Notes from the Field - Picture yourself alone in a completely silent room. No sounds, not even the distant hum of the refrigerator. At first, it might be nice. Depending on your temperament, it might be really nice. But there's a chance that after a while, it's going to get uncomfortable. Eerie, even.

"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."

Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ Sr. Kate Kuenstler serves as an independent canon lawyer and has worked with Catholics from 30 dioceses across the United States as well as communities in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

The discoveries of science today do not cease to astound. For centuries we thought of ourselves as solid, fixed human beings in a stable, fixed universe. Now we must rethink ourselves as disco dancers in a bubble gum universe. Quantum physics has undermined all the great discoveries of matter, from Aristotle to Newton, and we are now left with the wondrous reality of wave-particle duality. Now we must face the startling discovery that quantum physics may govern the realms of biological life as well.

"With a burst of brilliant color, leaves remind us that the end is only a beginning!"

"Each of us has a sphere of influence, which we can use in negative or positive ways. The path to healing our fractured civil discourse requires folks who are willing to reach out across the divides, find common ground, and listen to the pain that is behind so much of the fear and hatred that has come to light."

Now known for its swift immigration response to the Syrian refugee crisis, Canada accepts more Syrian refugees than any other country. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported that the country welcomed more than 33,000 Syrian refugees between November 4, 2015, and mid-October 2016. Catholics across Canada sprang to action to help the refugees, like Ursulines of Jesus in Chatham, and Jesuit-run parishes in St. John's, Halifax, Toronto, Guelph and Winnepeg.

GSR Today - Within hours after the election results became clear early November 9, there was talk of unity, of bringing the nation together after a long, divisive presidential campaign. But that morning, there were other issues that had to be dealt with. It started with my children, ages 10 and 12, who reacted with horror on hearing Donald Trump had been elected.

In September 2016, the Bridge Initiative of Georgetown University issued a disturbing report on how Catholics perceive the religion of Islam and the people who follow it. The survey indicated that only 14 percent of American Catholics have favorable views of Muslims, 30 percent have unfavorable views, while 45 percent have neither favorable nor unfavorable views. The bright spot for me is that while only 3 in 10 Catholics know a Muslim personally, those who do have a far more positive view of Muslims as a whole. So, the challenge, it seems, is to encourage at least the 45 percent to get to know an individual Muslim or a family.

See for Yourself - "If a nation goes down, it's because they no longer respect their women," said John Spotted Horse, speaking to me confidently and calmly under his feathered headdress with the strings of tiny colorful beads streaming down his cheeks. John, Stan, and their group were performing Native American dances at a community festival.