by Jennie Murphy | Apr 5, 2023 | Monthly Reflection
Years ago, I traveled with Catholic Relief Services on a solidarity visit to South Sudan, where I met young people affected by decades of violent conflict in their country. Willy, a young father, described the pain of separation from his family, who had...
by Jennie Murphy | Mar 15, 2023 | Monthly Reflection
When Pope Francis prays “for the victims of abuse,” who are the victims? Are they children or adults? What injustices are pointed out? Is it sexual violence, abuse of authority, manipulation, or complicit silence? Who are the authors of the abuse? Priests, religious,...
by Jennie Murphy | Mar 1, 2023 | Monthly Reflection
Abuse comes in many forms and the impact is often silent and unseen. Those who are subjected to abuse experience a level of trauma that is difficult for others to comprehend, in part because each victim and survivor experience it differently. The harmful events touch...
by Jennie Murphy | Jan 4, 2023 | Monthly Reflection
We pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than competition and helping the youngest and most vulnerable above all. As a veteran K-12 Catholic educator and educational consultant, I have years of experience in the classroom. However,...
by Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ | Sep 27, 2022 | Monthly Reflection
I served at the Jesuit parish for Mayans in southern Belize. While there, I traveled to rural villages and celebrated Mass in chapels the size of a two-car garage. The chapels were often brightly painted and decorated with religious images and artwork. Sometimes the...
by Fr. Ted Penton, S.J. | Aug 30, 2022 | Monthly Reflection
We pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country. In my college years I was agnostic and had little time for things of the church. But even then, some of my core convictions lined up closely with...
