Most of us are still struggling to grasp the enormity of the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas. We heard the reports and saw the pictures of what was done to civilians. Families butchered in their beds. Babies decapitated and burned alive with...
The four-year Synod of the Catholic Church is nearing completion. It has been described as a “Journey” that is “both a gift and a task” by which the hierarchy, the clergy, and the laity can join together, learn through their experiences, and improve...
In a conversation with Jesuit priests and students in Portugal on August 28, 2023, Pope Francis answered a number of questions asked by attendees. Several of his answers deserve close evaluation. (It should be noted that The U.S. Conference of...
I recently heard a homily in my parish that encouraged parishioners to love themselves. It was not the first time I heard such a statement made from the pulpit, but my reaction was the same as before—disappointment. That was understandable. After...
In a recent essay titled Our Urgent Need to Examine Ideas I noted that in this age of constant, rapid, and unsolicited information, many ideas slip into our minds unexamined. Yet we tend to defend those uninvited ideas as conscientiously as we do...
In the early 1900s, Anthony, a young Italian immigrant to the United States, was being screened at New York’s Ellis Island. In those days, one requirement for entry into the country was having at least twenty dollars to ensure that you could support...
In a recent essay, I noted that critical thinking is a more reliable guide to behavior than emotion, provided it is controlled and directed toward truth. I added that the aim of critical thinking should not just be to evaluate other people’s words...
Cardinal Dolan began a June 2023 essay by lamenting that “religious freedom—our first and most cherished liberty—has wrongly come to be seen by many in the United States as a partisan cause.” What dangerous people hold this disgraceful view? He...
