The Narthex
Life on Other Planets?
Wondering about life elsewhere, and wondering about life right here
By John M. Grondelski | September 17th 2026 11:41 AMA recent New York Times article was one of those pieces that make you think -- not necessarily because its conclusions are profound but because its questions are. The author of “The Most Promising Worlds Beyond Our Solar System” writes about research documenting the existence of planets orbiting other stars…
READ FULL BLOG POST'Only God Can Make a Tree'
Jesus was a carpenter; His sayings and parables show a predilection for trees
By John M. Grondelski | June 17th 2024 12:05 PMSunday’s readings said a lot about trees and their growth. The First Reading spoke about God, who fosters some trees and withers others. The Gospel spoke of the tiny mustard seed that produces a large tree. The Catholic poet Joyce Kilmer wrote a poem, “Trees,” that was once standard fare in…
READ FULL BLOG POSTWhat the Immaculate Conception Teaches Us
These holy days -- Dec. 8 and 12 -- possess critical moral content
By John M. Grondelski | December 8th 2023 1:23 PMAs we mark the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, I present two thoughts on why Our Lady under the title of the “Immaculate Conception” is the fitting patroness for the United States. First, we Americans continue to fail to reckon with the reality of “conception.” Notwithstanding the reversal of Roe…
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