Too often, contemporary Christians envision faith as an escape from the world. St. Patrick shows us through his life and his prayer-song "The Deer's Cry" that salvation is actually found at the heart of the world.
Church leadership's avoidance of hot-button topics not only withholds the moral guidance many seek (and that pastors are responsible for offering), but also denies opportunities for collective intercessory prayer.
This winter, my 3-year-old son played in the snow for the first time. If climate change continues unabated, my fear isn't just that my kids won't have snow days, but what we'll all lose if the cycle of the seasons is broken.
During the civil rights era, churches stood by activists and acted as sites of organization, solidarity and support. Now churches can step up once again and open their doors, this time for climate activists.
Catholic universities should bear prophetic witness to the threats of climate change, Cardinal Robert McElroy said at the conference "Lighting the Way Forward: The Purpose of Catholic Higher Education in a Changing World."
Our world has so much to grieve: the injustice toward her inhabitants, the eradication of her kin. We kill not only each other but also the very place we call home. But we are not alone in our lament. God mourns with us. The earth is groaning alongside of us. What is our truest response but to grieve?
No created thing was void of value or purpose for Christ. Observe the birds, Jesus advised, notice the lilies of the field. What if we took him seriously in our daily routines and did just that? What if we truly considered what wisdom might be found in all created things?