When a major event hits the news cycle these days, everyone I follow seems to have a compulsive need to respond as quickly as possible. It doesn’t have to be this way.

So it’s time for you to graduate. Four young America editors and one Star Wars nerd have some advice for you.

A Reflection for the Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent, by Molly Cahill

A Reflection for the Thursday of the Third Week of Lent, by Molly Cahill

Ready or not, the new year is here — and with it our annual opportunity to take stock and set goals, with a little help from Pope Francis.

A Reflection for the Sunday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Can a ritual that comes a year and a half late possibly mean what it was originally supposed to? No. But it ended up having a deep meaning entirely its own.

God who is justice, let the systems of justice we build on earth reflect your love for all creation. Let them value redemption over punishment, future over past, life over death.

While Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance attracted predictable outrage from her regular critics, she made the exact splash it seems she intended to make.

The real-life superhero Mattia Villardita was invited to the audience because of his everyday commitment to bring joy to suffering children — dressed as his childhood idol.