Imagining Holy Week
As the official kickoff to Holy Week, Palm Sunday is one of the more important days in the liturgical year. The imagery is striking —…
The Uncertain Spirituality of ‘Silence’
Martin Scorsese’s new film, “Silence,” defies simple description. The movie, which tells the story of 17th century Portuguese Jesuit missionaries, explores many lofty themes. Certainly…
It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City
My mom once told me her grandmother prayed a Hail Mary whenever she heard an ambulance siren. Though my Marian devotion is not particularly noteworthy,…
Holy Week? Maybe, Maybe Not
To the unaccustomed eye, the Christian way of describing the events of Holy Week might seem paradoxical, even backwards. The days Jesus eats his final meal…
Writing in the Dirt
One of my favorite Gospel passages involves Jesus’s reaction to a woman caught in adultery. Taken from John 8 and one of the readings in…
I Should’ve Done Better
As Lent comes to a close, we may be grappling with any number of emotions. Perhaps relief if we are looking forward to partaking in…
Don’t Despair
Christians, or at least the ones I know, do not much like to think or talk about Hell. How could a loving God send anyone,…
A Change Can Come
I have long been fascinated by the idea of conversion and have written about it before. What moves me is not so much an…
Everyday Saints
When we think of the saints, our minds usually turn to cloistered nuns, pious priests and other individuals who seemed to walk a straight path…
Don’t Be a Hamburglar
Someone recently told me a joke involving a burglar pointing a gun at a man and demanding his money. When the man turns, the robber…
