Due to the blizzard that hit the mid-Atlantic, my bus never made it to the 43rd March for Life in Washington, D.C. But thousands of others were able to brave the snow and wind to witness to the dignity of unborn human life, and to protest the gravely immoral practice of legal abortion in the United States.
Deeply concerned about a "globalization of indifference," Pope Francis in his 2016 World Day of Peace message titled "Overcome Indifference and Win Peace," warns that "the first kind of indifference in human society is indifference to God, which then leads to indifference to one's neighbor and to the environment."
The world is a wonderful place. Our God is so good in giving it to us. But to a large extent, we have not taken good care of it, nor of each other.
Seeing Christmas toys under the tree, unwrapping them with excitement, and playing with them for many days to come, is a delightful experience for many children throughout the world!
As Christians around the world prepare during Advent to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, much of the world is at war and preparing for more war—more bombs, more drones, more boots on the ground.
During the recent U.S. Catholic bishops' fall assembly in Baltimore, several bishops and one abbot, decided to skip dinner at the downtown Marriott Waterfront hotel, and walked several blocks to an inner city parish to share a simple meal with about 30 peace activists – myself included.
"A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system," warns Pope Francis.
While much needed attention is being given to refugees flowing from war-torn Syria, one desperately suffering Middle East nation is barely a blip on the developed world's radar screen.
For the sake of our salvation, we need to pay serious attention, and act with purpose, to what Jesus teaches here in Matthew's Gospel: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.
From celebrating Masses at Havana's Revolution Square in Cuba, Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia, to addressing the U.S. Congress and the United Nations – and with lots packed in between – the 78-year-old Pope Francis tirelessly proclaimed the Gospel precepts of human dignity, forgiveness, social justice, peace, the common good, care for the poor and vulnerable, protection of the earth and love for all.
