One of my favorite words is ldquo satisficing rdquo or the phenomenon of people choosing the first acceptable option they come across Most of us hate making decisions and want the process to be over as quickly as possible which is why a large number of choices can be terrifying rather than libe

"Mary is humanity’s first and flawless response to Christ."

December brings concerns about the commercialism of Christmas, along with invocations to return to the day’s “true meaning.”

Cardinal John Henry Newman 39 s classic 1859 article quot On Consulting the Faithful on Matters of Doctrine quot was much disputed in his time and after Newman included the laity among those faithful but also parish priests and indeed the whole body of the faithful He wanted to stress not ju

Pope Francis asked God to "console and strengthen all who mourn (Mandela's) loss."

As South Africans prepared to bury Nelson Mandela on December 6, tributes from around the world began pouring in, acclaiming a man who brought South Africa back from the brink of revolution and through a slow, sometimes painful process of reconciliation.

Archbishop Joseph E Kurtz president of the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops called a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union against the U S bishops for their ldquo Ethical and Religious Directives rdquo ERDs ldquo misguided rdquo and promised to defend Catholic teachings ldquo in s

Desde 1993 cientos de mujeres han sido asesinadas al rededor de Ciudad Juárez, atreves de la frontera con El Paso.

Dana Gioia 39 s outstanding essay on the condition of Catholic literature published in the latest issue of First Things is now available to non-subscribers I blogged about it here last week and encourage readers to head over to First Things to read it in full nbsp His essay titled quot The Cat

Remembering Nelson Mandela free at last and his great humanity nbsp and his exemplary role in promoting reconciliation and forgiveness Pope Francis reacts Cardinal Dolan 39 s statement and more on quot Madiba quot Congress nears a quot a modest accord quot on budget Does today 39 s unempl

Nelson Mandela not only forgave; he wanted the injured to forgive and the offenders to accept responsibility and with it the forgiveness he offered to them.

"To him, people mattered because of who they were, not the position they held."

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston announced the decision at a Vatican briefing for reporters on Dec. 5.

Some years ago I spent a morning in an MRI machine, looking at an image of the Blessed Virgin, while being periodically electrocuted by a team of Oxford neuroscientists. They were investigating whether religious devotion really does help believers to endure suffering. (Think of St. Lawrenc

The tense conditions have left people barricaded in their homes in the capital, Bangui.

Workers around the country stepped away from their jobs at fast food restaurants and other low-wage sites on Dec 4 in protests demanding improved wages They say their wages are too low to support their families and that many as a result rely on government assistance to get by The typical fast foo

Yet another study confirms the alarming pace and extent of U S income inequality According to research by nbsp Emmanuel Saez an economics professor at UC-Berkeley U S income inequality has been increasing steadily since the 1970s and now has reached levels not seen since 1928 Pew Research nbsp

A Catholic nun alleged to have ties to the Assad regime nbsp is challanged by critics of her quot alternative story quot to Syrian conflict Bishop Gerald F Kicanas of Tucson Ariz talks about the criticism of Catholic organizations that have been labeled quot not Catholic quot enough cuz th