joestoutzenberger

What about Brokenness?

Then I realized that life doesn’t happen in museums and never-opened cabinets. Living, becoming real, always brings with it the danger of being broken. Kintsugi and The Velveteen Rabbit remind us that there is beauty in brokenness.

Sanctuary or Supermarket: Where Is the Church?

What’s missing? How about the everyday, commonplace expressions of love happening in families, in friendships, in schools, in businesses, in supermarkets, in the simple exchanges Catholics make throughout their lives?

What Does It Mean to be Anti-Racist?

by Joseph Stoutzenberger When Ibram X. Kendi, a fellow Temple University Ph. D., published How to Be an Anti-Racist a few years ago, I immediately got the point. Someone can say, “I am not racist,” or “I harbor no animosity toward members of other races.” Given conditions in the world today, that is not enough.Continue reading “What Does It Mean to be Anti-Racist?”

Woke Catholicism

I realized that I could not write about “Catholicism” without recognizing the reality of sexual abuse that has taken place in the church in the recent past and today. I looked at other books that described themselves as offering an introduction to or an overview of Catholicism. None that I found addressed this dark side of Catholicism.

Is It Time for Smashing Idols?

The older priests pointed out to him that his job was not to judge but to represent the merciful, loving Christ who told his followers to forgive others “seventy times seven times.” That exchange led me to question if, indeed, there are conflicting notions of “God” within Christianity itself. Are some Christians worshiping idols, even though the name of that idol is “Jesus?”

Are We Misreading “The True Spirit of Christmas”?

By Joseph Stoutzenberger, December 24th, 2023. A Christmas Eve morning news program ended with a panel discussing “the true meaning of Christmas.” At the heart of the discussion was, of course, “Keep Christ in Christmas.” One commentator railed against the materialism underlying all the shopping and gift-giving. Another suggested that doing random acts of kindnessContinue reading “Are We Misreading “The True Spirit of Christmas”?”

Children and Visionaries

by Joseph Stoutzenber I was sitting in a newly redecorated university chapel next to an artist friend of mine. I asked him what he thought of the ornate crucifix behind the altar. He responded, “It pretends to be art.” Despite the many failed attempts at artistic expression intended to open one’s gaze to the holyContinue reading “Children and Visionaries”

Crossing Over and Coming Back

by Joseph Stoutzenberger I spent sixteen years going to Catholic-affiliated schools, so when I graduated from college, I decided to learn about other religions on my own. I recall sitting on the beach at the Jersey shore reading the Qur’an when everyone around me seemed to be reading fluff mystery novels. I moved on toContinue reading “Crossing Over and Coming Back”

Does Being Catholic Make a Difference?

by Joseph Stoutzenberger I grew up in a small town where Catholics were scarce. One day, another Catholic boy and I were with some other boys. During the chatter among us, my Catholic friend began to curse and use foul language when describing someone he didn’t like. One of the non-Catholic boys said, “What aContinue reading “Does Being Catholic Make a Difference?”

America, Catholicism, and Race

by Joseph Stoutzenberger In the 1830s, a man who worked common jobs named William Otter kept a journal about his travels through the mid-Atlantic states. He spent some time in my hometown, Columbia, PA, on the banks of the Susquehanna, founded by a Quaker family to ferry people across the river. Columbia is not tooContinue reading “America, Catholicism, and Race”