How We Must Respond to the Inquisition of the Twenty-First Century

Although many have anticipated it, I could not fathom such a setback taking place. My Piscean hope and optimism impelled me to believe that the Vatican would never take such a bold, pointed step, displaying that it was intent on stifling any sort of objective or progressive way of thinking that was taking place within [...]

Why Madonna’s Super Bowl Performance Could Initiate a Much-Needed Conversation

Feelings are pointless, don’t ever let anyone see you cry, and make sure to master the art of sports to the best of your ability. This sums up the standard American definition of what constitutes a man. For my whole life, I’ve been aware that nearly all of the facets of my personality ran counter [...]

Applying the Principle of Conversion to the Universal Church

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’” -Mark 1:14-15 Earlier this week, as Christians throughout the world concluded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity it [...]

Hodie Christus Natus Est: Heralding the Dawn of a New Beginning

“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” -Luke 1:78-79 The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. As the universal [...]

Language’s Inability to Express the Experience of the Divine

This week, the Catholic Church in the United States has undergone the biggest liturgical transition since the initial reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Despite the fact that the current translations have been in use for half a century, at the behest of the Vatican, all translations of liturgical texts from now on must match [...]

Why I Did Not Attend World Youth Day

”No one sows a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, [...]

Is being ‘unorthodox’ sinful or could it be the way forward?

For the past few weeks I’ve been engrossed in reading a find that I fortuitously happened upon at my school’s library – Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianityby Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King. As I’ve explored and contemplated on its subject matter I’ve realized that the Gospel of Judas [...]

Are the Limits of God’s Mercy Conditional: Has Osama bin Laden been forgiven?

No one who lived through it will ever be able to forget the stark terror or the all-encompassing uncertainty that pervaded the scope of that horrible day. Although I was only eleven years old at the time I can remember September 11th, 2001 clearly, as if it were yesterday – as I’m sure countless other [...]

The Beatification of John Paul II: Honoring a Life, While Still Reserving Judgment About the Wisdom of Particular Decisions – Part 2

From the dawn of the Resurrection, the Church has celebrated with special affection and reverence the lives of all those it holds dear - who strove throughout their whole existences to follow and emulate the example of Jesus Christ, and to promote the spirit of love, peace and justice which He left as an enduring testament in the narrative [...]

The Beatification of John Paul II: Honoring a Life, While Still Reserving Judgment About the Wisdom of Particular Decisions – Part 1

Last month, the Vatican formally announced what had long been anticipated since the death of the late Pope John Paul II in 2005 – that he is now, definitively on the track to sainthood. He will be beatified (declared “blessed”) on May 1st, which is the last step in the process towards canonization. To allow the beatification, Pope Benedict [...]