Of Many Things
Britain’s current political woes resemble our own
The fact that the national legislatures of both the United States and the United Kingdom are unable to govern properly cannot be a mere coincidence.
Your Take
Would you support a political candidate more if they shared your faith background?
“It’s their policies that have to speak to the way I interpret my own faith.”
Editorials
The Editors: To protect the Amazon, we must first listen to its people
October’s Synod on the Amazon gives the church an opportunity to hear the cries of the earth and the people of this richly diverse, life-giving and fragile region.
It’s not enough to fine big pharma for the opioid crisis. We need systemic solutions, too.
As the nation mourns its dead, heals its sick and holds responsible parties accountable, a more holistic examination of our ideologies and dysfunctions is still needed.
Short Take
Why Silicon Valley needs Jesuit values
“Move fast and break things” has been a guiding principle for Silicon Valley, writes Santa Clara University President Kevin O’Brien, but Ignatian discernment can help innovators foresee negative consequences.
Dispatches
Why are Hispanic Catholics pro-life? What politics can’t explain.
A new survey finds that most U.S. Hispanics generally oppose abortion, writes J.D. Long-García, but the community’s complex, pro-family attitudes do not easily fit the two-party political structure.
The Mothers of La Candelaria continue their search for Colombia’s ‘disappeared’
Progress continues to be slow as local officials do not have the capacity to respond to the high number of investigations, and some families of disappeared persons remain wary of collaborating with authorities.
Will Germany’s ‘synodal journey’ change the Catholic world?
German Catholics are embarking on what is being called a “synodal journey,” but it promises to be a potentially rocky one, focusing on subjects the church usually avoids.
GoodNews
The eco-friendly project that provides solar power to Catholic institutions – at no cost
Catholic Energies offers no-cost counseling to parishes, schools, hospitals and other Catholic organizations. “[We] demonstrate to them how they can save money and reduce their carbon emissions through smart solar energy projects.”
Features
Filipino workers spend decades caring for Israeli families. Now they risk deportation for having children.
Some Filipino healthcare workers and their children who are living in Israel face deportation.
Steve Bannon’s dubious crusade
The former political advisor to Donald Trump shares the view of Pope Francis that Europe is spiritually sick, writes Bill McCormick. But Mr. Bannon’s divisive ideas have only the veneer of Christianity.
Faith in Focus
I received God’s healing from the hands of a pharmacist
The confessional and the psychiatrist’s office are both holy ground.
Mary Karr’s unlikely conversion to Catholicism
The best-selling memoirist on her turn from agnosticism to the Catholic Church and how Ignatian spirituality has changed her life
Ideas
David Brooks on his life-changing pilgrimage with St. Augustine and Dorothy Day
The long pilgrimage of David Brooks has led him to explore Christianity and embrace a life lived in tension.
Books
Review: Immigrant stories less often told
Americans are increasingly familiar with stories of unauthorized border crossings, but what about those who enter the United States legally—and stay longer than permitted? Grace Talusan’s new memoir, The Body Papers, explores this underrepresented immigrant story. In the Filipino diaspora, these immigrants are called T.N.T.s, short for tago ng tago, or “hiding and hiding.” T.N.T.s…
Review: The post-baby battleground
Megan K. Stack offers a brutally honest look at her own efforts to navigate the strange dance between her and her employees, who must perform the functions of a family without truly being part of it.
Review: What motivated Jesuit missionaries in ‘New France’?
For the Jesuit “apostles of empire,” faith and polity were two inseparable aspects of the universal mission of Catholic New France, two wings on which North America might rise to attain the fullness of Christian civilization.
Review: Sister Helen Prejean’s life on death row
Lest the reader assume that Sister Prejean’s work against the death penalty, is the sum total of her story, she spends the final pages of her afterword calling out the places where she sees continued injustices, particularly in the treatment of women and L.G.B.T. people in the church.
Television
‘Veronica Mars’ shows us the darkness of the world around us
Like many noirs, “Veronica Mars” toes the line between exploring shades of moral nuance and capitulating to the inevitability of nihilism.
Poetry
Late in October
Into their once full garden that’s now/ close to barren, two ancient nuns shuffle/ along looking for a few late autumn blossoms/ to paint their lives.
The Word
True discipleship requires sacrifice for the needs of others
We disciples must live out the “great reversal” in our daily lives.
What a crook can teach us about generosity
The benefits of generosity are obvious even to a crook like the steward.
Last Take
We’re all victims now.
Author Juan Vidal reflects on the El Paso tragedy and what it means for U.S. Latinos and Christians.
Faith
True discipleship requires sacrifice for the needs of others
We disciples must live out the “great reversal” in our daily lives.
What a crook can teach us about generosity
The benefits of generosity are obvious even to a crook like the steward.
I received God’s healing from the hands of a pharmacist
The confessional and the psychiatrist’s office are both holy ground.
Steve Bannon’s dubious crusade
The former political advisor to Donald Trump shares the view of Pope Francis that Europe is spiritually sick, writes Bill McCormick. But Mr. Bannon’s divisive ideas have only the veneer of Christianity.
Mary Karr’s unlikely conversion to Catholicism
The best-selling memoirist on her turn from agnosticism to the Catholic Church and how Ignatian spirituality has changed her life
Will Germany’s ‘synodal journey’ change the Catholic world?
German Catholics are embarking on what is being called a “synodal journey,” but it promises to be a potentially rocky one, focusing on subjects the church usually avoids.
We’re all victims now.
Author Juan Vidal reflects on the El Paso tragedy and what it means for U.S. Latinos and Christians.
The eco-friendly project that provides solar power to Catholic institutions – at no cost
Catholic Energies offers no-cost counseling to parishes, schools, hospitals and other Catholic organizations. “[We] demonstrate to them how they can save money and reduce their carbon emissions through smart solar energy projects.”
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts