Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic

compassion

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month November 2026 October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

January 2026

January 13, 2026

January In An Ordinary Dystopia

Life is ordinary here, and that terrifies me. The holidays ended happily, on Epiphany,...

June 2025

June 27, 2025

And the Rain Will Wash it Away

(A caution to my more sensitive readers: this story involves an injured animal, and a...

June 24, 2025

A Neighbor, on a Dark Night

This isn't a good story; just a true one. A good story has a...

June 20, 2025

The Fireflies and the Sylph

There was a bit of a tempest last weekend. I'm known for my candor,...

February 2023

February 18, 2023

We Need To Talk About Mental Health

Everybody's talking about mental health right now, and that's a good thing. I think the...

February 14, 2023

At the Least Convenient Time

Nothing ever happens at a convenient time. In the middle of last week, a...

October 2022

October 21, 2022

Driving Serendipity

I drove to Columbus in Serendipity. It's hard getting used to a new car...

August 2022

August 19, 2022

Theology of the Guinea Pig

It was time for McFluff's monthly bath and manicure. McFluff is the family guinea pig....

July 2022

July 26, 2022

On Witches and Worship

I saw one of those scary comments about "witchcraft" today. If you were raised...

June 2022

June 22, 2022

Unless the Father Beckons

The last day of my pilgrimage to Columbus, I went to church. You don't...

June 21, 2022

To Come Out of Hiding and Meet God

After I left my old church on Friday, I drove around for a bit....

June 11, 2022

A Toad and a Creepy Thing

I do my best thinking when I garden. Gardening is where I meditate and contemplate...

May 2022

May 13, 2022

Only I Have, Only I Give

"Can you voice?" said Rose, in the back seat of the car. She was...

March 2022

March 02, 2022

Religious Trauma and Lent: What are We To Do?

I just want to remind everyone that if you suffer from religious trauma, or...

March 02, 2022

In This Fateful Hour

It's supposed to be Fat Tuesday, a day to have a little fun. There's...

February 2022

February 25, 2022

More on Ukraine, On Prayer, and How to Help

I've got a few more remarks on the horrendous invasion of Ukraine this week. The...

February 24, 2022

As I Watch The Invasion Of Ukraine

I never feel I have anything good to say, on days like this. I'm watching...

January 2022

January 06, 2022

A Pagan in the Crick

The day I rescued the mudpuppy was the day I became human. We cared...

December 2021

December 27, 2021

The Mystery of Holy Family Sunday

It always feels a bit awkward when Christmas falls on a Saturday, because all...

November 2021

November 18, 2021

A Turkey Day Traffic Jam

Yesterday, I went downtown with a bag of all the extra groceries from my visit...

November 06, 2021

A Word on Cults

The other day, my friends and I were bantering about a ludicrous article published in...

October 2021

October 09, 2021

An Invitation To My Virtual Birthday Party

Here's the plan for the weekend. I am turning 37 on Monday. That may...

October 01, 2021

I Apologize For The Apologist

I don't actually know who Audrey Assad is. This certainly isn't her fault. I'm...

September 2021

September 29, 2021

I Tried To Find Out What An Addict Needs

I wanted to do something to help the local dug addicts. I don't know when...

September 07, 2021

A Troll Accidentally Discovers Harm Reduction

This has nothing to do with abortion. The conversation did start while discussing the Texas...

August 2021

August 24, 2021

Let’s Chew the Fat about Shaming

The discourse on Catholic social media has turned to fat and fat shaming lately. A...

August 19, 2021

Refugees, Xenophobia and a Word From Old Scratch

A couple of years ago I got on the Steubenville city bus. The...

July 2021

July 25, 2021

Miracle of the Loaves

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John: Jesus went across the...

July 12, 2021

The Billionaire, the Rocket, and the Tedium of Greed

Richard Branson went to space. He's very excited about that and I think he thinks...

July 09, 2021

On The Feast of the Intact

We got through another first week and a half of July. It's never easy, if...