On the anniversary of the passage of federal health care reform legislation, we recognize that there is still a lot of work to do in order for that legislation to meet the principles laid out by the U.S. bishops.
Archive for Category: "Opinion"
Honoring the memory of a martyr
One of the features of The Catholic Spirit’s Overheard section is a collection of quotes from newsmakers around the world. Just last month, the page included a quote from Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic who served as Pakistan’s minister of minorities.
Fellow Catholic’s reflection on Cairo was inspiring
I found the article “A Catholic’s reflections on Cairo” [March 3] very inspiring. It calls us to be awake to reality. If one person is aware, it affects our family members and all the people surrounding us at work and community. The article made me want to try.
Lord, help us spring ahead and leap again into life
Five inches of snow melted yesterday, and I could hear it dripping off the roof. It sounded like rain and looked like hope.
A Catholic’s reflections on Cairo
As the drama unfolded in Tahrir (“liberation”) Square in Cairo, Egypt, for days I joined in the world’s awe at the hundreds of thousands who gathered to demand an end to the autocratic reign of Hosni Mubarak and its three-decades-old “emergency law.”
Church is welcome voice in support of union workers
I wanted to thank [The Catholic Church] for its support for the Wisconsin public employees whose legal rights are being threatened. I am a Minnesota public worker, and an officer in my union (MAPE).
Lenten fasting: ‘Why?’ more important than ‘What?’
As Lent is quickly approaching, I can’t help but ponder and reflect about my participation in this season.
I have often been asked the question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” I usually respond, without hesitation, “coffee.” Truly, have you ever wondered how giving up something like coffee, chocolate or any other simple pleasure can help you get to heaven?
World events reveal dangers of selfishness
In countries across the Middle East, huge crowds of people — including large numbers of young adults — continue to gather in squares and streets demanding a voice in how their lives are governed and how they are treated.
What if Delta were a diocese?
What the church could learn from airline’s move to teach employees good manners
Debt should be prayerfully respected, not feared
In Hamlet, William Shakespeare warns: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.”
There are financial experts who advise as Shakespeare does, saying that debt should be avoided at all costs. But, practically, I don’t know how you get through life in early 21st-century America without using debt to some degree. My experience with debt is that it is somewhat like chocolate or alcohol — a little can be good but too much can destroy you.
A little ‘inside baseball’ about Catholic press awards
Across North America right about now, folks who work for Catholic newspapers, magazines, websites, newsletters and book publishers are leafing through all of their work from 2010.
We do this every year about this time, deciding which of our stories, photos, columns, page designs, even ads, we are going to enter into the annual competition of the Catholic Press Association.
Appointing bishops, from Henry IV to Hu Jintao
On Nov. 20, I traveled to Rome for a consistory of the College of Cardinals. It was a special event for me in more ways than one. Two of the 24 men named cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI are graduates of my institution, The Catholic University of America.
Church offers services to give back to seniors
On the bulletin board in the kitchen at my parents’ home is a little cross-stitched sign that reads: “Growing Old is Not for Sissies.” As I watch my own parents rise to the challenges of aging, I can vouch for the truth of that saying.
Fighting for racial equality in the 1960s
The 1960s were tumultuous times for race relations in the United States. The preceding decade saw civil rights successes, such as the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., in which the justices ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. And the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks provided leadership and inspiration to the civil rights movement.
Four reasons our Catholic schools matter
According to a Catholic school principal, restructuring of parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has forced an important evaluation: Why do Catholic Schools matter?
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