Am I to judge a mentor and friend only by his greatest sin? A death in the family is often an occasion of mixed emotions—sadness and gratitude, maybe even a...
The Examined Life
Discover The Examined Life columns, highlighting the intersections between contemplation, lived faith, and social justice in daily life.
What’s so odd about talking to God over a cup of coffee? It’s not often that you turn on the radio and hear someone talking about you—well, not you personally...
Even Jesus had to spend some time–Holy Saturday to be exact–waiting to see if things were going to work out. In this column from the archives...
Our American Spirit is stuck–and I’m not talking about that intangible dimension of our national identity that keeps us upbeat and confident in...
Life’s unexpected twists and turns need time to reveal the lessons they offer. Mowing the grass doesn’t rank high on the list of major life events, but when...
Would we so willingly cut programs for the poor if we knew them by name? When I was in high school, I bagged groceries for my pocket money, and I often saw a...
How do we honor a pope whose complexities are still fresh in our memory? As Pope John Paul II is beatified May 1 before hundreds of thousands in St. Peter’s...
Lent is a good time to ask whether the stuff we hold on to is actually holding us back. Extra Space Storage is the bluntly self-descriptive name of one of many...
A bishop’s authority cannot replace the graced conscience of the baptized. I’ll never forget my first serious argument with a priest: I was a senior in high...
Church teaching is the same always and everywhere—except when it isn’t. Using the words “pope” and “condom” in the same sentence is bound to draw attention;...
