full paragraph of Magnifica Humanitas that quotes Tolkien:

213.The twentieth-century Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of a protagonist in one of his novels, described our responsibility in this way: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.” [187] The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization. For this reason, it is worthwhile pausing to reflect on some aspects of how we, each in our own way, can cooperate in building the civilization of love. Without presuming to exhaust this theme, I would like to propose five paths toward daily and public responsibility: the need to disarm words, building peace through justice, adopting the perspective of victims, cultivating a healthy realism and reviving dialogue and multilateralism.

Tolkien was a daily-Mass-attending, fiercely devout Catholic who called The Lord of the Rings "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work." Pope Francis quoted him at Christmas Midnight Mass, at a Eucharistic vigil, and in a pastoral letter.

But Leo XIV did something new. He put Tolkien in an encyclical — the highest form of ordinary magisterial teaching the Church produces. Which means Gandalf's speech is now, officially, part of Catholic Social Teaching. It will be cited in seminary classrooms and theology papers for decades.

Millions of Tolkien fans will love this.

You can download the full encyclical here: https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/full-text-of-magnifica-humanitas-read-pope-leo-xiv-s-first-encyclical

Jesus Christ died for everyone’s sins, and anyone who repents of his sins and follows Christ can receive forgiveness and new life.

So then why does Jesus say in the Gospels that “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”? (Mark 3.29) Is this some sort of exception that we must be wary of?

Yes, but not in the way you might expect. And here’s why.

But first, let’s look at what Christ says exactly. Our Lord’s teaching on “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels.

In Mark, Jesus says:

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:28-29)

Matthew and Luke have something similar.

What is the sin against the Holy Spirit?

Thankfully, the Catechism addresses this teaching directly:

“There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.” (CCC 1864)

In other words, the Catechism says that “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is rejecting the forgiveness of God all the way to the end of one’s life. It’s blasphemy of the Holy Spirit because salvation is offered to every person by the Holy Spirit.

(But don’t all three persons of the Trinity offer salvation? See the Principle of Appropriation.)

Pope St. John Paul II explains this in his encyclical on the Holy Spirit, Dominum et vivificantem:

“Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit unforgivable? […] St. Thomas Aquinas replies that it is a question of a sin that is ‘unforgivable by its very nature, insofar as it excludes the elements through which the forgiveness of sin takes place.’

“According to such an exegesis, 'blasphemy' does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross.”

So should we all be wary of committing the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

Not in the sense that we should be worried about sinning so bad that God can’t forgive it if we repent. No such sin exists.

But we should be wary about refusing God’s forgiveness.

After we die, there will be no second chances. In His loving kindness, God has offered us a chance for salvation. We should humbly and speedily repent of our sins and accept God’s gratuitous gift of grace.

The Apostles went out to the streets in Jerusalem and began preaching the Gospel, and “about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2.41)

Here are five important things to know about the Holy Spirit:

1) The Holy Spirit is a Person.

The Holy Spirit is not an “it” or an impersonal force — He is a “He” and a “Who.” As the Third Person of the Trinity, He is every bit as real and personal as the Father and the Son, even if He can sometimes seem more mysterious.

2) The Holy Spirit is fully God.

The Holy Spirit may be the “third Person of the Trinity,” but this doesn’t mean that he is in any way less than the Father or the Son. All three persons, including the Holy Spirit, are fully God and are “equal in glory,” as the Athanasian Creed says.

3) He has always existed, even in Old Testament times.

Although most of our explicit knowledge about the Holy Spirit (and the Son) comes from the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has always existed. God has eternally existed as three Persons — this is an eternal reality. So when you read about God in the Old Testament, remember that the one true God acting in history is the entire Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

4) You receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation.

The Holy Spirit is at work in the world in many mysterious ways we cannot always see or understand. However, a person receives the Holy Spirit in a special and personal way at Baptism (Acts 2:38) and is then strengthened in His gifts at Confirmation.

5) Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit, so live accordingly.

The Holy Spirit dwells personally within Christians, and this indwelling has serious moral consequences.

As Saint Paul explains:

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Cor. 6:18-20)

Come, Holy Spirit! 🕊️