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Politics & Society
Fellowship in Faith: Jewish, Christian and Muslim
Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.
Tensions between Jews and Christians and Muslims in Israel-Palestine and the Middle East more generally, as well as violent Christian-Muslim clashes in Indonesia, Pakistan, Sudan and Nigeria in recent months, to say nothing of the war with Iraq, have led to some disturbing stereotyping of the Islami
Books
What of St. Peter's Facade?
Franco Mormando
In case you have ever wondered why the facade of St Peter rsquo s Basilica in Rome seems so disproportionately and disagreeably wide in relation to its height the explanation is that the final bays on both of its sides are in fact not part of the facade itself They instead represent the lower por
Letters
Letters
Our readers

More Inclusive

Since Cardinal Avery Dulles mentioned me in his article Vatican II: Substantive Teaching (3/31), I would like to make it clear that I also understand the Second Vatican Council to mean that it is only in the Catholic Church that the church of Christ continues to exist with all the institutional elements that Christ bestowed on his church. However, I have never understood subsists in to mean that it is only in the Catholic Church that the church of Christ continues to exist. If that were the case, one would have to say that in 1054 the church of Christ ceased to exist in half the Christian world. Then one could not describe the Orthodox churches as true particular churches, nor could one say that by the celebration of the Eucharist in those churches the church of God is being built up. The question at issue is whether the church of Christ is wider and more inclusive than the Catholic Church. It is not clear to me where Cardinals Ratzinger and Dulles stand on that question.

Francis A. Sullivan, S.J.

Forgiveness: A Radical New Factor
William Bole
A few years ago, a gutsy doctor named Susan Black strode into the merciless mess of Kosovo. She went there as a volunteer expert to help expand medical services in refugee camps, assisted by her trusty translator, Faza, an ethnic Albanian. After traveling with Faza for six weeks, 12 hours a day, she
The Imaculate Heart of Mary: Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions
Janice Farnham
In the cold December half-light where I sat with my first cup of coffee, it caught my eye. I was intent on praying myself into a good attitude for a weekend of meetings, and saw outside my window one of many astounding ironies in midtown Manhattan. There, in the middle of a postage-stamp size conven
The Word
'We Have Seen the Lord!'
Dianne Bergant
We have seen the Lord 8221 Who has not longed to hear those words Or who has not longed for the experience that gave birth to the words Most of us are like Thomas in today 8217 s Gospel 8212 not that we are doubters but that our faith is based on the words of others Someone else has the exp
Sacro Monte di Crea; The finding of the empty tomb of Christ, statues by Antonio Brilla, 1889 (Wiki Commons) 
Faith
What does the empty tomb of Jesus mean for us today?
Gerald O'Collins
As Easter comes round again, many wonder how to understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its message for us.
Books
See the Clown and More
John R. Donahue
From the time of the Devotio Moderna to the present books offering guided meditations on Jesus have been a staple of Christian spirituality Anselm Gr n a Benedictine monk and best-selling spiritual writer in Germany and throughout Europe offers 50 short vignettes of the life and teaching of Jes
Faith in Focus
Tyler the Tightwad
Alma Roberts Giordan
He saves, he hoards, he gloats over his cache of candy: my grandson, Tyler the Tightwad. He’s never heard of Silas Marner or Shylock or any of those other renowned literary misers, being barely four years old. Nor is he ungenerous in any other direction. In this case, however, he truly is a sk
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
James Martin, S.J.
Until I entered the Jesuit novitiate at age 28, I had never attended an Easter Vigil.When I was a boy, it seemed to me that every year, at the morning Mass on Easter Sunday, we read the wrong Gospel passage. Usually the story took place a long time after the resurrection. I couldn’t figure out
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
George M. Anderson
My memory of the one role I ever had in a high school play has largely faded, but I do recall the director, a young English teacher who brought to his task great energy and commitment. Living in my Jesuit community is another energetic and committed young English teacher, Chris Derby, S.J., a Jesuit
Faith in Focus
Offer It Up? Right!
Mary Sherry
Whenever I hear someone say, “Offer it up,” I remember Sally. Sally had a fondness for sweets, but they weren’t good for her. Every time she spied me sneaking a cookie or candy bar, she would stare intently at me, hoping I would feel guilty and share. “Offer it up,” I w
You Can't Fight Fire With Bullets
Joseph G. Bock
After I graduated from high school, I became a professional firefighter in Kansas City, Mo. Going through drill school, I learned that some fires can be extinguished only by taking away their fuel. In some cases, uncontrolled fire can be stopped most effectively when it encounters blackened ash.It w
Books
Sir Chameleon
Richard A. Blake
In 1970 at the age of 56 Alec Guinness by then one of the best-known character actors in the world sat for a formal portrait Michael Noakes the artist recognized the overwhelming challenge of the task ldquo How does one paint what lies beneath the surface of the skin rdquo asks biographer
Letters
Letters
Our readers

View of Jesus

Your Of Many Things column on March 17 referred to Jesus Before Christianity, by Albert Nolan, O.P. For six years in the late 1970’s, my family and I lived in Cape Town, South Africa, during which I did a three-year certificate program at the Kolbe School of Theology.

One of our three main teachers was Father Nolan. We had the privilege of reading Jesus Before Christianity the year before it was published. It was and is still a refreshing, provocative view of Jesus, which dramatically deepened my earlier beliefs and made them much more real. That change has persisted. My memory is that he had a similar impact on the other participants.

What a wonderful difference a single individual can make!

Terry J. van der Werff

The Word
Alleluia!
Dianne Bergant
One of the most impressive scenes in the movie ldquo The Wizard of Oz rdquo is Dorothy rsquo s entrance into the Land of Oz At that moment the original sepia tones of the film become brilliant Technicolor Tornado-beaten earth gives way to a boldly colorful magical land where everything is stra
Editorials
Rules of Engagement
The Editors
‘Fog of war” is a notorious euphemism for the unanticipated consequences of armed conflict. As active-duty and retired officers have attested during the first weeks of the Iraqi war, the battle plan changes the moment armed forces go into combat. As Iraqi Fedayeen have disguised themselv
Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions
James Martin, S.J.
This series focuses on the world of devotions in the life of contemporary believers. America asked a number of Catholics to speak about a favorite devotionits history, its place in the writer’s life and its possible role in the life of contemporary believers. In this seventh part of the series
Books
Faith as Wellness Technique?
Brian Volck
Not long ago I heard several chaplains of a major U S children rsquo s hospital speak on ldquo spirituality and medicine rdquo After a review of recent scientific studies linking prayer faith and physical health one of the speakers gasped ldquo When I hear such exciting news all I can say
News
Signs of the Times
From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources
Charity Groups Protest Military Oversight of Iraqi AidThe Catholic Church’s top charity officials are protesting coalition military plans to oversee humanitarian aid distribution in Iraq, seeing it as part of a worrying trend in recent years toward militarizing aid. Two weeks into the U.S.-led