Julian Barnes's new novel is a philosophical mystery that morphs into a morality tale.

Solidarity with a displaced people

Cambridge MA On this first Sunday of Lent February 26 we heard a remarkably brief version of Jesus rsquo time in the desert ldquo And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness He was in the wilderness for forty days tempted by Satan and he was with the wild beasts and the a

Over at Busted Halo I explore how some Lenten practices might impact the presidential race From the post For the past several months I rsquo ve followed with increasing dismay the degradation of the political process here notably in the GOP presidential contest though the systemic rot will su

Lent begins with the sturdy words ldquo Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return rdquo They rsquo re a reminder that the world around us mdash and the world of care and concern we carry daily within us mdash is passing away Like so much of the faith that rsquo s easily asser

Some new ideas on how to address the crisis in Syria from Eli S McCarthy professor of Justice and Peace Studies at Georgetown University Is increasing violence civil war and covert support for armed revolution the only options left in Syria Many analysts respond affirmatively However from a

For those in the New York area David Gibson -- whose respected work as author and journalist many America readers will know -- will be giving a lecture at Fordham this Tuesday the 28th Titled The End of Catholic Politics Gibson s talk will take place at 5pm at Flom Auditorium in the Walsh Libr

Some new ideas on how to address the crisis in Syria from Eli S McCarthy professor of Justice and Peace Studies at Georgetown University Is increasing violence civil war and covert support for armed revolution the only options left in Syria Many analysts respond affirmatively However from a

Florida s Senator Marco Rubio a Tea Party favorite is on everyone s short list for the GOP vice-president nomination and BuzzFeed reports nbsp that the now Catholic politico was baptized and raised Mormon during his childhood If Romney wins the nomination and chooses Rubio there would be a Mor

On next week s podcast Fr Jim Martin and I discuss the hidden themes of suffering grace forgiveness and love in the popular series Downton Abbey And why the word Abbey is important Here s a sneak preview Podcast Powered By Podbean Tim Reidy

Now we know where he gets it from Cardinal Timothy Dolan well-known for his good sense of humor among other qualities introduced his mother to Pope Benedict this weekend and her exchange with the holy father showed that a lighthearted spirit runs in the family From the New York Post Amid che

There is an absolute nbsp plethora of spiritual resources on the web to help you in your journey during Lent nbsp In fact there are so many and I ve gotten so many emails promoting them that it s somewhat hard to keep track nbsp But here goes nbsp First off is our own series of bri

In this year of grace 2012 given all the effort that the English-speaking Church is currently expending upon the words that we use in the liturgy it is a comfort to come to a day that almost preaches and prays itself Granted we still have to battle our way through the Third Edition of the Roman

Mary Valle a smart savvy writer and an editor at Killing the Buddha recently attended a one-woman show on the life of St Catherine of Siena performed by an Adrian Dominican Sister named Nancy Murray mdash who is incidentally Bill Murray s sister What can Catherine of Benincasa say to us n

President Washington what are your thoughts on American political debate in the new millenium Let me now warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party This spirit unfortunately is inseparable from our nature having its root in the strongest passions of t

Suggestions for action and reflection during Lent