A few wise words that many of us need to hear these days (well, I know I do!). They come from acclaimed writer George Saunders. He delivered this commencement speech at Syracuse University a few weeks ago: Here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it: What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of... Read more
Someone found this video below in a time capsule and shared it with me. From Sydney, Australia in 1986. (Source of the above image, which is just too adorable for words.) Enjoy. Read more
The headline caught my eye, and the story that follows offers an interesting glimpse into how far some people will go to try and save their marriage. From the New York Times: It’s a steamy summer day in the middle of vacation season, and the beach, whether on Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod or Sanibel Island, is packed. Couples — some a few years past their honeymoon but still sporting its glow, others creased from decades of togetherness — frolic in... Read more
That’s the provocative question at the heart of this piece from Foreign Policy: While the Church still regards homosexual acts as sinful, no previous pope has offered a “who am I to judge?” response to the question of what to do with gay priests. Indeed, under the reign on Francis’s immediate predecessor, Benedict XVI, top church officials frequently blamed gay priests for the terrible sexual abuse crisis afflicting the church worldwide. Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana even suggested the church could benefit... Read more
That’s the provocative question at the heart of this piece from Foreign Policy: While the Church still regards homosexual acts as sinful, no previous pope has offered a “who am I to judge?” response to the question of what to do with gay priests. Indeed, under the reign on Francis’s immediate predecessor, Benedict XVI, top church officials frequently blamed gay priests for the terrible sexual abuse crisis afflicting the church worldwide. Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana even suggested the church could benefit... Read more
Someone found this video below in a time capsule and shared it with me. From Sydney, Australia in 1986. (Source of the above image, which is just too adorable for words.) Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oBjhcHUmu04 Read more
A few wise words that many of us need to hear these days (well, I know I do!). They come from acclaimed writer George Saunders. He delivered this commencement speech at Syracuse University a few weeks ago: Here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it: What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of... Read more
One man’s view of the pope and the press: The press is lazy. There’s not a great deal of depth or historical context there. Also, the press needs to sell newspapers and click throughs. To do this, it is best to have a narrative. Everything that happens has to fit into the narrative. The narrative begins in the first hours of the papacy and it tends to stick. (It’s not just Catholic news that is treated this way; this is how... Read more
The headline caught my eye, and the story that follows offers an interesting glimpse into how far some people will go to try and save their marriage. From the New York Times: It’s a steamy summer day in the middle of vacation season, and the beach, whether on Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod or Sanibel Island, is packed. Couples — some a few years past their honeymoon but still sporting its glow, others creased from decades of togetherness — frolic in... Read more
James Thurber’s classic short story is being remade—Danny Kaye did it years ago—and Ben Stiller is the star and director. Look for it under the tree on Christmas Day. Here’s the trailer. Ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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