Commentary

Towards a “d’Alzon option” on education
- Commentary
- June 27, 2017
Emmanuel d’Alzon, founder of the Augustinians of the Assumption, grew up in the 19th century, in a post-revolutionary France that had jettisoned God. One of the chief apostolates of the Assumptionists is education, and their methodology can contribute to a renewal of public life in the United States by reminding the world that the secular worldview is not all-encompassing.
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Why the Pontifical Academy for Life must be unapologetically pro-life
- Commentary
- June 26, 2017
Whatever the admirable intentions of the leadership of the Pontifical Academy for Life, the real-world effect of appointing a pro-choice member is the same as if they had appointed a pro-slavery advocate: The appearance in the public eye that the Church does not take its teaching against abortion as seriously as it once did. This has a direct impact upon pro-life advocates on the ground, who stand exposed to the accusation of being “more Catholic” than the Vatican.
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Spiritually speaking, ‘Ordinary Time’ is anything but
- Commentary
- June 24, 2017
Ordinary Time exemplifies the old Jesuit motto: Age quod agis, “Do what you’re doing.” Namely, we are told, don’t worry about tomorrow, or yesterday. Don’t worry about this afternoon or this morning. It stresses God as the Eternal Now, humbling us with the lesson that we are most with God when we are in the present moment.
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The curious Vatican diplomacy in Venezuela
- Commentary
- June 24, 2017
Pope Francis has not mentioned Venezuela since an extraordinary meeting with the nation’s bishops on June 8. Is this silence a sign the Vatican’s diplomatic efforts have been counterproductive in solving the country’s current political crisis?
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New Catholic drama grapples with horror of war
- Church in the US, Commentary
- June 22, 2017
Historians see the first World War as a the first truly modern war. The slaughter was immense and the carnage shocking. For the first time the killing machines were used with brutal, cold efficiency, and as they were, they ushered in the machine age. A new play asks whether one can find hope in the midst of the horrors of war and what light one might find in the face of death.
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Journey to Antarctica confirms the wisdom of ‘Laudato Si”
- Commentary
- June 21, 2017
In the same way that ‘Laudato Si’’ serves as a rallying cry for humanity to work together to combat environmental destruction, the very existence of Antarctica is representative of that vision. The fact that an entire continent—one that is almost twice the size of Australia—exists as a place of international cooperation should serve as a model for global conduct.
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Towards a “d’Alzon option” on education