The Pastor in Los Angeles

No meme is more constant in these pages than the difference between those Church leaders who adopt a culture warrior mode and those who speak and act as pastors. So, when I saw a recent article entitled "Catholic Principles and American Renewal," I was worried that the article would be a rightwing rant about the decline of American culture and how a particular variety of Catholic expression could heal all that ails. Then, I realized that the author of this article was Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez and my expectation changed. The article is not a rant. The article is not a throw down in the culture war. Instead, +Gomez invites us Catholics to think more deeply about how our faith informs our lives. No finger wagging. Lots of encouragement. Lots of challenge. The words of a pastor. How refreshing.