Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles. Who was Mary Magdalene? Few women in Christian history seem to be surrounded by as much scandal, rumors, and drama. Why? I grew up steeped in Catholicism and Catholic culture. And so it was a complete shock when in my first semester at Fordham I… Read More St. Mary Magdalene: How the Apostle to the Apostles Subverts Patriarchy
Fr. James Martin received a handwritten thank you note from Pope Francis after passing along some of his books to the Pope. His reflection on receiving this note is a good reminder for all of us: If Pope Francis can take time out of his unbelievable schedule to write a handwritten note to someone he’s… Read More Are you busier than the Pope?
The Boy Scouts of America have officially stated that they will allow openly gay boys to be members of their organization. This statement brings joy for some and makes others angry. After 18 years participating in various scouting organizations as both a scout and a leader, I went back to the basics to see if… Read More Gay Scouts? New Policy, Same Mission
When we think of evil, we often think of fanatics foaming at the mouth as they rant against those they wish to exploit or harm, spewing hatred with hyperbolic and inflammatory remarks. In fact, evil can be mundane and bland. The banality of evil can arise in a cultural milieu where the dehumanization and depersonalization… Read More Casual, Boring Evil
This Sunday’s Gospel passage is an all-time classic: the story of the Good Samaritan. There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said… Read More Three Thoughts on Sunday’s Gospel: The Good Samaritan
Today is Malala Day, named after the extraordinary, courageous Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai. Malala remains a fierce proponent of education for all, even after being shot in the head by members of the Taliban and seeing her friends murdered. As she said earlier today, “They thought that the bullet would silence us…but they failed.” Malala… Read More Malala at the UN: Education for All
Michael Sean Winters has an excellent article in Religion & Politics on Pope Francis’ economic vision. Among those quoted is Millennial writer Meghan Clark, who gave her thoughts on the subject: “His language is striking—showing a very clear moral evaluation of the actual system we live in. Referring to the ‘slave-labor’ in Bangladesh, the ‘cult… Read More Meghan Clark Quoted in Religion & Politics
Millennial 