7:15 in the morning, leaving in a hurry for work, I recite a prayer before exiting my house because there’s no certainty that I’ll return. I say good morning to neighbors while walking, thinking of my agenda for the day. Down the road, I see Carlos, sitting on his porch. He’s wearing a yellow swimsuit… Read More Before Noon: Life and Death in a Throwaway Culture
“Is there a doctor who you look to as a role model? Someone in whose footsteps you could see yourself following?” I remember my friend asking me this question on a hot, dry night in southern Africa, where we were studying abroad together. I probed the depths of my mind and could come up with… Read More Why Bernard Nathanson Inspires Me
When it comes to politics, our society is often divided between those who emphasize personal responsibility and those who emphasize our social responsibilities. The former often focus on the cultural factors that tear families apart, while the latter highlight the economic threats faced by families. Within the Church these divisions are seen in the rivalry… Read More How the Church’s Both/And Approach Can Close the Opportunity Gap and Reduce Poverty
There was a point in my life when I thought I wanted to be a Buddhist. Disillusioned with the strict dogma and old-fashioned views of Catholicism, I began to look elsewhere for my religious fulfillment. I had heard through multiple friends about the benefits of meditation, and once I started to meditate I began to… Read More Catholicism: A Story of Identity
As a parish pastoral associate , one of my favorite “ice-breaker” questions for small groups is: “What has been your most profound experience of Liturgy?” The answers are usually quite revealing, ranging from wedding Masses to funeral Liturgies to “mega-Masses” like those at World Youth Day. My answer, however, is always the same: my most… Read More Liturgy and Perfection
The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs… Read More Plain Persons, Popes, and the Benedict Option
Last week, Pope Francis released his first major teaching letter, Laudato si’ (“Praise Be,” invoking the opening lines of St. Francis of Assisi’s canticle, “Brother Sun and Sister Moon”). An encyclical years in the making, it weaves together science and theology, ecology and economics to urge not only Catholics and other Christians, but all members… Read More The Environmental Encyclical is Out – Now What?
Millennial 