Jim McDermott, America Magazine

Jim McDermott

America Magazine

Los Angeles, CA, United States

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Recent:
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Past:
  • America Magazine

Past articles by Jim:

5 tips for going back to confession if it’s been a while

Hint: You actually can’t do it wrong. → Read More

You can’t talk your way into forgiveness

A Reflection for Monday of the Second Week in Lent, by Jim McDermott, S.J. → Read More

‘Evil will be defeated by God’: a Ukrainian artist transforms objects of death into life

When Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Klymenko came upon thousands of wooden boxes being used to transport ammunition, he decided to use them as canvases for art. → Read More

‘Women Talking’ is the Oscar nominee every Catholic needs to see

“Women Talking” is an exploration of the way that religion can be used to imprison people—and what’s worse, to teach them to imprison themselves. → Read More

I asked A.I. to write homilies for Ash Wednesday—and the results were wild

This week, I gave Playground, a more customizable version of ChatGPT, a series of prompts for Ash Wednesday homilies. And the results were pretty astonishing. → Read More

What the Jesus Super Bowl ads get right (and wrong) about evangelization

The Super Bowl ads are effective precisely because they’re less interested in Jesus and more interested in getting us to think about our choices. → Read More

The tradition of papal telegrams: Why the pope sends a message to every country he flies over

In a sense, the pope’s messages all amount to the same thing: Hello and God bless you. But there is a care in the language that is striking. → Read More

Popes on a Plane: How the Boeing 747 changed the Catholic Church and the papacy

Prior to 1964, no pope had left Italy for 150 years. The advent of the 747 and long-haul flights enabled popes to finally visit the world, and the world to visit the pope. → Read More

Relationships are essential for health and happiness. What about a friendship with God?

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has found that deep relationships are a key to long term emotional well-being. As I read their findings, I found myself wondering how many people would include a relationship with God as one of the deep personal relationships of their lives. → Read More

Review: Meeting Steven Spielberg, after all these years, in ‘The Fabelmans’

At this point what could Steven Spielberg possibly have to offer? The answer, it turns out, is himself. → Read More

What the Catholic Church can learn from the resurrection of Barnes & Noble

After years of contraction, missteps and premature obituaries, Barnes & Noble is unexpectedly thriving. Here are three lessons from the bookseller’s turnaround for the U.S. church. → Read More

Mel Gibson and the dangers of Catholic antisemitism

Mel Gibson's past history of antisemitic remarks and behavior means holding him up as a leader is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. → Read More

A God who doesn’t need you to be polite

A Reflection for Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, by Jim McDermott, S.J. → Read More

Pope Benedict XVI’s secretary, advocate and confidant: What you need to know about Georg Gänswein

Archbishop Georg Gänswein is publishing a memoir of his years with Pope Benedict. But the archbishop is a compelling figure in and of himself. → Read More

Eulogy vs. homily: When should you talk about the deceased in a Catholic funeral?

When someone dies, it is only right that family and friends be given a chance to share their memories of their loved one. But the balance between pastoral care and logistical realities can be a tough one to strike. → Read More

Winter storms, travel nightmares and Covid-19: Lessons on letting go from a chaotic Christmas

What happens when the first "normal" Christmas since 2019 turns into a sitcom-level celebration in which everything that can go wrong does go wrong? → Read More

My Top TV shows? Who cares—here are the Top 10 lunches I had this year.

Instead of focusing on what some critic or pundit has to say about what was important from the last year, what would it be like if we went through our own calendars and credit card statements and made top 10 lists of our own? → Read More

Is ‘Joy to the World’ really right for Christmas?

Something has started, something good, and we are going to be a part of it. But what is it exactly? Wait and see. → Read More

Baking, gardening and puppies: A guide to the comfort watching you need this holiday season

My go-to for holiday comfort is generally British TV shows. Any TV trip to the U.K. feels instantly like a vacation. → Read More

Who is allowed to write about pedophilia?

“Downstate,” Bruce Norris’s new off-Broadway play about a group home for pedophile, raises the question: Who gets to write about pedophilia? And what are they allowed to say? → Read More