"It appears that at the present moment neither pole is capable of outweighing the other. Our choices then, no matter how small or personal, do matter a great deal because they contribute one way or another to a kind of cosmic balance of power."

Laudato Si' is overly ambitious in trying to address the major problems of our world, including economic, technological and environmental problems. By offering glimpses of a new theology without revisiting the doctrines of the church in light of the new science, the document falls short of providing a reasonable theological ground for change.

A delegation of 117 men and women are in El Salvador Nov. 28-Dec. 5 to celebrate the lives of four women who were murdered by the government 35 years ago. 'Remembering our sisters, carrying their legacy forward' draws connections to today's struggles of women, as well as the state of poverty and crime in the Central American country.

Sr. Louise Lears and 116 others — mostly women religious — are spending a week in El Salvador, visiting the site where three sisters and a lay missioner were killed 35 years ago.

GSR Today - It does not take long to understand why Bangladesh is often cited in discussions about climate change and why the country could often be discussed during the United Nations' conference on climate change, which runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in Paris.

"I ask you in particular to show genuine concern for the needs of the poor, the aspirations of the young, and a just distribution of the natural and human resources with which the Creator has blessed your country."

"Stand in plain sight, and they may not see you!"

- Barbara Schwarz, OP, whose gallery in the Ministry of Preaching Through the Arts of the Sisters of St. Dominic can be viewed at artafire.homestead.com

See for Yourself - It's so easy to crash through life with only partial information. Oftentimes, though, the problem is that we don't know we have only partial information.

Gratitude can call us back to our values. When we gather this week, do we give thanks for material goods, privilege, or power? Generally, no. We give thanks for opportunities received, love shown, relationships grown. We may give thanks for material "enoughness," but probably not for excess. This tells us something.

Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister began her talk to the NCR 50th anniversary conference in typical Chittister style: With a quote from French philosopher Albert Camus, a quote from English poet John Dryden and joke about a duck who walks into an Irish pub.