Raised by Jesuits: Reason, Conscience, and Complexity in the Modern World

 In our increasingly polarized world, we often find ourselves caught between two moral imperatives: the need to defend justice and the call to love our enemies. This tension becomes especially sharp when we compare Karl Popper’s Paradox of Tolerance with Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek.” At first glance, these two ideas seem incompatible. Popper warned that if a society becomes endlessly tolerant, even of intolerance, it will eventually be destroyed by those very forces. Tolerance, to survive, must have boundaries. Intolerance must be resisted, even suppressed if necessary. On the other hand, Jesus offers what seems like the opposite advice. In the Sermon on the Mount, he says: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” It’s a radical rejection of retaliation. It’s not just about forgiveness—it’s about refusing to return harm even when justified. So how do we reconcile these two visions? How can we protect what is good without b...

With the news of Pope Francis’ failing health, I have had this blog post on the back burner for some time. Now that he has passed, I find that for me (and probably for many other people too), this feels like the end of an era. Francis was more than a pope. He was a symbol of a Church trying to rediscover its soul. And, I should mention, he was the first Jesuit to serve as Pope. With his quiet humility, sharp moral clarity, and deep love for the poor and marginalized, he invited the Catholic world to walk a different path—one that prioritized mercy over judgment, encounter over exclusion, and the Gospel over institutional self-preservation. Now, as the Church enters mourning, it also enters a moment of profound discernment. What kind of Church will we be after Francis? A Legacy of Mercy and Tension Francis didn’t change church doctrine in dramatic ways, but he changed the tone; and that, in many ways, changed everything. He spoke of a Church as a “field hospital,” not a courtroo...

Growing up in a Catholic household and attending Catholic schools, I could not escape learning about many of the saints. We were taught about them, celebrated their feast days, and even watched movies about them as a special treat (the Zeffirelli film Brother Sun, Sister Moon being one example). St. Francis of Assisi remains a particular favorite for me. So it was with great interest that I read about the upcoming canonization of the first ‘millennial saint’, Carlo Acutis, who also had an affinity for St. Francis, and was interred at Assisi after his death. Carlo Acutis was an Italian teenager who passed away in 2006. Born in 1991 in London to Italian parents, Carlo Acutis lived most of his life in Milan, Italy. Despite his short 15 years on earth before succumbing to leukemia, Carlo left behind a remarkable legacy that continues to inspire Catholics worldwide, particularly young people. Among the items his mother found after his death was a diary full of theological insights, espec...

"Although we sisters are supposed to be invisible, God has nevertheless given me eyes and ears." - Sister Agnes, Conclave I recently watched the movie Conclave and was moved by the themes in the film. I found myself particularly drawn to Sister Agnes, portrayed with quiet intensity by Isabella Rossellini, who embodies a reality faced by women in hierarchical institutions throughout history. Her character represents something profound about power, observation, and resistance that extends well beyond the Vatican's walls. The Watcher in the Shadows Rossellini described Sister Agnes this way in a recent interview: "In this long character that I play, I never speak because my role as a nun is to be a servant, to be subservient to men, and the Catholic church is a very strong patriarchal society. Cardinals are men. Popes are men. Cardinals vote, nuns do not vote, don't even, cannot even do mass." Yet this limitation becomes her strength. "I wanted t...

 “Social justice isn’t biblical,” I saw someone say on a social media post. Let’s unpack that for a minute. The Bible contains numerous passages that emphasize care for the vulnerable, justice for the oppressed, and compassion for those in need. For example, the Hebrew prophets like Amos, Isaiah, and Micah strongly condemned economic exploitation and called for just treatment of the poor. In the New Testament, Jesus frequently emphasized caring for the marginalized and criticized systems that oppressed people. Yes, of course, the actual term "social justice" as used in contemporary discourse is modern and encompasses concepts and applications that wouldn't have existed in biblical times. But when we talk about specific constructs such as "bring good news to the poor, health to the sick, set prisoners free, and liberate the oppressed,” those phrases directly echo Jesus's words in Luke 4:18-19, where he reads from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue and app...