Friday, October 16, 20200397Listening to the faithful, I sense some political frustration with clergy. They don’t want partisan priests, but they do want the Church to speak the truth boldly; so, they are frustrated when statements given by priests and bishops seem either to transgress the limits of their authority by pronouncing on matters involving secular...
Friday, September 18, 20200233Ready for election season? As we discern our candidates, I suggest reading the USCCB’s document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. In the meantime, here I try to promote unity in the Church and in our country by offering a meditation that, I hope, will humble us all and thereby draw us closer together.
Friday, August 7, 20200203I just read a fantastic book about faith and science: Christopher Baglow, Faith, Science and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge. I highly recommend it to every teacher and catechist, or to anyone interested in the topic.
Sunday, June 21, 20200337One summer in college, I worked at a ministry in Chicago. I served as a mentor for kids in hard social and economic situations. Beyond this ministry, I remember two days there: the morning I ran the Chicago Distance Classic, and the evening I saw someone murdered in plain sight outside Bryant Park.
Thursday, May 14, 20200117As the diocese develops its response to the pandemic, I think we’re all very excited to get back to celebrating the sacraments!
Tuesday, May 5, 20200398In these trying times of a pandemic, many people are expressing a beautiful desire to pray — to pray for protection from the coronavirus, for fast and full recoveries, for economic stability, for fruitful occupation in isolation, for peace at home and in our nation, for honesty and solidarity in our global community, and for so many...
Sunday, April 19, 20200112As we move further into this global program of “social distancing” because of COVID-19, millions around the world are trying to figure out what to do with all the time they must now spend in isolation at home.
Tuesday, April 7, 20200176The coronavirus is creating a big challenge for teachers and students around the world. My heart goes out to the students, who, if they are among the lucky ones, are sitting at home with online schoolwork, but without the ability to spend time with their classmates in person, play sports, enjoy clubs, and do other fun things. My heart...
Saturday, March 21, 2020097We’re a few weeks into Lent, and since we’ve had some time now to try our Lenten disciplines of praying, fasting and almsgiving, let’s take a moment to reevaluate them in light of some ancient wisdom. Here are three tips about fasting from the Rule of St. Benedict.
Saturday, February 22, 2020075I recently finished a fascinating book by Norman Doidge on neuroplasticity, “The Brain that Changes Itself.” It’s a very readable book about how science is overturning the “mechanistic” view of the human being, which, Doidge argues, has dominated culture at least since the philosopher-scientist René Descartes (1596-1600)....
