Commentaries
Why the Vatican’s potential deal with China is a good thing
A Jesuit priest lists five reasons why developments in Vatican-Beijing relations may be smoothing the way for the Catholic Church to enjoy a normal existence in the China of today and tomorrow.
Stand up and support gift of people with Down syndrome
Father Gus Puleo's three Down syndrome parishioners unite his parish because they are known and loved by all. He urges support for a new bill in Pennsylvania that would prevent abortions because of a Down's diagnosis.
Of Lent and the day of love
St. Valentine was beheaded for performing Christian weddings. On his commercialized day Feb. 14, which is also the start of Lent, Maureen Pratt sees a chance to pare away the superficial and put love into actions that help others bind to Christ.
Make a plan for Lent around its pillars
Knowing that the best plans can go awry, Effie Caldarola nevertheless suggests writing in a journal every day this Lent about prayer, fasting and almsgiving -- and get ready for God to surprise you.
Racial healing and God’s mercy
If the story of Larry Oney's escaping life as a sharecropper wasn't miracle enough, surely a bigger miracle was how the now Catholic deacon learned to forgive racial hatred, writes Greg Erlandson.
Downsizing national parks erases American history
Presidential orders to scale back the size of two national monuments in Utah endanger both the environment and our cultural heritage, writes Franciscan Sister Mary Kathryn Dougherty.
Reaching young people who have left the church
As youth deliberately distance themselves from the Catholic faith, fresh approaches are needed to re-engage them, writes Christopher White.
How to hold doubt in one hand and faith in the other
Uncertainty can lead us to a better understanding of God, writes Laura Kelly Fanucci. By refusing to give up on life's mysteries, we move through our questions and draw closer to the Lord.
The perils faced by all living creatures today
Angered by illegal poaching of elk on private land in his native New Mexico, Moises Sandoval prays for the protection of human and animal life in a time when, more than ever, all life is at risk.
Eagles’ quarterbacks yielded their lives to Jesus
Writer Joe Devine sees the fruits of turning over the authority of one's life to the Lord, after the model of Carson Wentz and Nick Foles during the Eagles remarkable championship season.