Commentaries
A missed opportunity
The controversy over a gay official at a Seattle Catholic school has been kept alive as fuel for those who delight in portraying the church as a rule-obsessed bureaucracy, writes columnist Steve Kent. An opportunity has been missed to present the whys of Catholic teaching, not only the rules.
The invisible problem of modern slavery among us
If you connect the term "human trafficking" with exotic locales and wild action films, you're like a lot of people, including columnist Effie Caldarola few years ago. Now she knows it could affect the adolescent next door.
The ultimate wisdom behind technology
The inspiration behind NASA's mind-boggling achievements comes from God, writes Father Eugene Hemrick. Equally awe-inspiring is God's desire that we be co-creators with him.
Stay united in defense of life, despite bullying tactics
The American people -- especially those outside New York state -- are on a different page than Gov. Andrew Cuomo when it comes to abortion, says an editorial in the Tablet, newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn. They value human life, and they are moving closer every day to protecting it, little by little.
Putting poverty before politics
The "war on poverty" marked its 50th anniversary this year. As with other metaphorical wars (inflation, drugs, terror) and actual wars (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan), this war has reached no conclusion, Steve Kent writes.
How to reclaim that resolution for better health
Many people set larger-than-life goals at the beginning of the year that are practically impossible to achieve soon after. These goals are unreachable without laying the groundwork, writes Maureen Pratt, and they involve the hard work of changing habits.
Lessons from death row inmates’ last words
We spend so much time on the Internet that we're often numb to what we see. It's rare that something makes us stop and reconsider truths we hold self-evident. Columnist Erick Rommel found one such website.
Picking your battles and causes
Columnist Bill Dodds knows we cannot save the world -- that position has already been filled -- but we can take concrete actions to support the causes we most care about.
Finding big and small ways to end hunger
Catholic Relief Services' President Carolyn Woo underscores the reasons for global hunger and how everyone, together, can help end it.
The gifts left to us by giants
Columnist Moises Sandoval reflects on a leadership model of generosity and humility, where "leaders who trust people with the truth, hard truths, are trusted back."