The virtue of justice is fundamental for peaceful coexistence, writes Pope Francis Here we are at the second of the cardinal virtues: today we will talk about justice. It is the quintessential social virtue. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as “the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will…
Jaymie Stuart Wolfe “We are an Easter people and ‘alleluia’ is our song.” We love to quote St Augustine when we talk about what the church of Jesus Christ is. And honestly, there may be no better description. But I think a lot of us, somewhere along the line, have lost hope that…
Carl E. Olson It is something of a tradition for magazines and newspapers to run articles about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the weeks leading up to Easter. Scholars, pastors, skeptics and ordinary people weigh in with their opinions. Some argue the Resurrection never took place. Down through time there have…
The current political world can be dispiriting but there are ways in which you can affirm both faith and political beliefs, writes Charlie Camosy Kenneth Craycraft, associate professor of moral theology at Mount St Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio, has a new book, Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in…
Carl E. Olson The Norwegian bishop and Trappist monk Erik Varden, still shy of 50, has established himself as a spiritual writer, retreat leader and prelate of the highest order. Raised in a non-practicing Lutheran home in a village in Norway, he was a teenage “agnostic” who was “hostile” to Christianity. His conversion to the…
Greg Erlandson This year, I’m glad to see Lent come to an end, and not just because of Easter Alleluias and Cadbury dark chocolate eggs. It was a tough Lent. Part of it, of course, had nothing explicitly to do with Lent. The news has generally been dreadful, a reminder, I suppose of why…
After the Year of Mercy, it’s time to pray, writes Elizabeth Scalia St Philip Neri once had a penitent confess to indulging in gossip. He advised the contrite soul to bring him a chicken, and to pluck its feathers as he walked the streets of Rome. When the man showed up with the chicken,…
Hosffman Ospino A while ago, writing about St Joseph, I was intent on lifting up his human experience while calling out quick attempts to idealise this important person in Jesus’s life. Joseph was a husband, a father, an immigrant, a worker, a neighbour, a friend, a companion. In response, I received a note from…
Sr Anne Marie Walsh It is hard to fathom that today’s world does not want God. It mirrors the fundamental struggle of our individual souls, the battle between being self-centred and being centred in God and his presence in our lives and the life of the world. Scott Barry Hoffman reported in the Scientific American…
The Oscars are associated with glitz but the films on show depict human dignity in a variety of ways, writes Sr Hosea Rupprecht Awards season is particularly exciting for a film reviewer. I enjoy talking about the stunning work of actors, editors, directors, writers, make-up artists, composers and others. But as a Catholic film…