Religion

Last week, Aug. 14-18, the Parliament of the World’s Religions returned to Chicago, the birthplace of the modern interfaith movement, after 30 years away to celebrate 130 years of history. The Parliament attracted 10,000-plus religious and civic leaders from more than 200 diverse religious, indigenous...

Everyone in South County is invited to Faith of our Neighbors, an educational program presented by the Interfaith CommUNITY of South County (ICSC) and the Interfaith Clergy Alliance.  In this series, the focus is on the ways different faiths acknowledge and celebrate lifecycles, including birth,...

At the time of writing, we are just days away from another presidential election here in the U.S.  Depending on your viewpoint, you may be excited, disappointed or frustrated at the results of the election.  Yet no matter who has won, the response of Christians...

One of the most repeated questions we as human beings ask is, Why? Especially children, who constantly respond to every situation with the same question. This response may be triggered by different factors: our curiosity, our lack of knowledge, our desire to test someone's patience,...

If we want to change the world, we must first change ourselves and help those around us. I have always thought that all the decisions we make in our lives are going to bring consequences and one day we will realize that the important...

Before the Fourth of July celebrations are in the rear-view mirror, I offer a religious perspective. The United States of America's Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (declared in 1776, achieved in 1783, after an eight-year war), is a date we celebrate with enthusiasm...

“Lord, you have apportioned to your people the manifold gifts of the Spirit: Grant amid the changes of the world that your Church may abide, and be strengthened in ministry through continuous outpouring of your gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and...

How powerful words are! Rabbi Seymour J Cohen wrote: “Words can inspire, destroy, console us, entice us. Throughout history words promoted hatred, murder, even wars! How many politicians permanently had their careers ended by false rumors and innuendos!” Each of us have experienced the power...

There are lots of signs of Halloween around our communities. Ghosts, skeletons, Jack-O­ Lanterns, gravestones and the like. Americans spend more money on Halloween decorating than any other holiday except for Christmas. In the growing darkness of our daylight hours diminishing, we seem to...

With Christmas decorations sometimes going up before Thanksgiving, and even Halloween, it may seem unnecessary to prolong Christmas. However, Catholics and many other Christian traditions can extend Christmas into the second week of January.   We do so because the overwhelming and joyful reality of the...