What would you do to obtain a great treasure? What are we willing to do for the sake of the Kingdom of God? William Manaker, SJ, reflects on the value of the Kingdom of God through the parable of the treasure in the field.
Why Christian Forgiveness Requires Every Christian to be a Priest
Christians are challenged to forgive daily, but could it also be a sacrament? In a follow-up to his previous article, Erin explores the relationship between forgiveness and the priestly identity of every baptized Christian.
Discerning Democracy: Navigating Civic Life with the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises
Today’s heightened polarization has seemingly erected insurmountable walls in our political discourse. Concluding this miniseries, Ty Wahlbrink, SJ, suggests how we might find joy using insights in the Fourth Week meditations, even though we might still feel stuck mourning near Jesus’ tomb.
Saint Ignatius and the Recovery of True Masculinity
Reflecting on Saint Ignatius’s conversion, River invites us to our own rediscovery of a more authentic vision of masculinity.
Bros in Beowulf: A New Translation of a Medieval Epic
“Beowulf,” the Old English epic, received a fresh take in a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley. It’s astounding from the very first word. Reading this updated classic raises many questions. Are we victims of fate or benefactors of Divine Providence? What makes a good person? And how do we translate ancient texts, like Beowulf or even Scripture, into modern language?
Sometimes I Sit Inside the Fog of My Prayer
The morning is gentle. I’ve come at the perfect time to sit and pray near the old living room windows. The sign of the cross, coffee on the window sill, closed eyes. I’m opaque inside today. I pray about yesterday. And sometimes my prayer isn’t always clear.
My Catholic Faith Pushed Me to Adopt an Almost Vegan Diet
The Catholic Church condemns animal cruelty. Does our consumption of animal products violate this teaching?
Freestyle Rapping in the Image and Likeness of God
What would St. Augustine have to say about freestyle rapping? It’s a remarkable talent that reveals more than just a rapper’s skills, like those showcased by the great Harry Mack. It can reveal how we are created in the image and likeness of God. And Augustine shows us how.
Centering the Lives of People Enslaved to the Jesuits: Black History, Memory, and Reconciliation
Most existing histories of Jesuit slaveholding prioritize the actions and voices of Jesuit slaveholders, and not the people they held in bondage. Ayan Ali tells about her research with the Jesuits’ Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project which seeks to address this historical bias by conducting extensive historical research with an intentional focus on the lives of enslaved people.
The Potter and the Bowl: In Whose Hands Do We Find Ourselves?
I’ve been throwing pottery for over a year now. For a while, I had the technique down, or at least down enough to center the clay and build from there. But lately, I have had the worst time centering the clay. As I sit with my struggles to center the clay, my mind wanders to the world around me: does anything feel centered these days?