Perspective

(Photo: Pexels) The “ Melian Dialogue ,” from Thucydides’ classic History of the Peloponnesian War , is the foundational text of the Realist school of international relations theory. It’s 416 B.C., and the island-statelet of Melos has remained neutral in the war between the local superpowers, Athens and Sparta. A diplomatic delegation from Athens goes to Melos and demands that the Melians join Team Athens. The Melians decline, first citing principles of justice. The Athenians, unmoved,...

A confessor's perspective on love, dignity and the gift of self. (Photo: Lightstock) By Father Daniel Ciucci Pastor, Most Precious Blood Parish, Denver There are few better opportunities for a societal pulse check than the confessional. The Fifth Commandment, in particular, manifold in its application, covers everything from drunkenness, reckless driving, gossip and physical violence, to the withholding of forgiveness, the clutching onto bitterness and the like. Recently, however, I have...

What Genesis really teaches about sin, power and marriage (Photo: Lightstock) “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he will lord it over you.” Genesis 3:16 I think of all the beautiful aspects of the Genesis account of paradise, the one I perhaps envy most is the perfect relationship between man and woman. (I know, walking with God in the cool of the afternoon seems like a pretty good gig, too.) We have talked about how God created them specifically for each other , and how Adam’s...

Timothy Cardinal Dolan processes into Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Cardinal Dolan's Facebook page) There’s a steak house on East 50 th Street in midtown Manhattan, to which Cardinal Timothy Dolan and I would sometimes walk for dinner after a pre-prandial or two in his sitting room. The restaurant was less than a block away from the residence of the archbishops of New York, and the walk would ordinarily take two or three minutes. With Cardinal...

Part Two: Why evangelization begins with personal conversion and encounter with Jesus Christ. (Photo: Lightstock) Editor's Note: This column is part of a yearlong series on evangelization, breaking down what often feels like a tall order into real, practical, actionable steps towards intentional accompaniment. Part One: A Practical Guide for Everyday Catholics Part Three: Discern Who to Accompany Part Four: Build Authentic Friendships Part Five: Build Zones of Freedom My dad loved baseball,...

(Photo: Unsplash) P.D. James’ detective novels, featuring Inspector Adam Dalgliesh of New Scotland Yard, are every bit as gripping as those penned by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Edith Pargeter (who wrote as “Ellis Peters” when creating the Cadfael Chronicles ), and Ann Cleeves. Yet my favorite work by the woman who was honored with a life peerage and died in 2014 as Baroness James of Holland Park is her dystopian look into a world of global infertility, The Children of Men . Forget...

Entering the Special Year of St. Francis through poverty, death and joy in Christ St. Francis of Assisi in His Tomb , 1630/34 by Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664). Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain) With our coattails nearly brushing the closing Jubilee Doors, Pope Leo has proclaimed a Special Year of St. Francis of Assisi . From January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, the faithful who, along with the usual sacraments, undertake pilgrimages...

(Photo: Lightstock) Organizations spend an estimated $160 billion annually in the U.S. and more than $366 billion globally on leadership development programs. Yet only 25% of organizations and 11% of executives believe their leadership initiatives are effective, according to research from the Brandon Hall Group and McKinsey. I believe leadership training often misses the mark, not because it emphasizes skills, competence or emotional intelligence — all of which matter — but because it...

(Photo: Denver Catholic design) Volunteering in the Pro-Life movement in the 1990s, I remember praying for the overturning of Roe v. Wade as if it would immediately end the abortion problem in the United States. As a high schooler, it seemed like a simple enough solution. Roe v. Wade caused the mess, so getting rid of it should take care of things. But now, after Dobbs v. Jackson, what has actually changed in the last three and a half years? Even though abortion is now restricted to some...

“Have no fear! Trust in the Lord.” Pope Leo XIV waves at a massive, jubilant crowd gathered on St. Peter’s Square for the Regina Coeli on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Photo: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA) Back in the day, when the New Yorker set the standard for literary elegance among serious American journals, writers were driven to distraction by the fanatical fact-checking characteristic of the magazine’s gimlet-eyed editors. But the old New Yorker ain’t what she used to be. Evidence is readily at hand...

Insights from Behold Your Child's ministry to support grieving parents. (Photo: Lightstock) Studies estimate that one in every five pregnancies ends in the loss of a child, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or infant mortality. That’s a significant number, yet most mothers and fathers suffer this loss alone because it is difficult to talk about, and the stages of grief are not linear. There can also be a stigma around early loss, so many don’t share openly that it is something they’ve...

(Photo: Lightstock) During my morning prayer, I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 when I was struck by the verse that says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The Ignatius Study Bible notes that ancient Corinth manufactured polished bronze “mirrors.” Although known for their excellent quality, the reflected image was nonetheless hazy and indistinct (p. 2041). As I...