Category Archives: Words

Save the Date: Our Secular World Needs a Homecoming

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

“Holy Days of Obligation” raise questions of congruency and truancy among Catholics. Some folks resist these Church mandates for Mass attendance as random intrusions on our workaday world. Many merely ask to be reminded whether, and why, a particular feast … Continue reading →

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It’s the Playoffs—Look for Angels in the Outfield

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

There is nothing like a universe to spark one’s imagination. Two Christian feast days arrive at this time of year to boost our souls’ awareness of big things to come. The feasts append our scorecard of saints. And they can … Continue reading →

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‘Try to Remember, And If You Remember, Then Follow.’

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

“Never forget!” It’s an urgent call that requires not only personal serenity sufficient to recollect truths, but also a strong social infrastructure able to reignite awareness. Although the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, seem far behind us, we who … Continue reading →

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Not Unburdened: Why You Gotta Be So Meme?

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

It’s like I just fell out of a coconut tree. I still don’t fully understand what Vice President Kamala Harris means by promoting “what can be, unburdened by what has been.” Please join me as I seek help through the … Continue reading →

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Surprised by Politicized ‘Joy’—An Ode to Decode

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary is also published in “Phronesis in Pieces,” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please consider subscribing there to support a large archive of articles at the intersection of faith, public affiairs, journalism, and our society’s craving for truth, hope, and love. You’ll … Continue reading →

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Behold Our Post-Truth Society—Breaking News, Broken Politics

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

The past three weeks of mesmerizing political news revealed one sign of societal mayhem not yet pounced upon by pundits. “Post-truth” thinking, a virus first diagnosed in the public square eight years ago, outed itself as a major force at … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Carter and Friends: Hope for Today’s Malaise

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

We tend to shower praise on people who “fit in,” but it’s more instructive to appreciate folks who are unique—which is everyone. Former President Jimmy Carter has blazed new trails, and The Washington Post on June 22 reminded us that … Continue reading →

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‘I Remind You, You’re Under Oath’

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Amid the courtroom traumas of lawfare and divisive political chatter we might call “jawfare,” one upbeat element of America’s news diet still speaks well of us. Journalists chronicle this edifying subtext halfheartedly, more in its breach than in its observance. … Continue reading →

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‘There’s the Glass House. Here’s the Stone.’

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Our society’s embrace of the all-purpose polarizer—the worldview labeled “oppressed vs. oppressor” or “victim vs. victimizer”—prompts us to weaponize everything, including guilt. We’ve got lots of glass houses and plenty of stones. Guilt is already a formidable material when it … Continue reading →

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Our Magical Mystery Tour–Now Departing from Reality

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Also check out the Magis Center blog, which this week posted a previous, related commentary by Bill Schmitt: “We Seek Authenticity, But Be Careful Defining What’s Real.” The Magis Center is directed by Father Robert Spitzer, SJ. Breathe in the … Continue reading →

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