Tag Archives: saints

Mother Teresa and the Cult of Suffering

Mother Teresa has been canonized today. The new saint’s record is more complicated than either her critics or her fans like to acknowledge, but this balanced piece by Mari Marcel Thekaekara in the Guardian is worth a look. Towards the … Continue reading

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A Guide to Getting Your Saints Recognized

US Catholic has a report on Pope Francis’s efforts to clean up the Vatican Bank. It comments that “Francis has repeatedly railed against corruption, and his reforms at the bank are quickly becoming a test case for those efforts”. Fair … Continue reading

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America’s unique advantage: religious faith?

On a recent shuttle van ride from the Los Angeles International Airport, I directed the African driver to pause before turning left into a blind intersection.  Instead, he barreled across without looking.  Not to worry, he said, I’m a professional … Continue reading

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Syncopation and Thanksgiving

The New England colonists balanced Thanksgiving feasts with petitionary fasting, known as days of “public humiliation and prayer:” Pleas for rain during spells of drought were the most common reason for fasting. But Puritans also fasted whenever a comet, an … Continue reading

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Magical thinking watch: Housing crisis chapter

Religious goods stores have been doing a record business in St. Joseph statues.  Buried in the garden of a home for sale, the doll allegedly helps the house to find a buyer.  (We are not told where you put the icon … Continue reading

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