Daily Theology
Justice
Pope Francis’ Good Intentions
This week saw the announcement that Pope Francis’ celebration of Sunday’s Feast of Corpus Christi will include Eucharistic adoration—but of a particular sort. In what a Vatican spokesperson called an historic event, Francis’ hour of prayer will be timed to coincide with adoration in cathedrals around the world (check your local listings). Synchronized prayer is … Continue reading
Meeting Hatred with Love: Burying Tamerlan Tsarnaev
In general, the Catholic Church deals with death and suffering well. In many cities across the country, the Church ensures that the unclaimed dead receive a decent funeral with prayers and dignity. By most all accounts, the church in Boston under the leadership of Cardinal O’Malley handled the impact of the heinous acts on Marathon … Continue reading
Happy Are the Poor. (Yes. Really.)
Just days after his election the Cardinal-Formerly-Known-As-Bergoglio commented that he made the unprecedented choice of “Francis” for his papal name because he was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, whom he calls “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” He then went on further to comment, “How … Continue reading
The Necessary Terror of Holy Saturday
I’ve always appreciated the awkwardness of Holy Saturday. It’s like, ok, the dark part is over now. Goodness is on the way….we can start to arrange Easter baskets and maybe even have a Holy Saturday party! Indeed, the all-encompassing “Easter Vigil” Mass/Service (depending where you hail from) happens in the late afternoon of Holy Saturday. … Continue reading
Confronting Our Moral Failure: 10 Years After the Iraq War
“NO TO WAR”! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity….And what are we to say of the threat of a war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the Prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than twelve years of embargo? War is never just another … Continue reading
A Christian Case for a Third Party
Two weeks: the remaining until the population of the United States will vote for one man (this time around, at least) to hold the most powerful political office in the world. As is usual every four years, we–the faithful public–get to choose between two imperfect candidates as representatives of the two most powerful and longstanding … Continue reading
Reclaiming the Integral Dimension of Evangelization
The XIII Ordinary Session of the Synod of Bishops will be held in Rome October 7-28 on the theme, “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” The Emerging Theologians Network, in partnership with the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA-Pax Romana), is collecting blog posts on the synod’s theme … Continue reading
“An injury to one is the concern of all” Re-Considering Labor Day
As we celebrate Labor Day weekend, it is so easy to forget the real reason for this holiday and the workers that stand behind it. In fact, the reason for this national celebration has almost disappeared from popular attention. Labor Day is not about the end of summer. It is not about “blow out” sales … Continue reading
What Should Cardinal Dolan Pray For?
Tomorrow night, New York’s Timothy Cardinal Dolan will offer the closing benediction for the Republican Party’s 2012 convention. When it was announced last weekthat he would do so, there was much concern among both the politically and religiously minded that, at a minimum, this would appear to be a quasi-endorsement of the Romney-Ryan ticket in … Continue reading
Confronting our culture of violence
The horrific shootings at a movie theater outside Denver is shocking. As a nation, we again join in prayer for the victims of this seemingly senseless act of terror. The event again raises significant questions about our culture’s policies towards violence and firearms. While the details are still coming in about the incident, one thing … Continue reading
