It is also painfully obvious that the police took much longer to restore order than they should have. They acted much more decisively when the President wanted to have a photo op at a church near the White House during the Black Lives Matter protests last summer in Washington, DC. Read more
A sacramental imagination should engage us with what is real and present. It should not distract us from this earth, pointing to infinitely-deferred imaginary beauties and consolations. Yet with our fixation on the sacraments as controlled by clergy, we miss out on understanding that creation itself is sacramental. Read more
Francis reminds us that the Catholic social teaching principle of respect for the dignity of every human being insists that “Each human person is an end in himself or herself, and never simply a means to be valued only for his or her usefulness.” Read more
By claiming persecution right now, some Christians have embraced the evil that is being fought against and are creating the monster that will usher in the true persecution they are attempting to prevent. It will be a self fulfilling prophecy, not foisted upon us from the left, but created from the panic of the right looking for a savior and role model in a deeply flawed President. Read more
White supremacists should hate and fear all that the church stands for. Yet look how many converts to Catholicism come bringing their racism with them. Have our "new evangelists" tried too hard to woo these people, by marketing a false version of Christianity, which promises power, superiority, and all the glittering prettiness of "the West"? Read more
We watched The Snowman again this Christmas, but without my brother and sister being here, since the pandemic makes it impossible or unsafe for them to travel. We watched it without dad because he died in April. Separated by land and ocean, by time and death and the grave, we are trying to keep alive the old Christmas rituals, lighting the lights that helped us believe something magical was coming, but also knowing how much is lost beyond recall. Read more
By guest writer Tony Magliano The commercialism of Christmas can easily tempt us to become spiritually sidetracked. A barrage of commercials tries to sell the illusion that buying more things will bring us joy. But some commercials get it right. I remember fondly the heart-touching Christmas television commercials by Hallmark Cards. They had a wonderful knack for inspiring the best in us. And they always ended with Hallmark’s unforgettable slogan: “When you care enough to send the very best.”... Read more
What will happen if another pandemic comes along – which it likely will – that is more lethal, and more contagious? What if we find ourselves once again in an extreme economic depression, or world war, and are asked to make the sacrifices our ancestors made? I don’t think we will be able to do it. Read more
During Advent, it is deeply important for us as committed disciples of our Lord to seek a healthy holistic balance between patiently waiting with purposeful spiritual preparation for Jesus to be born afresh in our hearts, and impatiently striving to bring to fulfillment a new global reality of justice, peace and love that the incarnation of God gave birth to. Read more
It seems that true Advent hope only rises as we walk the path from darkness—including disappointment, struggle, suffering—into the light. If that’s true, then we ought to be literally brimming over with hope as we begin Advent 2020! Read more
suspended in her jar
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