I'm having one of those so-called milestone birthdays in a few weeks. On Ash Wednesday. If my birthday wasn't coinciding with the beginning of Lent, I'd probably ignore it.  I mention this not to receive birthday balloons while being...

Writing in the Huffington Post, Fr. Jim Martin's literal climb up a scaffolding in an old church becomes a powerful metaphor for the climb up the ladder of sanctity.  Each rung is one of the beatitudes: That's the climb the...

I've read much about Pedro Arrupe, the legendary superior general of the Jesuits from 1965-83.  Much of his greatness seems to have resided in his charisma.  People loved him and wanted to follow him--much like I imagine Ignatius to...

I have a cell phone that isn't very smart. You might say it's barely sentient. I use it for texting and phone calls, occasionally as an alarm clock.  Articles like Jack McLain's list of favorite Catholic apps in America...

I have a friend whose family members hang onto grudges and slights. They are people who remember everything ever done to them, against them—and by whom. They just can't let of the wrong that has been done to them...

One day at Loyola Press I was given a manuscript to read  and asked to give an opinion.  Nothing unusual about that -- but I was completely enthralled.  (Now that's unusual.) I read the whole thing in about...

Jesuit colleges played five basketball games against each other this past weekend -- four men's games and one women's.   The marquee game was Georgetown vs. Marquette, with the Hoyas winning 69-60. Jesuit schools play each other nearly 100 times this...

It's Friday and with plenty of time before sunset, I dashed over* to The Catholic Community of St. Ignatius (Baltimore) to get these: *Grateful to all who made this happen!

With Valentine's Day coming up I'm taking the initiative to get folks thinking about love.  Here's a clip that I sometimes make reference to in my classes, from the 1997 film As Good As It Gets. If you...

This is the second time  "Gabriel's Oboe" has appeared in our occasional "Best Ignatian Songs" feature.  (The first time is here.)   The occasion is the opening of a musical based on the movie "The Mission," a great film inspired...