Perspective
To mask or not to mask
I’ve been a bit puzzled about all the debate and outrage over wearing masks. I know some of it is weirdly ideological, but some of it seems to be a […]
Perspective Archive
Perspective
The freedom of the Church
It is a great hardship that currently most Catholics have not been able to attend Mass in person and receive the Eucharist. Some of my friends, frustrated with laws restricting […]
Perspective
The human costs of solitary confinement
No one foresaw the coronavirus outbreak. And now that it is upon us, we have been slow to realize how much it will affect the way we see the world. […]
Perspective
Pope’s message calls for better Catholic storytelling
Anyone who bemoans the prevalence of bad news in today’s media and feels a need to focus on truths that can bring people together will find hope in Pope Francis’ […]
Perspective
Gov. Cuomo and God’s noncompetitive transcendence
Last month, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, made a rather interesting theological observation. Commenting on the progress that his state has made in fighting the coronavirus and praising […]
Perspective
From hero to hated in less than a week
Although we are well into the Easter season, my mind harkens back to an event on Good Friday that has often puzzled me. What turned the crowd against Jesus? Recall […]
Perspective
Medical care has changed forever
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medical care in a drastic way. I was told by my administration soon after the virus hit the Northern Indiana area to begin to change […]
Perspective
The rationing of ventilators
When ventilators are in short supply, several key ethical principles can assist clinicians: 1. Ventilators should not be rationed based on categorical exclusions such as a patient’s age, disability (e.g. […]
Perspective
‘Keep that hope machine running strong’
It started with the Italians, whose arias rose from the balconies. They were on lockdown, but their voices rang out down empty moonlit streets. Ballads, the national anthem, improvised ditties […]
Perspective
‘Thank you’ is not enough
One of my routines in the early pandemic lockdown was to shop at a big-box retailer at 6 a.m. Along with food, a key purchase was fabric and supplies that […]
Perspective
An eighth corporal work of mercy
There are strange gifts wrapped in this terrible pandemic. Its horrors are known, even if they were not appreciated early enough by many. Yet this stealth virus has held up […]
Perspective
The dynamite of the Gospel
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God!” (Rm 1:16) The Gospel is the very power of God. In the original language, the word […]