2016
Laudato Si' and Environmental Works of Mercy
I am going to start at the section of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ that I found most troubling and work up from there. I must…
Syria and the Responsibility to Protect
Human Dignity vs. the Throwaway Culture Human dignity is innate by virtue of each human person being made in the image of God. It is independent of a person’s role in society, talents and weaknesses, and demographic profile. Each p...
The Discerning Church
Jesus, in the Gospel of John, shows that he is the supremely masterful teacher. In the final hours before he goes to his death, Jesus speaks to his disciples. Unlike the mere human teacher, Christ comes to give vivifying words. Words tha...
The Virtue of Tenderness: David Foster Wallace and the Practice of Love
In 2005 David Foster Wallace gave the commencement address at Kenyon College. The speech, which has acquired the title “This is Water,” still makes the rounds on the Internet regularly.[1]…
The Marriage Begins
The Book of Revelation does not contain a series of esoteric predictions about the end of the world. Rather, Revelation presents a world in which the final union of God and humanity is taking place in the presence of the slain Lamb. This...
Easter in the Busyness
Scripture readings: Psalm 126, Psalm 127, Colossians 1:12–20, Hebrews 7:24–27 As usual, it is in the Psalms, today, that the Word of God seems to draw near to our Easter experience here at Notre Dame. I am speaking, of cours...
The Call to All Nations
During the season of Easter, we often hear passages that seem to establish a non-negotiable barrier between those who accept the Gospel and those who do not. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear from Paul and Barnabas that “it was ...
