By Thomas J. Craughwell
Saints Scholastica and Benedict designed an orderly, sane, yet spiritually concentrated way of life for men and women seeking God.
2/1/17
Reading Time
3
min
By Richard Doerflinger
This past presidential campaign, one of the most bruising and discouraging on record, left many of us dissatisfied with the electoral system and politics in general. As usual, Catholics voted for the winning candidate — despite internal divisions between churchgoers and nonchurchgoers and between white and Hispanic Catholics. And as usual, Catholics’ tendency to pick […]
2/1/17
Reading Time
3
min
By Christina Capecchi
Spend a day in a surgery waiting room and you’ll witness a hundred quiet acts of mercy. Strangers gather for a host of reasons with a common cause: to sit beneath the slowest clock and wait it out. They make calls, utter prayers and flip through magazines, and in their anxiety, they extend morsels of […]
2/1/17
Reading Time
3
min
The following is inspired by C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, a fictionalized correspondence between two demons. My Dear Wormwood, Your last letter delighted me to no end and only heightened my pride as your uncle. You reported that your patient is “busy” and “stressed,” “overwhelmed” with the demands of “balancing” his job, marriage, and young children. […]
2/1/17
Reading Time
3
min
By John Garvey
When the U.S. Catholic bishops do their laudable work in looking out for the needs and rights of migrants and refugees, they are looking out for a large and vulnerable share of their flock. For all of the articles and volumes written about the new Americans and their growing political importance, though, it was the […]
1/25/17
Reading Time
3
min
By Elizabeth Foss
I found myself scrolling through Facebook the other night, looking for an idea for a writing topic. It had been an interesting social media day, where a particularly contentious post on my wall had unintentionally been posted publicly, inviting people of all walks of life to chime in on a topic that presses all kinds […]
1/25/17
Reading Time
3
min
By John P. Cleary
I have detected a duplicity in many who are, on the surface, pro-life. Far too many who will march in the streets of Washington on Friday to save the lives of the unborn turn a cold, judging eye on the women who choose to carry their children to birth. Perhaps no sins are as public […]
1/25/17
Reading Time
2
min
By Fr. Robert J. Wagner
Gospel Commentary Mt 4:12-23 We take the presence of light for granted in our lives because it is so accessible. When we want it, we flip a switch or push a button. We even have the problem of light pollution, where sometimes we need to pull down our shades to keep the light out, even […]
1/18/17
Reading Time
3
min
By Sr. Constance Veit, L.s.p.
Over Christmas, two of my family members were talking about a mutual friend who, though chronically ill, routinely does heroic acts of kindness for others. Though they get exasperated with her when she overextends herself, they realize that caring for others is what makes life meaningful. I thanked God that these women are kind enough […]
1/18/17
Reading Time
3
min
A man of the beatitudes