Commentaries
Patching the holes in my bucket list
People stood in the rain on New Year's Eve because they'd always wanted to see the ball drop on Times Square. Maureen Pratt wonders how many would endure hardships in pursuit of more faith-centered goals?
What the Magi teach our joyless, outraged society
The joy of the Magi lasts all year and holds the antidote to a culture of outrage, writes Father Thomas Dailey. Their journey and discovery of the humble Jesus changes everything, for them and for us.
Anger is on the rise, so grasp it at its root
Father Eugene Hemrick advises we dig deeper into our hearts and see how anger is destroying the God-given order for which he created us. It is time to become angry at that which is taking the very heart out of our life.
The U.S. and Holy See in 2018: A worldwide force for good
U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Callista Gingrich tells how the partnership between the two nations, built on a strong foundation of trust and mutual respect, has advanced peace, prosperity and freedom.
It can be messy, but encountering the other leads to hope
January is anything but ordinary, with many important events linked by a theme: a hope-filled and liberating journey that can be taken when we speak with other children of God, writes Sister Constance Veit.
Thank God for the times of our lives
Sister Judith Parsons doesn't like January, with its insincere resolutions. But the memory of her favorite winter scarf offers the resolve to renew a reverence for time past, present and future, and to find God in it.
Journalism as a Catholic issue
Those who report the news often do so at the risk of their reputations and their lives, writes Effie Caldarola. Good journalism, which communicates the truth, promotes justice and freedom in the face of deception and tyranny.
Recovering intimacy in a lonely world
As sex, love and marriage are in worldwide decline, the church can offer a genuinely positive vision of God's gifts of procreation and relational bonding, writes Greg Erlandson.
New Year’s resolutions for a scandalized church
The next 12 months shouldn't be "business as usual" for Catholics, says an editorial. Instead, the church must create a culture that is responsive, transparent and accountable.
A last-minute Christmas book list
Take a stand against the electronification of everything, and give (real) books this Christmas. George Weigel recommends eight titles that promise to illuminate, and lighten up, Catholic readers.