Daily Theology
Pope Benedict XVI
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
Downton Abbey’s Finale and the Tragedy of Benedict XVI
I would caution anyone who did not see last night’s episode to stop reading at this point. So many SPOILERS. First of all, let me apologize for the absence of a Downton reflection last week. I woke early Monday morning, ready to take on the exciting two-hour Sunday night episode, when I saw the news … Continue reading
The Bishop of Rome: Remembering the Local Church
In January, I spent eleven days in Italy with Loras College undergraduates. While in Rome we attended a papal general audience, and I was struck not only by the diversity of people who had gathered from around the world, but also by the number of Italians in enthusiastic attendance. I commented on this to our … Continue reading
Papal Tweets
As Pope Benedict XVI approaches his groundbreaking retirement, commentaries and analyses of his legacy as pope are coming more and more quickly across the wire. In my own way, I’d like to offer some thoughts on this pope’s use of social media. In this sense, the first thing to come to mind is likely the … Continue reading
An Office, Not a Person – Benedict’s Gift
So I, like many people, was woken up this morning by what I thought was a story from the Onion – that Benedict XVI was resigning effective at the end of the month. Here, in no particular order, are some initial ecclesiological thoughts. Theologians of the future, be kind to my mistakes, we’ve only had … Continue reading
The Pope of Surprises
Early this morning I received a few text messages before 7:15am. Generally, this should be a bad thing. Who died? What did I forget to do? When I saw they came from my theologian friends, my sleepy mind went right to Rome and I had flashbacks to my participation in the funeral services of John … Continue reading
Papal Transition 2013
On February 11th, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be resigning the office of the papacy effective February 28th at 8pm. Although not without precedent, no pope had resigned the office in roughly 600 years (and even that was under unusual circumstances). As the Catholic Church, and indeed the world, prepares for the … Continue reading
Empowering Apostles of Joy: Rethinking our Approach to Campus Ministry
Empowering Apostles of Joy: Rethinking our Approach to Campus Ministry “If we are to experience the joy of love, we must also be generous. We cannot be content to give the minimum. We need to be fully committed in life and to pay particular attention to those in need. The world needs men and women … Continue reading
