Amid the Fray

When I first learned of the imminent arrival of the 17-year cicadas, Brood X according to those who name such things, it brought to mind my years in the Midwest. There the whir that accompanied their annual appearance was comforting. It was nature's Muzak, soothing background noise as summer drew to a close.

The famous Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor recounted in a letter the time she got in an argument with another famous writer, Mary McCarthy, over the Eucharist. McCarthy described the Eucharist as a symbol.

There is a particularly unexpected twist in the saga of many families when the child suddenly starts acting the parent and the parent resembles the child.

Jan. 6, 2021, was an epiphany of sorts for Americans who watched in horror as a mob breached the U.S. Capitol, assaulted police and vandalized offices. It was both shockingly unexpected and shockingly unsurprising given growing extremism, a polarized electorate and the relentless marketing of allegations that a huge, if unproven, conspiracy had stolen the election.

You've heard about the war on Christmas. But have you heard about the war on holly jolly?

There is nothing like the birth of a child to make one appreciate Christmas. Four times, I have experienced such Christmases. Now I am experiencing my fifth. It was the birth of my first grandchild. He was named after my father, Theodore, who died 25 years ago.

I was bemoaning the state of a country divided almost down the middle. The election that so many people thought was for the soul of the country or for its future instead revealed that we are divided almost 50-50. The priest I was talking with agreed. And then he said, "I think it's a great opportunity."

It is no surprise that Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools and organizations have been profoundly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. With unemployment impacting so many Catholic families, as well as the canceling of Masses and their offertory collections, many Catholic institutions and the communities they serve are in precarious shape.