Lake County Ohio Weal

  More Catholics on the way  They're likely to be gray-haired, healthy and rich By JOHN L. ALLEN JR. National Catholic Reporter Issue Date:  February 2, 2007 "There’s a common lament in Catholic circles and it has to do with the number of “gray heads” that show up for church events. A room full of older Catholics is universally understood to be a bad thing, whereas a room full of young people would, presumably, be interpreted as a godsend. Such reactions pivot on the common sense assumption that youth equals growth, while old age means decline. Yet given the “through the looking glass” demographic situation in which the world today finds itself, in many ways the exact opposite is the case. In the United States, the current total of 35 million Americans who are 65 or older, according to U.S. Census data, will more than double to 71 million by 2030. That reality, combined with the sociological fact that the elderly are much more likely to take religion seriously and to pr...

   ON LOVE OF THE POOR  Apostolic Exhortation: Dilexi Te Pope Leo CHAPTER ONE A FEW ESSENTIAL WORDS   4. Jesus’ disciples criticized the woman who poured costly perfumed oil on his head. They said: “Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.”   However, the Lord said to them in response: “You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me” (Mt 26:8-9,11).   That woman saw in Jesus the lowly and suffering Messiah on whom she could pour out all her love. What comfort that anointing must have brought to the very head that within a few days would be pierced by thorns! It was a small gesture, of course, but those who suffer know how great even a small gesture of affection can be, and how much relief it can bring.   Jesus understood this and told the disciples that the memory of her gesture would endure: “Wherever this good news is proclaime...

  ON LOVE OF THE POOR  Apostolic Exhortation DELIXI TE of Pope Leo 1. “I HAVE LOVED YOU” (Rev 3:9). The Lord speaks these words to a Christian community that, unlike some others, had no influence or resources, and was treated instead with violence and contempt: 2. This declaration of love, taken from the Book of Revelation, reflects the inexhaustible mystery that Pope Francis reflected upon in the Encyclical Dilexit Nos on the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ 3. For this reason, in continuity with the Encyclical Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis was preparing in the last months of his life an Apostolic Exhortation on the Church’s care for the poor, to which he gave the title Dilexi Te, as if Christ speaks those words to each of them, saying: “You have but little power,” yet “I have loved you” ( Rev 3:9).  I am happy to make this document my own — adding some reflections —  

  CNN & AccuWeather: Sugar Drinks and Hot Weather Scientists find a surprising reason why people are eating more sugar Hotter weather makes bodies lose more water, causing people to crave hydration and cooling. By Laura Paddison, CNN (CNN) —  Ice creams, frozen desserts and super-chilled sodas take on a new appeal in  sticky summer heat . As climate change drives hotter temperatures, Americans are consuming more and more of them, new  research  finds, with worrying health consequences. There is plenty of evidence climate change will shape food availability and quality, leading to  shortages ,  price increases  and even affecting  nutritional value , said Pan He, a study author and a lecturer in environmental science and sustainability at Cardiff University. But far less is known about its effects on what we choose to eat and drink, she told CNN. The researchers   scoured US household food purchasing data between 2004 to 2019 allowing...

  The following article was published in the  Church Life Journal , of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, part of the University of Notre Dame: Religious Transmission: A Solution to the Church's Biggest Problem   The regular text below summarizes the article, often directly quoting to give the flavor of the author's comments. The boxes give my analysis and review of the article. The Catholic Churches Biggest Problem??? For over fifty years, the General Social Survey has asked a large, representative sample of Americans a battery of questions, including questions about religion. These data reveal a major problem—indeed, arguably the single biggest problem—for the Catholic Church in the United States. In 1973, 84% of all those raised Catholic still identified as Catholic when surveyed as adults. In 2002, that figure was 74%. By 2022, it had dropped to 62%. More and more of those raised Catholic are leaving. Pew has recently done a fine study of Catholic Identity that I ...

  The Current State of Climate Science

   Envisioning a Livable Future The Current State of Climate Science What’s happening? Are we too late? Can we bend the curve even now? What has changed since 2015? Further, what needs to be done, by when, and how to do it? Speakers:  Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy & Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law, Texas Tech University Ben Sovacool, Director of the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability and Professor of Earth & Environment, Boston University Nancy Tuchman, Founding Dean of the Loyola University Chicago School of Sustainability and Professor of Biology, Loyola University Chicago

The following article was published in the Church Life Journal , of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, part of the University of Notre Dame: Religious Transmission: A Solution to the Church's Biggest Problem   The text below summarizes the article, often directly quoting to give the flavor of the author's comments. The boxes give my analysis and review of the article. For over fifty years, the General Social Survey has asked a large, representative sample of Americans a battery of questions, including questions about religion. These data reveal a major problem—indeed, arguably the single biggest problem—for the Catholic Church in the United States. In 1973, 84% of all those raised Catholic still identified as Catholic when surveyed as adults. In 2002, that figure was 74%. By 2022, it had dropped to 62%. More and more of those raised Catholic are leaving. Pew has recently done a fine study of Catholic Identity that I have reviewed in my post:   US Catholicism: The...