Echoes - A forum of Catholic thought. The Opinion section of thebostonpilot.com

April 3, 2020Faith

The streets are quiet. Schools and most offices are closed. There are no public Masses at our churches, and that will remain the case for the next few weeks -- including Holy Week. This year, there will ...

Faith & Family

All is fulfilledScott Hahn

"All this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled," Jesus says in today's Gospel (see Matthew 26:56). Indeed, we have reached the climax of the liturgical year, the highest ...

Culture & Events

The rivalry revisitedDick Flavin

A week ago in this space your humble correspondent prattled on at length about the Red Sox/Yankees playoff game of 1978, in my opinion the best baseball game I ever saw. As luck would have it, I had ...

Faith & Family

A Different Kind of Non-Classroom LearningMaureen Crowley Heil

When visiting classrooms for the Missionary Childhood Association, we often talk about what it's like to go to school in the missions. We share pictures and videos of what a day is like for children fortunate ...

Culture & Events

The coronavirus and usRichard Doerflinger

I could write about something other than the coronavirus pandemic, but right now it almost seems there isn't anything else. The rapid spread of the virus, its death toll, its prospect of overwhelming ...

Faith & Family

Learning from the poor in a time of crisisHosffman Ospino

Moments of crisis are great opportunities of self-assessment. Crises often confront us with what philosophers call "existential questions." As our world faces the current pandemic that has halted our ...

Culture & Events

Tragedy, contingency, and a deeper sense of GodBishop Robert Barron

I have lived in Santa Barbara, California, for the past four years. In that brief time, my neighbors and I have experienced a number of real tragedies. Just over two years ago, the terrible Thomas Fire ...

Culture & Events

Transforming quarantine into retreatGeorge Weigel

This bruising Lent, in which "fasting" has assumed unprecedented new forms, seems likely to be followed by an Eastertide of further spiritual disruption. What is God's purpose in all this? I would be ...

Faith & Family

Catholic attendance at civil weddingFather Kenneth Doyle

Q. My family have been dedicated Catholics for generations. Recently, a nephew of mine announced that he is planning to get married in a civil ceremony. (I believe that neither he nor his fiancée is dedicated ...