When I taught New Testament to high school juniors, I always looked forward to the unit on the infancy narratives of Jesus. One of my favorite assignments...
Sounding Board
Can you state—or approximate—the mission statement of your parish, school, university, or organization? I mean from memory, without pulling up the website on...
Many of my weekdays involve a lot of pacing and meandering. With laptop in hand, I gradually shamble from desk to dining room table to couch (and even to bed...
Recent events, including the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the decision of a few bishops to bar prominent politicians from...
A search of #catholictattoo on Instagram yields thousands of results. Our Lady of Sorrows cries juicy tears on biceps; rosaries snake down forearms and wrists;...
Catholic tradition has long been enriched by the work of men and women who turned to art as a means of coping with fear and loss. Dante’s Divine Comedy, and...
Years ago, I noticed an unexpected phenomenon. I had recently moved to New York, and on my afternoon rush hour commute I saw people eating as they rode in the...
A preacher’s job is harder in the 21st-century United States than in many other places and times. Imagine attending a liturgy and hearing the gospel preached...
May his memory be a blessing. I found myself repeating these words—a rabbinic phrase that originates in the Jewish tradition—to a Jewish colleague as we...
A piece of wisdom that both my parents and in-laws infused in my wife and me is the paradox of choice: You are free to choose, but you are not free from the...
