Columns Archive

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The Sunday Gospel

Jesus is the source of our sustenance

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time John 6:1-15  The Second Book of Kings is the source of this weekend’s first biblical reading. The two books of Kings originally were one volume. […]

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Perspective

Ordinary Time, growing time

With long summer days upon us, pregnant with hazy, humid air and green grass growing long in the field, the Church’s liturgical calendar celebrates Ordinary Time.  For weeks upon weeks, […]

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Perspective

Advice for avoiding the ‘rotten fruit’ of our digital age

The Eighth Commandment is taking a beating on the internet. So is the fifth. Lying and defaming are no longer sins. They are clickbait. The crisis of fake news and […]

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Perspective

A return to what kind of normal?

Excitement about returning to some form of normalcy has invaded our society and our faith communities. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has truly tested our lives. It is amazing how much […]

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The Sunday Gospel

The Lord, our shepherd, cares for us

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 6:30-34 The Book of Jeremiah is the source of this weekend’s first reading. One of the three major prophets of ancient Israel, Jeremiah so […]

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The Sunday Gospel

God has chosen us to share in His power and eternal life

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 6:7-13  The Book of Amos is the source of this weekend’s first reading. Amos is one of the relatively few prophets of whom something […]

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Perspective

House of grass and sky: an ode to the place that shapes us 

Every house, in its own way, is a living thing. It changes as we change. It expands with joy and contracts under duress.  This strikes me as a Catholic concept. […]

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Perspective

Challenging the establishment on childhood gender transitions

A 23-year-old woman named Keira Bell recently brought a pivotal lawsuit against the National Health Services Gender Identity Development Clinic in London, better known as the Tavistock Clinic. Keira experienced significant […]

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Perspective

Time for Roe to go

I’m looking at a helpless but calm-looking baby, 16 weeks old, resting with eyes closed and one hand next to his or her face. The baby is surrounded by a […]

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The Sunday Gospel

The divine power of healing rests in Jesus

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 5:21-43  The Book of Wisdom is the source of the first reading. When this book originally was written, the plight of God’s people was […]

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Perspective

The stories we tell, the lessons we learn

When I have reunions with my brothers and sisters, at some point we start telling stories about growing up. Invariably, we will remember events, good and bad, from different perspectives. […]

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Perspective

Going places and doing things again as lockdown ends

We were running food to a friend who just had her fifth baby — I’d made an extra pan of enchiladas the night before — and dropping it off with […]