Commentaries
Instructing the ignorant, a work of mercy
What is truth and how can we grasp it? That's a question as old as Socrates, which John Garvey views in light of the Year of Mercy. We can find truth, he writes, because we have met the fullness of it in Jesus Christ.
What’s a ‘good’ Christian doing in a world like this?
Effie Caldarola ponders the meaning of Christian compassion at a time when hatred and even violence are visited upon homosexual people. The "elephant in the room" can't be ignored, she believes.
Statutes of Limitation retroactivity would violate Pa. constitution
Amy Hill of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference reviews a Senate hearing this week on whether allowing civil lawsuits for child sexual abuse from the past would pass constitutional muster in Pennsylvania.
Tragedy in Orlando
We as a church hope to bring peace at a time when some may use events such as the Orlando shooting to divide groups against each other. We must respond to hatred with love, not succumbing to narratives of suspicion and fear.
A cup of coffee with the champ
Carole Norris Greene recalls the excitement of meeting Muhammad Ali in her youth, and the later disappointment of discovering his faults. She finds comfort in the forgiving words of Ali's ex-wife.
To reduce deaths, we must reduce guns
Even before the Orlando shooting spree, Moises Sandoval noted that last year 33,000 Americans lost their lives in gun violence. Making guns less available would "leave this earth better than we found it."
A life-giving idea: A place for those who need a kind listener
Effie Caldarola finds a social service agency on the second floor of a city bus terminal whose clients come not to be "fixed," but for someone to listen to them. "Listening is a sacred act," said the agency's head.
HB 1947 treats churches, other private institutions differently
Under the state bill, non-public schools and non-profits would be exposed to retroactive claims dating back decades, while public entities such as schools could only be sued for abuse that occurs in the future, explains Joelle Shea.
Put down the phone and say hello to civility
Father John Catoir wonders how we've come to the point of cellphone obsession that diminishes our sensitivity to the feelings of others. We can't control others' behavior, but we can control ours at home.
Sisters’ care is so good, people hope to be poor to get into their home
Megan Schrieber remembers the heartache of watching old people die alone in a nursing home. She also knows the joy flowing through Holy Family Home, the Philadelphia facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.