Being the “Other” on September 11, 2001
At 13, I walked the halls of my middle school proudly as the smart Egyptian girl who brought in stuffed grape leaves for lunch and…
read more‘Safe With Him’: What We Can Learn from Father Mychal Judge
The first picture I ever saw of Father Mychal Judge was a photo of his dead body. In the days following 9/11, I was haunted by the image of four men carrying the New York City fire department chaplain away from the Twin Towers. With the firefighters he served, Judge answered the calls for help, only to lose his life at Ground Zero. He was the first registered death of 9/11.
At first, I saw him as a tragic figure, a searing example of this country’s wounds. Since learning about his life, though, my perspective has shifted. Now I see him as a symbol of compassion, a vivid example of what it means to heal and be healed.
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Renewing the Spirit: A Catholic Guide to Overcoming Career Burnout
As the holiday season draws nearer, so do my responsibilities as a mother and college professor. Meeting work deadlines, traveling for business, attending committee meetings,…
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Community Service: How You Can Act on Catholic Social Teaching Every Day
During my many years of volunteer service (primarily in hunger relief organizations), I’ve witnessed a frustrating phenomenon. While people (admirably) tend to focus on opportunities…
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WATCH: Holy Week in Three Minutes
In a BRAND NEW version of our classic video, Busted Halo explains the significance of the final week we spend preparing for Easter.
read moreIn Difficult Times
Lord, we see our neighbors hurting as they lose their jobs to layoffs and plant closings and their homes to foreclosure. We pray that in…
read moreLabor Day Dignity
God calls us to announce the good news of God’s preferential option for the poor, for those who suffer the most among us. Indeed God’s love enfolds the entire human community equally and unceasingly, but it is with those who endure hardship that the Holy Spirit swells up foremost. And it is among them that we are called to stand in faith and solidarity.
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