The Sunday Gospel
Sin is real, but so is God’s loving mercy
Fifth Sunday of Lent John 8:1-11 The Book of Isaiah supplies the first reading for this weekend in Lent. The reading is from the second part of Isaiah, written at […]
Columns Archive
Perspective
Frank Gehry and transcendence
Though I reside in Santa Barbara, I am in Los Angeles a good deal for meetings and other events. When I’m in the city, I like to walk the downtown […]
Perspective
Giving joyful witness: how the Holy Spirit stirs the restless
When Pope Francis talks about evangelization, his poster child may well be an immigrant in North Dakota. Sister Brenda Hernandez Valdes, a 34-year-old Daughter of Immaculate Mary of Guadalupe, lives […]
Perspective
Scary prayers that are good for you
I have a short list of scary prayers. Scary prayers are prayers where even the very words you say seem to convict you. Most prayers are prayers of petition, prayers […]
The Sunday Gospel
God rejoices in those who return to Him
Fourth Sunday of Lent Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 This weekend the Church observes Laetare Sunday, the name being derived from the first word, in Latin, of the Entrance Antiphon. This word […]
Perspective
It’s not just about the frozen embryos
I remember a conversation I had with a married Catholic couple a few years ago. They were feeling lost and desperate over their inability to conceive a child. They were […]
A more human society
Losing our humanity to robots?
As a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, I have attended its annual assemblies in Rome since 2012. Pope Francis has asked the academy to explore a range of […]
Perspective
Not so fast
I probably shouldn’t admit this in front of my grandchildren, but I am a fan of McDonald’s fish sandwiches. When I was a young lawyer in San Francisco, my firm’s […]
The Sunday Gospel
God awaits our repentance and its fruits
Third Sunday of Lent Luke 13:1-9 The Book of Exodus, source of the first reading, recalls the encounter between God and Moses at the burning bush. Moses is reported as […]
Perspective
The need to persist in prayer and wear God out
In the Gospel reading from Thursday, March 14, the Lord teaches the need to persist in prayer. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock […]
Perspective
Our Dreyfus Case
In December 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus of the French Army was convicted of treason on the grounds that he had given military secrets to France’s mortal enemy, Germany. The charge […]
The Human Condition
Ten principles of the spiritual life
1. “Spirituality” or being “spiritual” means nothing more, but also nothing less, than being animated and guided by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus which is received at baptism. This […]