In October 2021, Pope Francis convened the Synod on Synodality, a two-year process of listening to the reflections, thoughts, and concerns of Catholics worldwide. Participating parishes and dioceses were expected to convene by May 2022, to reflect on where the Church is and where they feel that it is going, and to share a summation of thoughts from their community with Church leadership. Now, bishops and other Church religious and lay leaders are meeting for “continental sessions,” that will synopsize... Read more

Ten years ago this week, I got married. Before my wedding day, though, I went to the movies with my mom, to see the December 2012 release of Les Misérables, the latest cinematic version of the 1980 musical that is based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel. Les Misérables is about the trials and triumphs of the heroic ex-convict, Jean Valjean, who breaks his parole and then spends an exemplary life running from the overzealous detective, Javert. It is set in... Read more

At the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, Christmas is celebrated; Clarence gets his wings; the Building and Loan books are rectified; the community turns out en masse to support their dear friend as he has always supported them; and George learns to appreciate the meaningful life he is living and the many blessings that are his. George Bailey, Continued What do you suppose happens to the Bailey family next, after the camera cuts away? If we were to follow... Read more

Over last week’s holiday, after the Thanksgiving turkey had been eaten and the Christmas tree had been decorated, I tackled the weekend’s work: at least ten loads of clean laundry, piled high in baskets; Christmas lists; and the coming week’s dinners. While folding, list-making, and cooking, I probably should have listened to Marie Kondo’s new book, Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life. Neither my ideal space nor my ideal life should involve quite... Read more

My two older sons are less than two years apart. This past summer, newly seven and nearing five-and-a-half, they had swim practice early each weekday morning. Afterwards, most days, they whiled away the hours until lunch playing endless innings of baseball—sometimes alone, sometimes with their neighborhood playmates—in our back yard. I was often just through the screen door, watching my youngest son (then an unsteady walker, safely ensconced in his outdoor playpen with trucks and stackable blocks) and working in... Read more

Two weeks ago, I argued that my fellow pro-lifers need to start accurately framing the debate over abortion. Pro-Life is Progressive Pro-lifers should recognize, I contended, that our own orientation on this issue is the progressive one, and we should give due regard to the mostly good faith of the pro-choice side’s conservative arguments. This corrective to what has long been an inaccurate ideological framing of the abortion debate would be a first step toward both legal and cultural pro-life... Read more

As we approach the mid-term elections, we’re all seeing increasingly dystopian political ads everywhere. On billboards, in the mail, and on commercials. If your kids are anything like mine, they are asking questions. (And, if your team is in the World Series – go, Phillies! – they’re watching extra television, which means they’re asking extra questions). Mommy, What are Democrats and Republicans? Years ago, my pre-school age kids asked which were the good guys: Democrats or Republicans? My husband and... Read more

Yesterday, I listened to Jane Coaston’s New York Times podcast, The Argument. In this podcast episode, Coaston, who is (like me) 35 years old, was interviewing three “Gen-Z” 20-somethings about their political ideologies, identifications, and priorities. All three of the interviewees were thoughtful, articulate, and respectful of one another, even though two of them self-characterized as progressive and the other could be fairly characterized as conservative. Pronoun announcements aside, Coaston’s interviewees did not sound that different from my peers a... Read more