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”?”
Category Archives: Equality
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”
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”
The Art of Seeing
by Joseph Stoutzenberger In the 1970s, I taught religion in a Catholic suburban high school. An older man, part of the janitorial staff, cleaned the bathrooms and emptied the overflowing trash cans in the cafeteria after lunch. Generally, he was one of those invisible people, like wallpaper or one of the fixtures he cleaned, thatContinue reading “The Art of Seeing”
