When we see a spectacular athlete praying in public, we can see her as a sort of athletic Christian soldier, a “counternarrative” to a godless culture or shallow world—and miss the simple, moving experience of the athlete, who is Christian, who is praying.
Joe Hoover, S.J.
Joe Hoover, S.J., is America’s poetry editor and producer of a new film, “The Allegory.”
Posted inFaith, Scripture Reflections
St. Paul, the metaphysical track coach
A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest, by Joe Hoover, S.J.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
In ‘The Secrets of Hillsong’ documentary, a megachurch pastor is saved—not destroyed—by scandal
Carl Lentz ultimately was not disgraced by his deceptions, sexual affairs and banishment from the pulpit of the megawatt Pentecostal church: He was re-graced.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
God or grift? Positivity or prosperity? I finally get what Joel Osteen is selling.
The popular evangelical minister insists God will bless your life with abundance if you let him. Is that true?
Posted inFaith, Scripture Reflections
How to respond to trick questions
A Reflection for Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, by Joe Hoover, S.J.
Posted inArts & Culture, Poetry
Building a world and inviting us in: the 2023 Foley poetry contest
I am grateful for all the poets who submitted their work for the contest. Every year we get poems from all over the United States, and even across the world, about any number of topics.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
My Corona Diary, by Thomas Carthusia
Writing this marginally insane diary was a reminder to me that, no matter what disasters strike us, and no matter what destruction they wreak, we can at least find ways to diminish their soul-destroying power. We can at least laugh.
Posted inFaith, Scripture Reflections
How diverse should the early church be?
A Reflection for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter, by Joe Hoover, S.J.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
There is no civil war in the Catholic Church
There is no civil war in the Catholic Church, there is only Almighty God sifting us like wheat. There is no schism ahead, only the proper ordering of us into the right places for the salvation of our souls.
Posted inFaith in Focus, Politics & Society
Tucker Carlson’s racist text message—and the painful confession it contains
The rest of Tucker Carlson’s racist text betrayed a self-confessional Tucker Carlson I can begin to identify with.