A fond memory I have growing up is that of fishing with my brother and my friends. There is something about the peace and calm that is necessary to fish that makes you more open in prayer and friendship. We read in the gospels that Jesus called his disciples right here on the shores of ...read more

Recently I had a conversation which brought up the following question: When we are voting at a political election, as Catholics, is there a guide or principles that we should follow? The person asking the question had been told that there is a list of ‘non-negotiable’ principles that Catholics should follow when voting. I may ...read more

It is here on the Mount of Beatitudes that many witnessed Jesus’ teaching on the Beatitudes. Here his voice carried over the hills, between the trees, mixed in the air with the sun, the hills, the birds, the grass and the people. We tend to want to picture and pray about this moment with a ...read more

A few weeks ago, I went to a mass of celebration for Sr. Corazon Beboso, FMA's 40th Anniversary of Religious Profession (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco). Sr. Cora is one of my super learning models. Her youthful and energetic heart is always a booster drink for my soul. “Yes Lord, Yes Lord. Yes Yes Lord… Amen, Amen” is her favorite song. I would guess she has sang this song at every single event I have attended. And, we celebrated her “YES” to the Lord for 40 years. ...read more

I was not physically in Krakow for World Youth Day 2016. A series of scheduling practicalities made it necessary for me to stay in Toronto, anchoring Salt + Light’s coverage of WYD 2016. Still, there were moments when the line between living WYD and living it vicariously through my colleagues on the ground was blurred. ...read more

The flush region of Caesarea Philipi is about an hour’s drive north of the Sea of Galilee.  It was given to Herod the Great by Caesar Augustus around 20 BCE, who in turn handed it down to his son Philip.  Philip named it Caesarea in honor of Caesar, and his own name eventually became associated ...read more

“Apart from God’s Mercy, there is no other source of hope for human beings.” - Pope John Paul II ...read more

The vocation of the family is to love. The most extraordinary way a family can love is through the ordinariness of life. For the families we will meet in this series, it simply means being open to whatever God wills in their lives. It is their surest way to grow in holiness, a call given to everyone. ...read more

That’s the title of a new film that just opened last weekend to mixed reviews. It stars Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin in a romance with a bit of a twist. Clarke plays Louisa “Lou” Clark, who takes a job as the caregiver to Will Traynor (Claflin), a former daredevil who is now a quadriplegic ...read more

Lisa Daniels lives with extreme, debilitating, chronic pain. She suffers greatly. Her suffering is irremediable. There is no cure. Many people who support the idea of medically assisted dying do so on the basis that some people, like Lisa, live with unbearable, intolerable pain. Can all pain be managed? How are we to respond to ...read more