Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist Last semester I wrote in my second dating column that dating is “endlessly complex.” This remains true — so, let’s get into round three. The inspiration for this issue came from the one and only Dumb Ox debate we held here in Austria in the midst of the lockdowns. It […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist I’m not sure yet if this semester’s travels, as they wind down towards finals week, will bring me to Prague. I’ll say that it’s not at the top of my list. Everyone seems to lose their minds over the mere mention of the city, but I honestly can’t figure out […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist Anxiety is, of course, a psychological issue, and often its antidote requires a psychological solution. This includes all its attendant problems: depression, self-hatred, self-consciousness and so forth. Like any bodily issue, however, psychological disorders do harm to our souls; our intellect, expressed materially by the brain, is meant to be […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist When we think of generosity, we tend to conjure up images of almsgiving: giving money to the poor or serving the homeless, or paying for something for a friend. These are important economical gestures; the basics are certainly needed for survival. I, at least, tend not to think about the […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist Our era badly wants for wonders. We often misread these times as a scientific age, where we seek out answers and put an end to mysteries. If you look at it for more than two seconds, it’s clear that that reading is outdated. The scientific revolution, the enlightenment — they’re […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist Last spring, I wrote a spiritual reflection for the Franciscan 40 program on daily readings from Isaiah 42:1-7 and John 12:1-11, regarding what it means to participate in God’s justice. I concluded by describing justice as proper ordering of relationships, essential to having a relationship with Our Lord. I find […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist About once a semester, my family is able to make the eight-hour drive down from the suburbs of Chicago to spend time with me for a few days. It’s always special when your family gets to visit. As a student who lives at some distance from school, there is the […]

Jared Johnson Social Media Manager Last issue, I considered the complications of dating and discernment. Dating, however, is an endlessly complex issue, and I think it will forever remain so as long as it involves love, men and women. Men and women got off on the wrong foot after the fall. Woman falls to sin, […]

Jared Johnson Social Media Manager Discussion, analysis and criticism of the dating culture here at Franciscan is one of those eternal conversations that will endure until the end of the world, like modesty or Caf food. As each generation of freshmen enters and each generation of seniors departs, students of every age experience the triumphs […]

Jared Johnson Catholic Values Columnist Keeping tabs on America’s political situation has long been a pastime of mine. My family has been invested in politics for as long as I can remember, and it is important to have a general awareness about things for elections. But as a bored homeschooler in freshman year of high […]