Pope Francis believes that taking the coronavirus vaccine in a moral imperative. In contrast to many Christian and Catholic groups, the Pope refused to equivocate when Italy’s T5G News asked him about his stance on vaccination. “I believe that morally everyone must take the vaccine. It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others.” Simple as that. In a time when some Christian churches are choosing to flout COVID protocols, Pope Francis... Read more
A few days ago, a published an article arguing that Americans need to have more empathy for one another. I regret to say that did not age well. Granted, I was talking about COVID and things like attending funerals. My overall point was that we should try to interpret that actions of others through the window of their values, not our own. But when right-wing radicals are storming the capital building, it all sounds pretty naïve. If I sit down... Read more
It’s officially 2021 and our country is setting off on a long path of recovery. As vaccine distribution increases, we are hopeful for a public health recovery, followed by an economic recovery. As challenging as both will be, there is another crisis from which I fear we may never recover: the empathy crisis. Now, this crisis was brewing long before the pandemic began, but the past year has only made it worse. This is partially for the reasons that already... Read more
Forgive my quoting what some claim to be the cheesiest band of all time, but I’ve liked Counting Crows since I was a kid. My dad had them mixed in on the long road trip play list, along with The Indigo Girls, Black Sabbath and Warren Zevon. I didn’t realize that was a rather odd mix until I was older, and I didn’t realize Counting Crows weren’t cool until it was too late. So when A Long December, their mournful... Read more
If you received this article in your inbox, it’s likely Christmas Day. I’m honored and grateful to be spending Christmas with you. I’m writing this now on Christmas Eve, curled up on the couch while my husband messes around with his new gadgets. I just had my coffee and my hair is still wet from the shower. There is work still to be done, but for now I’m putting it off, trying to soak in the moment. Trying to wrap... Read more
Joe Biden will be the second US president to profess the Catholic faith. But unlike his predecessor, John F Kennedy, he does not have overwhelming support from Catholic voters. This is in large part because many Catholics do not consider Joe Biden a “good” Catholic or even a “real” Catholic. His public stances on abortion and LBGTQ+ rights put him in direct opposition to Church teaching. In the past, he has even been denied Communion. But Joe Biden isn’t that... Read more
My family loves Santa Claus. They love the magic, the wonder, and the excitement on the faces of young children on Christmas morning. They love the presents – mountains of presents – and the songs and the bells. I, the Grinch, do not love Santa. I was a precocious kid and figured out that Santa was not real at a pretty young age. I resented having to pretend to believe in something I didn’t. I imagine the feeling is similar... Read more
Advent is finally here. This is the season of waiting in hope for the coming of Christ in the incarnation. We decorate our homes, light candles, increase our daily prayer. This Advent, like so much this year, seems different. We’re waiting in anticipation of a Christmas that will lack many of the trappings of the typical holiday celebration. We’re also waiting for something else, something that for a long while we did not dare to hope for: a vaccine. Because... Read more
Prudence has never been the most popular virtue. In grade school, we sat through long lectures on charity and chastity. Kindness and humility are among the earliest lessons our parents teach us. Films extol justice and fortitude. But prudence is a quiet virtue, not particularly heroic and, generally, not particularly noticeable. It’s hard to discern if someone is being prudent in a given situation, because by its nature the virtue is situational. But for everything there is a season, and... Read more
Last week, the Vatican finally released the long-awaited McCarrick Report. This 400-page document outlines what Church authorities knew, when they knew it, and the myriad personal and institutional failures that lead to McCarrick’s rise. It’s a sad document, but not because it reveals shocking new instances of abuse. (There is little that could shock us now.) McCarrick’s grotesque sins may be the headline, but they are not the story. The story is about how Church leaders abandoned the faithful. It’s a... Read more
Femina Ferox
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