Commentaries
Does online evangelization work?
Sow the seeds of faith on Facebook and other social media platforms, but tend the harvest through face-to-face interactions, writes Brett Robinson. Simple, heartfelt love will attract others to the Gospel message.
The paradox of being inclusive and nonjudgmental
Efforts to end unjust discrimination have ironically been misconstrued into new forms of prejudice, writes Richard Doerflinger. As a result, authentic religious liberty has been challenged and increasingly curtailed.
Courtesy gives others space and time
Rush and rudeness, especially in our deadline-driven age, prevent us from living out the Gospel virtues of kindness, patience and humility, writes Father Eugene Hemrick. By affirming each other's dignity, we make life beautiful and sweet.
Cheerful sacrifice marks a pilgrimage for vocations
In New Mexico, the harsh desert infuses Catholic spirituality with a profound sense of penitence, writes Moises Sandoval. Walking miles through the wilderness, the faithful bear hardship with humility to support religious life.
‘Our hearts as one’: A guide to living on earth
Gina Christian looks at the Delaware River's rehabilitation, a Japanese village's communal vision of water use and the church's call for an "ecological conversion." Because there is no "Planet B," either we reform or we perish.
Encyclical draws connections to coherent opposition to abortion
The belief that more contraception leads to fewer abortions is not supported by the evidence, writes Charlie Camosy. Humane Vitae warned in 1968 about this disconnect between sex and procreation.
What preceded the Big Bang? It isn’t a meaningless question
Some important questions lie outside the sciences, and despite the contributions of scientists like Stephen Hawking, limiting one's intellectual scope doesn't provide much help in getting to an answer, writes John Garvey.
What I learned at the presynod gathering
Wife, mother and youth minister Katie Prejean-McGrady learned firsthand at a Rome meeting how sharing and living the Catholic faith happens best: in community and in dialogue.
A little boy meets a pastor, then the trolls come out
When Pope Francis comforted a boy asking whether his dead father is in heaven, some were moved to tears and others to jibes. Greg Erlandson wonders about some of our pew mates, and everyone's call to joy.
What the loss of plant species should be telling us
With Earth Day coming up April 22, Maureen Pratt thinks about plant extinctions and maintaining a balance in the ecosystem, and in our appreciation for the God of all creation.