Faith in the Public Arena

Minnesota is ranked the second-best state in the nation overall (after Iowa). This is according to new overall state rankings by U.S. News and World Report, which are based on more than 75 metrics including economy, education, opportunities and quality of life.

Five years ago, just after the Sandy Hook massacre, I wrote a highly criticized column on gun control.

Every second, people spend $3,075.64 on pornography; every second, 28,258 people view it online; every 39 minutes, a new pornographic video is made in the United States; and every day, approximately 11 million teens access some form of pornography.

Fake news that distorts public discourse and manipulates the public will not be countered effectively by a renewed interest in journalistic ethics or more laws aimed at improving disclosure of the sources of online content. It is a cultural problem.

It might not be a presidential election year, but in November, Minnesotans will still vote for a governor and all 10 of its representatives in Congress, including two U.S. Senate seats. These decisions can potentially shift balances of power on both state and national levels.

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” bring this dynamic to life on the silver screen and provide a profound image of our duty as Catholics in today’s culture and public arena: to be workers, ministers and prophets of a future not our own.

St. Francis of Assisi is a beloved saint to many, but often a mischaracterized one. Usually shown with animals, the mainstream vision of Francis is tame and gentle. However, St. Francis was an intense and radical preacher, consumed with zeal for the kingdom of God and intent on relaying the truth to others, including Muslim sultans.

Our society is failing to get to the bottom of the issues. We spend our energy trying to treat the symptoms of social crises, while either ignoring or remaining in denial about the deeper problems in today’s world, which exist first and foremost within the human heart.