Suffering

Faith Seeking Understanding: I have often found myself struggling these last few weeks to do something that I am expected to do almost naturally by virtue of my life and profession: that is, pray.

Theology en la Plaza: How do we shift to an understanding of isolation as "an active, communal undertaking," as opposed to a "suffering passively endured by a solitary individual"?

"A 'tried' Christian can certainly become closer to those who suffer and make his or her heart open and sensitive in solidarity with others," the pope said Jan. 8 during his weekly general audience.

Our age of nonstop communication has brought an array of resources, online and off, for those who wrestle with suffering and loss, and people are employing new ways to support each other when tragedy arrives.

A Good Death, part 2 - Though they are separated by a generation, two Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have spent years living with cancer diagnoses, sharing a life-altering experience of an illness that threatens to turn deadly. Both find strength in being of service to others and in the support from their community.

Faith Seeking Understanding: For M. Shawn Copeland, soon to retire from Boston College, being a professor of theology is not merely a career, but a profound vocation.

Book Review: Soul force is the place "where the Spirit of God and our human resilience meet," and it is "an awakening to the realization that we have a creative force within us, because we all bear the divine imprint of the Creator."

Young Voices: It wasn't her sickness that captivated me, although it was the reason I learned about her. Claire Wineland had a unique and charismatic way of turning hardship into blessing.