Echoes - A forum of Catholic thought. The Opinion section of thebostonpilot.com

March 13, 2026Faith

I have always loved the hymn "Amazing Grace," with its poetic acclaim for the goodness of God and the unmerited transforming power of grace. The fourth line of that hymn has been on my mind this week. ...

Faith & Family

Eyesight to the blindScott Hahn

God's ways of seeing are not our ways, we hear in today's First Reading. Jesus illustrates this in the Gospel as the blind man comes to see and the Pharisees are made blind. The blind man stands ...

Spirituality

What is civilization?Michael Pakaluk

It has no entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia; it is not mentioned in the Catechism; yet the popes talk about it in their encyclicals. What is "civilization?" Is Christianity responsible for it? Is Western ...

Faith & Family

A third Eucharistic PrayerFather Robert M. O'Grady

The work of the reform of the liturgy entrusted to Pope St. Paul VI continued with the expansion of the Eucharistic Prayer available for the new Roman Missal. The sainted pope was very involved in the ...

Faith & Family

Answering God's Call for the MissionsMaureen Crowley Heil

Everyone's life is filled with challenges. Our own reality may sometimes seem like an endless Good Friday, as we face perhaps the serious illness of a loved one, the loss of a job and financial difficulties, ...

Faith & Family

Does my ex have to be involved in the annulment process?Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: I've recently decided to return to my childhood Catholic faith after many years aways, and my priest told me I need to get an annulment. When I called the marriage tribunal, they said they needed to ...

Culture & Events

Scripture Reflection for March 15, 2026, Fourth Sunday in LentDeacon Greg Kandra

1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Eph 5:8-14 Jn 9:1-41 "Now you know the rest of the story." For years, the broadcaster Paul Harvey signed off his daily radio show with that phrase. ...

Culture & Events

Fear: The destroyer of our Lenten worksElizabeth Scalia

Perhaps fear, after all, is at the root of all sin. I used to think it was selfishness, but it's not. Even selfishness is rooted in fear. We can see this in the early wreckage of our Lenten practices: ...

Culture & Events

Is our nation losing its soul?Greg Erlandson

U.S. bishops are speaking up about the treatment of immigrants and the deportation strategy and tactics of the current administration, and their messaging has grown increasingly urgent and concerned. What ...