November 2, 2025

This weekend, we break up our usual Sunday routine to offer special prayers for our dearly departed loved ones. We as Catholics have a special place in our spirituality in praying for the dead. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to open the gates of heaven for us. But entry into paradise is not automatic and cannot be taken for granted. And as much as we love people and remember them as “living saints,” those living saints would be the first to ask us to pray for them. So we take this weekend to pray that their feast day is now on November 1 — All Saints’ Day!

One of the common themes I have been asked about around the parish is how to cope with the current atmosphere in our country. Regardless of what political stance a person takes, most of us are just worn out. There are a few factors that contribute to that. On October 25, the Chicago Tribune had an opinion piece written by Kellie Walenciak called, “How to stay informed without being consumed” — a very concise summary of the problem! It is not proper to be merely and blissfully ignorant of the news, but a balance is needed. So here are a few tips from the article and some of my own I would like to offer:

Choose a certain time or two during the day to watch news and stick with it. An hour a day should do it. Cable stations generally are just trying to make you mad, not inform you. Don’t fall for it.

View, or even better, read news from a variety of sources. Finding one source you like and sticking to it is a misguided loyalty that traps you in an echo chamber. Don’t feel like you have to express your every feeling about every issue. I hate to say it, but not everyone is fascinated by our opinions! Look for the news. News. Not constant commentary. And be aware of what you’ve read before. I notice some articles on the internet say they were posted an hour ago or a day ago. But then I remember reading the very same article a couple weeks before! They will try to grind a story into us if they think it is something we like, or even more, feed our outrage. And who are “they?” An algorithm, an impersonal AI generated feed that pumps junk into your computer. 

Beware of “alerts!” and “breaking news!” Does every hour have something earth-shattering to report? If you’re a 24-hour news station, that’s a lot of time to fill. So turn off the computer. Set aside your phone. Talk to someone about their family, their vacation, their work worries, their garden — anything that brings light in your heart. These are just a few ideas. Maybe you have some of your own.

We need to be aware of our world and sometimes make judgments about how those events measure up against the Gospel. Every political or social issue has a moral dimension, and those need to be acknowledged and sometimes presented in the context of our prayer.