Essay
Three questions to answer on Ash Wednesday
Since all human sin has its origins in that “original” sin of our first parents, let’s go back to that very beginning. […]
sin
Essay
Death and Life in the Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed invites us to die. Indeed, it requires it. This probably sounds rather dramatic, especially to those of us who recite the Creed each week without much serious concern. Readers of this website […]
The Dispatch
Demons, Sin, Death, and Damnation
Readings: • Num 11:25-29 • Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 • Jas 5:1-6 • Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 What do demons, sin, death, and damnation have in common? An obvious (and correct) answer is that […]
Columns
Creation’s Rebellion: What changed after the Fall?
When faced with the question of why there is so much suffering in the world, the default Christian answer is because of Adam’s sin. This belief is certainly not without warrant. Indeed, a number of […]
The Dispatch
The First Sunday of Lent: Deluges and Deserts, Sin and Salvation
On the Readings for Sunday, February 18, 2018, the First Sunday of Lent […]
News Briefs
Pope Francis: Avarice is a ‘sickness of the heart, not of the wallet’
Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Jan 24, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).
During his general audience on Wednesday, Pope … […]
The Dispatch
Saint Bernardine of Siena and the original bonfire of the vanities
On May 20th, the Church commemorates St. Bernardine (or Bernardino) of Siena (1380-1444), a famous Franciscan priest who preached all over Italy. On Bernardine’s feast day, Catholics typically focus on one of his favorite preaching […]
Essay
A better way forward: A response to Cardinal Robert McElroy
Much ink has been spilled about Cardinal Robert McElroy’s January 24th piece in America on synodality and inclusion. Less attention has been paid to Cardinal McElroy’s follow up interview (Feb 3, 2023), also in America, […]
Essay
Radical Inclusion Requires Radical Love
I have written of my concerns in the past with the German Synodal Process, as well as concerns with other bishops and cardinals and their take on the process. They essentially ignore the oft repeated […]
The Dispatch
Jesus was not a pop psychologist
Readings: • Wis 9:13-18b • Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17 • Phmn 9-10, 12-17 • Lk 14:25-33 I once read a column by a young Catholic who expressed frustration with the saying, “Love the sinner, […]