A more human society
Catholics in America
“A state need not subsidize private education. But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.” So said the Supreme […]
Perspective Archive
Perspective
On the truest source of our dignity
One of our deeper wounds is that we tend to doubt our dignity, especially in times of trouble. We look to human being who are fickle for a sense of […]
Perspective
How to intimately learn Catholicism
Fifteen years after Richard Louv’s bestseller “The Last Child in the Woods” was published, it is more relevant than ever. I’m fascinated by his insights on the “nature-deficit disorder” ailing […]
Perspective
Mass in three dimensions once again
Have you started going back to Mass yet? Recently I went to my first Mass in three months. I had been watching Masses livestreamed weekly, but of course it didn’t […]
Perspective
Laughing over God’s good plans
Andy was my sister’s friend. I’d see him from time to time when I came home from college. Nice kid. One summer my parish needed an interim youth minister, so […]
Perspective
Language — veiling or unveiling moral truth?
To sanction or encourage certain wrongful actions, it is often necessary to manipulate language. The plain meaning of words can get in the way of convincing others they should tolerate […]
Perspective
A greater tragedy
Many have commented on how unfortunate it was that it took the murder of George Floyd and the callous, deadly harassment of other Black men to bring about an acknowledgment […]
Perspective
Living with heart failure
The most common reason to be admitted to a hospital in the United States after age 65 is heart failure. The initial symptoms at presentation may be acute or more […]
Perspective
Martin Luther King Jr. and the religious motivation for social change
A principal reason why the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was so successful both morally and practically was that it was led largely by people with a […]
Perspective
This moment of judgment
I’d be willing to bet that not many of us have watched a man die. Those of us who don’t go to war or work in intensive care units are […]
Perspective
‘Go and tell the Good News: the feast of St. Mary Magdalene’
This July 22, in the midst of the Church’s ordinary time of everyday life and summer heat, is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. Catholic tradition nicknamed her “the apostle […]
Perspective
Justices fail to correct a serious mistake in latest abortion ruling
By Richard W. Garrett On Monday, a divided Supreme Court handed down its decision in a case called June Medical Services v. Russo, which involves a Louisiana law requiring abortionists […]