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

July 17, 2019Culture

In just three months a relative handful of bishops meeting in Rome is expected to reach a decision with potentially momentous consequences for the entire Western Church. The bishops will be participants ...

Culture & Events

Summer at the lakeJohn Garvey

Chemists and economists speak of equilibrium conditions, where the concentrations of reactants and products, or supply and demand, are in balance. If you have a bottle of soda water with the cap on, carbon ...

Culture & Events

The quiet hours of Leonid BrezhnevGeorge Weigel

On first meeting Dr. Andrzej Grajewski, you probably wouldn't guess that this mild-mannered Polish historian is one of the world's leading experts on the ecclesiastical Dark Side of the Cold War: the ...

Culture & Events

How far is too far for Mass?Greg Erlandson

How far would you drive for Mass? I don't know if anyone has ever done a study of such a pedestrian topic, but it is a question that will become increasingly relevant. Once upon a time, driving farther ...

Faith & Family

Mary during the ministry of JesusFather Kenneth Doyle

Q. I am wondering what Mary did and where she lived during the three years of Jesus' ministry. Did she travel with the "women who ministered to him?" (Wichita, Kansas) A. In the Gospels, once the public ...

Faith & Family

Growing thingsJaymie Stuart Wolfe

When we moved south, we were happy to leave the snow -- and the snow thrower -- behind. We knew the summers would be hot, but no one ever told us just how fast everything grows down here. Back in Wakefield, ...

Faith & Family

Taking the callScott Hahn

In this week's First Reading, Elijah's disciple is allowed to kiss his parents goodbye before setting out to follow the prophet's call. But we are called to follow a greater than Elijah, this week's ...

Culture & Events

A mid-season assessmentDick Flavin

Question: What's wrong with the Red Sox? Answer: Not as much as you think. In fact, not much at all. At least, that's what I think. Since the early days of April, when the Olde Towne Team came stumbling ...

Culture & Events

Morality at the moviesRichard Doerflinger

The most likely place to find uplifting messages about the human spirit these days is in superhero movies. Spider-Man risks himself to save others because he takes to heart his beloved uncle's words, ...