When Everything’s for Sale: Catholic Faith Against a Distorted Economy ~ Pope Leo XIV “Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything.” That line hit me hard when I first read it. I had flashbacks to what is happening in the US economy. It names something we all feel but struggle to articulate—a... Continue Reading →
Catholic Social Teaching and Political Resistance: A Conversational Guide
Catholic Social Teaching and Political Resistance: A Conversational Guide Why Christians Have Resisted Unjust Power Throughout history, Catholic social teaching has inspired people to stand up whenever governments or systems violate basic human dignity, harm the common good, or turn their backs on the poor. There’s actually a straightforward framework for this called See–Judge–Act that... Continue Reading →
Collaboration in the Public for the Public ~ Part II of Are you part of the Praxis Wing?
Looking for ways to get started? I recommend forming Study Groups, Book Clubs, and Discussion Groups. Start small; remember, the early followers of Jesus were small groups that gathered for meals, study, and discussion of Jesus' words. The followers then figured out action plans together. Today, all of this can be done live, on Zoom,... Continue Reading →
When we have an ear to the people, we then hear the words of the Gospel.
There is a wealth of wisdom to be gleaned from the unique perspectives of Oscar Romero, Thomas Merton, and Joseph Cardijn. First, many people are not very familiar with them, even in Catholic circles, such as those in the pew who live day-to-day, trying to survive—the non-academics in our world. All three men are studied... Continue Reading →
Reflecting on Benedict of Nursia and Joseph Cardijn: Do we see the patterns?
Reflecting on both St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-547) and Joseph Cardijn (1882-1967), we come to SEE-Discern-ACT and the role they played as influential Catholic figures who made lasting contributions to Christian spirituality and practice. However, they lived in very different eras. As cultural historians, we seek patterns, trends, and key similarities among individuals during their period when they experienced a... Continue Reading →
More than a century later, have you read Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum?
More than a century later, Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum (1891), a deep examination of economic and social issues, still resonates with the complexities of today's world. Its main ideas on economic fairness, workers' rights, and government roles remain just as important now as they were in the past, grounding us in a strong historical... Continue Reading →
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