This week, the American Library Association announced that it would be removing Laura Ingalls Wilder’s name from a children’s literature award. Having grown up with her stories and loved them, this makes me sad. At the same time, however, it’s almost impossible for a modern reader to read her books without a sense of discomfort that is entirely appropriate – after all, these events happened in a world that was very comfortable with racism. A hierarchy based on race... Read more
This essay, “White Folks Need to Watch Black Panther,” is republished with permission from Rebecca Bratten Weiss’s blog Suspended in Her Jar. I know the conversation about this movie, the first superhero movie ever not only to feature a Black hero but also to take place in a completely Black culture, must have a very special significance for people of color, beyond what white viewers can appreciate. But it’s an incredibly powerful experience for a non-Black viewer, also. This... Read more
Art by the devout and confiscated Brian Jocks. O God, who raised up Saint John the Baptist To make ready a nation fit for Christ the Lord, Give your people, we pray, The grace of spiritual joys And direct the hearts of all the faithful Into the way of salvation and peace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen... Read more
People, this is full of spoilers, hide your eyes (no, really, there have been some serious strobe light warnings for this film). This sequel focuses on all the superheroes who have had to go into hiding because their work is illegal. Because they’re illegal. But then there’s a couple good folks (or so we think ) that want to fight for these heroes rights to openly be themselves, openly help society, openly share their skills, openly live without fear of... Read more
Art by the stellar and Cartesian Brian Jocks. Some years back, I was having a conversation with a priest-scientist, and we ended up covering everything from black holes to evolution. Indeed, he waxed enthusiastic about hoping one day, post resurrection, to get to see a black hole up close. (Post Resurrection Geek Alert!!) But toward the end of our conversation he stepped back and reminded himself – and me – that as wondrous as science is, it’s not the most... Read more
It really was on a whim. I had nothing to do that evening, and a Moviepass card had been tempting me. Like Eve, I bit the damn apple, and found myself in a darkened, loud theater at my local cinema. I settled in with a small tub of salty, unbuttered popcorn from the concession stand and a ziplock bag of coffee-nut M&M’s I smuggled in. (My friend had asked me to bring my candy, but I still wanted to buy... Read more
It’s June! The grass is green, the robins are feeding their babies in the nest outside my window, and we’re talking about things that kept us alive in May. Specifically, we’re talking about Mary. Marian devotion can be complicated. Mary can seem remote, even though she is a figure who invites us to draw closer to the divine. Mary can seem anachronistic. Lingering Victorian sensibilities can make Mary seem like a feminine type that is oppressive, or even antithetical, to... Read more
Art by the stranded and purple Brian Jocks. I’m writing this in a tiny cottage in Dorset, in southern England. My sister and I came here this week to visit the little country church of East Coker, and thus complete a literary pilgrimage that began over twenty years ago, when she and I and a group of friends visited The Dry Salvages, a clump of unremarkable rocks off the coast of Massachusetts, from which T.S. Eliot took inspiration and... Read more
One of the most treasured items of my 1960’s era Catholic childhood was a white plastic, glow-in-the-dark Mary with a faintly greenish tint. She occupied a place of honor on my nightstand, under my lamp. I always read before falling asleep, and so she had some time to absorb the lamplight. Although she was not a nightlight, Mary continued to glow even after the lamp was turned off. How safe I felt in the dark, and if I did... Read more
Art by the spirit-filled and fiery-tongued Brian Jocks. The charismatic movement’s impact in both Catholic and Protestant circles is a force to be reckoned with. At its best, it is a source of genuine conversion of heart with strong ecumenical implications. At its worst, you might find manipulated and sensational attempts of conjuring something super-spiritual and spooky, reminiscent of Saul’s need for direction from the witch of Endor. Discernment of spirits is an overlooked gift in some of these circles,... Read more
Sick Pilgrim
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