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Books
The take-home message from this review is similar to the line I wrote on my book reports in elementary school I would recommend this book to all my friends It is a rare experience for me to find a book that sets me on fire stirs me up and makes me think critically about my life and commitments as
Books
A professor I knew used to say Hamlet seems befuddled at times because he is a Renaissance man in a medieval world Over the years I saw that the reverse was equally true Hamlet knows the new philosophy but is troubled by new customs and friends who betray old loyalties he fails at playing the Ma
Editorials
Affordable housing for low-income families—seldom in the past few decades has this essential aspect of American life been harder to come by. Construction of new government-subsidized housing remains at a virtual standstill. High unemployment rates and increased nationwide poverty are exacerbat
The Word
Both the first and the third readings for today begin with the words ldquo In those days rdquo Of which days are the writers speaking And why are they so filled with terror and destruction nbsp These accounts reflect ancient Israelite understanding of the endtime not to be confused with the
At the core of the Christian faith and important in many other faiths is a theme that has not received much attention even at this moment in our history, when religious struggle, the clash of civilizations as some would call it, is shaping the current debate. It is a word not given much consideratio
Faith in Focus
My friend Sam almost died last week. Given his age, that should not have surprised me, I suppose. What I did not expect, however, was that I nearly lost Sam to nothing more serious than a pair of ministrokes. Even a 63-year-old should have survived this medical problem without too much trouble. Yet
Books
Preaching to huge crowds in the 18th century the highly popular theologian Jonathan Edwards did not soften his rhetoric when it came time to describe the fate of humanity and its need for divine grace Natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell They have deserved the fiery pit a
Arts & CultureBooks
Garnished with stories of saintly figures and their teachings, Robert Ellsberg's book consists of eight chapters that are like interlocking facets of happiness and holiness.
News
Polls: Most Catholics Like Pope; Many Say Church Is Out of TouchMost Catholics who responded to polls conducted to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s election on Oct. 16 said they approve of the way the pope has done his job. But many of the respondents also said they ho
From 2003. Important steps for implementing an intercultural vision in parishes.
Letters
Educational Values
Thank you, Thomas McCarthy, for your direct and honest comments on our schools in Swimming Upstream (10/6). The amount of time, energy and implied worth that is given to supporting the prevailing cultural values has increased at a disturbing rate, and in direct opposition to what we say Catholic education is all about. Using fund-raising rather than stewardship as a model, we are doing little to model the Eucharist, countercultural values or the creative awe and wonder that are so significant to a child’s faith formation. You are not alone in your reactions, simply more courageous than far too many parents and administrators.
Mary Therese Lemanek
Books
About 10 years ago the U S circuit court Judge John T Noonan published an article in Theological Studies on the problem of development in moral theology He focused on four issues on which it seems the Catholic Church had changed the content of its moral teaching These were usury slavery relig
Books
Maybe you don rsquo t have to believe This collection of 24 tales comes with an alternate subtitle Short Fiction on the Varieties and Vagaries of Faith and a fair number of its protagonists in works by Marjorie Kemper Joyce Carol Oates William Saroyan Isaac Bashevis Singer et al could hard
Editorials
By a single-vote margin, the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 9 passed a bill that includes a school-voucher provision for low-income families in the District of Columbia. This is a small, five-year pilot program that has had several heavyweight titles. It has been rather grandly but accuratel
Growing up Catholic in the 1950’s, my first understanding of the term mission centered around pagan babies, milk-carton penny collections and stories of religious in full habit harvesting souls abroad. Only later did I discover that the term included Home Missions in the United States.These mi
Faith in Focus
"My prayer during the bombing of Baghdad was that I would be ready to die,” said Cathy Breen. “The air in the city was filled with black smoke, both from the bombs themselves and from the oil fires that had been lit.” Cathy, a Catholic Worker who lives at Mary House on Manhattan&rs
The Word
Some might wonder why we celebrate the dedication of a basilica that most of us will never visit Is it simply because it is the ldquo pope rsquo s church rdquo Or as the ldquo mother church rdquo of all churches should this basilica and this commemoration remind us that we are all children o
Books
Fenton Johnson grew up in the shadow of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky the youngest of nine children born in a Catholic county surrounded by a Protestant sea For years his family home had been like a second home to monks from the abbey who walked over for conversation a beer or for some spare part
News
World Joins John Paul II in Anniversary CelebrationAs voices from around the world offered congratulations and encouragement, Pope John Paul II celebrated a 25th anniversary Mass and prayed for the wisdom, holiness and strength to keep leading the church. The Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct.
FaithFaith in Focus
Churches and cathedrals are not merely temples built according to some preconceived pattern to honor the deity, an enterprising designer or a loyal benefactor. They are powerful epiphanies or metaphors of what the church is, how it behaves and what it stands for in the modern world.