Paul tells the Philippians today, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." In the Gospel, Jesus tells the odd little parable of a dishonest manager who, once he learns his job is ending, moves fast to secure his future - and Jesus praises not the dishonesty but the urgency. The psalm today is a pilgrim's song, sung by people climbing toward Jerusalem: "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." Three stories in the news this morning ask a version of the same question Paul and the manager both faced: where is home, and how much urgency do we bring to getting there.

The deeper reflection on today's readings - and a daily prayer for your household - is waiting in the & Altar app and at andaltar.com. More after the news.

📰 Quick Hits

1. Pope Leo Departs for 12-Day Trip to South America

Pope Leo XIV departed Rome for Uruguay on the morning of Nov. 6 at the start of a 12-day trip to South America, the longest international journey of his pontificate, a little over three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. The pope is making the trip just 24 days after undergoing a lobectomy surgery for localized lung adenocarcinoma on Oct. 13 in which the cancerous lower lobe of the pope's right lung was removed. His first stop is Uruguay, which NPR describes as "the region's least Catholic and most secular country", before he moves on to Argentina and then to a two-day stay in Chiclayo, where Pope Leo served as bishop from 2015 to 2023. Vatican doctors have said nothing in his recovery stands in the way of the full schedule.

Faith Lens for the Home: Paul's line about citizenship fits a pope who keeps crossing borders to remind people where home really is. Ask your kids tonight what it means to belong somewhere you've never physically visited, and offer a decade of the Rosary for Pope Leo's health and safe travel this week.

2. Tech Giants Sue to Block California Teen Social Media Law

Meta, Google, and TikTok have each filed lawsuits against California Attorney General Rob Bonta in an attempt to block a law that restricts social media features it deems addictive for users under 16. The law, AB 1709, is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, and would turn off personalized feeds and autoplay for younger teens unless parents opt back in. Google said it believes parents are in the best position to make decisions for their families and that it offers a range of parental control tools and protections. A representative for Attorney General Bonta said that his office is reviewing the filings and is committed to "defending California's commonsense laws to protect kids online."

Faith Lens for the Home: The manager in today's Gospel used his limited time well once he knew it was short; courts may take years deciding what platforms owe parents, but a household doesn't have to wait for a ruling to set its own rules. Ask each child tonight what their phone shows them first thing in the morning, and pick one feed to turn off together before bed this week.

3. Russian Strike Kills 42 at Ukraine Aid Site

The death toll from a Russian bombing of an aid distribution point in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday has risen to 42, police said on Thursday, making it one of the deadliest strikes on civilians this year. The school in Komyshuvakha was closed to classes but served as a shelter and handed out aid every Monday; about 200 residents remain in the village, which is about 11 miles from the nearest Russian positions. Ukraine's national police said the strikes included a 3-ton FAB glide bomb, a weapon that defence intelligence websites say carries around 1.4 tonnes of explosives. Zaporizhzhia police said up to 33 people remained buried beneath the rubble, and that rescue work and efforts to identify the bodies were continuing. Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements, and that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed; Moscow and Kyiv both deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Faith Lens for the Home: How much of this your children are ready for tonight is yours to judge, not a stranger's - the facts alone are enough for most ears. November is the month the Church sets aside to pray by name for the dead; tonight is a fitting night to add the people of Komyshuvakha to whatever list your family already keeps.

⛪ Family Saint Spotlight

St. Leonard of Noblac - November 6

Church tradition remembers St. Leonard of Noblac on November 6. Leonard was born at the end of the 5th century in a castle near Orléans, into a family connected to the Frankish court with ancient roots and probably Roman origins. He received solemn baptism from St. Remigius, Bishop of Reims, who became a deeply influential spiritual guide for him. Clovis, King of the Franks, served as his godfather and granted him the power to free prisoners whom he deemed innocent, and Leonard used this privilege to help many oppressed people. Tradition holds that King Clovis, grateful to Leonard for helping the queen during a difficult childbirth, granted him land in the forest that he could travel around on a donkey within a single day. He had been offered a bishopric but chose instead to become a recluse, and around his monastery grew a community that took the name Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. He is remembered today as the patron of political prisoners, imprisoned people, prisoners of war, captives, and women in labor.

Ask at dinner: "Who is someone you could help set free this week - from a grudge, a debt, or just from being left out?"

✋ One Simple Action

Pray a decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries together tonight - today is a Sorrowful Mysteries Friday - and offer it for the souls of the people killed in Komyshuvakha this week. If your family already keeps a Friday penance this November for the names in your own book of the dead, add one more intention through the intercession of St. Leonard, patron of captives: for anyone in your household who still needs to be set free from a habit, a resentment, or a fear.

📚 Read More

• Pope Leo's Trip: OSV News (https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-xiv-departs-for-12-day-tour-of-south-america/) and NPR, on his health and itinerary (https://www.npr.org/2026/11/06/nx-s1-6032454/pope-leo-latin-america-trip)
• Teen Social Media Law: TechCrunch (https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/05/meta-google-and-tiktok-sue-california-ag-over-teen-social-media-law/) and Spectrum News 1, on the companies' arguments (https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la/politics/2026/11/05/google--meta-and-tiktok-sue-california)
• Ukraine Aid Site Strike: Reuters via Oman Observer (https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1199179/world/europe/toll-from-ukraine-aid-centre-strike-rises-to-42) and Reuters via aNews (https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2026/11/05/death-toll-from-russian-strike-on-ukrainian-aid-centre-reaches-42-police-say)
• St. Leonard of Noblac: Vatican State Saint of the Day (https://www.vaticanstate.va/en/state-and-government/general-informations/saint-of-the-day/2973-november-6-saint-leonard-of-noblac-hermit.html) and Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4246)

Today's Gospel commends urgency, not dishonesty - the manager used what little time he had left better than most people use time they assume is endless. Pope Leo is spending what should be a season of rest on a twelve-day journey home to the people who shaped him; parents fighting for their kids' attention online are being told by courts to wait, but they don't have to; and a Ukrainian village is learning that no amount of urgency undoes a single afternoon. All three stories, in their own way, are about believing that citizenship in heaven is real enough to act on now, before the door closes. Enjoy the weekend living out the faith in your own home, and we'll see you Monday.