We have just completed a worldwide observance of the Year of Faith and are about to enter the Advent season of a new liturgical cycle. Now seems an opportune time to count our blessings, especially during a week in which we gather with family for Thanksgiving. In keeping with the theme of faith, it makes […]
Editorials
Faith’s Rallying Cry
How soon the End Times may be coming not even Jesus would disclose. No one knows the day or the hour. Yet the possibility of a sudden disruption of our comfort zone and even chaotic upheaval is always upon us, whether wrought by global forces, natural or anthropogenic, or through the simple course of each […]
The Francis Effect
It’s being dubbed the Pope Francis “Effect” – the apparent surge of Catholics returning to regular church attendance that is being logged and monitored among congregations in Italy and even as far as the British Isles. Is it a trend? Initial indications were anecdotal, as journalists cited clerics in Italy such as Giuseppe Cardinal Betori, […]
Modern Slavery
After a recent Nov. 2-3 workshop of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences to which Pope Francis had summoned experts in socio-economic, medical and pastoral matters, to discuss the incidence of human trafficking today, the Vatican announced last Monday, Nov. 4, that the pope wants action. An issue close to his heart, no one knows […]
Speaking Truth to Power
Judging from the ubiquity of its symptoms this time of year, Halloween and its lucrative progeny of horror flicks, costumes, candy and other paraphernalia has become an American celebration, second only to Christmas. Parades in the larger cities push already fragile limits of propriety even as manufacturers produce apparel that spares no one’s religious or […]
Consent of the Governed
The drama of the federal fiscal standoff – recently postponed, if only till January – bears all the earmarks of the Kingdom of the World at its worst. The looming idols of power, money and lust well overshadowed any of the founding principles of our nation, even the more secular values of economic freedom, ownership […]
Connecting with Hope
The most diabolical of all temptations may be that of discouragement. It leaves us disconnected with God – the source of all hope – with ourselves and with one another. In singling as world-wide crises the loneliness of the aging and the unemployment of the young, our Holy Father acknowledges two consequences of the hopelessness […]
A Listening Church
A Gospel passage read at Mass earlier this week featured the Martha-Mary polarities of Christian discipleship. Martha and Mary are both about action. The sisters welcome Jesus into their home, and each goes about serving him, but in a different way. When Martha complains about Mary’s choice, Jesus affirms that she has chosen “the better […]
Catch the Faith
Faith is caught not taught. This catchy proverb – most often cited in the context of youth ministry or ecumenical dialogue – emphasizes a relational strategy toward evangelization. Live the Gospel, and others will be moved by it. It may be what St. James had in mind by writing: “Demonstrate your faith to me without […]
A Loving Response
By far, one of the most discussed news events in recent days has been the lengthy interview granted by Pope Francis to the Italian Jesuit publication Civiltà Cattolica. Less likely to attract such spirited commentary is the toppling of the Ten Commandments in Washington, D.C., the vandalization of stone tablets placed by the Faith and […]