Letting Go of Libido Dominandi: Tolkien and Niebuhr meet Leo

Last updated on: June 13, 2026 at 8:47 pm By Julia Smucker

OMG, LOTR! Among many things that have drawn attention in Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, is the appearance of a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The simple delight in this fact alone is understandably irresistible to any LOTR fan. But I hope that on recovery from our collective swoon over the fact that “the pope quoted Gandalf,” attention might be drawn to a potentially seismic shift this encyclical may be bringing into Catholic thought and teaching, if... Read more

Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass calls us all to renewed faith

Last updated on: May 19, 2025 at 1:43 am By Jeannine Pitas

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When my alarm rang at 3 a.m. this morning, I didn’t hesitate. Maybe the jet lag was still working in my favor (I’ve been in Rome for only three days); maybe I knew in my bones how important it was to get up early and be a part of something important this morning: Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass. I showered, dressed, packed my backpack, and hurried down to the lobby of the monastery where I’m staying on Rome’s Aventine hill... Read more

What Vance Got Wrong on Ordo Amoris

Last updated on: February 10, 2025 at 5:53 pm By Julia Smucker

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Another prominent Catholic in public office, another series of contortions of the faith in service of political ends. Former President Biden and his defenders sometimes liked to tout his reputation as a “devout Catholic” – devout, that is, insofar as it was politically convenient to be so. In his own professed personal views on such grave evils as abortion and possession of nuclear weapons, it was all too clear where his true devotion lay. And now we have Vice President... Read more

The Antidote to Despair: a Pre-Inauguration Call for Hope

Last updated on: January 20, 2025 at 11:59 am By Jeannine Pitas

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One of my new year’s resolutions for 2025 is to get more exercise. In support of this goal, I spent some time yesterday exercising my right to free speech and assembly. This is a kind of exercise I recommend everyone partake in if you live in a country that permits it (and fight for if you don’t). On a chilly Saturday, I joined a small but strong group of people in Washington, DC on a march to the Lincoln Memorial.... Read more

Facing Fire: From Childhood Fear to Faith Refined by Flames

Last updated on: January 19, 2025 at 6:14 pm By Jeannine Pitas

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As I, from my warm home in snow-dusted Pittsburgh, take in images of the hellscape that Los Angeles has become, I feel inspired to share an essay that was published in the final issue of Geez, an ad-free Christian print magazine that sadly shut down last year. My prayer is that in this new year 2025, we may all find a refining fire of conviction amid the raging fire of destruction. May we extend our support to the people most in... Read more

(Not) Who We Are

Last updated on: July 14, 2024 at 2:38 pm By Julia Smucker

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We hear it from leaders of all stripes, any time violence breaks out: “This is not who we are.” My first response when I hear this is generally cynicism: clearly, the fact that “this” has happened means that we have shown it to be exactly who we are. But then, as I think about it, I see the underlyingly aspirational nature of such statements. In other words, what they’re really saying is, “This is not who we want to be.”... Read more

Magdalena’s Garden: On Finding Other Ways to Mother

Last updated on: May 12, 2024 at 8:35 pm By Jeannine Pitas

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Note: This post is adapted from the notes of a sermon I was invited to give on Sunday, May 12 at Christ Church, a United Church of Christ in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. As a Catholic I was thrilled by this invitation, particularly the chance to preach publicly as part of a liturgy – something my own tradition does not permit. It was an incredibly empowering experience for me, and I’d like to share with you the story I shared with the... Read more

On Divine Mercy Sunday, remember Saint Faustina’s vision

Last updated on: April 7, 2024 at 11:32 am By Jeannine Pitas

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Today, Catholics around the world celebrate the Feast of God’s Divine Mercy. I wish more people – regardless of creed – could be aware of this special day. During the 1930’s, at a time when the world seemed to be falling apart, when tyranny was on the rise in Europe and economic hardship was widespread, a Catholic sister named Faustina Kowalska had a series of mystical experiences centering around a deep experience of God’s mercy. Amid personal and political hardship... Read more

Winners and Losers in Biden’s State of the Union Address

Last updated on: March 9, 2024 at 10:08 pm By Julia Smucker

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Winners Unions Public teachers People with student loan debt People on prescription medications Medical researchers Weapons manufacturers Potato chip lovers Losers Large corporations Children conceived with disabilities Asylum seekers People living in war zones It’s been said that the moral measure of society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. (Versions of this have been traced to Mohandas Gandhi, Hubert Humphrey and others, but the exact origin is contested.) By this measure, the... Read more

Ash Wednesday in Portugal

Last updated on: February 18, 2024 at 5:08 am By David Cruz-Uribe

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After reading my fellow blogger Julia Smucker’s piece about the implication of wearing our ashes on Ash Wednesday, I thought I would share a curious variant that I encountered in Lisbon. I am here for business and since there was no English language alternative for Ash Wednesday, my wife and I went to the local parish church, Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, for the evening service. As we were waiting to queue up to receive our ashes, I... Read more

What did David use to kill Goliath?