Traditional Catholic evening devotional prayers to close your day with your mind, heart, tongue, and soul on our Lord! The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Begin and end each day with prayer. This video is a compilation of many traditional evening prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office evening prayers.
13 May 2026
Summa Contra Gentiles Book I: That Divine Truth Is the First and Highest Truth
From Contemplating History
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.
Book I begins with general questions of truth and natural reason, and from chapter 10 investigates the concept of a monotheistic God. Chapters 10 to 13 are concerned with the existence of God, followed by a detailed investigation of God's properties (chapters 14 to 102). When demonstrating a Truth about God which can be known through reason, St. Thomas gives multiple arguments, each proving the same Truth in a different way.
Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.
AI and Catholic Thought
As artificial intelligence reshapes our world, Catholics are being urged to protect human dignity and remember what no machine can ever replace.
The Life of Elizabeth I (Pt 2) | Was Elizabeth I a Traitor?
From
The life of Elizabeth I entered its MOST DANGEROUS PHASE after her sister Mary became the first Queen of England in 1553. In this week’s History Calling video (the 11th in my Tudor monarchs’ series) we’ll take an in-depth look at the five years during which Elizabeth was the heir to the throne. During this time she faced pressure from her sister to convert to Catholicism and came close to death after being accused of treasonous involvement in Wyatt’s rebellion in 1554, which aimed to depose Mary and replace her with Elizabeth. This led to Elizabeth’s life echoing that of her great uncles (the Princes in the Tower) by becoming the Princess in the Tower, after the Queen had her 20 year old sister imprisoned. This video will cover Elizabeth’s time there (in the same rooms her mother, Anne Boleyn, had been held in before her execution in 1536) and explain how she avoided the grisly fate of so many others who were sent there during Mary’s reign, including Lady Jane Grey. It will look at this incident and another in 1556 to answer the question, was Elizabeth I a traitor sister to Mary, or was she wrongly accused? It will also explain the reasons for the long-standing tensions between Elizabeth and Mary Tudor and look at the early interactions of the future Elizabeth I and Philip II of Spain, her brother-in-law and future foe in the Spanish Armada. This will include Philip’s attempts to marry her off to one of his relations against her will. This young woman’s experiences may be taken as a masterclass in how to survive Tudor England, but above all, the early life of Elizabeth I shows us how a younger daughter went from virtual royal cast-off after her mother’s demise, to Queen of England.
Is Belief in God Rational?
With Fr John Baptist Ku, OP, STD, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC.
Faith and Science Are Both Facing the Same Threat, Says Pope
Faith and science are not opposed, despite what the believers in the religion of scientism claim. They're both methods of finding the ultimate truth.
From Aleteia
By Daniel Esparza
Pope Leo XIV praised the Vatican Observatory as a place where science, wonder, and faith meet in service of truth and creation.Pope Leo XIV praised the Vatican Observatory as an essential witness to the harmony of faith and science, warning that both faith and science now face “a different and perhaps more insidious threat”: the denial of objective truth.
Addressing members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation on May 11 in the Consistory Hall, the Pope thanked them for their “faithful and generous support” of an institution he called “cherished” by the Vatican and at the service of the Holy See and the universal Church.
The Pope recalled that his namesake Leo XIII re-founded the Observatory 135 years ago to show clearly that the Church is “not opposed to true and solid science,” but rather “embrace[s] it, encourage[s] it, and promote[s] it.”
At that time, he said, science was often presented as “a rival source of truth to religion,” prompting the Church to counter the perception that faith and science were enemies. Today, Pope Leo said, the challenge has shifted. Both science and religion, he warned, are threatened by “those who deny the very existence of objective truth.”
He linked that denial to the exploitation of creation and of vulnerable people. The Church and science, he said, both teach that humanity has “a solemn responsibility for the stewardship of our planet and for the welfare of those who dwell upon it, especially the most vulnerable.”
For that reason, he added, the Church’s support for “rigorous, honest science remains not merely valuable, but essential.”
The sky is a gift for everyone
The Pope gave special attention to astronomy, describing the night sky as a gift shared by all people.
“The capacity to gaze with wonder at the sun, the moon, and stars is a gift given to every human being, regardless of station or circumstance,” he said. Such wonder, he added, awakens “a saving sense of proportion” and helps people see their fears and failures “in the light of God’s immensity.”
In one of the address’s most striking passages, Pope Leo called the night sky “a treasury of beauty open to all — rich and poor alike” and “one of the last truly universal sources of joy.”
Yet even that gift is under threat, he warned. Paraphrasing Benedict XVI, the Pope said humanity has “filled our skies with man-made light that blinds us to the lights God has placed there,” an image Benedict had connected to sin itself.
Pope Leo called Buzz Aldrin
Fifty-six years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Pope Leo XIV and astronaut Buzz Aldrin shared a moment of gratitude and wonder during a videoconference call in July of 2025.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father recalled the “testimony to human ingenuity” that the 1969 mission represents.
Quoting Psalm 8 — “When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you arranged…” — the two men reflected together on the grandeur and fragility of Creation.
A copy of that psalm, in fact, is on the moon -- a handwritten copy of it signed by Leo's predecessor, Paul VI, and left there by Aldrin's mission.
Read about the conversation here.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father recalled the “testimony to human ingenuity” that the 1969 mission represents.
Quoting Psalm 8 — “When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you arranged…” — the two men reflected together on the grandeur and fragility of Creation.
A copy of that psalm, in fact, is on the moon -- a handwritten copy of it signed by Leo's predecessor, Paul VI, and left there by Aldrin's mission.
Read about the conversation here.
Pope Leo thanked the Foundation for helping Vatican scientists engage both the public and the international scientific community. Its support, he said, allows the Observatory to share astronomy with students worldwide and to offer workshops and summer schools for those serving Catholic schools and parishes.
He also emphasized the theological meaning behind the Observatory’s work. Christianity, he said, is “a religion of the Incarnation,” in which God reveals himself through creation and enters creation in Christ. “It is therefore no surprise that people of deep faith feel drawn to explore the origins and workings of the Universe,” the Pope said.
The desire to understand creation, he concluded, is “nothing less than a reflection of that restless longing for God which lies at the heart of every soul.”
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