This past Sunday I heard what is for me one of the most challenging Gospel passages of all: Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them. “Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and his own life too, cannot be my disciple. No one who does not carry his cross and come after me can be my disciple. And indeed, which of you here, intending to build... Read more
A great pleasure of moving to Tuscaloosa has been the discovery of a small but thriving Mexican-American community. Latinos (primarily Mexican-Americans but also some Guatemalans and El Salvadorans) make up about 4% of the population of Alabama. They work in agriculture, lawn care and similar jobs, and have also opened a large number of small shops and restaurants (including some of the now infamous “taco trucks” that have been referenced in the presidential campaign recently). The community, however, is relatively... Read more
“In 2000, also a Jubilee Year, my predecessor Saint John Paul II asked Catholics to make amends for past and present religious intolerance, as well as for injustice towards Jews, women, indigenous peoples, immigrants, the poor and the unborn. In this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I invite everyone to do likewise. As individuals, we have grown comfortable with certain lifestyles shaped by a distorted culture of prosperity and a ‘disordered desire to consume more than what is really necessary’ (Laudato... Read more
Conduct your affairs with humility…. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are. Go and take the lowest place. Bishop Robert Barron, who I heard referenced in this morning’s homily, said quoting St. Bernard of Clairvaux that “the three most important elements of the spiritual life” are “humility, humility, and humility.” As I listened to the readings, I couldn’t help thinking: if those running for office listened to this … well, then maybe they wouldn’t be running for office. Or... Read more
Today, Vox Nova is pleased to present a guest post by Stephen Adubato. Moderation of the comments will be handled by the regular contributors. The phenomenon of papal statements on aircrafts has quickly become a provocative, revelatory, and apparently now regular ministry of the vicar of Christ. Pope Francis’ knack for making statements that tend to shock people both inside and outside the walls of the Church could be taken as an invitation to all “people of good will” to,... Read more
Two of my best friends growing up in Richmond were the Stanley brothers, Sertha and Ray. Sertha was about a year older than me (the same age as my late older brother Mark) and Ray was my age. For most of my childhood, Ray and I were inseparable. On the other side of the Southern Pacific railroad tracks from my neighborhood, there used to be a Montgomery Wards store in the middle of a vast parking lot, and on summer... Read more
As I was catching up on my administrative backlog, I came across an interesting contribution: an infographic depicting a handful of saints who are, shall we say, patron saints of some pretty odd things. You can view the graphic here: Holyart: Five Curious Patronages of Saints Who are your favorite saints and what are their unusual patronages? I will kick this off with my favorite: St. Agatha of Sicily, patron saint of bellmakers because bells resemble her severed breasts. I... Read more
Nearly two years ago I published Is Atheism a Religion? Part 1 here at Vox Nova. At the end of it, I promised a part 2. In the first piece, I pointed out that whether atheism is considered a religion or not depends upon one’s definition of the terms in the question and noted some responses offered by others. I then suggested that “the real issue remains unaddressed as long as we ignore why the question is being asked in... Read more
Many months ago, almost but not quite getting ahead of the curve, I had a post in which I argued that Catholics should not vote for Trump. After comments closed, I received an email from R.S. who wanted to comment on it, but found the comments closed. As I am still trying to find my voice, but really want to revisit this post, I thought I would kick things off by publishing his comment here. (I have made modest edits... Read more
¨Today marks the beginning of World Youth Day,¨ said Pope Francis in his final homily during the closing Mass of this week-long meeting of over one million young Catholics from around the world.¨Be like Zaccheus. Open the door when Jesus stops at your home. Jesus wants to touch your heart as you complete your studies and your first years of work. Make your every act prayer, and let the Gospel be your guide on your life´s journey.¨ During the past... Read more
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