At the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the College of Cardinals with Pope Leo on June 29, the Holy Father offered remarks. He addressed the role of the church in this moment of profound transitions: rapid technological advances, deep political polarization and a pervasive sense of isolation. Surely the role of the church demands more than a mere preservation of the past or institutional survival.

In the days leading up to the Fourth of July this year, I was laid up with a cold. The classic summer cold: plenty of congestion, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, even a low-grade fever.

At the end of the 18th century, the Spanish artist Francisco Goya produced the etching “El sueño de la razón produce monstruos” (“The sleep of reason produces monsters”). If you have never seen it, I encourage you to look it up online.

If you followed the World Cup, then you know that the U.S. team’s path to the knockout stage entailed wins against Paraguay and Australia, followed by a loss to Turkey. That loss didn’t much concern seasoned fans because they knew that the U.S. team — already guaranteed a place in the next round — rested its starters and gave its backups playing experience to better prepare the team for the single-elimination games ahead.