Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

Until We Rest in Him

From the November 2020 Print Edition

I’ve been dreading this November for the past year. In half a century of voting, I’ve been worried or frustrated by our public life many times. But 2020 has a unique toxicity, as if the whole nation were heaving, rudderless, on an ocean of poisonous blame. There is no peace and no dignity in our . . . . Continue Reading »

The Catholic Future

From the October 2020 Print Edition

In the Catholic Church, synods of bishops are complex bits of theater. The pope sets the theme, observes the proceedings, and writes the “apostolic exhortation” that translates a synod’s work into teaching. Some post-synodal texts, such as Paul VI’s Evangelii . . . . Continue Reading »