by Damian Torres-Botello, SJ | Sep 15, 2015 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
Everything I need is arranged in front me: the books, the notes, the always present blue Bic Atlantis pen. I’ve read the required homework assignments. I’ve thought about the ideas offered to me, I took notes, I was prepared. The hour hand on the clock moves into...
by Dan Dixon, SJ | Sep 14, 2015 | In the News, Papal News, Pope Francis ~ Approx. 7 mins
I don’t know Valerie Herrera. I’ve never met her. I am not Latina. I don’t live in Chicago. I don’t have a rare skin condition. I was not bullied in school. I do not have a beautiful singing voice. But when this video of Valerie meeting Pope Francis went viral last...
by Dan Everson, SJ | Sep 11, 2015 | In the News, Sports ~ Approx. 2 mins
View image | gettyimages.com Thank God for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. I never expected to utter those words, but they summed up my reflection on Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel, which I read to participate in Loyola University Chicago’s reading program for first-year...
by Vinny Marchionni, SJ | Sep 10, 2015 | Faith & Politics ~ Approx. 2min
Another day, another headline detailing senseless gun violence. Such violence is not just an urban thing – though a 93 year-old woman here in Baltimore was caught in a crossfire that left another wounded and a third dead. It is not just a mental health thing – though...
by Tim O'Brien, SJ | Sep 9, 2015 | Catholic Writing, Education ~ Approx. 7 mins
Editor’s Note: This text was adapted from an address given to the first-year class of 2019 at Loyola University Maryland, where the author teaches (Go Hounds!). It has been lightly edited here. You’ve arrived at a place that can change your life – and for the better....
by Garrett Gundlach, SJ | Sep 8, 2015 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
I don’t think I’ve ever lost gracefully. In fact, I’m not sure I know what that even means. If I want grace, if I want to feel right and blessed and good when the final buzzer sounds, then I have to win. But still, I like to think that I’m not that competitive. All my...
by Brendan Busse, SJ | Sep 7, 2015 | In the News, Justice, Pope Francis ~ Approx. 3 mins
View image | gettyimages.com A year ago I moved to Spain. I arrived with a suitcase, a backpack, and a guitar stuffed full of socks and underwear. I entered Europe with a student visa and a whole lot of support. It wasn’t easy. The whole process took months. I...
by Matt Spotts, SJ | Sep 3, 2015 | Education, In the News, Justice ~ Approx. 3 mins
As a high school history, philosophy, and religion teacher, I spend a significant amount of my time irritating my students by nitpicking at their writing and speaking style: Avoid the passive voice! Don’t say “I feel like” when you mean “I think!” In fact, better not...
by Brian Strassburger, SJ | Sep 2, 2015 | Spirituality ~ Approx. 6 mins
I was getting out of the car during a late night errand to the local Target store in the Bronx and hustling before it closed for the night. As I was making my way across the parking lot, a departing customer caught sight of me from his car. He hit the brakes, rolled...
by Keith Maczkiewicz, SJ | Sep 1, 2015 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
I don’t think I ever prayed for anything as regularly or as fervently. Since last Christmas, when my sister told us she and her husband were expecting their first child, the constant petition on my lips was for the health of mother and baby. “For my sister and all...
