A Reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Lent In the Gospel reading this week, the fact that Jesus is speaking to a Samaritan woman is quite radical, for Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Pious Jews were known to take long detours rather than walk through Samaria. It was unheard of for a...
In this episode, I had a wonderful conversation with Anne Carpenter about Hans Urs von Balthasar, power, and vulnerability. Back in January, Anne had an essay in Commonweal titled, Raising the Bastions: Why the American Catholic right turned against Balthasar. In it, she was able to name the root sickness that I’ve seen and experienced...
The most conservative (or traditional, or reactionary—pick what adjective you will) among the Vatican II Council Fathers, the men who prepared most of the working documents that were called into question once the Council was underway, insisted that divine revelation was, as it were, bivocal. They insisted that Scripture and Tradition were two...
A Reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Lent In the Gospel reading this week, the fact that Jesus is speaking to a Samaritan woman is quite radical, for Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Pious Jews were known to take long detours rather than walk through Samaria. It was unheard of for a...
In this episode, I had a wonderful conversation with Anne Carpenter about Hans Urs von Balthasar, power, and vulnerability. Back in January, Anne had an essay in Commonweal titled, Raising the Bastions: Why the American Catholic right turned against Balthasar. In it, she was able to name the root sickness that I’ve seen and experienced...
The most conservative (or traditional, or reactionary—pick what adjective you will) among the Vatican II Council Fathers, the men who prepared most of the working documents that were called into question once the Council was underway, insisted that divine revelation was, as it were, bivocal. They insisted that Scripture and Tradition were two...
There is a great need for this attitude, especially in the contexts where the faith must be proclaimed and inculturated today. It is not a question of acquiring knowledge to fulfil academic obligations, but of embarking on a courageous voyage, a crossing of the high seas. This journey moves in two directions: on...
Over this past week, WPI has run a series of articles and reflections focused on the current suffering of U.S. immigrants and the risks to those who are working to protect them. Central to all of these posts has been the concept of solidarity, the belief that the entire human race is a...
In my first article on this topic, I made the historical and liturgical case for standing, which is the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion in the United States. Several readers pressed back from various angles. Rather than rehearse those exchanges, I want to explore the deeper question that the first article opened but...
I am a descendant of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary. Elder Brewster was the spiritual leader of the Pilgrims, one of the first Europeans to set foot in New England, and a signer of the Mayflower Compact. As was typical of women throughout much of history, his wife Mary’s claim to...
The Catholic Church’s commitment to the sanctity of human life extends beyond the issues most commonly associated with the pro-life movement. The Church’s teachings on human life, from its opposition to the death penalty and abortion to its defense of the rights of migrants and refugees, is grounded in respect for the dignity...
On Thursday, March 5, the Shawn Ryan Show — one of the highest-rated podcasts today and hosted by former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan — will release an episode featuring Fr. Chad Ripperger, the traditionalist Catholic priest and exorcist who has built a massive online following through appearances on far-right Catholic YouTube shows, podcasts, and...
Note: This essay was written in the weeks between the Minneapolis killings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. It was crafted as a personal meditation from the perspective of three mothers – the author herself, Renee Good, and Mary, the Mother of God. Honoring the integrity of the essay’s original intent, we...
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Katharine Drexel, the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropy. As we continue through this week focusing on the situation faced by immigrants in the United States, it is worth pausing to reflect on the ways that Drexel’s life can offer us wisdom as we...
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. have issued an amicus brief for a Supreme Court case on birthright citizenship that will be heard on April 1, 2026. An amicus brief is information or expertise that is provided to the courts by a party that is...
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