Commentaries
‘Boys will be boys,’ or is it time to man up?
A couple disagrees over whether to cut their teenage sons some slack, or to rein them in. Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain advise honest discussions, and above all, prayer.
Catholics want better preaching, but are they listening?
A good Sunday homily is more than a one-way broadcast for priests and deacons, writes Father Thomas Dailey. He notes that Pope Francis has called for brief homilies and for listeners to open their hearts to God's Word.
Despair will not have the last word, Miami archbishop says of shooting
In the wake of the Feb. 14 school shootings in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead, Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami wrote this spiritual reflection on how we as Catholics deal with such terrible acts.
Wisdom for the digital age comes from the street of broken dreams
A homeless man's conversation with digital advertising pro Brett Robinson led to a random opening to the Bible and a lesson from God, via his humble messenger, on the value of knowledge over information.
In the mutual hostility of tribal America, we need our better angels
The bitter rifts in society and scandalous divisions in the church today point to something dysfunctional that is keeping us from seeking solutions together, writes Greg Erlandson. We must again learn to love one another.
Migration: ‘An act of love’ or license to hunt the unwanted?
In a Lenten act of standing with the poor, Effie Caldarola accompanied a working father in leg shackles, awaiting deportation. Americans favor border security and a humane immigration system, she writes.
Let Lucas break down our prejudices on Down syndrome
Richard Doerflinger writes of little Lucas Warren, the first-ever Gerber baby with Down syndrome. While most people like Lucas are eliminated before they are born, those welcomed into the world have much to teach us.
Invest in young women in the church — they’re our future
Church teachings on abortion and care for the environment are most important to Millennial women, writes Elise Italiano. So it's important to use language that moves beyond the "liberal vs. conservative" framework.
A welcoming spirit, or a sense of the enemy?
A warm welcome can ease one's anxiety, but domination and jealousy can replace kindness, writes Father Eugene Hemrick. A nation's greatness lies not in its power but in how all nationalities bond together.
4 ways that black Catholic sisters rewrote the American story
In the 19th century, the Oblate Sisters of Providence served God against a backdrop of racism, xenophobia and religious intolerance -- not unlike today, writes Diane Batts Morrow. History shows that inclusion benefits the nation as a whole.