Perspective
What conscience dreads and prayer dares not ask
The Collect (opening prayer) for last week’s Masses (27th Week of the Year), though directed to God, teaches us that our prayer is not always about things with which we […]
Perspective Archive
Perspective
In praise of middle children
There’s something new to worry about these days: the disappearance of the middle child. One of the side effects of shrinking family size is that middle children are disappearing. With […]
Perspective
A new apologetics: Bishop Barron’s youth synod intervention
NOTE: On Oct. 4, Bishop Barron offered the following intervention at the Vatican during the 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. Jesus’ encounter with two erstwhile disciples on […]
Perspective
Plea from the brokenhearted
At the opening of the Fifth National Encuentro in Grapevine, Texas, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller said, “You are right to be heartbroken.” Much attention by Church leaders, as it […]
Perspective
Pursuing less to live more: the grace of enough
Haley Stewart stared at the publish button and froze. It’s nerve-wracking to announce big news, and this, in particular, had the potential to raise eyebrows. The title of the blog […]
Perspective
‘It has been an honor to be a physician and see miracles like this’
I would like to tell you a story about one of my all-time favorite patients. This happened many years ago. Only a few people in my family and a few […]
Perspective
The truth that set him free
“I believe the Lord has put me here for this very moment. Throughout all of the pain, the Lord has never left me alone. He has continued to love me, […]
Perspective
Opioids, pain management and addiction: balancing ethical duties
Almost 2 million Americans are now addicted to opioids. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that more than 100 people die each day in the U.S. from opioid overdoses. […]
Perspective
Praying with children
Next month, Pope Francis will host a synod of bishops on the theme of “Young people, faith and vocational discernment.” This may seem uncomfortable, even incongruous, given the crisis the […]
Perspective
Sacraments, not social events
A common pastoral problem today is that many people have reduced the liturgy and the sacraments to ceremonies. To be sure, they have ceremonial aspects, but they are not mere […]
Perspective
Breaking up with your phone
I’ve been emailing my friend Becky, a newspaper editor in South Dakota, about our growing desire to unplug. We used to compare notes on “Dancing with the Stars,” but lately […]
Perspective
Can we pay others to donate a kidney?
Often, we envision donating our organs after we are dead, but we can also choose to become an organ donor while we are alive if we share part of our […]