Marvin Gaye once sang, “Oh, mercy mercy me/Oh, things ain’t what they used to be/No, no/Where did all the blue sky go?/Poison is the wind that blows/From the north, east, south, and sea/Oh, mercy mercy me…” This song came to…
President Obama and his administration were busy this past Friday. The president signed into legislation The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, which according to CNN.com, “authorizes a 5 percent annual increase in federal support over the next four years.…
For many in the US, Halloween is a time to dress-up as a character from a movie, a politician, a witch, vampire, and… alien looking-like immigrants. According to a CNN report, “The ‘Illegal Alien Adult Costume,’ manufactured by Forum novelties,…
November 8, 2009 will mark the one-year anniversary of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcello Lucero’s brutal murder at the hands of seven high school teens in the infamously anti-immigrant Suffolk County, New York. Unfortunately, it took the death of one human being…
As a struggling Catholic, the uproar and division caused by conservative U.S. Catholic groups (with the blessing and help of conservative bishops), has not helped me on my journey to attempt to follow Jesus’ teachings within the Catholic tradition. The…
As debates rage over the proposed health-care reform (which I strongly support), I believe many politicians, activists, religious leaders, and ideologues are missing an essential point. We need a complete overhaul in the way medical and pharmaceutical professionals perceive biology…
Throughout history, individuals and institutions have cited the Bible to support injustices, such as “holy war” against infidels, the subjection of women, racism and slavery, and the abuse of homosexuals. Misreading the Bible can have serious consequences.
Though it has been two weeks since Michael Jackson’s death, the world continues to mourn and to monitor news sources for the latest developments. As a fan of Jackson, I too was shocked when he died, but what surprised me…
Last Tuesday, as a member of Catholics United, I joined countless others in Washington, D.C., to lobby on behalf of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454 ). This bill, which now will go before the Senate after…
Today’s most pressing task for humanity, I believe, is to halt the current environmental crisis. Thus, churches worldwide should be working to reduce greenhouse gases, protesting the destruction of rain forests, and becoming a leading voice against the arrogant stance…
Angels and Demons, the movie inspired by Dan Brown’s novel by the same title, has raked in nearly $190 million worldwide (with approximately $90 million in the U.S.) in only its second week of release. Dan Brown’s books, spurred by…
Scandal has again surfaced in the American Catholic Church, but, gratefully, this time it is not over child abuse or mismanagement of funds. Rather, it is over the publication of sensual pictures that show famous Miami Catholic priest Alberto Cutié…
We are at a global turning point. Rampant deforestation, mass extinction of species, global warming, the melting of polar ice caps, and the rapid depletion of fossil fuels are all symptoms of today’s ecological crisis. Few, however, tend to see…
As Christians, our continual task is to explore and mediate on Jesus’ teachings, as well as to emulate his deeds. Central to this two-fold task is comprehending the type of power Jesus wielded, namely the power to love. It often…
Jesus, who was a Palestinian Jew living under Roman occupation, preached a message that was anti-state and religious imperialism. In fact, many believe that the Roman authorities and the elite within the Sanhedrin killed Jesus for espousing this anti-Roman, anti-Sanhedrin…
The University of Notre Dame recently announced that President Barack Obama will be its spring commencement speaker and that he will also be receiving an honorary doctorate of laws degree. For this act, Notre Dame should receive praise. And President…
Twenty-nine years ago today, a Salvadorian government hit man assassinated Archbishop of San Salvador Oscar Romero as he was saying Mass in a convent. News of Romero’s assassination sparked a slew of global responses — from sadness and outrage to…
Current newspapers and blogs are replete with commentaries on the outcome of the presidential elections, the ailing economy, and life issues, especially abortion. But there is not enough mention lately about the urgency to halt and reverse the current ecological…
