The past few weeks have certainly been stressful for most of us. Less than two months ago, the life-threatening virus that has infected people around the world was, for many of us, an interesting international news story. Today, many of us are sheltering in place, hoping to stop or slow the spread of...
Pope Francis’s Wednesday audiences follow “cycles” or “series” in which Francis provides an extended catechesis on a subject, such as the Sacraments, the Family, or the Church. We are compiling these audiences into “courses,” so that while we are all under quarantine, you might benefit and be enriched by Pope Francis’s theology, which...
On March 20, the Holy See Press Office announced that the Apostolic Penitentiary had established a series of plenary indulgences during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These indulgences include: Plenary indulgences for COVID-19 patients who watch Mass online during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in addition to patients who recite the Rosary or the Stations...
When I hear the words “Apostolic Penitentiary,” I don’t usually think about the maternal love of the Church (actually, I had to go to Wikipedia to look up exactly what this tribunal does when I first heard of it). However, when I read the note they released on March 19, the Solemnity of...
“Man can put this question [“why is there suffering?”] to God with all the emotion of his heart and with his mind full of dismay and anxiety; and God expects the question and listens to it, as we see in the Revelation of the Old Testament. In the Book of Job the question...
Recently I’ve been struck by a verse in chapter seventeen of John’s Gospel. Jesus is with his apostles during the last supper, offering a long prayer, and at one point he says to his Heavenly Father, “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one...
The economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis will be felt for some time, even after the current lockdown is over. In response to the threat posed by the rapid spread of the virus, governments, churches, and businesses have been enforcing severe social distancing measures by suspending regular operations and limiting public gatherings. This...
Over the last 2,000 years, we have faced many different plagues and crises. The Church has responded to them in various ways, based on the needs of the people and the knowledge of science at the time. As our knowledge of science and medicine have progressed, experts have recommended precautions to prevent the...
UPDATE 3/19/2020 — I have updated the sheet with the new prayer to Saint Joseph released today by Pope Francis. Apologies for the tight font, I wanted to fit in all on one page. UPDATE 2 — Because the the full cheat sheet uses 11-point type, I have made an additional sheet that...
Scripture tells us, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13.) Thus, the most famous biblical formula for martyrdom equates and balances sacrifice with a service or benefit for others. This formulation also crystallizes the distinction between the Christian conception of martyrdom and other...
The world is currently facing a pandemic that has the potential to kill millions of people and permanently change the way we live. Not surprisingly, many employers, in efforts to promote “social distancing,” are transitioning to largely virtual office settings, where people can work remotely and connect with their colleagues via video chat...
I didn’t originally plan to write about the phenomenon of social distancing in this series; indeed, I wasn’t even aware that the term existed when I began writing these essays about loneliness. However, three months into the “Loneliness Today” series, the coronavirus pandemic has hit my corner of the Northeastern United States. The...
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