Mothers and fathers are great examples of self-giving love. William Manaker, SJ, reflects on the example of parents and our call to serve one another.
Grief, Relationality, and Animals: A Call to Bother to Love
Grief at the death of animals reveals a moral obligation we too often ignore. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ argues that if we dare to feel this grief, it becomes a call to love them as fellow creatures of God.
Unstoppable Grace: Sacraments and Sinful Ministers
Reflecting on his current studies in theology, Josh reflects on how a hundreds-year-old debate on the sacraments touched his own life and brought him healing.
Atomic Pilgrim: A Book Review
In his forthcoming memoir Atomic Pilgrim, James Patrick Thomas recounts his cross-continental pilgrimage from Washington State to the Holy Land and his later activism back home. Writing for The Jesuit Post, Luke Lapean, SJ reflects on how the memoir provocatively asks whether true success in the struggle for change lies in measurable outcomes or in the quiet, interior transformation of the one who walks the road.
Sometimes Social Media Becomes My Escape From the Daily Labors of Hard Work: A Poem
There are times when I don’t want to accept my present circumstances, so I enter another world with more novelty and excitement. Yet when I turn back to reality, that world evaporates and I am left feeling more alone and discouraged than before. A recent chance meeting with someone broke through this fog of drudgery to reignite the roots of life within me, reminding me to keep my faith in what God places before me each day, no matter how small or mundane.
An Overview of Fratelli Tutti
On Sunday, Pope Francis released the third encyclical of his papacy entitled “Fratelli Tutti,” on fraternity and social friendship. An encyclical is one of the highest ranking documents from a Pope. In this lengthy letter, he offers critiques of populism, neoliberalism, and militarized borders. He restates a rejection of the death penalty. He calls on all people to recognize and live out our common fraternity. Read this article for a complete overview.
A Simple Vote? It’s More Complicated Than That.
As I write this post, my absentee ballot is sitting next to me, still blank. There are Catholics who say the choice is simple. There is only one issue that matters. But the stories I heard suggest it is more complicated.
Responding to Bishop Barron: Racism, Not Postmodernism, is the Reason for the Abyss.
Bishop Barron says an abyss has developed between religion and protest movements since the 1960s and sees postmodern philosophy as the cause. However, the divide, which is not new, is more complex than that and its cause is not postmodernism, but racism.
Do Your Research. Discern Your Vote. Stop Condemning Others.
As some Catholic leaders pick sides, the faithful should do their research, keep an open mind, and show the love of Christ in the midst of our divided politics.
Did You Know? Boring Prayer is Good Prayer.
I am far from the only person who has ever been frustrated by prayer in which “nothing happens.” In fact, I hear this quite regularly from people sharing their spiritual lives. We want to experience our prayer as we do almost everything else: productively. We wish to finish a time in prayer feeling that we have accomplished something, learned something, moved forward, or used our time well.