Is cynicism a sin?

“Is cynicism a sin” is kind of a tongue twister. It’s also something I have been thinking about lately, especially living in arguably the cynicism capital of America.

I did a little research and the short answer is, no, cynicism is not a sin. However, it is a spiritual danger. It is also more akin to a vice, because cynicism is a temptation. Those living in cynicism risk enmeshing themslves in a worldview of hopelessness (nothing good will ever happen) arrogance (and I know nothing good will ever happen again) and laziness - even acedia, “spiritual sloth” (nothing good will ever happen again so I can just check out now). The good news is, there are prayerful and mindful ways to combat cynical tendencies and we should all enlist these strategies immediately.

I will be on Morning Air tomorrow at 8:20 eastern to discuss all this with the hosts. Find your way to tune in here or simply open the livestream player here. I look forward to discussing this topic!

Why are Gen Z gals visiting monasteries for a lil' peace and quiet?

This morning I was on Morning Air on Relevant Radio discussing the trend, shared first on Tik Tok, that Gen Z women are seeking out monasteries for their summer vacations. Why? They just want a little peace and quiet already! You can listen to the conversation here, starting at 19:32,

My favorite parts of this conversation were talking about what a younger, secular generation might learn from the witness of other women committed to a religious path for their life, and how good food and good conversation are great evangelization tools. Really. I was talking to someone recently: I hear about people who have these profound conversion experiences while at adoration, for example, or because they just get the Eucharist at a deep soul level, and ta-da, they are on the path to becoming Catholic. Not me! It took heart ache and prayer, but also, an appreciation of just the rhythms, rules, and traditions of the Church to make a revert of me. And one of the things I have enjoyed the most is the aspect of the church that says - celebrate! We are human, after all, and we have human needs, which includes community. So, these. young ladies are finding it. And silence, to boot. That is the genius of this faith: it just gets humans (because Jesus gets humans. I imagine, in part, because he became one).

Tomorrow: why Gen Z women are "flocking" to convents for summer vacation

You may have seen Vice’s article, “Gen Z Women Are Booking Convents Instead of Beach Houses This Summer.” When I saw and read it, I thought, of course. This isn’t all that shocking; it’s even in line with all the conversions we’ve been seeing lately. But the question is, why?

Well, imagine the culture for young women right now. The noise and confusion around beauty standards and a woman’s worth, digital overload, loneliness and lack of relationships, meaningless online interactions, iffy job prospects in the face of the AI takeover, difficulty in finding a life partner, and so on. Even if you subtract out all the cultural noise, the digital fatigue itself is enough to drive someone to seek out a silent vacation.

So I will be discussing this tomorrow morning on Morning Air at 8:20 am eastern. Find your way to listen here (I recommend just opening up the livestream player).

One other thing I want to talk about, though, and I hope it makes its way into the conversation, is what this means as a broader evangelization opportunity. Food and good conversation are great evangelizers. What can we do to make our own homes and lives attractive to those who are seeking? Meaning, how to welcome people into a Catholic home, or a Catholic friendship? Not for the purpose of converting someone to Catholicism, which would be manipulative, but to demonstrate that indeed there is more to life, that there is peace, friendship, fun to be had yet in this life. That life has meaning, and that each life has purpose.

Tune in to discuss!