Hopeful Pieces of News

Some of my recent articles have been written in response to negative things reported in the news.  It can be depressing.  It is never my intent to depress anyone.  In articles like “What Is Needed to Make Things Better” and “Is There Any Hope?” my goal is not to depress or discourage.  My goal is to find hope by offering insights and spiritual perspectives on what needs to change.

Of course, in the news this week, one can find discouragement.  However, the depressing items are the same things that have been going on.  It is not new.  Instead of finding new discouragement this week, I can actually say I found some news stories this week that offer me some hope.  They are not major turns in the course of worldly affairs but they do show that we have reason for hope. 

In fact, this week I have identified five news articles I will share with you that provided me with some hope.  In what follows, I will give you the full reference for each article including a link where you can read the article for yourself (I will not retell each story here) and some words on the hope I see in what the article reports.

Madalaine Elhabbal, “More than 50% of U.S. adults support allowing Christian prayer in public schools.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 27, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265063/more-than-50-percent-of-us-adults-support-allowing-christian-prayer-in-public-schools.

Public schools have been prohibited for some time from initiating prayer.  Students may be allowed to initiate prayer depending on setting, etc. but the staff could not.  This article reports that a very slight majority of Americans want this to change.  It is only a slight majority. So, I do not expect any major changes.  Any such attempts to bring prayer back into our schools will undoubtedly be met by challenges from those who want freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion. 

However, it does provide hope to know that most people are not against prayer in public schools.  There is reason and hope to continue efforts to make sure students are free to exercise their religion in public schools. (P.S. I just read a new article this morning by the same author of a related study – see “U.S. adults hold ‘nuanced’ opinions in public schools, new polling shows.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 30, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265089/us-adults-hold-nuanced-opinions-on-religion-in-public-schools-new-polling-shows.)

Tyler Arnold, “Supreme Court upholds Texas law mandating age verification for porn sites.”  Catholic News Agency. June 27, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265061/supreme-court-upholds-texas-law-mandating-age-verification-for-porn-sites.

This Supreme Court decision does not change the general available of pornography on the internet.  If you would like to know why pornography is a violation of the violation of the Sixth Commandment, you shall not commit adultery, the short answer is that it treats the person seen in the pornography as an object to be used to bring physical pleasure rather than seeing them as a person with their God-given dignity.  Jesus speaks of lust, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).  (The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) just issued the tenth anniversary edition of Create in Me a Pure Heart on this topic.  I have a copy of my desk to read.)

I do not see this Supreme Court decision as a change in the general understanding of the morality of pornography.  However, in allowing the law to stand to keep children from accessing pornography, I see hope in that it is recognition that pornography can cultivate immorality in our youth.  It shows that the morality of pornography is not a settled issue in favor of it.  We do not think youth are mature enough to drink alcohol or vote.  Why would we allow them to view pornography?

Daniel Payne, “UPDATE:  Supreme Court rules in favor of parents in LGBT curriculum dispute.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 27, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265057/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-parents-in-lgbt-curriculum-dispute.

This article gives me hope for two reasons.  First, because it recognizes that parents, not the school systems, are the ones who must have the final say in what their children are learning when it comes to beliefs relating to faith (cf. my article “Helping Our Children be Disciples” for more on the role of parents in educating their children).  (This weekend I “happened” to watch the movie God’s Not Dead:  We the People.  This movie addresses the struggle of parents to see that their children are taught in accord with their beliefs, not the dictate of the school or government.)

The second reason this article gives me hope is that it shows it is not a foregone conclusion that LGBT lifestyle is universally accepted as moral.  This court decision is not about the morality of LGBT lifestyle but in recognizing it as an issue for parents still gives me hope.  (If you would like to read articles of some length on our Catholic understanding of LGBT lifestyle, please see my articles, “Towards Dignity and Truth: Compassionate Dialogue on Homosexuality” and Towards Dignity and Truth: Compassionate Dialogue and Pastoral Response on Transgenderism.)

Teaching that LGBT lifestyle is normal and acceptable is not about freedom of choice when one is not allowed to speak about the opposing biblically based truth.  Choice is not involved when both sides are not allowed to speak.

Francesca Pollio Fenton, “Catholic speaker Kim Zember in new EWTN podcast highlights LGBT conversion stories.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 29, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265055/catholic-speaker-kim-zember-in-new-ewtn-podcast-highlights-lgbt-conversion-stories.

I see hope being offered in this article in two ways.  First, I see hope in knowing that Kim Zember, who lived a homosexual lifestyle for eleven years, came to see that her lifestyle was not in accord with God’s Will and returned to her Catholic roots.  I see the same hope in the others mentioned in the article that came to a similar realization and stopped living a LGBT lifestyle.

The second way I see hope in this article is the hope it provides for those who find themselves struggling with same-sex attraction, gender confusion, or any other lifestyle within LBGT ideology.  I pray they hear about these podcasts so that they know they are not alone in their struggle.  Same-sex attraction is real for some people.  Gender confusion is real for some people.  These realities do not make them acceptable morally or in faith. 

The fact that our faith teaches these lifestyles are sinful does not make it easy to say no to the same-sex attraction or to reject gender ideology that says one can change one’s gender to other than one’s biological gender.  It is not easy and it is important for those who struggle with these to know they do not have to struggle alone.  God loves them and will never abandon them. There are other people who experience the same struggles and can help them and walk with them.  This is reason for them to have hope of overcoming their struggles to live in accord with God’s Will.

Matt McDonald, “States can withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, U.S. Supreme Court rules.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 26, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265027/states-can-withhold-medicaid-funds-from-planned-parenthood-us-supreme-court-rules.

The Supreme Court case reported in this article does not rule on the legality or morality of abortion.  It was not directly about that.  The case is about government funding of abortions.  This decision gives me hope because it says just because something is legal, it does not require government funding for it.  This gives me hope that the day will come when I am not forced to see my tax dollars used to fund abortions that violate my moral and religious beliefs.

Victoria Cardiel, “Pope Leo XIV warns new archbishops against pastoral plans that repeat without renewing.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 29, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265073/pope-leo-xiv-warns-new-archbishops-against-pastoral-plans-that-repeat-without-renewing.

The hope that this article gives me is a little more subtle.  The archbishops receiving their palliums does not itself guarantee that everything they teach is truth.  It is very unfortunate that there are archbishops who teach in opposite to God’s Truth as taught in our one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.  However, I still see hope in the giving of the palliums that truth is something important and that the archbishops have a special responsibility to teach God’s Truth rather than follow worldly teaching.  Let us pray daily that all bishops will only speak and teach what is in accord with God’s Truth.

I pray that you see the same hope that I see in these articles.  Remember, nothing is impossible for God.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff