This weekend we started going through our pantry. The plan was to find the items we weren’t eating and donate them to the food pantry at church. What we discovered is that we have plenty of soy sauce, Greek dressing, and granola. We also have an astonishing amount of expired food. Some packages expired not […]
Commentary
8 ways to live a merciful life
We tend to think of “mercy” as compassion or sympathy, but the word has a much deeper meaning. It is more than feeling sorry for someone. Having mercy means that we enter into the other person’s suffering.
In Pacific Palisades, paradise lost
Like marauders galloping out of the foothills, the flames swept down on the community that liked to call itself a village, as if its boutique shops and restaurants somehow protected it from a harsher world.
Pope Francis likes a joke
Comedy can sting a little, but these days the rage can overwhelm the laughs.
Holiday message of ‘The Loved One’
True faith rejoices in knowing that the life we celebrate at the stable in Bethlehem is the real answer to death.
Question Corner: Why do we baptize infants, and why was Jesus baptized?
On a practical level, through Catholic baptism, infants become official members of the Catholic Church, which among other things qualifies them to receive the other sacraments.
Being ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ in the Digital Landscape
With some determination and effort, these suggested practices can bring us a sense of hope as we journey every single day through the digital landscape.
Being human: The challenging task of 2025
We enter 2025 after a careening, mad season of confusion, hate, deceit and instability. The sense that things are vastly off-kilter and that centers are not holding is almost palpable.
The most desired gift
Sometimes, maintaining hope challenges our faith.
5 Reasons to Love St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
As a child growing up in Baltimore, I remember learning about Mother Seton. We were especially proud of this new saint, who had a connection to our hometown. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was not only the first American-born saint, but she had spent so much of her life in Maryland. Sometimes on a warm summer […]
New Year, Sorta New Goal
Now 2025 begins. I’m always a little sad to close the book on the past year, but I love the idea of a new beginning. What will this new year bring? What will we bring to this new year?
Breathing life back into the world
This destruction wrought by the modern world has theological implications, because Christ, St. John the Evangelist tells us, is the ultimate Word, the fullness of Truth, who gives every other word its meaning and its life.