Pope Francis’ Encyclical: On Care for Our Common Home
Pope Francis’ new encyclical is called Laudato Si’. The title is Latin for the first words of St. Francis of Assisi’s beautiful Canticle to Creation: “Praised be to you.” The encyclical is a call for all people to enter into a dialogue with one another about planet earth, our common home. The encyclical is long (the version I read is 160 pages). It draws on the best scientific research (refreshing to see in a church document). It also quotes from a wide variety of individuals, organizations, and documents. (There 172 footnotes.) (more…)
The Big Yellow School Bus
This time of the year, kids are returning to school. And where I live that means one thing: big yellow school buses everywhere! Whenever I’m driving and I get behind a school bus, I experience several emotions. The first emotion is frustration—especially if I’m running late. “Darn it!” I say to myself when I spot the bus ahead of me. For I know what the next several miles are going to be: Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Stop. Go. If the bus eventually turns down a side road, I immediately breathe a sigh of relief and hurry on my way. (more…)
The Disappearance of Here and Now
Recently I read an article where the author lamented the “disappearance of here.” With our smart phones and other electronic devices, he said, we can easily be somewhere else rather than where we actually are. (more…)
My Friend Eileen
I lost a good friend a few days ago. Her name was Eileen Shackleton of Altadena, California. She died just two weeks shy of her 100th birthday. (more…)
Father Theodore Hesburgh: Priest, Educator, Citizen of the World
When many people hear the name Father Hesburgh they immediately think of the University of Notre Dame. After all, he served as president there from 1952 to 1987, one of the longest and most remarkable tenures in American higher education. But he was so much more than a long-lasting university president. He was a man who, for decades, worked tirelessly for peace and justice, earning for himself the title “Citizen of the World.” (more…)
