Daily Theology
Social Justice
The Pope and the Power of Humility
Few events have defined Pope Francis’s young papacy as much as his monumental decision to break from tradition in the Holy Thursday ritual of washing the feet. The moving witness of him bending over and cleaning the feet of twelve marginalized poor (non-Italian) young men and women may be remembered as an important moment in … 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
Dependency and Reality
Yesterday Pope Francis sent out a tweet suggesting a correlation between self-centeredness and the quest for profit (a tweet that gained him 81,000 followers in one hour, by the way). It read: “My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a self-centered mindset bent on profit at any cost.” The … Continue reading
A Theological History of Private Property
Let’s begin with a simple statement: private property is a modern invention and private property is not inherently Christian. This is not to say that the early Christian communities were “socialist” or “communist” in any sort of modern sense, but they were also most assuredly not “capitalist.” Capitalism–with all its convoluted structures of markets, brokers, inequality and … 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
Romero: Prayer in Hours of Darkness
The film Romero covers the three years that Romero served as Archbishop of San Salvador. In that period, Romero underwent a conversion from accepting the status quo in El Salvador to championing the rights of the people, and especially of the poor, to be free of violence and oppression. His efforts led to encounters with … Continue reading
MAD Men: Guns, America and the Challenge of Pacem in Terris
Peace is born from the heart, but it will be easier to achieve if we have fewer weapons in hand. – Federico Lombardi, SJ This weekend, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Vatican’s official spokesperson added to the voices of Catholic leaders in support of President Obama’s common sense proposals for greater control and regulation of … Continue reading
Downton Abbey and the Role of the Woman
Episode 4 of Downton Abbey shifted our focus rather quickly from nobility to gender. Where the previous episode saw multiple attacks on the prestige and place of nobility in English culture, such attacks were all but non-existent this time around. Instead, the wealth and nobility is temporarily stabilized, while the role of gender equality is … Continue reading
Reflections During Hurricane Sandy
With November 1 just around the corner, I’ve spent the past few days preparing a post on the communion of Saints. But, as with many of this week’s best-laid plans, recent weather events forced me to reconsider my original plan. And although my thoughts on Hurricane Sandy are a bit scattered and inchoate, it seems … 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
