During Evening Prayer just now, I came across the following, which I found a most appropriate prelude to the first of the artificial “debates” between Barack Obama and Willard “Mitt” Romney. Of particular pertinence are the lines, “Do not put your trust in oppression/nor vain hopes on plunder,” which seem to have something to say to both of these fellows. From Psalm 62: In God alone be at rest, my soul; for my hope comes from him. He alone is... Read more
For some time now the level of political conversation possible in the public square of this country has been laughable. We seem to be incapable of actually discussing the issues at a rational level. Political elections are no longer won by argument and truth but by spending the most money in the right ways. This fact may indeed be a harbinger of the coming downfall of American civil society, at least according to the logic of thinkers like John Courtney... Read more
The question I want to address, pretending for a moment that it’s a question worth taking seriously, is this: Is the Church conservative or liberal? I find such a question misguided because the Church (magisterially speaking) doesn’t think in these terms, much to its credit. To answer this question with one of the two options given would be to distort Catholic thinking by forcing it into a political dichotomy that is flawed from the outset. And so the answer is neither, or both, depending... Read more
“Blue Valentine” is a movie about how falling in love does not guarantee a future together. It is about the fact that, even though two people may want to commit to one another for life, they may not actually be able to do so. Cindy wonders whether the fact that she has been raised in such a terrible household will preclude her ability to ever trust her feelings when she thinks she is in love. It turns out: she can’t.... Read more
9/28/2012 Update: see the end of the article. The Church in Germany has just enacted a decree barring any Catholic who fails to contribute to the Church from the sacraments. In Germany, there is an arrangement dating back to the 19th century whereby the government administers a church tax: if you declare yourself a Catholic on your tax forms, a surcharge (between 8% and 10%) is added to your taxes, and the funds are given to the Catholic Church. (A... Read more
I go to the Saturday vigil Mass on Saturdays with my Mom, because she is quite frail and needs help just getting to, and into, the church. The choir is a fairly typical one as choirs go in the contemporary church in America – a guitarist, bassist, a drummer and about six male and female voices. Their music choices are also typical – some Marty Haugen, St Louis Jesuits, maybe a little Gregory Norbet sometimes. Among the singers is a... Read more
Today is the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Yet many of us have no idea what that triumph means, or what exactly the mechanism of that triumph was. Without going on too long, I want to lay out briefly some theories of atonement. But first I want to say one thing quite clearly: The New Testament never speaks of God’s anger in the context of the passion of Christ. Never. So nor should we. The motive for God’s... Read more
“If men really wanted peace they would sincerely ask God for it and He would give it to them. But why should He give the world a peace which it does not really desire? The peace the world pretends to desire is really no peace at all. “To some men peace merely means the liberty to exploit other people without fear of retaliation or interference. To others peace means the freedom to rob others without interruption. To still others it... Read more
I would like to share an interview from my time in Melbourne, Australia this summer. You can learn a lot about my upbringing and some interesting things about my ministry as a Jesuit so far. Enjoy! Read more
My wife called me shortly before 9:00 am to tell me that something frightening was happening in Manhattan. I was in my office at Enders Island and I turned on the radio just in time to hear someone report – live – that a second plane had plunged into the WTC. Shaken, I walked over to the chapel, where Mass had just started. We were hosting a retreat for priests, and during the Prayer of the Faithful I gently informed... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In