Perspective
God is not an insurance policy
You know the commercials: “15 minutes could save you 15% or more.” “Like a good neighbor…” “You’re in good hands…” In this land of plenty, we like to protect our […]
Perspective Archive
Perspective
Medicine and a ‘sense of the sacred’
As clergy, we touch upon very holy realities when we baptize, consecrate the Eucharist, give absolution to sinners or anoint the sick. These special moments engage divine grace in deep […]
Perspective
God’s power paradox
One of the great cries of Advent is for God to rend the heavens and come down (Is 64:1), for Him to stir up His mighty power and come to […]
Perspective
A home for generation woke
“Oh, you’re a millennial.” He said it like a curse word, his voice dripping with sarcasm and contempt. I nodded. “Born in 1989. Full blown, through and through.” I thought […]
A more human society
Happy holy days
Is it my imagination, or has the Christmas shopping season (or “holiday shopping season”) extended itself by another few weeks? What we used to call “Black Friday” sales, beginning the […]
Perspective
Be fruitful and multiply
Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a Gates Foundation event in New York, suggested that no well-educated woman would have a large family. “Present me the woman who […]
Perspective
A talk on the Hill
A couple of weeks ago, I had the distinct privilege of addressing an audience of senators, representatives and Capitol Hill staffers in a beautiful room at the Library of Congress. […]
Perspective
Christ is the image of God, and our redeemer
Feast of Christ The King Luke 23:35-43 The Second Book of Samuel furnishes the first biblical reading for this feast, marking the close of the Church year. Once, the two […]
Perspective
Practice peace to prepare for Christmas
By Father Ed Dougherty In his classic News Note “Peace: The Essence of the Christmas Message,” Father James Keller, founder of The Christophers, tells the story of a woman who […]
Perspective
Fearlessness and the American bishops in Rome
I once knew a Congregationalist minister — Yale Divinity School graduate, decorated World War II chaplain, veteran campaigner for then-unpopular liberal causes — of whom it was said (sometimes by […]
Perspective
Grandma remembers: the secret of 90
It has become a four-generation tradition to head south of the cities and take in a small-town celebration of fall. Our route winds between soaring bluffs and a shimmering lake. […]
Perspective
Physician, heal thyself
The Catholic Medical Association convened its 88th annual educational conference recently in Nashville, Tennessee. This was the second time I have attended the national conference, and my bride accompanied me […]