Articles by Russell Shaw
Solving Our Race Problem
Jan 13, 2022 / 09:30 amHere is today’s quiz: What 19th century novel points the way to a lasting solution to the racial tensions afflicting America today?
Waiting for Dobbs
Dec 30, 2021 / 08:50 amThe Supreme Court’s long-awaited decision on abortion almost certainly is a done deal. The justices and their clerks know the result but they aren’t letting on, while the rest of us won’t find out for another five months.
Leaving Home for Christmas
Dec 17, 2021 / 10:00 amAlthough coming home for Christmas is a beautiful holiday tradition greatly to be cherished, it nevertheless occurs to me that leaving home for Christmas, correctly understood, is equally or even more important.
A Fair Shake for Parental Choice?
Dec 2, 2021 / 09:44 amFour years ago, in a case from Missouri, a majority of justices of the Supreme Court agreed that a Lutheran church that operated a day school was entitled to funding from a state program for upgrading playgrounds in the interests of child safety.
End of the line for Roe v. Wade?
Nov 22, 2021 / 10:30 amStarting Dec. 1, the nine justices of the Supreme Court will begin work in earnest on what already looks to be the court’s most closely watched—and probably most controversial—ruling in nearly half a century.
National (Dis)unity
Nov 4, 2021 / 10:25 amAre the bonds of American national unity becoming dangerously frayed? To judge from a steady stream of books, op ed pieces, opinion journal articles, and talk show conversations on this matter, the disturbing answer is yes.
Why Purgatory?
Oct 21, 2021 / 11:15 amComing just after Hell and just before Heaven, the second of the three books that make up Dante’s Divine Comedy is the Purgatorio--Purgatory. In its ninth canto, Dante places these words in the mouth of the angelic guardian of Purgatory’s gate who, displaying his keys, tells his listeners: I hold them from St. Peter--who bade me err / Rather in opening than shutting out.
Spreading the Thinking of Pope John Paul II
Oct 7, 2021 / 09:55 amIt’s sometimes said Pope St. John Paul II was the most intellectually gifted occupant of the See of Peter ever, but inasmuch as the line of popes stretches back two millennia and includes some known to history only by their names, there is no realistic way of verifying that.
After 'Roe'
Sep 23, 2021 / 08:22 amIn a long, somewhat rambling piece about the bishops and abortion appearing in the September Commonweal, Peter Steinfels makes a crucial point. It’s been made before by others, but it bears repeating at this moment when the Supreme Court, in the term beginning October 4, is widely expected to reverse or significantly modify Roe v. Wade, its 1973 decision legalizing abortion, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision reaffirming Roe.
The Greatest Catholic Novel
Sep 9, 2021 / 09:51 amIf you think a novel set in 14th century Norway has to be dull, think again. Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter is such a book, and far from being a bore, it is surely one of the most exciting works of fiction ever – to say nothing of being the finest Catholic novel.
Handing on the Faith
Aug 26, 2021 / 11:02 amIt’s hard to imagine that anyone who ever raised children found it an entirely easy job. Challenging, exciting, often rewarding – yes. But easy? You’ve got to be kidding.
Religion and the Court
Aug 12, 2021 / 12:21 pmHas the Supreme Court sold out to religion? You could be excused for thinking so if all you had to go on was the hue and cry protesting things the court did last term. And now that furor on the left is growing even more intense in anticipation of a new term with abortion and aid to religious schools on the agenda.
Eucharistic Revival
Jul 15, 2021 / 10:07 amNearly buried last month in the hubbub surrounding the U.S. bishops’ debate over who is and isn’t worthy to receive communion was a colloquy between two bishops concerning something that may prove of far greater importance in the long run.
The Court and Abortion
Jun 3, 2021 / 17:20 pmThe Supreme Court’s announcement that it will consider an abortion case from Mississippi next fall touched off a predictable outpouring of frenzied criticism from pro-choice sources worried lest their cherished ‘right’ to abortion be in jeopardy. No small part of it was what might politely be called exaggeration or, not so politely, baloney.
Bishops, Politicians, and Communion
May 20, 2021 / 17:22 pmIf you’re seeking evidence of how hard it is for the Church to communicate its message in and to our secularized, polarized, hyper-politicized society, consider reactions to the news that the American bishops are thinking of making a statement on Catholic politicians like President Biden who receive communion while backing abortion.
The Pope and Populism
May 6, 2021 / 13:05 pmIs Pope Francis a populist? The simple answer is no. A better answer is necessarily more complicated.
The Supreme Court’s Abortion Mystery
Apr 22, 2021 / 09:44 amImagine trying to follow a game whose rules and objectives you don’t know and whose players aren’t letting on. That is approximately how things now stand where the Supreme Court, President Joe Biden, and the issue of abortion are concerned. And if that sounds complicated, that’s because it is.
Three Philosophers
Apr 8, 2021 / 10:57 amIntellectual confusion resembling a smog of the mind has been a deadening presence in Catholicism in the years since Vatican Council II. But here and there amid the swirling mists of bad arguments and lame analogies, a small yet significant body of Catholic intellectuals has stood firm in defense of clear thinking and good sense.
The Future Is Here For American Catholics
Mar 25, 2021 / 12:07 pmEight years ago I published a book called American Church. The subtitle explained what it was about: “The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America.”
Taking Stock at Mid-Lent
Mar 11, 2021 / 00:00 amMidpoint in Lent is a great time to pause and take stock. Most of us probably started Lent with a bang, filled with determination to make good use of this opportunity for penance and renewal. And now? How are we doing at keeping those good resolutions we made on Ash Wednesday? Forgotten what the resolutions were? Now, while it’s still Lent, there’s plenty of time left for a fresh start.