Commentaries
Antidote of hope arises to banish epidemic of fear
The coronavirus and its disruptions are just the latest sign of a crisis of fear in the U.S., writes CatholicPhilly.com editor Matthew Gambino, but he points to signs of hope that God remains with his children.
An opportunity not to be missed
The coronavirus presents a time of risk and hardship, but also responses of self-sacrifice and appreciation of faith. We're challenged now to live as we have preached, writes Greg Erlandson.
As devotion goes digital, church of the present emerges
With public devotion in groups restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic, the digital paths by which people are gathering for prayer to God have proliferated, writes Father Thomas Dailey.
Past epidemics show today’s action on COVID-19 can work
A century ago Philadelphia experienced Spanish flu and a century before that, yellow fever. Lou Baldwin puts the current coronavirus pandemic in context and shows history's verdict on effective responses.
Heroes needed: Young people, it’s time to step up
The head of Montgomery County's largest food pantry, Martha's Choice Marketplace, says the need for food is skyrocketing. And the need for young, healthy volunteers is urgent. If you've been seeking a purpose, this is it.
Absence of Mass shocks us, as Lent intends
The slow drip of bad news, a radically altered way of life and suspension of public Masses feel like a punch in the gut, writes Father Eric Banecker. We're beginning to see the conversion God envisions for us.
The coronavirus crisis may be an opportunity
Our culture wasted a chance to change after the 2008 recession, writes Greg Erlandson. This pandemic is another chance. We must show gratitude for our gifts, resist fear and think about other people, not ourselves.
Our Christian calling and social distancing
The global phenomenon of imposed isolation is a reminder of the many people who experience "social distancing" as a daily, lived reality -- most often not of their choosing, writes Elise Italiano Ureneck.
Jesus favored small groups (think 50), for good reason
When Jesus fed 5,000 people, he sat them in groups of 50. It wasn't ancient "social distancing" but a strategy of discipleship especially poignant in these Lenten days of unprecedented change, writes Father Eric Banecker.
Keep reverence for Christ in Communion, in hand or tongue
Besides concerns for hygiene in the time of coronavirus, a question of how to receive the Eucharist has arisen. But it has already been settled, as Father Christopher Moriconi explains.