Commentaries
How to lighten up without acting like a child
Erick Rommell knows the difference between a child's cuteness and an adult's creepiness. But to stay youthful, it's important to balance sober maturity with childlike joy.
By the fire pit, recalling love via the prodigal son
Effie Caldarola hopes her children would always welcome each other in love and mercy, no questions asked, in imitation of the parable of the prodigal son.
An idea: Get the poor to where the jobs are
Jesuit Father William Byron thinks a public-private partnership to offer free transportation for able-bodied workers to ready job sites could ease poverty in Philadelphia and other cities.
Whose life is it? The illogic of physician assisted suicide
We don't choose the circumstances of our birth and we are never completely in control of our lives. To claim we are the master of our own lives doesn’t make sense, and neither does suicide, writes Sister Constance Veit.
National Catholic journals unite: ‘Capital punishment must end’
The editors of four national Catholic publications cited Archbishop Chaput's recent statement and those of other prelates and governors in condemning use of the death penalty. Read the full editorial here.
When special-needs child arrives, it’s all hands on deck
In their Marriage Matters column, Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain examine the case of how a wife struggles with her husband’s avoidance of their infant son born with birth defects.
Exploring the pope’s vision for women in the church
Whether in marriage, business or church life, women want to be partners, not subcontractors, writes Carolyn Woo.
Truth under fire: What is a lie, and what is a mistake?
Father William Byron is in the forgiveness business, so he hopes NBC News anchor Brian Williams can return as a newscaster, and not become another ethics lesson.
Remembering a great priest and leader
Father William Byron remembers the lessons of life and leadership from a giant in American Catholic culture, Father Theodore Hesburgh, who died last week.
Sacrament, not psychoanalysis
John Garvey points out a good reason to go to confession: it's good for us. God has made his mercy available. Why not take advantage?