Shakespeare penned a seemingly eternal question: "What's in a name?" As the western hemisphere continues to be pummeled by storms, we are meeting people we hardly know. Not those named Irma, Jose, and Maria. Rather, the people impacted by the hurricanes who bear these names...........…
Let the Dogma Live Loudly
Harvey as Revelation
The death, destruction, and devastation Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath have brought to our neighbors in Texas and Louisiana has been described as biblical, pointing to the plagues of the Old Testament. Meteorologists are predicting a similar level of destruction with Irma. Certainly, all this pain and suffering is not the desire of God........… Read more >>
Swimming in Solidarity
The deluging rain that has drowned several cities and towns in Texas, including Houston and Corpus Christi, compels many to react with compassion and empathy. Such reactions come from the best within us. As a nation seemingly divided by politics and ideologies, this natural disaster appears to evoke a supernatural response of care and kindness......…
Charlotte and Charlottesville
Might Supremacists...?
From the Mountains to the Seashore
Columbus Day in the Summer
The Power of the Pardon
To The Moon and Beyond
On the Move
Praying for Prisoners
Outside the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania, few will know of the story of R. Seth Williams, the two-term Philadelphia district attorney whose political career once held promise beyond measure. After his trial that was aborted after his surprise plea of guilt for, among other things, accepting bribes, he now sits…
Failing Successfully
Road Trip
During the next couple of months, many of us may find ourselves piling into our proverbial station wagon, or other vehicle of our choice, and undertaking a kind of journey that is in many ways iconic of the American summertime: a road trip. The purposes and destinations of these journeys are manifold, …
Loving, and Hating
Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Loving v. Virginia case that redressed the violation of rights of Mildred and Richard Loving who were imprisoned for marrying each other. They were arrested for violating the state’s anti-miscegenation law that prohibited interracial marriage, …
A Comey Splice
As of this writing, former FBI director James Comey is scheduled to testify today before Congress about his conversations with President Trump. Both political friends and foes of the president are concerned about the nature of his testimony, hoping for cause to either exonerate our leader from, or indict him for, wrongdoing. …
“Ask not what your church can do for you. Ask…”
This past Monday marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late President John F. Kennedy, our nation‘s first and only Catholic president. The election of a Catholic president was a milestone for the church, as many wondered if we had finally arrived at the point where we could influence the nation, …
Graduation
At this time of year, school gyms, concert halls, and ballrooms across the country are abuzz with festivities leading up to a momentous event in many young lives: high school graduation. While attempting to keep pen on paper in the final few days of exams, adolescent minds are undoubtedly drifting away from…
Sacrament of Healing for Communal PTSD
The First 100 Years
With all the hype over President Trump’s first 100 days that fell within this Easter season, perhaps a reflection on the first 100 years of the church is in order. The experience of the early church is important for us, for it provides a norm for how we are to live and grow both as disciples and a church…