Conversion is a lifelong process, says this professor We must always be open to learning from one another. We like to think that there are deep, internal, and existential reasons why people convert, but Stacy Davis, professor of religious studies and theology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, says that is not always […]
A priest finds unexpected serenity in the city Spiritual growth requires accepting the unexpected. For years I’ve had the word gelassenheit (literally: “serenity”) framed on my wall. In college, I studied existentialism and phenomenology and came across the writings of Martin Heidegger, who writes about gelassenheit, an image he takes from the writing of Meister Eckhart. Simply put, […]
6 stories of vocations interrupted by the pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic changed work for many. But a more expansive theology of vocation reminds us that God calls us always. My colleague Jane and I met over Zoom with a congregational leader in Brooklyn, New York a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Tears flowed as […]
Discern vocation with toddlers, teens, and everyone in between Discovering your vocation is a lifelong adventure. When I was pregnant for the first time, my husband and I lived on the edge of the world in Big Sur, California. We spent hours hiking the beaches, cliffs, and canyons between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa […]
The right kind of work values workers As we rethink work post-pandemic, consider Catholic social teaching. Modern Catholic social thought is typically dated back to Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor). It’s not that Catholicism had never dealt with social ethics before, of course, but the pope’s discussion marked a new level […]
Does care for creation ignore the poor? Climate change disproportionately affects the most vulnerable communities. Climate change kills millions from drought, flooding, famine, and disease and exacerbates prenatal and perinatal mortality in poor countries. The United Nations predicts those who are already suffering could experience 100 more days of extreme weather annually. Despite this humanitarian […]
How my toddler taught me to pray A toddler’s enthusiasm for giving thanks encourages a parent’s practice. What do slides, cashews, grandparents, undies, and the color yellow have in common? Well, besides their contributions to the good life, they’re all regularly featured in my daughter’s nighttime prayers. Esther just turned 2, and to say that […]
Even the smallest gifts can bring great joy A rose handed to a stranger lifts spirits and brings delight. If I give you a rose, you willnot doubt God. —St. Clement of Alexandria A decade before he died, in my front yard my dad and I planted one deep red tea rose. I haven’t tended […]
It’s time to reform global lending, say U.S. Bishops A global response to COVID-19 demands a merciful response to debt. Just a few years back, historically low interest rates provoked a debt binge among governments in the developing world, one partly bankrolled by new geopolitical players like China or cheerfully packaged into new lending instruments […]