Commentary

Catholics don't tend to speak in the same terms because we think of being “saved” as a lifelong process, not a one-time event.

Two TV series give us a taste of it. Are you nauseous yet?

As a Christian, justice, mercy and grace are significant parts of my spirituality but they are also concepts familiar to many in our culture. Justice delivers what we deserve while mercy keeps what is due at bay. Grace is off the charts compared to both; it freely provides the good we don’t merit.

We are all more one than we can ever realize

Given that the Bible is, in some way and to some extent, an authoritative text that we ought to read frequently and intently, the next question is: What parts of the Bible should we read?

I mean that there is an element to our grief when a young person dies that is not there in the death of an elder. That’s because, after such a death, we mourn not only for our loved one’s absence but also for the decades to come that we now will not and cannot share.