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Books
I do not often agree with Michael Novak but the subtitle of his new book attracted me anyone willing to show that Samuel Huntington rsquo s dramatic prediction of a clash of civilizations is wrong is someone I want very much to read Unfortunately Novak mentions Huntington only in passing and neve
The Word
There is always a great deal of emotion in anticipation of ldquo the day rdquo whether that be a wedding day the first day of vacation opening day at the ballpark or the day of discharge from the service mdash to name but a few important days in the lives of many of us In such cases not only
Faith in Focus
I can’t remember exactly how old I was, but from what I have learned, that’s not unusual. I must have been 10 or 11, in the fourth or fifth grade at a small parochial school. I was an altar boy, and it was while serving at 6:30 Mass before school one morning that I first met him. He was
Books
In Dynamic Equivalence The Living Language of Christian Worship Father Keith Pecklers offers a fascinating narrative of the mid-20th-century Vernacular Society in the United States interwoven with the larger history of vernacular worship in the church The whole story is framed by an opening chap
I am cutting circles out of bright orange construction paper and turning them into jack-o’-lanterns. As the pile of scraps grows higher, I find myself thoroughly enjoying the unusual challenge of using magic markers to make scary-looking teeth. A few months ago, I volunteered to take over bull
As I begin my seventh year of cell-to-cell ministry on Florida’s death row, it is not surprising that I am frequently asked to speak to Catholic audiences on the realities of the American death penalty. Most invitations are from Catholics who are sincerely interested in the truth, but who know
Letters
Society Owes Them
In Adults Left Behind (10/11), William J. Byron, S.J., observes that adults now unable to read were perhaps failed by their schools when they were children, and points out that society owes them something now. Many of those who could not read in school then dropped out of school, went to the streets, drifted into drugs and crime and found themselves in prison. Some of them also had learning disabilities (like dyslexia) and had little support from dysfunctional families. It has been estimated that 40 percent of inmates in state prisons cannot read adequately, and an abnormal percentage of them have learning difficulties.
This is another case of finding the root cause of symptoms and trying to do something about it. Society owes these people a better effort to overcome their disabilities, educate them and enable them to survive productively in society.
Rudy Cypser
FaithFaith and Reason
In his textbook of moral theology, Henry Davis, an English Jesuit theologian, wrote that of all the principles of moral theology, the principle of material cooperation is the most difficult to apply. The principle is used to analyze the contribution one makes or the assistance one gives to the wrong
The Word
There is within every living being an innate tendency to cling to life and flourish It is no different with human beings In fact it is this passion for life that often causes us anxiety in the face of death The value that various peoples ascribe to the human spirit can be seen in the practices w
Have you seen any angels lately? A whole crowd of people sighted one recently in Texas. I got the news in an urgent e-mail from my niece just a few days ago. “Uncle Bob,” she wrote, “we need your prayers. My daughter Jacquelyn and five of her friends were in a terrible accident las
News
U.S. Bishops to Vote on Adult Catechism, New Conference PresidentWhen the U.S. Catholic bishops meet in mid-November, they will be asked to approve a first-ever U.S. national catechism for adults and elect a new president to lead them for the next three years. They will also be asked to vote on join
Books
The trouble with philosophers is that they think ideas are everything The trouble with Jungian psychologists is that they think timeless archetypes shape all human behavior James Hillman is both a philosopher and a Jungian psychologist and he is vulnerable to both charges but in this rambling r
Editorials
Gregory Lee Johnson turned up in Dallas, Tex., for the Republican National Convention in 1984. To show his contempt for the policies of the Reagan administration, Mr. Johnson burned an American flag, while other demonstrators shouted approval. A Texas criminal court convicted Mr. Johnson of flag des
When I got married at the relatively advanced age of 42, I wore my mother’s satin wedding dress from 1946, as my three sisters had done. I also carried her prayer book, wore borrowed pearls and tossed the bouquet. Since my father had died years before, my two brothers accompanied me down the a
Books
The influenza pandemic that erupted in 1918 was unlike any other disaster in history Estimates set the number as high as 100 million deaths around the world as influenza killed more people in a single year than the Black Death did over a century in the Middle Ages Granted the plague of the 1300
Editorials
How long, O Lord, how long? As blood continues to flow, this prayer must be daily on the lips of both Israelis and Palestinians. After two weeks of the latest Israeli military invasion of northern Gaza, more than 90 Palestinians lay dead, hundreds maimed or wounded, most of them civilians. Every day
For the last generation, no issue has generated more sustained controversy, and none has produced more anguished appeals to conscience than has abortion. In churches, courts and political conventions, as well as in families, professional associations and universities, it is a reliable “sign of
Faith in Focus
Raised Catholic, I went to church on Sundays and served as an altar boy. I was spiritual, but I sought an intensity of experience I did not find in the Catholic tradition. Communion was my main problem. If this wafer truly were the body and blood of God’s Son (so I reasoned), I would receive i
The Word
Too often saints are depicted as people who are so extraordinary that we could never identify with them Their commitment to God and virtue is unwavering their trust in divine providence unshakable and their unselfish service of others puts everything that we do to shame Such a depiction is unfor