by Chris Williams, SJ | Sep 13, 2017 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 4 mins
I spend time each week in a pod at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center – the JDC. Each pod is visible through thick panels of glass which, sadly, makes it feel like looking into an exhibit at the Lincoln Park zoo. But instead of animals, there are 14 to...
by Juan Ruiz, SJ | Sep 12, 2017 | In the News ~ Approx. 2 mins
The last time I was in a hurricane, I was four years old and remember a few things. We hid in a closet with the glow of a flashlight while wind howled outside. The next day I still remember seeing palm trees that had blown over and knew that it was a miracle, even...
by Marc Fryer, SJ | Sep 12, 2017 | In the News, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
As a Houstonian, the past few weeks have been a struggle. As a Houstonian living away from home, rather than dealing with flood damage and other chaos, I have struggled with being away from family and friends when they most needed help. As a Jesuit with a vow of...
by Bill McCormick, SJ | Sep 11, 2017 | Faith & Politics ~ Approx. 5 mins
By now most readers have heard about Steve Bannon’s disgusting comments on DACA. The bishops’ support for DACA, Bannon argues, can only stem from their crass self-interest: The bishops have been terrible about this. By the way, you know why? Because unable to really...
by Henoch Derbew | Sep 8, 2017 | Faith & Politics, Global Catholicism ~ Approx. 5 mins
Tomorrow our Church celebrates St. Peter Claver (1580-1654), patron saint of, among others things, African-Americans. But for me, and I suspect for not a few Black Catholics, Mass on September 9th has the same unsettling feel of the first day of Black History Month....
by Eric Immel, SJ | Sep 6, 2017 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 4 mins
At night, when the world was sleeping, I would don an orange mask and take a shortcut to St. Matthew School. I’d quietly slide a heavy metal grate from one of the storm drains and, nunchuks in hand, leap into the darkness. The battle for my school was about to begin...
by Joshua Peters, SJ | Sep 5, 2017 | Letters for the Weary, Race ~ Approx. 12 mins
Come by here, my Lord, come by here. Come by here, my Lord, come by here. Come by here, my Lord, come by here. Oh Lord, come by here. It is a Sunday afternoon in late September, and the famed Chicago wind is still hot this far west of Lake Michigan. I am pulling up to...
by Brian Strassburger, SJ | Sep 4, 2017 | Faith & Politics, Justice ~ Approx. 6 mins
How much is our labor worth? Think about these questions: How much money should a barber make for cutting hair? The same basic haircut in Mexico costs half the price it does in the United States. How much should a nanny get paid? NPR’s Planet Money reported on a nanny...
by Sean Barry, SJ | Sep 1, 2017 | Film, Justice, Pop Culture ~ Approx. 4 mins
What would you do if you could write a name in a notebook and that person would die? Is it justifiable? If so, when and towards who? These questions are central to last week’s new Netflix adaptation of Death Note, an acclaimed anime series from 20061. The film...
by Ken Homan, SJ | Aug 31, 2017 | Creation ~ Approx. 7 mins
Let’s try a contemplation. I want you to imagine one of your favorite outdoor adventures. I’ll give you a second…okay, got it? Now where was it? Who was with you? What beauty most stood out to you? What made that place special, important, and worth remembering?...
