by Uli Covarrubias, SJ | Oct 5, 2017 | Faith & Politics, Justice ~ Approx. 4 mins
I met my maternal grandfather for the first time when I was 10 years old. He was recently widowed and had come from Mexico to spend some time with my family. I wasn’t sure what to make of this quiet old man at first, and I think my father must have sensed this when he...
by Billy Critchley-Menor, SJ | Oct 3, 2017 | Catholic Writing, Faith & Family, Spirituality ~ Approx. 4 mins
The house I grew up in is full of broken things. Our appliances live on a cycle of breaking one after the other, the basement is usually damp, and the furniture has holes in it. Our cars almost always have a cracked bumper, the furnace breaks not infrequently during...
by Henoch Derbew | Oct 2, 2017 | Faith & Politics ~ Approx. 4 mins
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it...
by Ken Homan, SJ | Sep 29, 2017 | Music, Pop Culture ~ Approx. 3 mins
“I wish somebody would have told me that some day, these will be the good old days.” Macklemore just released “Good Old Days,” a single with comeback Kesha. They certainly weren’t the first to tap into nostalgia this summer. TLC released new music for the first time...
by Colten Biro | Sep 27, 2017 | Blogs, Justice, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
The attention in the room turned to me and to my outstretched hand—in it, a dry-erase marker acted as a pointer towards the board. Neatly underlined, a word-pairing: “Conflict ← → Setting.” The learning outcome for the class meeting: to understand the connection...
by Bill McCormick, SJ | Sep 26, 2017 | Education, Justice ~ Approx. 4 mins
Where is Jesuit higher education in 2017? In Saint Louis this past week, two events converged to ask that question: Saint Louis University’s Bicentennial kick-off, and a conference on the 50th anniversary of the Land O’ Lakes Statement. As Saint Louis University (SLU)...
by Brendan Gottschall, SJ | Sep 25, 2017 | Faith & Family, Science & Technology ~ Approx. 3 mins
Full disclosure: I was not an ideal teenager. In retrospect (and perhaps even at the time), I followed the example of one of my favorite saints, who once prayed: “Grant me chastity… but not yet.” While I did a lot of things I later came to regret, I also learned a lot...
by David Inczauskis, SJ | Sep 22, 2017 | In the News, Pop Culture, Spirituality ~ Approx. 4 mins
And when I think upon that night My eyes are dim with tears. From William Wordsworth “Strange fits of passion I have known” The death of Princess Diana was the first sad memory of my life. I saw my mother’s eyes dim with tears as we reclined to watch the Sunday...
by Michael Mohr, SJ | Sep 21, 2017 | Faith & Politics ~ Approx. 3 mins
One of the oldest Benedictine monasteries of Southeast Asia is nestled in the lush highlands of central Vietnam. As we travelled on a small road surrounded by an extensive variety of fruits and vegetables through picturesque farmland, we glimpsed into the simplicity...
by Andrew Hanson | Sep 20, 2017 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
Two wheels and a slender frame make it hard to wrap, but I still marvel at the unexpected Christmas gift leaning on its kickstand. Santa came through big time this year. It’s 1994 in the urban sprawl of São Paulo, Brazil. The gear shift mounted on the stem...
