Power is not authority. “Power” refers to the ability to make something happen. “Authority,” in contrast, refers to the legitimacy of a person or entity to exert power in a manner that affects the broader community. Throughout history, rulers have mistaken power for authority, and history has not been kind to them. Rome’s last king,… Read More Power is Not Authority

via The Atlantic: In the debut episode of The Permanent Questions With David Brooks, David speaks with the philosopher Meghan Sullivan about perhaps the most important question of them all: How should we live our lives? Sullivan is a co-author of The Good Life Method, based on a popular course she teaches at Notre Dame.… Read More What is the Key to Human Flourishing?

Pope Leo XIV via the Vatican: We are poor by birth, in need of bread and words, of care and affection — that is, of all that nourishes body and spirit. We know this well, and yet, as we become adults, we risk forgetting it. It is precisely those in need who suffer the greatest consequences… Read More How We Treat the ‘Unproductive’ Reveals Our Commitment to Human Dignity

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. God of life, You know the innermost depths of our hearts— the light and shadows within us, the silent wounds that sometimes no one sees. Today we bring before you our brothers and sisters who struggle with challenges to… Read More Pope Leo’s Prayer Intentions for October 2026: For Those Who Struggle with Their Mental Health

via the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life: Young people are searching for meaningful work, and Catholic teaching has long affirmed that desire. Through work, writes Pope Leo in Magnifica Humanitas, “we contribute to the progress of society and the common good” and “through listening and dialogue, learn to build together something that… Read More Young People, Work, Community, and the Common Good

Pope Leo XIV in response to a young woman in France: The fact that many are indifferent to the question of God is, indeed, a problem, but so too is the fact that many are indifferent to the question of humanity. Sadly, how many people show no concern for their neighbors, lead selfish lives, look… Read More How Can Young People Combine Missionary Zeal and Fraternity Toward Secular People?