Perspective
Wonderfully made: finding courage to create
I was a sophomore in college when I received the little blue book, a gift from a friend who also wanted to be a writer. At the time I was […]
Perspective Archive
Perspective
How not to have a heart attack
The No. 1 killer in America remains coronary heart disease. If your family history includes coronary events such as heart attacks, bypass surgery or coronary stent placement, your risk is […]
Perspective
Carbon pricing: Pay for emissions
In June 2018 and 2019, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the University of Notre Dame convened leaders from around the world at the Vatican to address the […]
Perspective
Don’t miss the best thing
My daughter has this T-shirt. I found it on the clearance rack at Target, marked down 75%. Without hesitation I tossed it in the cart. Ironically, that steal of a […]
Perspective
Palliative sedation and nearing death
Because suffering almost always imposes itself on us during life, and especially at the end of life, it can be helpful to reflect on the need to accept some personal […]
Perspective
Conscience and its enemies
Should doctors and nurses be forced to take part in procedures that violate their conscience? It’s a timely question. New federal regulations to enforce existing conscience protection laws are being […]
Perspective
What our church buildings say
In the Mass for Thursday of the 25th week of the year, we read from the book of the prophet Haggai, who wrote at the time of the return of the […]
Perspective
The sin of anti-Semitism resurfaces
The world reacted with horror and outrage earlier this year when a town in Poland marked Good Friday with a ritual beating of a Judas effigy. The effigy was crafted […]
Perspective
Cardinal Etchegaray, Henri de Lubac and Vatican II
Last week, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray passed away. Perhaps his was not a household name, but this very decent man made a substantive contribution to the life of the Church, serving […]
Perspective
Being resourceful: I can read! I can pray!
“We ate our honey. We ate a lot. Now we have no honey in our honey pot.” With those 17 words, averaging just three letters in length, Jan and Stan […]
Perspective
Contradictory suicide messaging
In July 2014, police found the body of 18-year-old Conrad Roy inside his truck in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, having died from carbon monoxide poisoning. As the case unfolded, it became apparent […]
Perspective
Call it a crisis
My next few columns will cover the outcomes of the Vatican’s second dialogue on “The Energy Transition and Care of Our Common Home.” In this essay, I will first pause […]