From the Inside Out Contemplation, Conscience, and the Catholic Vision of a Just World Integrating Thomas Merton, Joseph Cardijn, and Mortimer Adler with the Traditions of Greek Philosophy and Enlightenment Thought Introduction: The Problem of Knowing and Doing There is a temptation, in every age, to separate the life of the mind from the life... Continue Reading →

In ten days, we celebrate the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum. More than a century ago, Pope Leo XIII wrote Rerum Novarum—”On the New Things”—to address the social upheaval of industrial capitalism. His central message—labor is not a commodity, workers deserve dignity, and justice is essential—remains as urgent today as ever. This text argues that revisiting... Continue Reading →

Green Junction Quality of life and modernization depend on adequate water sources. In Corpus Christi, Texas, the city’s half-million residents and industries are facing a looming water supply depletion. Industrial users, mostly in the energy/petrochemical industries, that rely on water for cooling systems and steam generation, consume as much as 70 to 80 percent of... Continue Reading →

I have been thinking more about Merton lately. My own experiences, and trying to see how it all fits. We tend to forget how open and searching Thomas Merton was at the beginning of his Catholic life. He didn’t arrive with everything neatly decided. In fact, he was first drawn to the Franciscans—so much so... Continue Reading →

What a Trappist Monk and Three Fourth-Century Theologians Want to Tell You About Prayer, Justice, and the Shining Sun Use the See-Judge-Act method to dig deeper into our tradition to see what Joseph Cardijn understood. In 1958, Thomas Merton stepped into a shopping district in Louisville. Something extraordinary happens. “I was suddenly overwhelmed with the... Continue Reading →

Historians call moments like ours a phase change—a term from physics that describes when water doesn't just get hotter but becomes something else entirely: steam, ice, a new state. We are living through a societal phase change right now—a fundamental reshaping of how we work, relate, make decisions, raise children, find community, and understand ourselves. This shift is driven... Continue Reading →