Reflections on modern events, as well as theological topics
The reflections of a Polish journalist who has been in Rome for 15 years, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict XVI (d. December 31, 2022) By Anna Artymiak Archbishop Georg Gaenswein celebrates Holy Mass at the tomb of Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican Grottoes on January 31, [...]
The Pattern of Good and Evil Woven Through History Is No Different Today By Joseph Pearce Dante Rebukes Pope Nicholas III, by Gustave Dorè, from the Inferno, Canto XIX, the circle of simoniacs. Simony is the act of selling Church offices and roles or sacred things It is all too easy in these troublous [...]
“Majestic Hill”: William and Ruth Moynihan walking together on Horsebarn Hill in Storrs, Connecticut, in 2016. William was 89 and Ruth was 82. “When my children were little I used to bring them here to look up at the stars,” Ruth said. Bill said he and his wife had been taking walks around the hill [...]
Cyprian’s Perfect Blend of Holiness and Worldly Wisdom Challenged Christians in His Time — and Still Does Today By John Byron Kuhner Last month I wrote about the Latin word pestis, which is usually translated plague, but really should be thought of in a broad sense: not just bubonic plague but any sudden-onset, highly contagious, potentially [...]
Christians Have Never Been Helpless in the Face of Epidemics and Social Turmoil By Cornelius Sullivan* vision of St. Michael the Archangel by Cornelius Sullivan At the time of the plague of 590 AD and the Black Death of 1348 in Rome, prayers were the primary, and effective, remedy. Prayer produced an astonishing sign [...]
Evangelizing your neighbor really does mean embracing the lost sheep By Robert Wiesner Pope Francis pictured celebrating Mass in 1998 in a poor section of Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNS photo) A book recently appeared which relates the conversion story of a, shall we say, “differently-gendered” university literature professor. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely [...]
In the fourth century, the Faith was saved primarily by the laity — a lesson for the 21st century By Joseph Tamayo The Political and Theological Connection: the Army (9) After the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, the leftover pagan upper class, many of whom filled the ranks of the military, still dominated over society. [...]
This Lent and Easter in Rome are the most silent in all the history of the Church. Rome is on total lockdown. The fears of the coronavirus have led to the shutdown of the country. A special report “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about [...]
By John Byron Kuhner The Church of San Rocco, with a hospital attached, right by the Mausoleum of Augustus. On the right side of its facade is the inscription discussed in this essay I think the defining characteristic of these past few months, when coronavirus debuted on the world stage, has been uncertainty. We’ve [...]
Epiphany celebrates Jesus’ first appearance to the Gentiles, as represented by the Magi, while the Eastern Churches commemorate the Baptism of Christ, where the Father and the Holy Spirit give combined testimony to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt. 2:1-12 Homily starter anecdote “Because you never know what’s going [...]
