The laity stand in a unique position to carry on the Church’s mission because of their place both in the Church community and in society
Archive for Category: "Commentary"
At border Mass, Eucharist unites where fence divides
Every year on All Souls Day Nov. 2, the people of God from the Mexico side of the border and from the United States side gather at the fence that divides our two countries at Anapra, N.M., to celebrate the Eucharist.
Resisting modern society’s aggressive secularism
It was with barely concealed delight that Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg conveyed the findings of the recent Pew Forum survey that the “nones,” those who claim no particular religious affiliation, are sharply on the rise in America.
Pro-life witnesses must ‘walk our talk’ and live with ‘holy boldness’
It’s been 40 years since Roe v. Wade, and 40 years is a good place from which to reflect — to take a moment and recommit to the respect life movement.
Study of never-married Catholics gives insight into vocations future
In a survey of Catholics age 14 and older, about 12 percent of males and 10 percent of females said they considered a religious vocation at least “a little seriously,” a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University found.
Jesus, the greatest and the model evangelizer
Evangelization is to tell the story of Jesus; to introduce or reintroduce people to Jesus; to bring others to belief and help them to deepen their faith; and to proclaim, share and spread the Gospel message.
Why I changed my mind about undocumented immigrants
When I was a sophomore at Stillwater High School I had a social studies class titled “Contemporary Issues.” As part of the class, we formally debated various controversial topics. I don’t remember much about the class, but I clearly remember taking part in a debate on immigration. A classmate and I argued that those who came across the border without papers broke the law and should therefore be prosecuted.
Why science will never disprove God’s existence
Given the ruminations of Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, one might have thought that the absolute limit of scientistic arrogance had been reached.
The great both/and of Catholic social teaching
For many on the left, Paul Ryan is a menace, the very embodiment of cold, indifferent Republicanism, and for many on the right, he is a knight in shining armor, a God-fearing advocate of a principled conservatism.
HHS mandate is offense to social justice, Catholic social teaching
Catholics in the United States have never represented a monolith with regard to any given issue. In many respects this is a good thing, as Catholicism and Catholic teaching transcend any given ideology or political party. Simply put, Catholicism is the opposite of ideology and thus seeks to challenge ideological constructs that oppose authentic freedom and truth.
Public choices will endure beyond this life
Election years bring into sharp focus the daunting task of structuring a just and functional society. We struggle to order priorities and balance competing claims to both the benefits and responsibilities of life in common. While essential to the good ordering of society, Catholic moral principles cannot be immediately translated into the complexities of law or policy.
Dark forces no match for power of the Gospel, sacraments
In the sixth chapter of St. Mark’s Gospel, we find the account of Jesus sending out the Twelve, two by two, on mission. The first thing he gave them, Mark tells us, was “authority over unclean spirits.” The first pastoral act they performed was to “drive out many demons.”
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