Genres of dramatic or literary works are identified in multiple ways, but one of the most common ways distinguishes between tragedy and comedy. In this dichotomy, the Gospel begins with aspects of tragedy but ends with a comedic resolution. A tragic work is one in which an intractable problem either …

In his 1988 song “Death is Not the End,” Bob Dylan wrote, “When you’re standing on the crossroads / That you cannot comprehend / Just remember that death is not the end / And all your dreams have vanished / And you don’t know what’s up the bend / Just …

The object of work is similar to the object of playing golf. Who is happier at the end of a round of golf: the person who hit the ball 100 times or the one who only hit it 85 times? We all know the answer. The object of golf is …

Over the past 15 years, since December 21, 2009, His Excellency Dennis M. Schnurr has served as the Archbishop of Cincinnati. He is succeeded by the 11th bishop of Cincinnati, His Excellency Robert G. Casey. Because Cincinnati is a metropolitan archdiocese, Archbishop Schnurr has also served as chairman of the …

Lent is a season of moral and spiritual growth. For some, the principal approach is to deprive oneself of non-essential goods; we give up some pleasure or luxury. Others observe Lent by performing spiritual or corporal works of mercy; we add some activity or assume some burden. And, of course, …

In August 2024, Pope Francis promulgated his Letter on the Role of Literature in Formation. He explains that he wrote the letter to promote “the value of reading novels and poems as part of one’s path to personal maturity.” Reading fiction, the Holy Father argues, “can help us weather the …

The story of Cain and Abel is among the more famous episodes in the Bible. We are all acquainted with this account of the first murder—indeed, the first fratricide—by which the bonds of brotherly love and responsibility were torn asunder. What we do not know, however, is what Cain said …

Among the rich and wonderful mysteries of the Incarnation is the intersection of time by eternity. Or perhaps the better formulation is that the Incarnation introduces a different kind of time from the chronological time by which we order our hours, days, weeks, months and years. This everyday account of …

Among the more puzzling scenes in Sacred Scripture are the Caesar’s coin passages in the synoptic Gospels. Read in isolation, Jesus’ somewhat cryptic interaction with his inquisitors is difficult to understand. But when read in the context of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and through the lens of the …

While respect for human life must not be limited to a single issue (about which I say more below), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reminds us in “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” that abortion is the foremost consideration. Throughout the 2020 presidential election, it was easy for …