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 […]
Editorials
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 […]
Prayer Works Miracles
Something of a malaise can set in, even among good and faithful Christians, when confronted by seemingly intractable patterns of failure, defeat or illness. Whether this is felt in a very personal, even private way, or whether it unfolds in the public arena, national or global, the temptation to resignation is real and imminent. No […]
A Step Toward Peace
The situation is still volatile. No one knows what unpredictable twists and turns events may take in the Middle East. For the moment, tensions have eased somewhat as the threat of an American-led military strike targeted at the Syrian regime is delayed. Political realities may be sinking in as the administration sees the case for […]
The Loneliness of ‘Cool’
At some point in the American psyche – and not so long ago – looking and acting “cool” seems to have overtaken character as a prized personal identifier. The cult of celebrity, long cultivated in Hollywood by a glamorization of movie stars has now proven just as lucrative for the sports and music industries. Remarkable […]
Courage to Lead the Peace
At the moment, so much of the information we are receiving about deteriorating conditions in Egypt, especially in Cairo, is full of confusion and contradiction. What is clear, however, is that innocent people are being slaughtered simply for what they believe, in particular, our Christian brothers and sisters whose places of worship are being tagged […]
Keep It Personal
We are blessed to have at our disposal so many excellent resources to assist Christian parents, catechists and teachers in their important mission of evangelization. One could become overwhelmed at a catechetical ministry fair exploring all the programs, manuals and audiovisual aids that abound as never before. Courses and seminars are even developed to help […]