Commentaries
Give the gift of presence this Christmas
Sister Constance Veit suggests 6 practical ways we can spend time with elderly loved ones and neighbors, for a gift that means more than presents.
Police work isn’t war, and our citizens aren’t the enemy
in a world where we treat policing as war, race combined with youth and social class, maybe dress and attitude, can be the way police identify the enemy, writes John Garvey. Just as combatants in war are fair game, cops may be quicker to draw and fire.
Admit it: We used torture, and we sinned
Call it an "enhanced interrogation technique" if you will, but there is no getting around the fact that the sin of torture is on the American conscience now, writes Father WIlliam Byron. The least we can do is name it and admit it.
Presence, not presents, makes Christmas special
With all that Carolyn Woo has to do, there is one cherished tradition: On Christmas Day she carefully opens all the Christmas cards she's received, and ponders the sender.
New but not necessarily better
As many people prepare to give and receive something new, whether needed or not, Maureen Pratt points out there's a beauty in appreciating something that has served a long time.
Father Chuck Pfeffer: Is it time for sainthood?
CatholicPhilly.com editor Matthew Gambino calls for a popular push to begin the sainthood cause for Father Charles Pfeffer. He remains a model of priestly ministry and holiness for young people.
Accepting change as a force for good
Karen Osborne advises young people to take advantage of change even when it brings sadness. Most kinds of change can be turned around, harnessed and used for good.
Keeping an eye out for the quiet hero among us
Jesus is asking us to view others, especially the poor, as he did and not as the world does. He's asking us to be observant of the quiet sufferer, the unnoted faithful, and to model our lives after them.
During holiday feasts, remember the hungry in this land of plenty
The rich get richer and everyone else gets poorer, and the government does little, writes Moises Sandoval. Our battle against hunger cannot end with charity. We must seek systemic change for our brothers and sisters who go hungry.
A father for those who need one
Jesuit Father William Byron sees himself as any priest might -- an unwed father. He sees among many people the need for father-figures like him, and prays more men will answer God's call as he did.