Alleluia! Today Peter stands before the Sanhedrin and says one of the great lines in Scripture: "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). He has been ordered to stop preaching. He refuses. John's Gospel gives the frame: "The one who comes from above is above all" (John 3:31). On this Thursday morning - 100 years after Catholics in Mexico were told they could no longer practice their faith - that sentence still carries everything.

📰 Quick Hits

1. Relics of 36 Cristero Martyrs Arrive in Los Angeles This Weekend - Including a 14-Year-Old Saint

This Saturday, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles hosts a free day-long congress venerating the relics of 36 Mexican Catholics martyred during the Cristero War - exactly 100 years ago. The Mexican government had made it illegal to celebrate Mass, baptize children, or teach the faith. Among the 36 is St. José Sánchez del Río - "Joselito" - a 14-year-old who gave up his horse to save his general, was captured, and was offered his freedom if he would renounce Christ. He refused. Tortured and forced to march to his own grave, he cried "Viva Cristo Rey!" to the end. Canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.

Faith Lens for the Home: Tonight at dinner, tell your kids Joselito's story and ask: "He was your age when he had to choose. What do you think gave him that courage?" Then the closer question: "What are the smaller ways our family is asked to choose between what God says and what the world says?" Pray a Rosary decade tonight for the Cristero martyrs and for Catholics being persecuted today.

2. Pope Leo Reflects on Algeria: Augustine Invites All to Search for God

Flying from Algiers to Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV told reporters aboard the papal plane that his Algeria visit was "a special blessing for me personally" - particularly his pilgrimage to Annaba, where St. Augustine served as bishop 1,600 years ago. Of Augustine's legacy, the Pope said his "invitation to search for God and to search for truth is something very much needed today - a message that is very real for all of us, as believers in Jesus Christ, but also for all people." He noted that many Algerian Muslims honor Augustine as "one of the great sons of their land" - a small Catholic community serving as a quiet bridge across deep differences.

Faith Lens for the Home: Augustine's most famous line - "Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee" - is one worth putting on your dinner table tonight. Ask your kids: "What are things we chase that never quite satisfy? Where do we actually find rest?" That question is as alive in your kitchen as it was in 5th-century North Africa.

3. Cameroon Separatists Pause a Nine-Year War for the Pope's Visit

Armed separatist groups in Cameroon's Anglophone regions - engaged in a conflict that has killed over 6,000 people and displaced 600,000 since 2017 - announced a three-day ceasefire to honor Pope Leo XIV's arrival. The Unity Alliance said the pause reflects the "profound spiritual importance" of the visit and a commitment to "responsibility, restraint and respect for human dignity." Today, Pope Leo travels to Bamenda - the epicenter of the conflict - for a Meeting for Peace at St. Joseph Cathedral.

Faith Lens for the Home: One man's presence paused a war. Not armies, not sanctions - a shepherd going to his people. Ask your family: "Why do you think even people fighting a war would stop for the Pope? What does that tell us about what the Church is for?" Then pray together for the people of Cameroon and for the Meeting for Peace happening in Bamenda today.

⛪ Family Saint Spotlight

St. Benedict Joseph Labre - April 16

A French layman repeatedly turned away by monasteries who deemed him unsuitable. Rather than bitterness, he embraced radical poverty, wandered Europe as a pilgrim, and became the beloved "beggar of Rome." He found his vocation not where he expected, but where God led him.

Ask at dinner: "St. Benedict's plan kept failing - but God had a different one. Has our family ever had a plan fall apart and found something better on the other side?"

✋ One Simple Action

Look up a photo of St. José Sánchez del Río tonight - a teenager in a soldier's uniform who chose death over denying Christ. Let your kids sit with that image. Then open your Hearth & Altar reflection for today's readings. Peter's words and Joselito's life are the same sentence written 1,900 years apart.

📚 Read More

• Cristero War martyrs congress in LA: LA Catholics (https://lacatholics.org/2026/04/09/relics-of-36-cristero-mexican-martyrs-visit-la-for-special-one-day-congress/)
• Pope Leo reflects on Algeria: Vatican News (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-xiv-reflects-visit-algeria-augustine-dialogue.html)
• Cameroon separatists ceasefire: Catholic Review (https://catholicreview.org/cameroon-separatists-declare-temporary-ceasefire-ahead-of-popes-visit-to-conflict-hit-regions/)
• Saint Benedict Joseph Labre: Catholic Culture (https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2026-04-16)

One hundred years ago, a 14-year-old walked to his grave crying "Viva Cristo Rey." Today, a pope walks into a war zone for peace. The Risen Lord is still above all. Live it boldly today.

One more thing: the & Altar app is now live in the Apple App Store for iPhone. Every Domus property - including Hearth & Altar - is available in one place for your whole household. Learn more at WeAreDomus.com.