Reading Francis

So, this is kind of cool: I had an article published in a real publication. America Media published a piece I wrote addressing the question nobody was asking: Would Pope Francis like the Hulu murder mystery “Only Murders in the Building”? You can read it here.

I have been meaning to write about Pope Francis’ series of Wednesday audiences devoted to old age, since they are great and rare reflections on the value of old age from a theological and biblical lens. I may still get to that.

In the meantime, it struck me that the show Only Murders really stands out for the way it depicts intergenerational friendships, and I thought it might be a fun way to elevate the pope’s lessons. And America Magazine is a Jesuit media ministry I’ve really grown to love, and which I knew featured lots of stories on faith and culture.

So I gave it a shot, and connected with the member of the editorial team who not only covers the “beat” but has also been the most fascinating to me: Fr. Jim McDermott, priest and screenwriter. He was gracious enough not only to respond, but to take my little nugget of an idea and draw out a number of possible directions I could go in fleshing it out. After a couple drafts, he encouraged me to send it in and shepherded it through the process to publication.

As you can tell, I don’t normally have an editor, or even spend much time editing my own stuff. It’s better with editors, I can now say with confidence. And the whole experience, combining three things I love – Pope Francis’ theology, aging issues, and a good story – was fun. Having it accepted and published by an outlet I follow and support so closely was the icing on the cake. I hope you enjoy it!