Commentaries
Prom and high school commencement are out, but mercy remains
Emma McIntyre was anticipating the excitement of her senior year at Merion Mercy Academy until the coronavirus restrictions came down. Now everyone needs to share the "suffering heart" of mercy.
A new corporal work of mercy: Staying at home
The coronavirus and its social restrictions are a Catholic moment: We sacrifice our own goods -- especially the Eucharist -- for the good and the lives of others, writes Greg Erlandson.
Spiritual benefits of technology click in time of crisis
Pause the argument over the corrosive effects of television, advises Brett Robinson, and appreciate the digital culture that is providing a lifeline in a church physically separated but spiritually intact.
How to be sure your donation is used as you intend
You want to give to charity, but you have concerns. Sarah Hanley of the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia tells how making a contribution can be a spiritual experience, not one of worry.
Like bread, we’re in a time of silent rising
The coronavirus put much of Katie Prejean McGrady's life out of her control, so she decided to make bread. She sees how God is asking us to pay attention to his leavening as we learn what we knead to know.
The anointing of this uncertain Good Friday
For Pope Francis, thinking of others during the lockdown of the coronavirus is a thought that anoints. That image calls to mind the flowing holy oil of healing, starting at the cross, writes Father Thomas Dailey.
Home ritual of washing kids’ feet teaches of receiving God’s love
In leading a Holy Thursday ritual at home, Patrick Walsh gained insight into the washing of feet as more than servant leadership but a profound way to accept the Lord and serve him by sharing his divine love.
Some Catholics’ call for public Easter Masses is too risky
A group of Catholics wrote an open letter, titled "We are an Easter people," urging church leaders to defy rules on public gatherings during the pandemic. The letter is dangerous, divisive, selfish and irresponsible, argues an editorial.
God’s got us, and the world, in his hands
Stuck in the house, Laura Kelly Fanucci's son played an old, familiar song on the piano. It reminds her of a deep theology expressed well by a saint during the Black Death, one that speaks of love and trust in God.
I’ll see you in the Eucharist: Why there is no ‘private’ Mass
Father Eric Banecker explains that even in a locked down Holy Week, every Mass -- be it with a congregation very large, very small or none at all -- unites Catholics because all are mysteriously present.