Joan Didion was capable both of conjuring up the horrors of modern life and of offering solace that there was still a point to it all.

My neighbors lost homes because our political and economic institutions have failed to respond to a crisis they have long known was coming.

The temptation is to fight the ghosts of Modernism by denigrating those working for social justice and “elites” as anti-religious co-conspirators. But this would be a disservice to the truth and to the church.

In mid-January, a law firm is scheduled to publish a report into the handling of clerical sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, where Pope Benedict XVI was archbishop.

In a video message released by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Pope Francis offered his prayer intention for the month of January, which he dedicated to people who suffer from religious discrimination and persecution.

“All the prices are ridiculously high,” said Manuel Jeremías Ake, a father of six in California. “We were struggling to buy what we could afford. But now, forget about it. I’ve never seen anything like this in this country.”

A synod on synodality is a process about a process. And that stuck with me. A process about a process seemed to be without content. Where would this lead us?

If it depends on supporting the fake meat industry, vegetarianism is not a superior ethical or moral stance. But there is an alternative in the “ideal kind of farm” described by Pope John XXIII.

“As the omicron variant of Covid sweeps through our area, I ask that you please continue to be extremely cautious,” Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory said.

Preaching on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, Pope Francis denounced widespread violence against women.

John Padberg, S.J., the noted Jesuit historian, died on Christmas Day. He is remembered here by his longtime friend and colleague, John W. O'Malley, S.J.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle gives a summary of the pope’s Christmas messages, which focused on the theme of humility.

My dad was and is an alcoholic. Al-Anon gives me a framework for naming my situation, taking responsibility for my actions and making changes so that I can live a (more) emotionally sober life.

Can we ultimately trust the smirking ones in our midst, the sarcastic with a clever quip for our every move, for each vulnerable moment?

In making the poem into a ballet with original music, much has been gained, both for the significance of the new ballet and for a fresh appreciation and engagement with its source.

Seeing these shows, I was reminded of Dickens’s famous ghosts, warning us about where we have been, where we are and where, if we’re not careful, we may be headed.

A hint from Father James Martin: Start with just 15 minutes a day.

A Reflection for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

Worst. Christmas. Ever.

A retired priest of the Diocese of Arlington, who for seven years oversaw the diocese’s program on protecting minors from clerical sexual abuse, was indicted shortly before Christmas on two counts of sexually abusing a minor.