“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of…
A tough mind and a tender heart
Recently a pair of mourning doves chose a high shelf on the front of our home to build their nest. They flew back and forth for days, twigs in their beaks, cooing excitedly. When the delicate construction was complete, it…
Sudan’s worsening conflict raises alarm of another humanitarian crisis
More than 400 people have been killed and 3,500 injured after fighting broke out between Sudanese armed forces and a paramilitary unit in Khartoum and other parts of the northeastern African country. The violence has claimed the lives of three…
Pope Francis arrives in Africa on a two-nation tour seeking peace amid decades of conflict
Pope Francis arrived in Democratic Republic of Congo today, marking the first papal visit to the African nation since John Paul visited there in 1985 when the country was known as Zaire. This is the beginning of a six-day, two-nation…
The grace of wildness: Reflections on a new year
The church was full of birds; at least it was when I was there. In January 2005, for about a week, I went to mass at 5:00 every morning in the Catholic church across the street from the Mekong River…
Sick of war, church leaders in South Sudan recommit to finding peace
In the 11-year history of South Sudan as an independent country, the East African nation has known more conflict than peace among its disparate tribes. The conflicts, which began in 2013 as a political dispute between the country’s leading politicians…
Why praying for God’s will to be done is a dangerous act
Something remarkable and courageous, perhaps even miraculous, happened in Russia on Monday, March 14. Marina Ovsyannikova, a news editor at Channel One, the Kremlin’s leading news channel with 250 million viewers worldwide, suddenly appeared behind the news anchor during the…
How should Christians respond to rising gas prices in America today?
Sky-rocketing prices at the pump are showing no signs of slowing down. Some experts predict they are set to soar even higher. The national average price for a gallon of gas just hit $4.06, up a staggering 45 cents from…
Ukrainians want peace, regardless of their religion
Ukraine is a fascinating nation, the second largest in Europe by land area and the eighth most populous, after Russia. Although it is the poorest country in Europe, its extensive farmlands enable it to be one of the largest wheat…