In Christian theology the term ldquo paschal mystery rdquo refers to Jesus rsquo life death and resurrection and their saving significance for us The adjective paschal derives from the Hebrew verb pasach meaning ldquo to pass over rdquo and alludes to ancient Israel rsquo s rescue from slav
A black wooden ring on his finger—what could it mean? A sign of mourning, as in Victorian times? I noticed it during a conversation with Bernard Lestienne, a French Jesuit who works in Brazil at the Instituto Brasileiro de Desenvolvimento. He was in New York for a conference, and as he rose to
Continuing EmbarrassmentThe Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba has increasingly become an embarrassment for the United States. In mid-February, a team of five inspectors from the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva issued a lengthy report documenting human rights violations alleged to be ta
The world has always been a dangerous place, and each generation has had to confront its own set of challenges. During the years of the cold war, when the Soviet Union and the United States were locked in a nuclear standoff, the very survival of the international community was at stake. The danger w
Milwaukee School Choice Program to ExpandWith just days left before a rationing plan was to begin for students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Wisconsin’s Gov. Jim Doyle and Assembly Speaker John Gard announced on Feb. 17 that the enrollment cap will increase next fall by 7,500 stude
The two most prominent authors we are reading in my course this semester for advanced undergraduates on the classics of spirituality are Augustine of Hippo and Dante Alighieri. I see by his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, that Benedict XVI has been reading them as well. It will come as no surpri
I was happy to discover that Pope Benedict’s first encyclical is not a crackdown on dissident theologians, nor a stern reprimand to the secular world. Rather, it is an extended reflection on the nature of Christian love. It is addressed not only to the bishops of the world, but also to priests