He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all power in heaven and earth, has committed one holy Catholic and apostolic Church, outside of which there is no salvation, to one alone upon earth, namely to Peter, the first of the apostles, and to Peter’s successor, the pope of Rome, to be...
For decades in certain traditionalist Catholic circles, conspiracy theories have been circulated claiming (among other things) that Pope St. Paul VI and other prominent bishops at the time of Vatican II were secret Freemasons. Paranoia about Freemasons trying to take over the world was long a hobby of ultra-conservatives, and this was a...
The Mahayana Buddhist scripture Vimalakirti Nirdesa, also known as the Vimalakirti Sutra, contains one of the most radical ascetic statements in any religion’s canonical texts. The main figure of the text, Vimalakirti, is feigning illness so that he can preach the dharma to people who come to visit him on his sickbed. To...
Content Warning: This article includes personal stories of miscarriage and infant loss as well as discussions of abortion which may be difficult for some readers. I was a child the first time I heard the Christian band 2nd Chapter of Acts sing, “My God, they’re killing thousands. Killing thousands, without blinking an eye.” I still remember...
Editors’ note: This episode speaks on sexual abuse, trauma, and healing, and contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. In this new episode of Field Hospital, Jeannie Gaffigan and I had the privilege of speaking to Mark Joseph Williams, a survivor of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest who has undergone...
After completing my freshman year of college, my friend Chuck, a physics major, helped me get a summer job at the Center for Superconductivity Research. I wasn’t studying physics or a related field at the time—I hadn’t yet chosen a major—but they were desperate for summer help due to many of their undergraduate...
Pope Francis reminds us that the accompaniment aspect of becoming a disciple offers us a chance to be truly present to others, especially to those who are struggling. —Living as Missionary Disciples Accompaniment is one of the four steps in the missionary discipleship methodology. It has been at the forefront of my mind...
Hollywood actor Diedrich Bader, known for his comedy roles, says, “I always have my kids say ‘thank you’ to Alexa so that hopefully in the future our robot overlords will remember their civility.” Jokes aside, pondering the many moral implications of a more robotic future might be worthwhile. Societal choices will largely determine...
One does not have to do much digging to discover that opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement has moved onto a new subject: critical race theory (CRT). Perhaps what we have seen in recent days as various politicians have moved to investigate school textbooks should not be referred to simply as “opposition,”...
A Scripture reflection for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 24, 2022 – Divine Mercy Sunday. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. (John 20:29) At first glance, this verse sounds like a trite caricature of religious belief. Doesn’t it seem to endorse a type of blind faith, one that...
I wouldn’t want to be fussy about that [Communion in the hand]. It was done in the early Church. A reverent manner of receiving Communion in the hand is in itself a perfectly reasonable way to receive Communion. (scroll down for answer)
On this Earth Day, there are calls to “Invest in our Planet.” After all, it is the only one we’ve got! Care for creation has been a major theme during the pontificate of Pope Francis. His opponents claim that the emphasis he places on environmentalism signals his surrender to secular humanism. On the...
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