My go-to for holiday comfort is generally British TV shows. Any TV trip to the U.K. feels instantly like a vacation.
Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott writes about pop culture at jimmcdermott.substack.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
‘In the Bleak Midwinter’: Christmas carols don’t have to sound joyful to turn our hearts to Jesus
Where a lot of Catholic Christmas hymns lean into the more fantastical elements—angels, stars, kings—“In the Bleak Midwinter” points us instead to the ordinary.
Posted inFaith, Scripture Reflections
St. Joseph’s silence in the Gospels allows us to speak—and to imagine
A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, by Jim McDermott, S.J.
Posted inArts & Culture, Theater
Who is allowed to write about pedophilia?
“Downstate,” Bruce Norris’s new off-Broadway play about a group home for pedophile, raises the question: Who gets to write about pedophilia? And what are they allowed to say?
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Two versions of Canada’s oldest Christmas carol tell very different stories about the Nativity—and Indigenous people
Jesuit missionary Jacques de Brébeuf worked with the Indigenous Huron people for years and wanted to give the people a carol of their own, in their own language.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
‘Why Does God Hate Me?’ A response to a frequently Googled question
I typed “Why does God…” into Google to see what would auto-populate. The question, “Why does God hate me?” was number three on the list.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Who is this Good King Wenceslas—and why does he deserve a Christmas carol?
Who is this King Wenceslas fella? What makes him good? And why does he merit a song at Christmas?
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘Star Wars’ offered us a new hope. ‘Andor’ explores the cost of that hope.
In “Andor,” Tony Gilroy paints the Empire at its most oppressive. Surveillance has become near total: Anyone can be found almost anywhere.
Posted inFaith, Scripture Reflections
The Kingdom of God is so different from our reality. That’s why it can feel scandalous to us.
A Reflection for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent, by Jim McDermott, S.J.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Have a meal prayer, share responsibility, take your time at the table: Tips for a grace-filled Thanksgiving
If you’re looking at Turkey Day with a certain amount of apprehension, here are a few tips from Jesuit life that we’ve found help make things not only manageable but sometimes unexpectedly great.