Commentaries
At election time, remember the things that really matter
We can and we will have better election campaigns because our future depends on it, writes Jesuit Father William Byron. He suggests shortening the process to six weeks and to getting money out of politics.
The beginning of life, the beginning of rights
Writer Ellen Giangiordano notices some public figures can't say when a person's rights begin, even though Founding Fathers such as Thomas Jefferson knew exactly when those rights begin: with conception.
‘Digital immigrants’ around the family holiday table
Bill Dodds tells his grandkids about the "old country" -- the paper-and-pen world where he grew up -- and they are clueless about it, just as he was about his grandparents' childhood. Still, words of faith and family remain universal.
Her gift was an empty room, and she opened it for a refugee
Effie Caldarola sees a divine gift, and sacrifice, in her London friend's decision to open her home to a boy from war-torn Eritrea, one of millions caught in the worst refugee crisis in living memory.
How the presidential election is like a runaway trolley
John Garvey uses a moral philosophy thought experiment to look at how turning left leads to one tragedy, and turning right to another. He wonders how the brakes failed in this election, and where we steer from here.
Report’s aim of ‘peaceful coexistence’ steamrolls religious freedom
Archbishop William Lori says everyone should be disturbed by a proposal that says the government can force people to do things they believe are wrong, and that charities can be coerced into activities that undercut their mission.
To help bring up a tough topic with a friend, stay humble
Charlie Martin gives a listen to Shawn Mendes' recent hit, "Treat You Better." While it's not easy to share something difficult with a person, the place to start is with a quality that the song's character appears to lack -- humility!
Three lessons in leadership from Pope Francis
Leaders should get off their high horse and to drop to their knees in gratitude to God because without thankfulness, there's no humility, and without humility, a vital leadership quality is missing, write Father Eugene Hemrick.
Upcoming elections are turning up the heat at home
In their Marriage Matters column, Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain discuss a couple at odds over whether to vote by straight party affiliation or to select their preferred individual candidates.
Suffering is part of being human, but we can learn from it
Father Joseph Corley sees plenty of suffering near and far, even in only a week’s time. He draws lessons from the model of Jesus and the tale of Job.