We have all been there; the thoughtful gift, selected with care, presented with pride. And we have absolutely no use for it. Maybe the gift is nice, but not to...
Articles
Advent is a season of preparation, prayer, and discernment. For me, it is both my favorite liturgical season and the most challenging. The people of God are...
It is hard for a baby in a manger to compete with eight reindeer and Santa holding a huge pack of gifts. The anticipatory pause of Advent—quiet and dark...
The Christmas story is one of forced travel, of uncertainty, of a search for a safe place to stay in an unfamiliar city. For Joseph and Mary that safe place...
Often, the acting is awkward, the plots shopworn, the wardrobes odd, and the holiday decorations tacky. The scripts are hardly witty and what passes for humor...
I was born in a household of 10 people: seven siblings, my parents, and me. Growing up in rural Mexico, my parents never went to school. A few years after...
Little ditty about Jack and Diane. Two American kids growin’ up in the heartland. John Mellencamp’s popular song makes me uneasy. Whenever it comes on the...
“From now on, everyone stands on his own feet. . . . The time for relying on structures has disappeared. They are good and they should help us, and we should...
In the past year, terrible secrets in the U.S. Catholic Church have finally seen some light. Thanks to the investigative work of Pennsylvania Attorney General...
Just like the roads he traverses by car to get to his craft brewery, Jason Elk’s journey to the Catholic Church followed a path stamped with signs. What makes...
