THE HEART OF THE MACHINE: Will AI Amplify Our Best—or Our Worst? I have been reading two books that knocked my socks off. But here’s the thing—we’re not going to start by talking about ChatGPT, self-driving cars, or whether robots will take our jobs. Instead, we’re going to start where it actually matters: with us.... Continue Reading →
Friendship House: A Conversation for Our Times
Friendship House: A Conversation for Our Times My Thoughts You know, as a historian, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why we even bother studying history. I mean, we’ve got enough going on right now, right? But here’s the thing—history is really about patterns. It’s about learning from the good, the bad, and yeah,... Continue Reading →
“Reclaiming Wisdom: Adult Religious Education as the Remedy for Our Times.”
This was also posted on the Cardijn Reflection blog page. “Reclaiming Wisdom: Adult Religious Education as the Remedy for Our Times” “The greatest evil of our times is the lack of adult education in matters pertaining to religion.” – Louis J. Putz CSC. Let us pause for a moment and reflect on these words by... Continue Reading →
“Faith Against Idols: Racism and White Christian Nationalism through the Eyes of Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Joseph Cardijn”
"Faith Against Idols: Racism and White Christian Nationalism through the Eyes of Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Joseph Cardijn" Let me start with a question that should keep us all up at night: What happens when our faith stops following the Gospel and starts bowing down to the idols of race and nation? This is... Continue Reading →
JOC – Praxis – A video. Yeah, they are all connected!
https://youtu.be/I9uuJku5hfs The work of our JOC efforts is commonly called "Praxis." Praxis is the act of implementing, applying, or bringing theory, knowledge, or skills into real-world use. It appears in fields like philosophy, education, health care, and social work. Unlike "theory" (which is abstract understanding) and "practice" (which can be simply performing tasks), Praxis specifically refers to informed, deliberate action based... Continue Reading →
Is Pope Leo XIV urgently directing our attention to the mega-ethical issue of our time?
Those of us who work in the spirit of Joseph Cardijn, Leo XIII, and the core message of the Encyclicals, we see a vision in the new pope that resonates with our understanding of Joseph Cardijn's work and with those who embraced his mantra in their lives. Indeed, Pope Leo XIV is drawing global... Continue Reading →
The world of Jesus’ parables is the Galilean village.
Sunday's gospel, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, is all about the kingdom and "You are Church!" A mantra of Louis Putz CSC and Joseph Cardijn. "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." (Matthew 13:35) Think of history, the life work of all the followers of Cardijn and the... Continue Reading →
We are not “Catholic Integralist”
(This was also posted at https://reflections.josephcardijn.com/) The intricate and often misunderstood relationship between "Catholic Integralism," Joseph Cardijn, Albert Nolan, and many others of the JOC movements, including Pope Leo XIII, who inspired the movement for all practical purposes, is a fascinating subject of study. While some of his teachings are cited in support of integralist... Continue Reading →