Our first reaction must be: “I do not want my face to fall like the face of the rich, young man. I do not want to walk away from Jesus. I do not want to be sad (cf. Mark 10:21-22). Now, to say the same thing in a positive form we would say: “I want...
“The 2010s have been the best decade ever. The evidence is overwhelming.” Those are the words of Cato Institute senior fellow Johan Norberg, penned in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Norberg’s words seem hyperbolic at first glance, but he may...
I drove to work today in a torrential rain. Looking around my car as I was stuck in stop-and-go traffic, I marveled at the notion that having a cell phone next to me, a satellite radio in my car, satellite TV at home and, along with three working...
Dear Mr. James, Let me begin by commending you for your Family Foundation and the work it is doing to improve the education of young people and adults in Akron. You have committed millions of your own dollars to provide over a thousand scholarships...
“Just give it to the poor” Recently, those words were hurled at me by a friend. His thoughts, I suppose, are fairly representative of many Catholics frustrated with the current state of affairs in many U.S. dioceses. Specifically, with...
Politicians and community activists often claim that the solution to inner-city poverty and unrest is to increase educational and employment opportunities. This notion may get headlines and votes, but it ignores a number of realities. The following...
The other evening I watched a talk-show debate between two Black analysts on the problem of poverty among inner city Black youth. Their views couldn’t have been farther apart at the outset and they didn’t grow any closer as the exchange continued...
When Sarah Palin said the Pope’s views on poverty were “kind of liberal” and Rush Limbaugh called them “pure Marxism,” the media were aghast. In a rare moment of unity, scoffers joined now-and-then Catholics, former Catholics, and practicing...
