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1 month ago | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
Joshua 5:9a, 10-12Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21Luke 15:1-3, 11-32Familiarity with the parable of the prodigal son may breed superficiality. Hearing the parable year after year might cause us to breeze past the hardship, knowing that a beautiful scene of contrition, mercy and fundamental goodness awaits. No judgement here. After all, we need stories of grace that reassure and speak to our hearts, especially in difficult times. The story of the prodigal son certainly is that.
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2 months ago | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
Hermits are rarely in the news. Not only are there relatively few people who seek to become hermits, but those who do embrace a solitary existence of prayer and quiet. This longstanding trend was recently disrupted when Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit in Kentucky, came out as transgender. This created a stir but also raised the question: What is a hermit anyway?
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
Every December, as consumerism reaches its peak, audiences are presented with some reimagined variation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol. Over the years, Dickens’ story has proven to be extremely malleable.
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Sep 27, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
Jim Henson wasn’t interested in making children’s shows. That is one of the big surprises in Ron Howard’s new celebratory documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man. This may sound almost blasphemous to some. After all, how could one of the creative minds behind the Muppets and such groundbreaking educational shows as Sesame Street not be interested in children’s shows?
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Jul 23, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
For our Sounding Board column, U.S. Catholic asks authors to argue one side of a many-sided issue of importance to Catholics around the country. We also invite readers to submit their responses to these opinion essays—whether agreement or disagreement—in the survey that follows. A selection of the survey results appear below, as well as in the July 2024 issue of U.S. Catholic. You can participate in our current survey here.
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Jul 19, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
When screening his exceptional film Pope Francis: A Man of His Word at the Film Society at Lincoln Center in New York, the internationally acclaimed filmmaker Wim Wenders offered his observations after meeting Pope Francis. Deeply impressed with his films, the Vatican had reached out to Wenders to ask if he would be interested in making a documentary about Pope Francis.
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Jul 15, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
One of the great things about Catholicism is its rich tradition filled with saints, theologians, and artists who continue to fascinate and inspire. The church does not fall prey to a stultifying historicism that renders the old as obsolete. Instead, it recognizes the great wisdom that our ancestors in faith continue to share. For artists such as Daniel Mitsui, the theologians of the early church and the artists of the Middle Ages are part of a living tradition with much to offer our world today.
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Jul 1, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
Ezekiel 2:2 – 5Psalms 123: 1 – 2, 2, 3 – 42 Corinthians 12: 7 – 10Mark 6: 1 – 6The other day as I was walking into the grocery store, I happened upon a delightful conversation. A toddler was walking hand in hand with his father and trying to figure out the difference between the word “you” and “me.” He pointed to himself and said “you?” And his dad gently said, “no,” and lovingly redirected his son’s pointed finger. Then the boy said “you” again, this time pointing at his father.
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Mar 29, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
The popular British science fiction series Doctor Who has just celebrated a momentous landmark: 60 years of broadcasting. What started as a modest time-travel story on black-and-white televisions in 1960s Britain has become a global phenomenon, recently partnering with Disney for its widest audience yet. This spring, for the first time, the Doctor will race off on exciting new adventures as a Black man, played by the Rwandan Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa.
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Mar 20, 2024 | 
uscatholic.org | Nathaniel Hunter |John Christman
Few artists can weave together theological, cultural, and aesthetic values as gracefully as Janet McKenzie does. As with many great masters, she makes the most complex things appear simple, elegant, and natural. She came to prominence in 2000 after winning an international National Catholic Reporter competition that asked contestants to portray Jesus for the new millennium. Her now iconic painting, Jesus of the People, initially incited hate mail and threats.
