Pope Francis and war, ideas and realities
“I believe it is time to rethink the concept of a ‘just war.’ A war may be just, there is the right to defend oneself. But we need to rethink the way that concept is used nowadays. I have said...
Category: Commentary
Human dignity and holes in the seamless garment
It wasn’t until adulthood that I began to discover the breadth of Catholic social doctrine, a rich body of teaching that I’d somehow never been introduced to in all my years as a practicing Catholic. (The title of Mark Shea’s...
Pope Francis Encourages “Courageous” Families
On Saturday, during the closing Mass for the tenth World Meeting of Families, Pope Francis preached a homily focused on the true freedom of self-sacrifice and the mission of families in the world today, a mission he recognized as courageous....
The courage to speak freely
One word which Pope Francis has made very much his own in the course of his pontificate is the Greek rhetorical term parrhesia. Etymologically it is a noun that means something like ‘complete speech’ – saying everything, leaving nothing unsaid –...
Imagisterium, revisited
Just wanted to share that there is a new post on my (erratically updated) substack blog, Mike Lewis Extra. After a couple of days of online debates with death penalty advocates who inexplicably also argue that Catholic teaching supports the...
Stop Moving Pastors!
There is a damaging lack of stability in the US Catholic Church. The changing of pastors has become a ritual of parish life. Every six years or so, awkward announcements are made, goodbyes are said, and the parish priest heads off...
The Problem of Eucharistic Individualism
The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is one of the most amazing aspects of our Faith. Sometimes, however, I wonder if the amazing reality of the Eucharist has managed to overshadow its purpose. What is the purpose of...
Thomas and the Super-Thomists
Looking over the websites of Newman Guide-approved Catholic liberal arts colleges that a younger friend of mine was weighing going to a few years back, I noticed a pattern. While this pattern was stronger at some colleges than at others,...
Spousal Abuse and the Stories of the Saints
I love the saints, and always have; I remember pulling out my copy of the old Fr. Lovasik 1950s-era Picture Book of Saints (you know the one) and reading the stories straight through, rapt with attention to the diverse names,...
Francis the Pacifist
When is it good to kill another human being? The only correct answer, the one offered by the Church, is “never.” As Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for...
The Pope’s Clear Position on Ukraine
Wars make strange bedfellows, and their first casualty is truth. War is always the hour of darkness, when disorder reigns, brute power sets the rules, and the innocent are crushed; when human appetites — lust, greed, rage, revenge — are...
The pro-life movement and ethical principles
Since the news broke of the leaked draft of the decision in Roe v. Wade, I have been pleasantly surprised that many pro-lifers are expressing the notion that “the real work starts now.” The authors of these articles and social...
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