Commentaries

You’ve heard of pet rescue; now there’s food rescue

Pope Francis says we live in a "culture of waste," and Effie Caldarola tells of how rescuing food from waste, by repurposing it, may be catching on.

Getting to a shooter before he picks up a gun

Carole Norris Green noticed that the shooter of two TV reporters in Virginia addressed his suicide letter not to family first, but friends. It's not too late for other families to intervene and help their own.

U.S., Iran use diplomacy to turn toward peace

An editorial by Pax Christi International praises the tentative deal in response to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Its rejection by the U.S. Congress would be a tragedy of monumental proportions.

Parishioners’ snide comments hurt parents of big family

In their Marriage Matters column, Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain discuss church teaching on planning the size of one's family.

When trust is broken, fixing it is a tall order

The Ashley Madison website leak exposed not only a sordid practice, but the underlying problem of breaking trust. Columnist Karen Osborne has felt the hurt of betrayal first-hand.

A lesson in grace from Jimmy Carter

Father William Byron reflects on the 39th president's diagnosis of cancer and his promise to be "at ease with whatever comes." That is a simple way of entrusting oneself to the Lord. That is faith, not fatalism.

For Philadelphia, a reluctant shining hour

Seminarian Eric Banecker knows the city of his birth has an inferiority complex. Despite the whining he hears, in the end, thousands of people will enjoy the papal events in the shadow of the Rocky steps.

Read this standing up, you may live longer

Columnist Maureen Pratt cites a study tying prolonged sitting to higher risk of heart disease. She offers 6 tips for getting things done while getting off that chair.

Teen lesson 1: Don’t make Mom worry

Lost on a drive with friends one night, columnist Erick Rommel learned some lessons for life on the road from childhood to adulthood.

Philadelphia, get ready for a new chapter in papal teaching on marriage

Jesuit Father William Byron believes that if you want to know what the Synod of Bishops on the family will discuss in October, listen to what Pope Francis says about family life here next month.