Called Out of Consumption

Called Out of Consumption

by | Dec 28, 2016 | Blogs, Spirituality    ~ Approx. 4 mins

It’s hard to imagine what people did on trains and buses before the advent of smartphones. I’m sure my parents or some old-timey Chicagoans could tell me, but knowing what the past looked like on public transportation probably won’t change anything about how most...
‘Tis a Gift to Be Creative

‘Tis a Gift to Be Creative

by | Dec 19, 2016 | Spirituality    ~ Approx. 3 mins

When I was 8, all I wanted for Christmas were Legos. The popular sets in those days were cities and urban design, which went well with my odd childhood obsession of sewer systems and urban engineering. Three years later, I became captivated by Harry Potter. That year,...
Rogue One and the New Hope

Rogue One and the New Hope

by | Dec 16, 2016 | Film, Pop Culture, Spirituality    ~ Approx. 1min

Spoiler alert: You know how this movie will end. Well, sort of.1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ends ten minutes before the original Star Wars: A New Hope begins.  It’s the story of that team of rebel spies who steal the plans for the Death Star.2  You already know that...
Learning to Rejoice with Refugees

Learning to Rejoice with Refugees

by | Dec 15, 2016 | Global Catholicism, Justice    ~ Approx. 6 mins

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the first Jesuit pope in 2013, there was a sense of corporate pride in our Society of Jesus. A Catholic wag quipped, “If you want to get a job done, call the Jesuits!” We had ample reason to rejoice. Isaiah rejoices, too, in the...
Joy (With a Big Red Bow on Top)

Joy (With a Big Red Bow on Top)

by | Dec 14, 2016 | Blogs, Catholic Writing, Spirituality    ~ Approx. 3 mins

I arrived early to the cathedral’s Christmas vigil to see the choir caroling. The vigil would begin at midnight, but even by ten I was dragging. It had been a long day, and a long week, and if I was honest with myself, a long year. 2012 was closing, and what a year it...