Columns
Soap for the Nation’s Potty Mouth
I tasted soap once, and it was enough. At a rather tender age, I must have sassed my mom. I don’t remember the crime, but I remember the punishment: getting […]
Columns
Hatred and Learning from History
Why do we want to learn about the dark times, the ugly times, in our country? It is a relevant question today, as museum displays and park exhibits are being […]
Perspective
The Sounds of Silence
It has been almost eight months since fire rained down upon the Pacific Palisades, destroying more than 6,800 houses and businesses and turning this Pacific Ocean overlook into a smoldering […]
Perspective
A Teachable Moment
In 1965, Catholic priests and nuns joined the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, seeking voting rights for African Americans in the face of violent local hostility. Catholics risked prison and […]
Perspective
Our Unexpected Pope
How many people on Thursday, May 8, while waiting for the cardinals to elect a new pope, said, “It will never be an American!” I was one of those, and […]
Perspective
Our Heart of Darkness
(OSV News) – “The people stood by and watched.” This simple line in Luke’s Passion narrative (Lk 23:35) struck me with unusual force during Holy Week. Under Roman governance, executions […]
Perspective
‘Put No Trust in Princes’
(OSV News) – Scoring presidential administrations on some kind of Christian scale would seem to be an effort doomed to fail. Political agendas and actions rarely align easily with the […]
Perspective
Called Not to Be Served but to Serve
(OSV News) – Pope Francis’ most recent encounter with mortality has captured the world’s attention. As of this writing, he remains in the hospital fighting double pneumonia with a “reserved” […]
Perspective
In Pacific Palisades, Paradise Lost
I have trouble talking about the loss without tearing up, as if the smoke and ash from Los Angeles traveled across the country to find me. My in-laws were French […]
Perspective
Adult Children and Christmas Mass
There are two kinds of families that I notice at Christmas Mass. The first are those with young children dressed up in their best Christmas finery, excited about the whole […]
Perspective
Men Behaving Beastly
“Why do men become beasts?” The question was asked by South African Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale. In a speech last August, he was warning men that they will be held […]
Perspective
The Challenges of the Catholic Voter
Every four years, for as long as I’ve been in the Catholic press, editors get two types of phone calls come election time. The first is to complain about the […]